Bulgaria’s Parliament gave preliminary approval to 2010’s budget that assumes a two per cent economic contraction, without much debate. In a late session Tuesday, the 240-seat assembly in Sofia voted 135 in favour of passing the budget after its first reading. Delegates from the ruling coalition supported the bill, while …

Rezultat butmirskog procesa mogu biti samo usaglašena načela izmjene Ustava, izjavio je Dragan Čović, predsjednik HDZ BiH, koji je jučer razgovarao s predstavnicima SAD i EU u okviru takozvanog butmirskog procesa. “Jedini način da se dođe do nekog dokumenta jeste usaglašavanje načela da bi bar rekli da su se u …

Starting from the next ordinary parliamentary elections of 2013, Moldova citizens will be able to vote at any polling station, no matter at home or abroad, thank to a state-of-the-art information system called “Electronic Voter Register”, Central Electoral Commission Chairman Eugen Stirbu stated at a news conference.

Minister of Kosovo Goran Bogdanović says that the time when Belgrade was sending “directives” had passed. He was answering criticism of the official Belgrade’s position toward the local elections held in the province last weekend, organized by the Kosovo Albanian government in Priština.

Russian President Dmitrij Medvedev will visit Slovenia on Wednesday, Slovenian media say. Medvedev is scheduled to watch the return leg of the Slovenia-Russia World Cup qualifying match.

Georgian Presidential Administration Spokesman Ivan Noniashvili was appointed Georgia’s new ambassador to Azerbaijan today. The Georgian parliament supported Noniashvili’s candidacy with 84 votes. After receiving parliament’s approval, Noniashvili will replace Nikoloz Natbiladze, who has already been appointed Georgia’s ambassador to Spain. Since 2006, Noniashvili headed the Georgian Presidential Administration’s Press …

The European Commission has unfrozen part of the suspended funds under the PHARE program for Bulgaria-EUR 3.5 mln. This is what was notes in a letter of the EU Enlargement Directorate to the Deputy Prime Minister and financial minister Simeon Dyankov received on Tuesday night.

Bulgaria, the EU country worst hit by gas delivery disruptions last January following a dispute between Russia and Ukraine over transit, warned about delays to infrastructure work designed to boost energy security. The interconnectors are part of a “recovery plan” launched by Commission President José Manuel Barroso before his re-election. …

The Vice President of the European Commission Jacques Barrot announced the Council of the European Union will give November 30 its consent on liberalization of visa regime for Serbia.

Macedonian President George Ivanov appealed to the European Union to set a date for the start of negotiations with Skopje on joining the EU, almost four years after it was made a candidate, his office said Tuesday. “The start of the negotiations will be a clear positive signal for Macedonia, …