On the European Union – Turkey Customs Union

europe's world
24/06/2011

Author : CASE - Center for Social and Economic Research

The paper studies the European Union - Turkey Customs Union of 1995.

Read more in CASE Network Studies and Analyses No. 426: On the European Union – Turkey Customs Union by Sübidey Togan.

read more: europe's world
http://www.europesworld.org/NewEnglish/Home_old/PartnerPosts/tabid/671/PostID/2606/OntheEuropeanUnionTurkeyCustomsUnion.aspx
http://www.case-research.eu/upload/publikacja_plik/34294916_CNSA_2011_426.pdf

Slovenia marks 20th anniversary of ten-day war with the Yugoslav army

deutsche welle
CORRESPONDENTS REPORT

27.06.2011
When Yugoslavia split up, Slovenia fought a brief war for independence. Its casualties were light compared to the bloodshed that followed in Bosnia and Croatia....more....
read more: deutsche welle
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6558277,00.html
audio
http://mediacenter.dw-world.de/english/audio/#!/166643/Slovenia_marks_20th_anniversary_of_ten_day_war_with_the_Yugoslav_army

Next week on GLOBAL IDEAS: Eco loans in Serbia

deutsche welle
ENVIRONMENT

28.06.2011
Serbia’s energy infrastructure is in desperate need of an overhaul. Though demand for energy is soaring, much of it is inefficiently delivered to the country’s residents....more....
read more: deutsche welle
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,6558538,00.html

Mrkonjic to help Beko to put ‘Port of Belgrade’ into business

blic online
BUSINESSMAN AT MEETING WITH GOVERNMENT

Irena Radisavljević

30. 06. 2011. - 00:02h
Comments 0
Businessman Milan Beko met with Minister for Infrastructure Milutin Mrkonjic at Serbia Government Building yesterday....more...
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/News/7794/Mrkonjic-to-help-Beko-to-put-Port-of-Belgrade-into-business

Bulgaria, Croatia recognise Libya's rebel transitional council as legitimate

se times
29/06/2011

Muammar Gaddafi's "era is over", Bulgaria and Croatia said on Tuesday.
(Nova TV, Dnevnik.bg, Mediapool - 29/06/11; Sofia News Agency, The Sofia Echo, Dnevnik.bg, Mediapool, AFP, DPA, Reuters, Middle East Online, Xinhua, Official Web Site of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry - 28/06/11)
Bulgaria and Croatia joined at least 19 other world nations on Tuesday (June 28th) in recognising the rebel National Transitional Council (NTC) in Benghazi as the only legitimate representative of the Libyan people....more...
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/06/29/feature-01

Turkey and Kosovo build educational ties

se times
29/06/2011

Turkey funds schools in Kosovo, and Kosovo students are flocking to Turkish universities.
By Muhamet Brajshori for Southeast European Time in Pristina — 28/6/2011
With help from Turkey, the city of Lipjan in Kosovo is becoming an important educational centre. In 2000, Turkish investors opened the Mehmet Akif College, the first private school built after the armed conflict in Kosovo. Covering kindergarten through 12th grade, it provides instruction in Albanian, Turkish, and English, and also has campuses in Prizren and Gjakova....more...
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/06/29/feature-03

Macedonia on verge of economic comeback

balkan insight
29/06/2011

Macedonia's economy projected to grow. Also in business news: Saudi Arabia invests in an Albanian highway project and the IMF approves a payment to Romania.
With a predicted growth rate of 3% this year, Macedonia is well on its way to an economic recovery, according to an IMF study this month. Experts came to Skopje to assess Macedonia's economic and financial state as part of the country's Precautionary Credit Line review. Macedonian authorities reiterated their commitment to achieving this year's fiscal deficit target of 2.5% GDP and to reducing the deficit nearly 2% by the end of 2012....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/roundup/2011/06/29/roundup-bs-04

Serbia’s EU Dreams Get Cold Reality Check

balkan insight
30 JUN 2011 / 15:34

Belgrade officials may boast that the arrest of General Mladic has bought Serbia a first-class ticket to Brussels- the reality is that there is still a long way to go.

