July, 2012

• 25 July

  Serbia’s New Leaders Carve Up Company Spoils

  As Serbia’s new ministers are due to be sworn in on Friday, key parties have started the distribution of state-owned companies, breaking promises to end the party politicisation of public enterprises.Talks on the distribution of plum posts in public enterprises have started in Serbia, following the conclusion of a coalition …

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• 25 July

  Suspected Mass Grave in Kosovo Draws Blank

  An official from the Kosovo Missing Persons Commission says no evidence has been found at Zhilivoda to support Serbian claims of a mass grave.Digs at a suspected mass grave site in Zhilivoda, where Serbia suspects Kosovo Serbs are buried, have shown no results to date and the final results of …

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• 24 July

  Albania’s EU entry is a priority for new president

  Tirana. Albania’s new President Bujar Nishani, who is due to be sworn in later on Tuesday, wants to tackle stalled legal reforms and the ongoing political crisis which threatens the country’s EU integration, AFP reported. “The justice system will be my priority. I have decided to fully engage in favour …

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• 24 July

  Barroso to visit Greece as turmoil continues

  BRUSSELS – European commission president Jose Manuel Barroso will visit Greece Thursday in his first trip to the country since the outbreak of the financial crisis. President Barroso will meet Prime Minister Antonis Samaras to “discuss the overall situation in Europe and obviously particularly focusing on Greece,” a commission spokesperson …

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• 24 July

  UN Chief Urges Kosovo, Serbia To Maintain Dialogue

  Ban Ki-moon said Belgrade and Pristina need to reach a solution through compromise and embrace their common European future.On his first official visit to Serbia and Kosovo, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the two countries to continue dialogue to improve the lives of ordinary people and move ahead toward …

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• 24 July

  Forest Fires Hit Several Balkan Countries

  As the hot, dry weather continues, forest fires are breaking out throughout the Western Balkans, claiming one life in Croatia and injuring dozens elsewhere.Three people are fighting for lives after suffering severe burns and another 11 were injured in a wildfire that raged on Monday night near the southeastern Macedonian …

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• 24 July

  SEEMO, Balkan Leaders ‘Must Live With Free Media’

  Top politicians in the region are still struggling to live with criticism, accusing journalists of undermining national interests and of mafia ties, media organisation says.The Vienna-based South East Europe Media Organisation, SEEMO, an affiliate of the International Press Institute, IPI, observes with growing concern the way top politicians in South …

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• 24 July

  Activist Sues Macedonian President Over Lustration Law

  A human right activist is suing President Gjorge Ivanov for approving the new Lustration law that some rights groups deem unconstitutional.Mirjana Najcevska, former head of the Macedonian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, is suing President Ivanov for “non-compliance with a decision by the Constitutional Court”, a criminal act according to …

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• 24 July

  Burgas Attack Won’t Mar Israel-Bulgaria Relations

  The July 18 terrorist attack, which claimed the lives of five Israeli tourists and one Bulgarian driver, will not mar relations between the two countries, Israeli Minister of Tourism Stas Misezhnikov said Monday.”Bulgaria and Israel are friendly nations and we will not allow the terrorist attack in Burgas to overshadow …

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• 23 July

  UN Secretary-General Praises Croatia’s Progress

  Following his visit to Croatia, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the country’s contribution to the global peace and offered his congratulations on its forthcoming EU accession.Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, who is currently touring the region, met Croatia’s President Ivo Josipovic on the northern island of Brijuni …

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