In Balkans, U.S. Could Use 1800s Supreme Court Case for Guidance
By Ralph R. Johnson

Vice President Biden is on a diplomatic tour in the Balkans, visiting what many regard as the most problematic areas in the region. In his visit to Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Kosovo, he has the opportunity to foster improved relations among parties whose cooperation needs additional encouragement, and few are as well-suited as he to do just that: In Bosnia-Herzegovina, in particular, the vice president has significant experience and meaningful relationships.

Serbia seeks thumbs-up on co-operation
Serbian officials voiced hope Thursday that chief UN prosecutor Serge Brammertz will give a positive assessment of their country's collaboration with The Hague tribunal, which is key to Belgrade's EU bid.

Romania's Basescu tries his hand at another nomination
With parliament rejecting his first choice for prime minister, the president tapped a new candidate Friday.

Foggy economics in Macedonia come into focus
Last year, the government said Macedonia would be immune to the world economic crisis -- wrong they were. Now the country is taking steps to tackle the dilemma.

Business: Belgrade gets new city trams
Spanish company CAF and Belgrade signed a deal for new tram delivery to the Serbian capital. Also in business news: the new power plant in the Albanian city of Vlora will start producing electricity this month, and Kosovo Business Week opens.

EC rapporteurs praise Albania's general elections
TIRANA, Albania -- A delegation of rapporteurs with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Thursday (November 5th) praised the...

Bosnian police arrest three suspected terrorists
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- Police in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH) arrested three people Thursday (November 5th) sus...

Inzko warns of deteriorating political situation in BiH
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) -- The political situation in BiH is deteriorating with no signs of improvement, High Representative Valentin...

MANU fires editorial board of controversial encyclopaedia
SKOPJE, Macedonia -- The Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU) sacked Blaze Ristovski, editor-in-chief of the first Macedonian encyclopaedia...

Zagreb mayor to run for president
ZAGREB, Croatia -- Milan Bandic, mayor of Zagreb, announced on Thursday (November 5th) that he will run for president next month. Bandic, 54, a co-fo...

Jeremic: Serbia will apply for EU membership this year
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Serbia intends to apply for EU membership by the end of the year, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic announced on Thursday (November 5...

Turkish commandos detain pirates in Gulf of Aden
ANKARA, Turkey -- Members of a Turkish naval ship prevented the hijacking of a Greek boat in the Gulf of Aden and detained five pirates, the army ann...

Serbia arrests five war crimes suspects
BELGRADE, Serbia -- Police arrested five people early Friday (November 6th) suspected of war crimes against civilians in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovi...

UN's Ban addresses Greek parliament
ATHENS, Greece -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday (November 5th) expressed "moderate optimism" about reunifying Cypress and that Greece'...

Businessman Taci surrenders to Tirana police
TIRANA, Albania -- Oil entrepreneur Rezart Taci reported to a police station in Tirana on Thursday (November 5th), days after he was accused of beati...

Germany helps fund monitoring of Kosovo elections
PRISTINA, Kosovo -- German Ambassador to Kosovo Hans-Dieter Steinbach and General Secretary of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organisati...

Kosovo reports three new swine flu cases
PRISTINA, Kosovo -- Health authorities announced on Thursday (November 5th) that three people have been infected with swine flu. Lab tests from the T...

SETimes news - English
News and Views of Southeastern Europe

 

GdF, Dalkia eye privatisation of Sofia steam heating utiulity
France's utility operators Gaz de France and Dalkia are interested in the forthcoming privatisation of Sofia's steam heating company "Toplofikatsiya", minister of industry Traicho Traikov said Tuesday.

Judges urge magistrate council to sack members suspected of corruption
The Union of Judges in Bulgaria on Tuesday issued a statement demanding the Supreme Judicial Council to expell three of its members, which have been implicated in corruption.

Bulgaria asks France to help it build second nuclear plant, backtracks on warships purchase
Bulgaria's new prime minister Boiko Borisov on Monday asked France to help his country build and finance a second nuclear power plant and scrapped a deal to purchase French warships worth EUR750 million that his predecessor had agreed in principle.

