Tag: enlargement

Serbia’s government reshuffle is likely to put in place what appears to be a cabinet made up of an antagonistic mix of Western-minded reformers, conservative Socialists and Party of the United Pensioners. EurActiv Serbia reports. 

Less than 20% of Norwegian voters want their country to join the European Union, according to a poll published ahead of a general election to be held on 9 September.

Iceland said yesterday (22 August) that a recent election which brought eurosceptic parties to power had been interpreted by constitutional advisors as a signal to stop EU accession talks.

Greece's priorities for its upcoming EU council presidency does not mention enlargement policy, despite a previous commitment by Athens to promote the bloc's expansion into the Western Balkans.

To prevent a change of power resulting from economic misery, Albania's lame-duck Prime Minister Sali Berisha placed his bet on nationalist tactics for parliamentary elections. However, the new Socialist majority could not afford to reject unification ambitions for tactical reasons either, writes Dušan Reljić.

A miracle has happened, as Serbia is no longer walking away from events attended by Kosovo representatives. The bloody Balkan wars of the 1990s and the centuries-long Serb-Albanian feud have ended in provisional cooperation and not just in armed truce, writes Elizabeth Pond.

Many observers, including the European Commission, have argued that Croatia needs to do more to show its commitment to judicial independence and the rule of law, writes Jean-Sylvestre Mongrenier.

An English-language sign at the fishermen's pier in the Croatian town of Umag reads: "This fishing port was rebuilt with the support of the European Union".

EU leaders today (28 June) approved the opening of accession negotiations with Serbia in January 2014. But the way the decision was made left the impression that Germany would lead any future EU enlargement.

Enlargement of the EU may not be in the spotlight these days, but with Croatia joining the EU on Monday and the door opening further to eventual Serbian membership, there is a lot happening, writes Dimitar Bechev.

European Union leaders are set to agree on opening accession negotiations with Serbia by January as well as to launch talks on a Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Kosovo. EurActiv Serbia reports.

EU ministers agreed yesterday (25 June) to open a new chapter in Turkey’s accession negotiations for the first time in three years. Even though talks will not start before October, Ankara reacted positively to the development. EurActiv Turkey reports.

The Turkish government's handling of protests that have rocked the country for the past three weeks have strained relations with the EU, and a decision to take another step in Ankara’s accession talks, expected today (24 June), appears uncertain. EurActiv Turkey reports. 

Albania's prime minister for the past eight years, Sali Berisha faces the fight of his political life on Sunday (23 June) when the NATO member state holds an election watched closely by the West less for the result than the conduct.

The Turkish government reacted furiously to a resolution adopted by the European Parliament, condemning Ankara for not being conciliatory in the face of protests that left several dead and thousands injured.  EurActiv Turkey reports. 

Serbia hopes that the next EU summit on 27-28 June will take a decision to start accession talks in October, Suzana Grubješić, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration of Serbia, told EurActiv Germany in an exclusive interview.

Members of  the European Parliament expressed grave concern yesterday (12 June) about the Turkish government’s response to the Gezi Park protests that have polarised the country over the last three weeks. There was less consensus on whether speeding up EU accession negotiations could help the democratisation process in Turkey, however, EurActiv Turkey reports.

Accepting criticism from people and movements will do Turkey good, as protests give a sense of urgency for a reform of the constitution that should lower the 10% threshold for parliament and give people more rights via-a-vis the state, writes Ska Keller.

As the most largest anti-government protests in Turkey’s recent past look set to enter a third week, Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and EU Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle sparred over the issue at a conference held in Istanbul on Friday (7 June).

Thousands of protestors blockaded parliament in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo yesterday (6 June), venting anger over a political dispute over ID numbers that has left the country unable to register newborn babies for months.

Thousands of Turks have marched in several European cities to protest the violent crackdown on demonstrators in Istanbul and other cities, and against what they see as an ongoing Islamisation of their country. But some reports say some Turks living abroad see the protests as “foreign-inspired”.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is falling behind on commitments to human rights and the rule of law, making its chances of joining the European Union increasingly remote, according to EU officials and lawmakers.

The new eurosceptic government in Iceland has announced a halt to the country’s EU accession talks, until Icelanders vote in a referendum within the next four years on whether they want membership negotiations to continue.

Germany's Bundestag has approved Croatia's entry to the European Union, clearing the last formal hurdle for the former Yugoslav republic to join the Union on 1 July.