Bojana Barlovac Belgrade...more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbia-s-eu-dreams-get-cold-reality-check

Israel Dismisses Talk of Recognizing Kosovo

balkan insight
29 JUN 2011 / 12:09

Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman declared on Tuesday in Tirana that Israel will not recognize Kosovo’s independence until all EU states have done so.

Gjergj Erebara Tirana

“We will recognize it only after Spain, Greece and Cyprus,” Lieberman said in the course of a two-day visit in Tirana, lobbing against a possible vote by Albania in favour of Palestinian statehood at the UN in September. ...more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/israel-to-recognize-kosovo-only-after-eu

Macedonian Refugees Hail Softened Greece Line

balkan insight
29 JUN 2011 / 10:40

The association of Macedonian refugees, which lobbies for people forced to flee northern Greece during the Greek civil war from 1945 to 1949, says Greece is slowly changing its attitude towards them.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic Skopje

A few years ago, Macedonian refugees from Greece said they faced an impenetrable wall of Greek bureaucracy when they tried to obtain citizenship in Greece, the country where they were born....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonian-refugees-say-greece-is-milder-towards-them

Serbia Plans to Frighten Smokers Out of Habit

balkan insight
29 JUN 2011 / 09:29

In Serbia, ranked fifth in Europe in terms of the number of smokers, authorities mull fortifying the ongoing anti-smoking campaign by introducing grim images on cigarette packs.

Bojana Barlovac Belgrade

A corpse of a smoker and his or her diseased lungs are images that might occupy roughly half the surface of each cigarette pack in Serbia soon....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbians-may-get-grim-images-on-cigarette-packs

Kosovo Courts Urged to Seize Criminals' Assets

balkan insight
29 JUN 2011 / 09:29

The EU mission in Kosovo is urging local and international judges and prosecutors to use their powers to confiscate suspected criminals' assets during corruption and organised crime trials.

Petrit Collaku Pristina

The EU rule-of-law mission, EULEX, says that greater use of powers to confiscate illegal assets is an important way to fight organised crime and corruption.

read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/kosovo-eu-mission-urging-confiscation-of-criminal-assets

Bosnia Parliament To Vote on Would-Be Premier

balkan insight
29 JUN 2011 / 09:28

Bosnia’s Parliament will on Wednesday decide whether or not to support Slavo Kukic, the candidate for Prime Minister proposed by Social-Democrat-led coalition.

Eldin Hadzovic Sarajevo

Slavo Kukic's chances of becoming Bosnia's next Prime Minister looked slim, as it was clear that he has no support in Bosnia's Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, RS, to become chair of the state Council of Ministers....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnia-s-pm-candidate-hopes-to-pass-the-first-voting-round

Une crise politique pour inaugurer le Parlement turc

le monde.fr
28 juin 2011

La politique turque réserve toujours des surprises et des crises inattendues. La victoire en demi-teinte de l'AKP, le 12 juin, qui a échoué à 4 sièges de la majorité qualifiée, et la poussée des Kurdes du BDP, sortis de ce scrutin gonflés à bloc avec 36 élus, ont légèrement modifié la donne. Le gouvernement de Recep Tayyip Erdogan est sous pression et doit montrer sa volonté de résoudre démocratiquement la question kurde, entreprise dans laquelle il a échoué au cours du dernier mandat....more...
read more: le monde.fr
http://istanbul.blog.lemonde.fr/2011/06/28/une-crise-politique-pour-inaugurer-le-parlement-turc/

In Turkey, Lawmakers Refuse Oath in Protest

ny times
By SEBNEM ARSU

Published: June 28, 2011
ISTANBUL — Turkey’s newly elected Parliament convened on Tuesday, but 169 deputies refused to take their oaths of office in response to court rulings that barred 8 of their colleagues, currently in jail on terrorism-related charges, from joining the assembly....more....
read more: ny times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/29/world/europe/29turkey.html?_r=1&ref=europe

