The Balkans
Bosnia reacts after Albania fails to pass resolution on Srebrenica genocide
Bosnian MP Sabina Cudic addressed an open letter to Prime Minister Edi Rama, criticising his government’s refusal to vote on a resolution condemning the Srebrenica genocide and accusing him of tabling the resolution as a concession to Serbia. In 1995,...
Kosovo calls Serbia’s claims of countries rolling back recognition untrue
Kosovo has not received information of any countries withdrawing their recognition of Kosovo following claims of this nature by Serbia, Foreign Minister Donika Gërvalla has said. During a press conference on Friday (13 May) Gërvalla denied receiving information confirming these...
‘Brace yourselves, winter is coming’, Vucic tells Serbs
Serbia fears food and energy shortages, and the coming winter will be “the most difficult in the last 70 years,” President Aleksandar Vučić said in a broadcast to the nation on Sunday, as reported by Croatian news website Index.hr. “We...
Serbia still refuses to impose sanctions on Russia
Serbia will still not join international sanctions against Russia, President Aleksandar Vučić told TV network Prva TV on Sunday. Because it refuses to impose sanctions, Serbia currently has no access to the capital market. Loans are more expensive as they...
Slovenian parliament sees record number of women MPs
Slovenia will have a more gender-balanced parliament than ever before as 36 of the 90 MPs who started their term on Friday, including the new speaker, are women. Urška Klakočar Zupančič, a former judge and a co-founder of the Freedom...
Romania backs quick NATO accession process for Finland and Sweden
Romania is ”strongly” in favour of a ”rapid” accession process for both Finland and Sweden, as the membership of these two states will strengthen NATO, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu said on Sunday. In a statement, he spoke of Romania’s strong...
Sofia postpones negotiations as Skopje remains hopeful
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov will not visit Skopje soon as there is no document to work on regarding the Neighbourhood agreement, Lena Borislavova, the head of the prime minister’s office, told Bulgarian national television in an interview, while Skopje...
Albanian parliament refuses to condemn Srebrenica Genocide
An opposition resolution condemning the Srebrenica Genocide committed by Serbian troops in 1995 was rejected by parliament on Thursday amid the ruling party’s growing friendship with Serbia. The opposition accused the majority led by Prime Minister Edi Rama of having...
Albania increases imports from Ukraine, Russia
Imports to Albania from Ukraine and Russia have soared, both in terms of value and quantity, according to data from INSTAT for March. Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, and the ongoing war has triggered an energy, fuel and food...
Serbian central bank still optimistic on economic growth
The Serbian central bank on Thursday raised the key interest rate by 50 bp to 2%, while the Executive Board decided to increase the deposit and lending facilities rates by 50 bp each, to 1% and 3%, respectively – showing...
Slovenia’s outgoing government signs mega defence deal
Slovenia’s outgoing centre-right government has sealed an agreement to buy 45 eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers from the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), a move that the new liberal government plans to challenge. The agreement worth nearly €400 million, covers...
Croats protest after no-abortion scandal
Thousands of Croats marched in protest rallies in nine Croatian towns on Thursday, demanding “an end to the destruction of public health and the neglect of women’s health.” The protests, organised by several NGOs, were prompted by a scandal revealed last...
Bulgaria launches full investigation into Turkish Stream
Bulgaria will launch a full investigation into the Turkish Stream gas pipeline project that stretches through Bulgaria as it showcases how Russia uses corruption as a foreign policy tool, announced Prime Minister Kiril Petkov on Thursday. The section of the...
Albanian government must prioritise vulnerable people amid price crunch
The government must provide financial support to society’s most vulnerable while scaling back on non-priority expenditures to help the country through this difficult period, according to the Governor of the Bank of Albania, Gent Sejko. On Wednesday (11 May), Sejko...
Former Kosovo military leaders plead not guilty to charges in The Hague
Former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders pleaded not guilty to fresh charges brought against them by prosecutors on Tuesday and asked for their trials to be expedited as they have been in custody for 18 months at The Hague. Specialist...
Poland receives 10 times more refugees than Serbia during 2015 crisis
Poland recorded ten times more Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war in Ukraine than the refugees Serbia received from the Middle East at the peak of the 2015 refugee crisis, a spokesman for the office of the UN...
COVID-19 jabs still necessary, says Serbian epidemiologist
An increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases was not registered during the Labour Day and Easter holidays but everyone should be careful, and vaccinations are still necessary, said Serbian epidemiologist Predrag Kon on Tuesday. In a statement to...
Incoming Slovenian government finalises coalition agreement, cabinet line-up
The incoming left-liberal government led by former energy executive Robert Golob has finalised the coalition agreement less than three weeks after Golob’s landmark election victory and unveiled most of the names in what will be the largest cabinet in Slovenia’s...
Croatia could become Central Europe’s energy hub, says PM
Croatia could become an “energy hub in the northern Adriatic” as Europe seeks to wean itself off Russian energy, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said during a visit to Cyprus on Wednesday. Croatia’s floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the...
Romania wants to stop public bodies using Russian security software
Public institutions and authorities may no longer be allowed to use cyber security software and services made by Russian companies or controlled by firms or persons from Russia, according to a new government bill. According to the proposal, the presence...
Bulgaria to replace Russian gas supply with cheaper US LNG
Bulgaria will receive supplies of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) at prices lower than Gazprom’s starting in June, according to a deal struck between Prime Minister Kiril Petkov and US Vice President Kamala Harris, the government’s press service said on...
Tirana’s property prices continue to soar, pricing out locals
The price of real estate in the Albanian capital of Tirana continued to rise during the first quarter of 2022, with the average price reaching €1,143 per square metre. Property prices have soared in recent years as developers swoop in...
Kosovo NGOs ask Macron for visa liberalisation
Major NGOs in Kosovo have addressed a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron asking that the EU lift the visa regime for Kosovo citizens who remain Europe’s only people who cannot travel freely despite having met all visa liberalisation requirements....