Bulgarian official blasts Libya in UNESCO dispute
Bulgaria's former foreigm minister Ivailo Kalfin on Moday berated Libya for its threat to leava the UN organisation on cultural heritage UNESCO if its newly elected chief, Bulgarian Irina Bokova takes office.

Libyan attacks Italian army barracks, loses hand
A Libyan immigrant threw a bomb at Italian army barracks in Milan on Monday and had his hand torn off in the blast.

US scholars share economics Nobel prize
U.S. economists Elinor Ostrom and Oliver Williamson won the Nobel prize for economics Monday by their analyses of management of common property and role of economy in conflict resolution.

Bulgaria's economy to contract by 2% in 2010 - Fin Min
Bulgaria's economy will contract by 2% next year compared to a 6.3% contraction this year, finance minister Simeon Djankov said as quoted by the media on Monday.

Support for Bulgaria's new government rises - pollster
Support for Bulgaria's new centre-right prime minister Boiko Borisov has risen by 3.7% on the month to 50% September, Gallup reported Monday.

Blast kills 41 people in Pakistan
A blast caused by a suspected suicide bomber killed up to 41 people in Pakistan's tense Swat valley, the army said.

Armenia's leader to pay a landmark visit to Turkey
Armenia's president Serzh Sarkisyan said Monday he would pay a landmark visit to Turkey on Wednesday.

Bulgaria, Romania mull joint Danube hydroelectric projects - official
Balkan neighbours Bulgaria and Romania are considering construction of two hydroelectric plants on the Danube River, which makes their common border, a Romanian official was quoted as saying Sunday.

Bulgaria's PM to meet Sarkozy
Bulgaria's prime minister Boiko Borisov will discuss economic and military co-operation with French presidend Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris on Monday.

Bulgarian News Network
The latest bulgarian news online in English. Business, finance, politics and sports. A quick, accurate and dispassionate report of everything that matters. The shortest cut to the heart of the Balkans.

 

Kosovo precedent: Barroso dismisses Saakashvili calls it an excuse
Kosovorsquo;s independence was called as a special case by the Western powers while Russia had warned it as a dangerous ldquo;precedentrdquo; earlier this year but European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Tuesday October 14 dismissed Moscowrsquo;s ldquo;Kosovordquo; comparison with the ldquo;South Ossetia and Abkazia rdquo; as baseless. Addressing a joint...

The McCain Clinton or Obama Balkan Line?
 Which presidential hopeful will best lead the US into a new era will not necessarily be the best for its foreign policy in the Balkans. The US has maintained hegemonic policy in the Balkans throughout the 1990s fueling turmoil and just recently supported another break-up in the region - Kosovos...

Drug road troubling for EU road
With most Western Balkan states heading towards EU membership its worrying that a well-known drug trafficking route running through the heart of the region is a driving factor of Europes black economy and is adapting to new economic demands. The traditional Balkan Route used by organised criminals to import drugs...

A new state - is spirit enough?
 The initial thrill that Kosovo Albanians expressed last week after their long-awaited declaration of independence may soon die down as the real challenges of state-building surface. There is no turning back. They are now faced with working alongside the EU to transform their dilapidated contentious state into a self-governing internationally-respected...

A response to The Balkan Line: Bosnias status quo finale
I have read your article entitled Bosnias status quo finale November 18th by Elisabeth Maragoula and would like to take this opportunity to clarify the position of the government of Republika Srpska RS on the issues that have been mentioned in the article. The RS government is not against streamlining...

Bosnias status quo finale
Anticipating tomorrows political arena in the Balkans is nearly impossible; but one thing is for certain: Bosnias political status quo is not functional. The country is facing its worst political crisis in the last 12 years which is fuelling an economic downturn and heightened ethnic tensions. The Dayton Accords ended...

Kosovo elections face major hurdles
Insecurity over their future status intensifying ethnic loyalties a flawed arena for elections and below par social and economic conditions are several of the difficulties Kosovo citizens are facing as they mull voting on November 17 in the provinces third parliamentary elections alongside municipal elections.Debate over Kosovos status - in...