Turquie : les députés de l'opposition refusent de prêter serment

le monde.fr
A la Une > Europe

LEMONDE.FR avec AFP

28.06.11
14h47
Le principal parti turc d'opposition a annoncé mardi 28 juin que ses députés élus lors des législatives du 12 juin ne prêteraient pas serment au Parlement pour protester contre le maintien en détention provisoire de deux d'entre eux, accusés d'implication dans un complot....more...
read more: le monde.fr
http://www.lemonde.fr/europe/article/2011/06/28/turquie-les-deputes-de-l-opposition-refusent-de-preter-serment_1542118_3214.html

‘They Like to Arrest People Here’

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 09:32

Ružica Matić

Young protesters have taken the place of desperate older laid-off workers on the streets of Skopje, a strife-ridden city flooded with monuments to its contentious past.

It was hour before midnight when I arrived in Skopje last week. Sleepy and somewhat confused, I exited the airport building in a few steps, before even realising I had gone anywhere. Compared to Skopje’s airport, even Zagreb's Pleso seems like a giant landing field. ...more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/blog/they-like-to-arrest-people-here

Skopje Warrior Fails to Make Greek Headlines

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 19:44

Debt-ravaged Greeks appear content to let Europe chastise Skopje over its new statue of an ‘ancient warrior’.

By George Mesthos...more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/skopje-warrior-fails-to-make-greek-headlines

Less Drama From Albania’s Socialist Leader

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 18:01

Edi Rama’s strategy of confrontation and gridlock ill-serves his party and his country. Time for a new approach.

By David L. Phillips
There is a time for contestation and a time for reconciliation. After local elections on May 8, Albania is at a fork in the road....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/less-drama-from-albania-s-socialist-leader

Kandic Resigns From War Crimes Board

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 19:39

Leading humanitarian lawyer Natasa Kandic has resigned from the coordinating council of a regional organisation, set up to document war crimes, that she helped to set up.

Gordana Andric Belgrade
The director of the Humanitarian Law Centre and one of the founders and leaders of a coalition of NGOs, the Coalition for RECOM, Natasa Kandic, officially resigned as a member of RECOM’s Coordinating Council on Monday....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/natasa-kandic-resigns-recom-s-coordinating-council

Gruevski Asked to Form Macedonian Government

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 15:55

President Gjorge Ivanov on Tuesday entrusted Nikola Gruevski with a fresh mandate to form a new government after his VMRO-DPMNE party won the June 5 elections. He has 20 days to complete talks and present a new team to parliament.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic Skopje

Gruevski will now have 20 days to wrap up talks with his junior ethnic Albanian partner, the Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, after which his proposed government will be put to a vote in parliament....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonia-s-gruevski-asked-to-form-new-government

More Than Half of Croats 'Desire' EU Membership

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 15:15

Croatian support for EU membership has climbed steadily in the last two months, after nosediving following the Hague tribunal's guilty verdicts for two Croatian generals.

Croatian Times

Around 28 per cent of Croatians see EU membership as "very desirable," while the same number think it is "mostly desirable," according to a survey carried out by Mediana agency from June 16-20....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/croatia-s-support-for-eu-on-rise-after-nosediving-in-april

Vujanovic: Serbia, Montenegro Should be the Closest

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 12:43

Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic has said that Montenegro and Serbia should be the two closest countries - not only in the region, but in the whole world.

Vecernje Novosti

"We keep forgetting that brother nations [Serbia and Montenegro] sometimes have different interests and move away from one another, but with a commitment to overcome those [differences] quickly, because their of closeness," said Montenegrin President Vujanovic in an interview for Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti. ...more...

read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/vujanovic-serbia-montenegro-should-be-the-closest

Three Macedonian Papers Face Closure

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 09:48

Three pro-opposition dailies, all part of a same media group, say they face closure after the Public Revenue Office ordered immediate repayment of alleged debts to the state.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic Skopje

