May, 2009

• 15 May

  EC awaits Slovenian response to Rehn’s proposal

  LJUBLJANA, Slovenia The European Commission (EC) has declined to comment on the agreement among Slovenian political leaders concerning EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn’s proposal for resolving the border dispute with Croatia.

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• 15 May

  Serbs start repairing homes in Mitrovica

  PRISTINA, Kosovo Serbs in a northern Mitrovica neighbourhood started rebuilding five houses Wednesday (May 13th), closely monitored by EULEX officials. The situation seems to be calm, in contrast to periods over the past two weeks, when Serbs had protested repairs to homes owned by ethnic Albanians situated in the Serb …

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• 15 May

  EC launches deficit procedure against Romania

  BRUSSELS, Belgium The European Commission (EC) decided on Wednesday (May 13th) to initiate a procedure against Romania for running up an excessive deficit, though the government blames the 2008 budget gap of 5.4% of GDP on expenses related to public employees’ salaries in the context of the global financial crisis.

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• 15 May

  Romanian government survives first no-confidence vote

  BUCHAREST, Romania By a wide margin Wednesday (May 13th), parliament rejected the first no-confidence vote filed against Prime Minister Emil Boc’s cabinet, which its foes accused of implementing policies that only aggravate the economic crisis.

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• 15 May

  Hague rejects Karadzic’s request to drop charges

  THE HAGUE, The Netherlands The UN war crimes tribunal rejected a request by former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to drop the charges against him Wednesday (May 13th). Karadzic insists the tribunal is hindering the process and his defence preparations by constantly raiding the homes of his relatives.

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• 15 May

  Biden encourages Saakashvilli to reach out to opposition

  WASHINGTON US Vice President Joe Biden encouraged Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvilli to continue outreach to opposition protesters and efforts at dialogue with the non-parliamentary opposition.

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• 15 May

  Bulgaria Economy Minister Hopes for Europe Crisis Recovery

  Petar Dimitrov, Bulgaria’s Minister of Economy and Energy, has stated that Bulgaria’s economy will not improve until the rest of Europe shows signs of recovery. “More than 60% of Bulgaria’s GDP depends on the European market. And if the crisis in the EU is not over, it would be an …

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• 15 May

  Bulgaria Battered Right-Wingers Complain to EU Envoys

  The recently elected leader of the biggest opposition right-wing party in Bulgaria, whose running in the upcoming European election was allegedly undermined by people close to the ruling parties, conferred with EU ambassadors on Thursday. Martin Dimitrov was accompanied by the leader of the so-called Blue coalition ballot for the …

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• 15 May

  Bosnian Serbs Leaders Challenge Top Envoy, US

  Bosnia’s new top international envoy, High Representative Valentin Inzko, faces his biggest challenge so far as Bosnian Serb leaders grouped together to demand he stop using his governing powers. The challenge was issued at a session of the Assembly of the Serb-dominated Bosnian entity of Republika Srpska, which on Thursday …

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• 15 May

  Albania Approves ODIHR Mission Chief

  After strongly contesting the appointment of the head of the international election monitoring team, the Albanian Central Electoral Commission on Thursday approved her appointment, along with a further 39 long-term observers. The centre-right government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha had earlier objected to Ambassador Audrey Glover’s appointment as head of …

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