Serb authorities slammed: Neo-Nazis hit the streets despite ban
In the wake of the nationalist struggle for Kosovo the recent failure of the Serb government and police to prevent neo-Nazis from causing a ruckus in the multicultural city of Novi Sad is a serious problem as things may soon heat up among even-more threatening groups. The Vojvodina-based neo-Nazi group...

Wakeup call on cluster bombs from Serbia
More than eight years after NATO pounded Serbia and Montenegro with cluster bombs in the Kosovo war the organisation last month finally released its target data including 218 sets of coordinates so groups like the Serbian Centre for Demining can get down to work to save more lives from being...

EU travel a tough road for Balkan citizens
Travel through Europe is slated to get easier and cheaper for Balkan citizens but much more is needed. When Milosevic was in power the lines in front of the embassies were explained by the political circumstances in the former Yugoslavia. Today is 2007; Milosevic is not in power anymore and...

No happy ending in sight for Kosovo
Calls by international envoys last week for ldquo;fresh ideasrdquo; and ldquo;realistic proposalsrdquo; for Kosovorsquo;s future status may be too late. The diametrically-opposed Belgrade and Pristina delegations made no progress meeting separately with troika envoys US EU and Russia on September 18 and 19 in bridging the gap between their respective...

Distrust mounting over Kosovo question
Last weekrsquo;s headlines of a shootout at a jewellery store outside Pristina and a fatal clash with police in neighbouring FYROM former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia near the Kosovo border are examples of regional insecurity. Distrust is mounting as impatience builds over the question of Kosovorsquo;s future - status quo...

Europes test on Kosovo: Unity first diplomacy second
The Kosovo issue may just make or break the European Union. With more than 1.6 billion Euro in EU funds poured into Serbias southernmost province since 1999 Kosovo still has rampant crime higher than 40 percent unemployment and no tangible state status. While the current status quo is unsustainable a...

Serbias Last Hand: The Battle for Kosovo Rages
In a last-minute bid to push Belgrade and Pristina to agree on a final status for Kosovo troika envoys met in Vienna separately with the two delegations on August 30 in what looked like more dead-end talks. This fresh 120-day round of jawboning diplomacy comes following Russias threat to veto...

The Balkan Line - New Europe News
The Balkan Line - New Europe News: The European News Source.

 

Macedonia Ready to Start EU Membership Talks

German Foreign Policy
While the Obama administration is distracted by the overwhelming economic crisis that deepens day by day, Germany is taking charge in the global foreign-policy arena.

The Tragedy of Kosovo
One year on from the declaration of Kosovo’s independence, the former Serbian stronghold remains destabilized, wracked with crime and corruption.

European Union Deploys Its Largest Police Mission Ever
What does it mean when the EU sends its largest police mission ever to Kosovo?

The Next Balkans Crisis
Is the world sleepwalking into another Balkans crisis?

EU Steps Up Mission in Kosovo
The true conqueror of the Balkans takes control now that NATO and the U.S. have finished the dirty work.

Georgia and the Balkans of Eurasia
Suddenly the Transcaucasus leaps into perspective in the emerging global order.

Karadzic and Islam's Northward Push
A coming clash of civilizations may be accelerated by the outcome of the forthcoming trial of Radovan Karadzic.

Karadzic and the Anti-Serbs
A pervasive anti-Serb bias guarantees that the trial of Radovan Karadzic will be at least as unjust as was the sham trial of Slobodan Milosevic.

Germany: Second-Largest Single Donor in Kosovo
Germany continues to follow its blueprint for control of the Balkans.

Pro-EU Government Takes Power in Serbia
The European Union is one step closer to cementing its influence over the Balkans.

Cracks Appear in the EU Facade
Does the present EU crisis herald a change in the unification process? Will Europe’s emerging disorder develop into a situation that will eventually require the use of military force to fulfill the EU vision?

The Vatican Purposes to Evangelize Kosovo
The Roman Catholic bishop of Kosovo believes that Kosovo’s Muslims need a “cultural baptism” into Catholicism. How is the Vatican influencing events in the Balkans?

Bosnia: Terrorist Attacks Thwarted
Recent arrests in Bosnia remind us that Islamic terrorism has taken root in the underbelly of Europe.