The three dailies, Vreme, Spic and Koha e Re, part of Plus Production, say this Tuesday’s editions may be the last, after the company was ordered to pay over 1 million euros in alleged evaded taxes....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonian-pro-opposition-dailies-face-closure

Macedonia Cheered by Higher GDP Growth

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 09:45

Macedonia may be recovering from the global economic downturn as statistics show unexpectedly good economic results for the first quarter of this year.
Skopje

Macedonia's GDP rose 5.1 per cent in the first three months this year, according to recently published data. In the same period last year the country registered minus 0.9 per cent growth....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonian-marks-unexpectedly-high-gdp-growth

Serbs Commemorate 1389 Battle in Kosovo

Balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 09:45

Serbs from Kosovo and Serbia gathered at Gazimestan to mark Vidovdan, or St Vitus Day, on the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, a key date in Serbian history.

Petrit Collaku Pristina

The ceremony will be similar to last year's, when visitors first attended a service at 10am at the medieval monastery of Gracanica, before traveling on to Gazimestan, near Pristina, site of the Battle of Kosovo of 1389....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbs-to-celebrate-vidovdan-in-kosovo

Serbia Blesses Church-Run Drug Rehab Centres

balkan insight

28 JUN 2011 / 09:45

While government give seal of approval to Serbian Orthodox Church programme to treat drug addicts, some Serbs still have fresh memories of brutal beatings at a clerical-run rehabilitation centre.

Bojana Barlovac Belgrade

Serbia marked International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with a cooperation agreement between the Health Ministry and the Serbian Orthodox Church on treating drug addicts....more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/belgrade-blesses-orthodox-christian-church-to-treat-addicts

Bosnia's Tuzla Opens Flight Link to Dubai

balkan insight
28 JUN 2011 / 09:43

Airport chief says new direct flight bridge to Dubai will mark start of struggling airport's revival.

Eldin Hadzovic Sarajevo
The service to Dubai on Air Arabia will operate twice a week until the end of October but may be extended if the flights prove popular....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/tuzla-launches-a-direct-flight-line-to-dubai

Turkey, EU search for way forward

se times
28/06/2011

Reviving Turkey's stalled EU negotiations requires moves by both sides, experts say.
By Menekse Tokyay for Southeast European Times in Istanbul -- 28/06/11
It has been more than six years since the EU agreed to launch accession negotiations with Turkey. Since that time, only one chapter -- Science and Research -- has been closed.

The rest are in limbo, with Brussels having declared that none can be wrapped up until a deadlock is resolved over opening Turkish ports and airports to traffic from Cyprus....more...
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/06/28/feature-01

Macedonia lauded for anti-trafficking efforts

se times
28/06/2011

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Macedonia are ranked among the best performers in combating human trafficking, according to a new report.
(Washington Post, The Boston Globe - 28/06/11; US State Department, CNN, VOA - 27/06/11)
Macedonia made strong efforts to combat human trafficking last year, the US State Department said in a report published on Monday (June 27th), placing the Balkan nation back among the world's best performers in this area....more....
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/06/28/feature-02

RS to pay for Mladic, Karadzic Hague legal defence

se times
28/06/2011

Emotions flare as Republika Srpska announces it will financially assist the legal defence of accused war crimes suspect Mladic and others charged by The Hague tribunal.
By Bedrana Kaletovic for Southeast European Times in Sarajevo – 28/06/11
The Republika Srpska government surprised many by announcing it would help finance Ratko Mladic's legal defence to the tune of 50,000 euros. The government said funds from the Foundation for Legal Assistance for War Criminal Suspects will be utilised, but in reality, it will have to divert funds from the budget paid for by taxpayers. This includes taxes from families who were victims of war crimes....more...
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/06/28/feature-03

