Balkans

The political rhetoric at the presidential and local poll campaign in Macedonia has so far been correct with only minor incidents occurring, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, said Sunday. In its second pre-election report for the campaign before the March 22 presidential and local election, the …

Thousands of Albanian opposition supporters protested on Sunday on the first anniversary of a deadly blast at an army depot outside Tirana, calling on Prime Minister Sali Berisha to quit and to stop his attacks on the justice system. After holding a rally in the village of Gerdec, the site …

Macedonia’s capital Skopje ground to a halt late Sunday as thousands of supporters poured in from across the country to attend the central election rally of the ruling conservative VMRO DPMNE party and its coalition “For a Better Macedonia”, ahead of presidential and local elections. The party organised buses and …

Thousands of frustrated police officers protested on Sunday in the centre of Sofia for fourth time in what became the largest protest so far. Police demanded a 50 per cent wage increase and improved working conditions. Deputy chair of the Podkrepa union, Dimitar Manolov, claimed around 15 000 police gathered …

Serbia will begin talks today with the International Monetary Fund on a new stand-by arrangement on Monday, in order to support its worsening balance of payments and currency. It is not yet clear exactly how much money the Serbia government will seek, with some local media quoting 2 billion euro …

TIRANA, Albania (AFP)–Several thousand Albanians demonstrated in the center of Tirana on Sunday to voice their anger at the government one year on from an explosion at an army munitions which killed 26 people. The protesters denounced the “state corruption” and chanted they would “never forget” as they recalled the …

PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said on Friday (March 13th) that NATO should accept as members all countries from the Western Balkans.

ZAGREB, Croatia — Prime Minister Ivo Sanader urged the EU on Saturday (March 14th) not to succumb to what he described as Slovenia’s “blackmail”, which has blocked Zagreb’s accession to the EU over the border dispute between the two countries.

TIRANA, Albania — Prime Minister Sali Berisha announced on Saturday (March 14th) that he will leave politics if his ruling Democratic Party (DP) loses the parliamentary elections in June. At the same time, he expressed confidence about DP’s chances, given the country’s “great successes, both domestic and international, for the …

Bulgaria marks Sunday the annual World Consumer Rights Day, as a sign of celebration and solidarity with the international consumer movement. World Consumer Rights Day was first observed on 15 March 1983, and has since become an important occasion for mobilizing citizen action. World Consumer Rights Day has its origins …