Enlargement
Kosovo asserts independence with vote to build an army
Kosovo lawmakers vote Friday (14 December) on whether to give the small Balkan country its own army, a US-backed symbolic show of independence that has inflamed tensions with former wartime foe Serbia.
Bulgarian deputy PM raises obstacles for Macedonia’s EU, NATO accession
Bulgarian deputy Prime Minister Krassimir Karakachanov stated on Saturday (8 December) that he would not let Macedonia join the EU and NATO, reacting to recent statements by the Macedonian PM Zoran Zaev about the Macedonian language that have also infuriated Athens.
Mitsotakis calls on Greek parties to reject Macedonia name change deal
The leader of the main Greek opposition party, New Democracy (EPP), called on Wednesday (5 December) on Greek political parties to block the name change deal recently reached between Athens and Skopje after almost thirty years of dispute.
Kosovo says to maintain its tariffs on Serbia despite EU pressure
Kosovo will keep its 100% tariffs on Serbian goods until Belgrade recognizes Pristina, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Monday (4 December), defying calls by the European Union and United States for the tariffs to be abolished.
Macedonia moves closer towards name change
Macedonia's lawmakers moved closer on Sunday (2 December) to rename the country and remove a key hurdle on the road to breaking a decades-long stalemate with Greece.
EPP’s Weber under pressure to break his silence over Macedonia name deal
Manfred Weber, the European People’s Party (EPP) Spitzenkandidat for the EU elections, has been silent over the name change deal reached this year between Athens and Skopje. The deal has been generally endorsed by the EPP but rejected by some of its members, including those from the two countries involved.
Kosovo Serbs protest Pristina’s tariff
Several thousand Kosovo Serbs protested in northern Kosovo on Tuesday (27 November) against Pristina's massive customs tariff on Serbian goods, a retaliatory measure announced last week that has spiked tensions and curtailed trade between the neighbours.
Kosovo’s trade war with Serbia prompts Tirana to push for Albanian unification
A joint session of the governments of Kosovo and Albania has raised the spectrum of Greater Albania, a nationalistic project rejected by the EU, the US and the wider international community. Albania on Monday (26 November) lent support to Kosovo’s 100%...
Kosovo hits Serbia, Bosnia with 100% customs fees after Interpol snub
Kosovo on Wednesday (21 November) raised customs tariffs on Serbian and Bosnian goods from 10 to 100% after Serbia blocked its former province from joining Interpol, the international police organisation.
Serbia scores victory as Interpol rejects Kosovo membership
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on Tuesday (20 November) that the rejection of Kosovo's Interpol membership application was a success of Serbia - "a small, defiant and proud country". EURACTIV Serbia reports.
Serb nationalist calls on EU to grant Bosnia candidate status
The new Serb member of Bosnia's tripartite inter-ethnic presidency called on the European Union on Monday (19 November) to grant the Balkan country candidate status and said it was time for foreign judges and peace envoy to leave.
Wanted former Macedonian PM seeking asylum in Hungary
Macedonia's former prime minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been sentenced to jail for abuse of power, said on Tuesday (13 November) he was in Hungary where he has requested political asylum.
Serbia warns Kosovo against ‘undermining’ regional stability
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić on Sunday (11 November) accused Kosovo of "undermining regional cooperation and stability" by raising taxes on Serbian goods.
EU urges Kosovo to revoke import tax on Serbia, Bosnia goods
The European Union called on Kosovo on Wednesday (7 November) to revoke its decision to impose an import tax on goods coming from Serbia and Bosnia, a move that is likely to further sour relations between Pristina and Belgrade.
Kurz: Belgrade-Pristina talks must continue and find solution
Austria, the current holder of the EU's rotating presidency, will support any agreement reached by Kosovo and Serbia in the process of normalising relations, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told Belgrade and Pristina during a mini-tour of the region. EURACTIV Serbia reports.
Athens and Skopje break ‘air embargo’ after 15 years
The first direct flight from Skopje to Athens took place on Thursday (1 November) after a 15-year “air embargo” in a sign that the two countries are determined to turn a new page in Balkan politics, after being locked in a diplomatic dispute over Skopje's official name.
Filibustering – a regular occurrence in Serbia’s parliament
The work of Serbia's parliament reflects the general trend of the "capture" of state institutions by the ruling party, while filibustering and avoidance of public debates in parliament have become common practice, notes the latest civil society report on the Balkan country's progress on the rule of law. EURACTIV Serbia reports.
Albania bans sports betting, restricts casinos in bid to tackle organised crime
Albania's parliament on Thursday (25 October) passed a law banning a large sports betting industry and restricting casinos in a bid to clamp down on organised crime.
Commission asks Turkey to respect international agreements after new spat with Greece
The European Union remains committed to good neighbourly relations and respect of international agreements, an EU spokesperson told EURACTIV.com following tensions between Athens and Ankara on the expansion of territorial waters in the Aegean.
Multicultural school for Croats and Serbs in Vukovar fails to take off
The construction of a super-modern school in Vukovar, a town that symbolises suffering in Croatia's 1991-95 independence war, was meant to foster inclusiveness and reconciliation in a place that remains divided along Croat-Serb ethnic lines. But the project never took off and Norway is now demanding its funding back. EURACTIV Croatia reports.
Macedonian parliament approves country’s name change
The Macedonian parliament approved on Friday (19 October) a proposal to change the country's name, bringing a decades-old dispute with Greece one step closer to being resolved.
Russia: Western pressure on Macedonia crossed all boundaries
The Russian ministry of foreign affairs published on Thursday (18 October) a communiqué blasting what it called “roughest interference” by the US and leading EU states in pushing through the Skopje parliament the Macedonia-Greece name dispute agreement.
Kosovo moves to create an army, Serbia warns of ‘threat to peace’
Kosovo on Thursday (18 October) took the first steps towards creating its own army, ten years after it declared independence, despite fierce opposition from the ethnic Serb minority and Serbia itself which called the move "a threat to peace".