Nitrogen factory lost EUR 17.9 millions in deals with wheat

blic online
REQUEST TO SERBIAN GOVERNMENT BY ANTI-CORRUPTION COUNCIL

bojana anđelić bojana stamenković

29. 06. 2011. - 00:02h
Comments 0
Radisav Vujacic, representative of the capital at Nitrogen Factory in Pancevo, and also Deputy to ‘Srbijagas’ General Director Dusan Bajatovic, caused damage to that factory of EUR 17.9 millions by concluding damaging contracts, the Anti-corruption Council claims. The basic activity of the factory is production of artificial fertilizers. However, with Vujacic taking the leading post, the factory started dealing with trading with wheat. The chief Vujacic’s clients in that trade were Serbian businessmen Zoran Drakulic, Predrag Rankovic Peconi and Milija Babovic....more....
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/In-Focus/7791/Nitrogen-factory-lost-EUR-179-millions-in-deals-with-wheat

Parliament suspends immunity for problematic deputies

blic online
PARLIAMENTARY BOARD TO MAKE DECISION FINALLY

Ž. Jevtić

29. 06. 2011. - 00:02h
Comments 0
Administration Board of Serbian Parliament shall debate tomorrow over court requests for suspension of immunity to parliamentary deputies. The courts have sent immunity suspension requests for seven deputies. As ‘Blic’ learns among them there are Momir Markovic, Momcilo Duvnjak and Gordana Paunovic Milosavljevic. For the first time in history the Administration Board shall debate about suspension of immunity to parliamentary deputies. The deputies on agenda have been suspected of criminal offences....more...
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/News/7790/Parliament-suspends-immunity-for-problematic-deputies

Ever-closer asylum

the economist
Asylum-seeking Serbs

Jun 27th 2011, 16:51 by T.J.

TWO years ago I was in the southern Serbian town of Presevo. I listened to the familiar complaints of a local Roma family, who were unhappy about their housing and the lack of local jobs. As I left, the boy in the picture above sidled up to me wielding a freshly issued official certificate, a copy of which the family had just obtained.

Maybe he needed it to help obtain a new biometric Serbian passport. In December 2009, citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia were granted the long-coveted right to visa-free travel in Europe’s Schengen zone. Last December Bosnia and Albania were added to the list. Kosovo remains excluded....more....
read more: the economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/easternapproaches/2011/06/asylum-seeking-serbs

Macedonia's monument to discord

guardian.co.uk
A statue of Alexander the Great in Skopje has irritated Greece and reignited the debate about the naming of Macedonia

Hajrudin Somun for Today's Zaman

guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 June 2011 17.30 BST

There was a cultural event in Skopje that would not for a moment draw the world's attention from much more important events – such as the uprisings in Syria and Libya, for example – if it did not have such an intense political background, connotation and reaction. A giant statue of an ancient warrior on a horse was erected in the main square of the Macedonian capital on 21 June. It was greeted with an ecstatic welcome from thousands of Macedonians present at the square and caused a great deal of anger in neighbouring Greece....more....

read more: guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/27/macedonia-alexander-great-greece-discord

Bosnian novelist has town built in his honour

guardian.co.uk
Work of Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić to be commemorated with 17,000-square metre 'Andrićgrad' in the Republika Srpska

Alison Flood

guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 28 June 2011 13.14 BST

Work is set to begin building a new town inspired by the writing of Yugoslavian Nobel literature laureate Ivo Andrić, following plans by film director Emir Kusturica and the Republika Srpska's government.

Andrić, who won the Nobel in 1961, is best known for his novel The Bridge on the Drina, the inspiration behind the new town of Andrićgrad. Written by the author during the second world war, it tells of the three centuries of conflict the bridge of the novel's title has witnessed, situated as it is in the small Bosnian town of Višegrad....more...
read more: guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/jun/28/bosnian-novelist-new-town-ivo-andric

Bosnia Flounders as Powers Argue

ny times
By MATTHEW BRUNWASSER

Published: June 27, 2011
SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA — More than 15 years after the Dayton peace agreement silenced guns in Bosnia, the Balkan state — still fractured, still febrile — is facing its worst crisis since the war.
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, known as Dayton after the location of the Ohio air base where it was hammered out in three weeks in 1995, gave birth to an unwieldy, dense polity that has far more serious problems than teenage growing pains....more....
read more: ny times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/28/world/europe/28iht-bosnia28.html?_r=1&ref=europe

