Romania’s Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea said on Wednesday he was “convinced” that the International Monetary Fund will allow the country to run a bigger budget deficit this year under the terms of an aid deal, as the economy could contract by up to 8.5 percent. Representatives of the IMF are …

SKOPJE, Macedonia EU representative to Skopje, Erwan Fouere, said on Tuesday (August 4th) that it is too early to assess Macedonia’s chances of getting a date for starting EU accession talks. Fouere declined to comment on the upcoming European Commission progress report expected this fall, saying Macedonia must implement the …

BELGRADE, Serbia In both Serbia and Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbs marked the 14th anniversary of Operation Storm, the Croatian army offensive that killed hundreds of Serb civilians. President Boris Tadic attended a memorial service Tuesday (August 4th) at St. Marko church in Belgrade. Serb opposition parties condemned the …

ANKARA, Turkey The army announced on Tuesday (August 4th) that it has appointed new commanders of its air and naval forces. In a statement, the General Staff said the Air Force will be commanded by General Hasan Aksay, who will replace retiring General Aydogan Babaoglu. Admiral Esref Ugur Yigit will …

BELGRADE, Serbia Deputy Prime Minsiter Ivica Dacic rejected on Wednesday (August 5th) media speculation that the ruling coalition is in crisis over the controversial bill on public information, which would regulate the media. A vote was postponed until August 31st to allow time for more consultation. Dacic, leader of the …

BELGRADE, Serbia Deputy Prime Minsiter Ivica Dacic rejected on Wednesday (August 5th) media speculation that the ruling coalition is in crisis over the controversial bill on public information, which would regulate the media. A vote was postponed until August 31st to allow time for more consultation. Dacic, leader of the …

HE HAGUE, Netherlands The UN war crimes tribunal is allowing former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to have limited contacts with the media, Karadzic’s legal adviser, Peter Robinson, announced on Tuesday (August 4th). He added that after a “severe battle”, Karadzic’s team has managed to secure a document spelling out …

Kosovo officials say that they are not worried about the planned reduction of NATO forces in the country. Anders Rasmussen, NATO’s new secretary general, said on Tuesday that he wanted to see Kosovo Force, KFOR, “reduced to just a small reaction force, or out altogether” within his four-year term. 

The remains of Bosnian war hero, Colonel Avdo Palic, have been identified after a 14 year search, local media reported on Wednesday. During the 1992-95 war, Pavic commanded the defenders of the Bosniak (Bosnian Muslim) enclave of Zepa. After Bosnian Serb forces overran nearby Srebrenica on July 11, 1995, massacring …

Serb minorities in neighbouring countries do not enjoy full equality and are not guaranteed their collective rights, Serbian NGO Napredni klub argues in a new report. The report argues that Serbs do not enjoy equality with fellow citizens in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It finds that the status of …