Russia's Balkans
What is at stake at the coming NATO summit? Why is it “an issue of survival” for Moscow? Why does Russia want to keep Ukraine and Georgia out of the alliance?

Adding Injury to Insult
NATO and Europe are pouring troops and police into Kosovo to put down Serbs who are actually angry their country has been torn apart.

Kosovo--Last of the Balkan Dominoes
What Germany started in the Balkans in the early 1990s, it is now preparing to finish.

Russia Encourages Serbs in Kosovo and Bosnia to Secede
Moscow supports Bosnian and Kosovo Serbs uniting with their motherland. Europe is trying to further divide them. What does the future hold for the Balkans?

Kosovo Declares Independence
How will the international community respond to Kosovo’s newly declared independence?

Black Sea--New EU Frontier?
In less than two decades the European Union has pushed its eastern frontier from Berlin to the Black Sea. How much more will Russia tolerate—and what of Iran, beginning to feel the EU breathing down its neck?

Pope Meets Kosovo Leader
The Vatican meddling in Balkan affairs should be sounding off historically terrifying echoes.

Russia Pursues Serbia's Largest Energy Company
Moscow’s efforts to secure influence over Serbia’s energy systems will perturb the European Union.

German Fascism Is Conquering Kosovo!
What is happening in Kosovo reaches far beyond the Balkans. It is so shocking that the nations of this world would be paralyzed with fear if they truly understood! Shamefully, America is its chief architect.

EU Agrees to Beef Up Presence in Kosovo
The European Union is emerging as the driving force behind Kosovo’s independence.

Misreporting Kosovo
How the mainstream press has missed the single most important angle to what’s happening in Kosovo.

theTrumpet.com: Balkans
theTrumpet.com -- Understand your world.

 

TURKEY: Natural Gas Prices to be Revised after Azerbaijani adjustment

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız answered questions from the press about an Azerbaijani natural gas agreement at the end of the 11th International Energy Arena in İstanbul organized by the Strategic Technical Economic Research Center. The state-owned Turkish Pipeline Corporation (BOTAŞ), in accordance with the Treasury’s estimates, will revise natural gas prices for 2010 due to cost pressures from Azerbaijan and Iran.

read more

ROMANIA: Net Salary Gain Rose Almost 1 pc in September

The gross salary gain was RON 1,860 in September, while the net salary rose to RON 1 359, both registering a growth of 0.8 per cent against the previous month, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) informs, according to Agerpres. Thus, the gross average salary gain was RON 1,860, while the net average salary gain was RON 1 359, up RON 11 against August. Although the levels of the gross and net average salary gains in September exceed by little those from the previous month, they are, except for February and May, below the level of the other months of 2009. The biggest values of the net average salary gain were registered in the crude oil and natural gas extraction industry – RON 3,600, while the smallest in the clothing industry – RON 788.

read more

ROMANIA: Legislative Rules Boc Gov’t Must Submit 2010 Budget

The Parliament passed yesterday a decision allowing the Boc government to come in the Legislative with the draft budget for 2010. Vasile Blaga, interim minister of the Interior, told Hotnews.ro that PDL will challenge the Parliament’s decision at the Constitutional Court. During the same meeting, after the plenum of the two Houses decide with majority of votes, to bring two fresh topics on the day’s agenda, the Parliament expressed his full commitment and support for the observance of economic indices, as provided in the accord with the IMF, which must lay the basis for the future Law of the state budget for 2010. The Parliament passed both decisions with 259 votes (PSD, PNL, UDMR and minorities) against 4, and 120 abstentions (PDL).

read more

BULGARIA: Bulgaria's Foreign Direct Investments to Collapse by 50% in 2009

The foreign direct investments in Bulgaria in 2009 are going to be less than 50% of the EUR 6.5 bn the country attracted in 2008.

This becomes clear from data of the Bulgarian National Bank and forecasts by analyzers, as cited by the Pari Daily.