State clerk lobbying for five tenders

blic online
TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF CORRUPTION

Irena Radisavljević

28. 06. 2011. - 00:02h
Foto: Reuters
Comments 0
A deal that ‘Strabag’, Austrian construction company concluded with a small consulting company from Uzice is a typical example of suspicious business dealing when it concerns public purchases. ‘Strabag’ which is active in Serbia, has engaged the ‘Max Profit’ agency to lobby for it with Serbian officials for getting of five tenders of the ‘Serbian Railways’. All this might not be suspicious at all had the owner of that agency been someone else but Milojka Cicvaric, assistant director at the Center for healthcare of employees of the ‘Railways of Serbia’. That center has been founded by the ‘Railways of Serbia’....more....
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/In-Focus/7787/State-clerk-lobbying-for-five-tenders

In Serbia gay individuals still at high risk of violence

blic online
MARY WARLICK, USA AMBASSADOR IN BELGRADE WRITES FOR ‘BLIC’

28. 06. 2011. - 00:02h
Foto: A. Isaković
Comments 0
Early in the morning of June 28, 1969 police raided a small gay club in New York. In those days such raids were frequent, but what happened that night was not usual. People in the club showed resistance and two days of unrest and protests that followed were reaction by oppressed people and an introduction into a contemporary movement for rights of sexual minorities. ...more....
read more: blic online
http://english.blic.rs/News/7786/In-Serbia-gay-individuals-still-at-high-risk-of-violence

Bosnian Croat Leader Acquitted of all Charges

balkan insight
27 JUN 2011 / 15:40

A marathon legal process against several defendants suspected of involvement in the illegal 1999 privatisation of Eronet Company – including Dragan Covic, leader of Bosnia’s strongest Croat party, ended on Monday, with the court dropping all the charges.

Eldin Hadzovic Sarajevo

The cantonal court in Mostar has acquitted Dragan Covic, president of the HDZ, and six other members of the Steering Board of the former Croat Post and Telecommunications company, HPT, of abusing their power and authority and illegally transferring shares of Eronet, HPT's mobile telephony subsidiary, to three other private companies in 1999....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/verdict-against-bosnian-croat-leader-to-be-released-on-monday

Macedonian Parliament Holds First Session Amid Protests

balkan insight
27 JUN 2011 / 13:26

The Macedonian parliament held its first session after the June 5 national poll, despite angry protestors surrounding the assembly building demanding accountability over the fatal police beating that happened on election day.

Sinisa Jakov Marusic Skopje

The June 5 elections confirmed the supremacy of the conservative VMRO DPMNE party of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, which again holds most seats in the parliament....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonian-parliament-holds-first-session-amid-protests

Basha Declared Winner of Contested Tirana Poll

balkan insight
27 JUN 2011 / 08:10

Albania’s Central Electoral Commission has for the second time in as many months declared the ruling party candidate the winner of the hotly contested race for the Tirana mayoralty.

Besar Likmeta Tirana

With four votes in favour and two against, the commission declared Lulzim Basha the winner of the May 8 race for the capital's mayoralty with a 93 vote advantage out of a quarter-million. ...more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/basha-declared-winner-of-contested-tirana-poll

Romanian Hungarians Snub Plan For Eight Regions

balkan insight
27 JUN 2011 / 08:09

Coalition in Romania may break up as ethnic Hungarians reject government's plan for regional re-organization.

Marian Chiriac Bucharest
“The administrative reorganization [of Romania] has to be done carefully and not accordingly to the plans proposed by the President and Prime Minister." So said Kelemen Hunor, president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians from Romania, UDMR, on Saturday. “If there is no need for us to stay in the ruling coalition we should leave it, that is no problem,” he added....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/hungarians-oppose-romania-s-administrative-organization-plan

First Danube Conference Ends on High Note

balkan insight
27 JUN 2011 / 07:37

The first Danube Floating Conference has raised high expectations about future cooperation on projects between the states along the Danube river. Where the money will come from is less clear.

