Balkans

The new head of NATO has said that its Kosovo force could be completely withdrawn within four years. Anders Rasmussen, NATO’s new secretary general, said he wanted to see Kosovo Force, KFOR, “reduced to just a small reaction force, or out altogether” within his four-year term.

Ethnic Albanian officials in southern Serbia have launched a new initiative for the formation of a separate region in the Presevo Valley with its own institutions and organs. The proposal was raised in the assembly of the Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac municipalities and envisages the creation of an ethnic Albanian-led …

The ruling party in Bosnia’s Republika Srpska entity has called for foreign judges and prosecutors to be removed from the country’s judicial system and for the closure of the Office of the High Representative, OHR. In a Sunday press statement, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, alleged that Bosnia’s …

SOFIA Bulgaria may adopt the euro in the last year of the new government’s mandate which expires in 2013, Finance Minister Simeon Djankov said in an interview to 24 Chasa daily, published on Monday. 

Internal problems within the EU and enlargement fatigue are having an effect on opinions in Balkan countries, a survey shows. The survey, conducted by the Gallup Balkan Monitor, shows that EU membership remains a high priority for most Balkan residents. Yet, in most countries respondents feel that the EU welcome …

Bosnia’s Federation government starts auctioning off luxury cars in a meager attempt to meet IMF savings demands. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on 8 July approved a previously halted €1.2 billion stand-by arrangement ($1.7 billion) with Bosnia and Herzegovina, designed to ease the effects of the global financial crisis, but …

There are indications that at least two new mass graves are located in the grounds of the former UN peacekeepers’ base in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica, local media reported on Friday. The information about the possible mass graves was revealed at the time of the 14th commemoration of the …

Addressing growing calls for a presidential republic, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov refused to say whether this would prompt him to seek the job, the Novinite news agency reports. Borisov was non-committal in addressing an ongoing campaign by former president Zhelyu Zhelev to transform the Bulgarian political system into a …

Albania’s religious leaders said Thursday that they rejected a government proposal to extend marriage rights to gay couples. Speaking to local daily Gazeta Shqiptare, the head of Albania’s Muslim community, Shkelqim Muca, rejected the proposal, arguing that, in his community’s view, gay marriage was unacceptable. 

Bosnia’s top international representative has imposed an interim resolution on squabbling Mostar political factions, establishing the basis for the temporary financing of public services and sanctioning city councillors. High Representative Valentin Inzko’s decision provides much-needed breathing space for Mostar citizens and funds for public services and communal companies which have …