Preliminary BNB data shows that in January-August 2009 Bulgaria attracted only EUR 1,95 B in FDI (5,8% of the GDP), which is EUR 2.28 bn less than in the same period of 2008.

read more

TURKEY: Government’s 2010 Economic Program Envisages End to Crisis

The Cabinet’s economic program for the year ahead, which includes possible developments in the major economic indicators, was published in the Official Gazette on Sunday. The program sees an end to the worst of the ongoing global crisis and envisages a recovery.

According to the program, the consumer price index (CPI) will be 5.3 percent, while gross domestic product (GDP) will grow by 3.5 percent to reach TL 1.03 trn as of the end of 2010. GDP will be USD 643.1 bn in dollar terms. Exports will grow to USD 107.5 bn, and imports will be around USD 153 bn.

read more

BULGARIA: No Need of Iranian Gas for Nabucco Pipeline

German energy company RWE, which is participating in the EC Nabucco pipeline project, “continues to state that Iranian gas is not necessary” for feeding the gas pipeline.

“With Azerbaijan, Iraq and Turkmenistan we have more suppliers than is necessary for Nabucco… according to RWE, Iran is not a potential member of the consortium” the company representative Stefan Judisch announced

read more

ROMANIA: Candidates Air Their Promises and Attacks Throughout the Country

President Traian Basescu took part in electoral meetings in Constanta, Iasi and Bacau, criticizing the moguls and the rotten system once again and reiterating the idea of early Parliamentary elections. PSD leader Mircea Geoana was in Galati and Focsani yesterday, with Basescu and the PD-L being the targets of his attacks. Liberal President Crin Antonescu preferred to visit Transylvania during the weekend. Nevertheless he set his sights on Basescu too, calling him ‘Ceausescu’s caricature.’ Present in Craiova, Sorin Oprescu warned that the parties are preparing for electoral fraud and that they want him out of the Presidential race.

read more

ROMANIA: IMF Loan Tranche Subject to Political Consensus on Budget

The Fund’s most important requirement is the adoption of the 2010 Budget Law before the potential talks on the Board on December 14-15.

EUR 1.5 bn for the 2010 budget. This is the number one condition the International Monetary Fund attaches to releasing the third tranche of the stand-by agreement with Romania.

‘We have had serious talks with various political party leaders, and this was part of the discussion (the discussion held at PSD’s – our note). It was a very productive and interesting meeting and we will try to continue talks with other political leaders,’ head of IMF mission to Romania Jeffrey Franks said. He stressed out that the issuers confronting Romania could not be dealt with by a single political party, but rather by a wide coalition of forces that would guarantee the fact that Romania has solutions to the current economic shortcomings.

read more

ROMANIA: Banks Interested to Finance Cernavoda Reactors 3 and 4

Romania needs to lobby in Brussels for a more flexible granting of state aids, declared Tudor Serban, state secretary in Ministry of Economy.

The banks are monitoring with great interest the construction of the nuclear reactors 3 and 4 from the nuclear-electric plant from Cernavoda, and they are definitely interested to fund it, Ribiana Crasan, director with BRD-Societe Generale, has recently declared, Mediafax informs.

read more

BULGARIA: Bulgarian Energy Holding with BGN 331 mln Profit for Q1-Q3 2009

The companies that make up Bulgarian Energy Holding Group announced profits of BGN 331 mln for the first nine months of 2009.

This is some BGN 144.6 mln more than for the same period last year. Growth in earnings during September increased by BGN 22 mln. At the end of August, BEH had reported a profit of BGN 309 mln.

In September, the best financial results came from Maritsa East 2 (Maritsa Iztok 2) thermal power plant, with an increase in profits of BGN 7.2 mln to BGN 87.7 mln.

read more

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Serbia’s Roma Put Hope in Farm Cooperative
A pioneering enterprise in Vojvodina gives farmers from the Roma community greater access to the market.

Relocating Displaced Roma in Belgrade
The Belgrade authorities say plans to move hundreds of Roma residents from their slum will go ahead, in spite of opposition from other inhabitants of the city who do not want the Roma as their neighbours.

Roma Internet Center Breaks Prejudices
Community sets up Roma internet center to boost minority’s education level.