Petar Subotin Belgrade

Bulgarian, Romanian, Croatian and Serbian officials signed a declaration at the first Danube Floating Conference on June 25, at the Iron Gate on the Danube. ...more...
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/eu-danube-strategy-s-joint-vision-seeks-funds-for-shared-future

Hopes Rise For End to Serbia-Kosovo Trade Row

balkan insight
27 JUN 2011 / 07:32

Kosovo hopes the two sides can find a compromise to the damaging trade blockade at next week's meeting of members of CEFTA, the Central European Free Trade Agreement.

Petrit Collaku Pristina
The head of Kosovo's dialogue delegation with Serbia, Edita Tahiri, said on Friday that she hoped the trade dispute between Kosovo and Serbia could be solved at the forthcoming meeting of CEFTA members in Pristina next week....more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbia-expected-to-participate-at-cefta-meeting-in-pristina

NGOs Welcome Montenegro's Decriminalisation of Libel

balkan insight
27 JUN 2011 / 07:33

Decision, taken in line with European advice, should improve freedom of expression and reduce workload on judiciary.

Podgorica Pobjeda, Dan
After months of debate, Montenegro's parliament has deleted libel as a criminal act. The government had previously noted that decriminalisation of libel was one of the European Union's recommendations as a means to improve media freedom. ...more....
read more: balkan insight
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/ngo-applauded-parliament-decision-to-decriminalise-libel

Serbia Urges Autumn Vote for Bosniak Council

se times
27 JUN 2011 / 07:34

As Minorities Minister recommends re-run elections for Bosniak National Council before winter, the Bosniak Cultural Community, BKZ, led by Muamer Zukorlic, gives cool response

Bojana Barlovac Belgrade

Serbia's new Minister for Human and Minority Rights says fresh elections for the Bosniak National Council, representing the country's Muslim community, should take place by the end of 2011. ...more...
read more: se times
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbian-ministry-announce-new-bosniak-council-vote

Some Albanians consider changing nationality for profit

se times
27/06/2011

Basic economics is spurring at least a couple thousand people to go Greek.
By Linda Karadaku for Southeast European Times in Tirana -- 27/06/11
Greece may be drowning in debt and awash in protests stemming from unpopular austerity measures, but that has not deterred thousands of Albanians from trying to claim Greek heritage and formally change their nationality.

The impetus is the promise of benefits afforded those next door. Albanian daily Shekulli has reported that these include a pension of 400 euros per month....more...
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/articles/2011/06/27/reportage-01

EU summit: Croatia ready join, Schengen rules set to change

se times
27/06/2011

Croatia is ready to join the EU, the leaders of the countries in the 27-nation bloc said on Friday, when they also agreed on the need for reforming the rules governing the borderless Schengen area.
(Euronews, BTA - 25/06/11; EU, Euobserver, EurActiv, Euinside, Sofia News Agency, AFP, DPA, Reuters, BBC, Bloomberg, Deutsche Welle, RFE/RL, Dnevnik.bg, Mediapool - 24/06/11)
EU leaders agreed last week that Croatia is ready to join the bloc as its 28th member, saying all steps for completing the country' entry talks must be taken by the end of this month, with its accession treaty then signed by the end of the year....more....
read more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/06/27/feature-01

Controversy over new role for KSF

se times
27/06/2011

A draft memorandum calls for giving the KSF some police duties. Critics say it is undemocratic.
By Muhamet Brajshori for Southeast European Times in Pristina – 27/06/11
A plan that would give Kosovo Security Forces (KSF) some police duties has come under fire from the political opposition and civic organisations. But the government insists it is constitutional.

"It is a project that will make the KSF more beneficial for the country. It will strengthen co-operation and co-ordination in the security sector concerning KSF tasks," said Minister for Kosovo Security Forces Agim Ceku, whose ministry has signed a draft memorandum on the topic together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs....more...
read  more: se times
http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2011/06/27/feature-04