Balkans

SOFIA, Bulgaria Tsvetan Tsvetanov, chairman of the election-winning Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria (GERB), will serve as interior minister, the party’s informal leader, Boyko Borisov, said on Wednesday (July 8th). Tsvetanov’s background is in law enforcement — he was an inspector for 17 years and an administrator for …

BELGRADE, Serbia Parliament on Wednesday (July 8th) approved a new law on regional development that will divide Serbia into seven statistical regions: Vojvodina, Belgrade, Western, Eastern, Central, Southern, and Kosovo and Metohija.

TIRANA, Albania The Socialist Party (SP) wants a full count of ballot boxes from the region of Fieri before it recognises the official results from Sunday’s general elections, local media reported on Thursday (July 9th). Despite the SP’s claims that they won nine mandates in Fieri, preliminary results suggest they …

Cyprus objects to non-EU citizens in envoy office; EU set to change powers of special representative. Cyprus is obstructing plans by the EU to reinforce its presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina because it objects to the possible presence of non-EU citizens in the office of the EU Special Representative (EUSR). …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has approved a 1.57 billion dollar loan to Bosnia and Herzegovina that was stalled over the country’s failure to implement a series of economic measures. The loan, which is intended to mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis on the small nation, was negotiated …

Albanian economic growth this year will be minimal, owing to the effects of the global economic downturn, the Central Bank governor, Ardian Fullani, has said. Fullani said confidence in the Albanian banking sector had revived after the first aftershocks of the crises in global financial markets. However, the government needs …

The Albanian government decided on Tuesday to slash the pension age for miners from 65 to 60-years-old, following an electoral promise from Prime Minister Sali Berisha. Miners unions have held a series of protests in recent years seeking better working conditions and demanding better pensions and wages. 

MEP and leader of the Dutch far-right Freedom Part (PVV), Geert Wilders, has called for Bulgaria and Romania to be thrown out of the EU In an interview for euronews.net Wilders was asked about his views on the Ukraine possibly joining the EU, he answered, “No, I think that no …

The new cabinet will be formed by July 27 2009, prime minister-to-be Boiko Borissov told reporters on July 9 2009, Bulgarian news agency Focus said. President Georgi Purvanov will convene the newly-elected Parliament on July 14 2009, after which he will designate the leader of the party who won the …

SOFIA Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister Radoi Popov said Thursday the foreign policy of his country’s new government gave priority to the efforts aiming to inaugurate an embassy in Saudi Arabia at an early date.