Serbia Helps Roma Students
With little schooling or financial resources, it is tough for Serbia’s Roma to make it to university, but the government’s affirmative action is beginning to signal a change for the better.

Serbia’s Roma Media Fight for Survival
Roma-language TV and radio have experienced difficulties with the regulatory authorities, but Roma broadcasters continue to reach a substantial audience.

Kosovo: a Gunrunners’ Paradise
Legal loopholes and ineffective law enforcement have been a blessing for Kosovo gunrunners who have benefited from the authorities’ failure to address the problem.

By Krenar Gashi in Pristina

Comment: Who will Run Croatia?
Uncertainty over the make-up of Croatia’s new government causes few concerns outside the country as it prepares to become the next member of the EU and NATO.

By Christopher Cviic in London

Kosovo: A Chapter Closes
Serbia’s reliance on Russia to keep Kosovo appears to have backfired by prompting EU countries to line up behind the independence option in order to show their unity.

By Tim Judah in London

Tirana - Choking on Growth
Albania’s capital becomes a victim of its own phenomenal growth, as the city’s environmental problems multiply. 

Romania: Who Cares About Politics?
Voters’ disappointment and ignorance marred Romania’s first European elections, while a referendum on changing the electoral system failed due to low turnout.

By Marian Chiriac in Bucharest

BIRN
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Balkanalysis.com Invites Potential Partners for New Operations
A special note from Balkanalysis.com Director Chris Deliso. Apologies in advance for the length of this special notification. However, if you are a regular reader of this website, or a prospective contributor or institutional partner, I would be most grateful to have a moment of your time to read it. It marks an important moment in [...]

Balkanalysis.com Announces Summer Hiatus, Reprogramming Period
Balkanalysis.com would like to inform its readers that the website will be on annual summer hiatus from now until mid-September. During this period, we will also be experimenting with some new programming and design solutions in our continuing quest to provide you with a wider and better variety of services. Readers can feel free [...]

The South Stream Pipeline and the Environmental Factor
By Ioannis Michaletos The South Stream pipeline project is a complex technical endeavor which entails a wide array of factors, including that of environmental protection. The present assessment concerning South Stream’s environmental impact reveals opposing views from multiple actors vying for answers, concessions and influence alike. Furthermore, the South Stream project in terms of environmental research lacks [...]

Photo of the Week
The last village. Ikaria, Greece

Photo of the Week
Beyond here lies nothing. Georgian Military Highway, Georgia

Exploring Byzantine Cartographies: Ancient Science, Christian Cosmology, and Geopolitics in Byzantine Imperial Mapping
By Alex G. Papadopoulos, Ph.D. Department of Geography DePaul University, Chicago This short paper on Byzantine maps and geographic science was born out of a conversation with Christopher Deliso, director of Balkanalysis.com. We agreed that there is a need to look at southeastern Europe – the Balkans – from a spatial (geographical) analytical perspective. Our understanding of the [...]

Photo of the Week
Everybody loves a military parade. Istanbul, Turkey

Modernism in Serbia: The Elusive Margins of Belgrade Architecture, 1919-1941
Modernism in Serbia: The Elusive Margins of Belgrade Architecture, 1919-1941 By Ljiljana Blagojevic MIT Press (2003), 300 pp. Reviewed by Christopher Deliso Architecture has long commanded public attention in the Balkans. Swedish diplomats lament the low-quality granite used not long ago to create public thoroughfares in Kosovo – itself an experiment in building – and organized debates are sparked [...]

Emerging Water Industries in Greece
By Ioannis Michaletos* Water management is attracting the attention of businessmen in Greece, especially when it is related to the water cycle and energy production. Dams, water transmission pipelines, water depots, and seawater desalination plants are all included in the five-year plan that the Karamanlis administration has relayed recently to the press, as a plan to [...]

Photo of the Week
Mortal combat. Heracleia, Macedonia

Balkanalysis.com

 

Volume 10, Number 2, August 2008
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 10, Number 2, August 2008. Loaded on 2008-08-11

Volume 9, Number 2, August 2007
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 9, Number 2, August 2007. Loaded on 2007-12-11

Volume 9, Number 1, April 2007
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 9, Number 1, April 2007. Loaded on 2007-12-11

Volume 8, Number 3, December 2006
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 8, Number 3, December 2006. Loaded on 2006-12-07

Volume 8, Number 2, August 2006
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 8, Number 2, August 2006. Loaded on 2006-09-11

Volume 8, Number 1, April 2006
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 8, Number 1, April 2006. Loaded on 2006-04-26

Volume 7, Number 3, Number 3/December 2005
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 7, Number 3, Number 3/December 2005. Loaded on 2006-01-04

Volume 7, Number 2, August, 2005
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 7, Number 2, August, 2005. Loaded on 2005-09-17

Volume 7, Number 1, April, 2005
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 7, Number 1, April, 2005. Loaded on 2005-07-21

Volume 6, Number 3, December 2004
Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Volume 6, Number 3, December 2004. Loaded on 2005-07-21

Recent Issues of Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans
RSS feed of the 10 most recently published issues of Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans

 

CrisisWatch N°75, 1 November 2009

Three actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated and four improved in October 2009, according to CrisisWatch. In Pakistan a military operation against the Taliban in South Waziristan triggered a brutal escalation in militant attacks. Over 150 were killed in Iraq by several explosions that hit government buildings in Baghdad, while parliamentarians failed to reach agreement on a crucial electoral law. In Zimbabwe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai disengaged from the unity government. The situation improved in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, Honduras, Armenia/Turkey and Mali. CrisisWatch again identifies a conflict resolution opportunity between Armenia and Turkey for November, and a conflict risk alert for Afghanistan.

Read full report

Kosovo: Štrpce, a Model Serb Enclave?

Local elections on 15 November provide a key opportunity for Kosovo Serbs to choose their own representatives and push forward on decentralisation, if they do not listen to Belgrade’s calls to boycott. This latest briefing from the International Crisis Group focuses on the Štrpce municipality, one of southern Kosovo’s largest Serb enclaves, to demonstrate how Serb communities can protect their interests within Kosovo’s constitutional order. Belgrade, Pristina and the international community should encourage voting and thereafter equip the municipal government with the expanded powers and resources it needs.

Read more

CrisisWatch N°74, 1 October 2009
Read full report

Crisis Group - Balkans
The International Crisis Group (Crisis Group) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation committed to preventing and resolving deadly conflict.

 

Serbia, EU Sign Aid Agreement
Belgrade _ The Serbian government and the European Commission signed an agreement on Thursday on the allocation of some €1 billion of pre-accession aid to Serbia over the next five years.

BIRN Serbia Holds Newswire Reporting Course

Bosnia: Top Institutions Slammed
Sarajevo _ Bosnia’s state and entity institutions have been condemned for their weak and ineffective performance in a report compiled by a local non-governmental organization.

Johnson Matthey Invests in Macedonia
Skopje _ Johnson Matthey, the London-based speciality chemicals company is to invest around €140 million in an autocatalysts factory in Macedonia, Prime Minster Nikola Gruevski said on Thursday.

Bosnia Prices Reflect Global Trend
Sarajevo _ The steep rise in food prices in Bosnia mainly reflects similar price movements on world markets, and has not been caused by stockpiling, due war psychosis, according to international institutions.

Serbia Indicts 14 for War Crimes
Belgrade _ Serbia's war crimes prosecutors indicted 14 former Yugoslav People’s Army, JNA, soldiers and Serb paramilitaries for the killing of 70 Croat civilians during the 1991 war in Croatia.

Romania: New Outbreak of Bird Flu
Bucharest _ Romanian local authorities took measures on Thursday to deal with a fresh outbreak of bird flu in a remote village in Tulcea county, near the border with Ukraine.

EU Warns Sofia over Communications
Sofia _ The European Commission has warned it may take action against Bulgaria because of Sofia’s failure to appoint a president to the country’s Communications Regulation Commission, CRC.

Bosnia: Slow Start to Ski Season
Sarajevo _ Although officially opened a week ago, this winter’s ski season has been delayed across Bosnia and Herzegovina by warm weather and not enough snowfall.

Skopje Anti-Abortion Poster Mystery
Skopje _ Mystery surrounds the appearance of controversial anti-abortion posters in Macedonia’s capital over the past few days, with no group claiming responsibility so far.

BIRN
IN BRIEF RSS Feed

 

Cyprus: Unification on the Table
As Cyprus’s new president brings the nation closer to unification, the EU comes one step closer to Jerusalem.

Malta and Cyprus Adopt Euro
The European Union cements its influence in the Mediterranean.

EU Extorts Turks Before Giving Them the Boot

Cyprus Joins European Defense Alliance
History is playing out in Cyprus once more.

theTrumpet.com: Cyprus
theTrumpet.com -- Understand your world.

 

New Swine Flu Cases in Kosovo

Serbian Police Arrest 5 War Crimes Suspects
Serbian police arrested five persons Thursday night suspected of having committed war crimes against civilians in eastern Bosnia.

Macedonia, Kosovo Open Embassies

Macedonia and Kosovo will soon appoint ambassadors to their respective capitals, the foreign ministers of both countries said in a press conference in Skopje.

 

 

IMF Delays Romania Funds Due to Political Instability

The International Monetary Fund, IMF, has delayed disbursing an aid tranche to Romania originally scheduled for next month and will resume talks on a standby loan agreement only when the country has a government.

FIFA Talks on Kosovo’s Football Future

Kosovo’s Football Association has met FIFA and UEFA to negotiate the country’s footballing future on the international stage.

Serbia Registers Fifth Swine Flu Victim
Serbian Health officials confirmed on Friday the fifth fatal swine flu case in a female student from the town of Kragujevac.

Romania Press Review - November 6
Here are the top stories in Romania’s main newspapers. Balkan Insight has not verified the reports and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Romania's Basescu Nominates New PM
In a surprise move, Romanian President Traian Basescu on Friday nominated the mayor of a Bucharest district, Liviu Negoita, for the office of prime minister, once again rejecting the candidate proposed by the
opposition parties.

Albania Oil Tycoon Arrested for Assault
Albanian controversial oil magnate Rezart Taci handed himself over to police in Tirana on Thursday, after the local district court ordered his arrest following charges of assault over the beating of local publisher, Mero Baze.

Serbian Film Director Cuts Short Croat Interview

Serbian film director Emir Kusturica cut short an interview with the Croatian national television HRT on Wednesday, in a spat after the TV crew allegedly questioned his relationship with former Yugoslav strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

Albania Press Review - November 6
Here are the top stories in Albania’s main newspapers. Balkan Insight has not verified the reports and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Bulgaria Initiates Charges Against Ex Minister
Bulgaria’s Chief Prosecutor, Boris Velchev, has initiated a procedure bringing charges against the former labor minister, Emiliya Maslarova.

Macedonia Disbands Encyclopaedia Team
The general assembly of Macedonian Academy of Science and Arts, MANU decided late Thursday to fully withdraw the controversial Macedonian Encyclopaedia and disband the editing team that made it.

Balkan Visa Free Regime May Start Earlier
EU ambassadors proposed on Thursday to abolish the visa regime for citizens of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia as of 19 December this year instead of 1 January, 2010 as earlier proposed by the European Commission, media report.

Kosovo Foreign Minister Visits Macedonia
Kosovo Foreign Minister Skender Hyseni Friday is visiting Macedonia, upon the invitation of his Macedonian counterpart, Antonio Milososki.

Bosnia’s Press Review – November 6

Here are the top stories in Bosnia and Herzegovina's main newspapers. Balkan Insight has not verified the reports and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Diplomats Gather from East and West on Bosnia

Less than 24 hours after the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Bosnia, his British counterpart David Miliband is expected to arrive and add his voice to the diplomatic efforts aimed at breaking the country’s political deadlock.

 

Macedonia Press Review – November 6
Here are the top stories in Macedonia’s main newspapers. Balkan Insight has not verified the reports and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

Kosovo Press Review - November 6

Serbia Press Review - November 6
Here are the top stories in Serbia’s main newspapers. Balkan Insight has not verified the reports and cannot vouch for their accuracy.

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