Balkans

Albania’s finance ministry said on Thursday it would borrow 250 million euros (315 million US dollars) from two foreign banks to cover its budget deficit. The ministry said in a statement it chose Deutsche Bank and Greece’s Alpha Bank for the loan from seven bidders who offered to lend the …

Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn urged Slovenia and Croatia on Thursday to accept the European Union’s mediation in their border row, warning it was the only way to end their 18-year-old feud. “I expect from both countries a positive response,” Rehn told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting of European …

(BELGRADE) – A Serbian government decision to withdraw a draft parliamentary anti-discrimination bill at the request of religious authorities has sparked outrage, local media reported Thursday. The draft, passed by the government last month, was unexpectedly withdrown from the statute book late on Wednesday, a day before the begining of …

Major archaeological excavations have started at four ancient sites around Macedonia, namely at the sites of Heraklea Lynkestis, Skopje’s Kale Fortress, Stobi and Isar. It is expected that the sites will be completely explored, Pasko Kuzman, Director of Cultural Heritage Protection in the Macedonian Ministry of Culture, told the Dnevnik …

Romania’s President Traian Basescu will on Monday address Parliament in a key note speech in which he will say that the country is facing difficult times and make an appeal to Romanians for austerity measures. “I will ask for support in getting a loan from the IMF or the European …

Sofia. Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov met with speaker of Macedonian Parliament Tajko Veljanovski, president’s office press office informs. Bulgarian President pointed in the conversation Bulgaria will continue supporting Macedonia in its attempts for the realization of its European Atlantic perspectives, in the context of Bulgaria’s support towards countries from West …

Sofia. Natural gas price has to be re considered with Russia. This is what Union of Democratic Forces’s chairman Martin Dimitrov said in the National Assembly during the parliamentary control. According to Minister of Energy Petar Dimitrov Bulgaria has lost BGN 456 million due to the suspended gas delivers. Private …

Sofia/Skopje. Macedonian parliament chairperson Trajko Veljanovski is on a visit to Bulgaria. In a statement at the Bulgarian National Assembly on Thursday, Veljanovski and his Bulgarian counterpart, Georgi Pirinski, said that Macedonia and Bulgaria must not let the stereotypes of the past and the unfriendly commentaries ruin the good political …

Five parties will gather enough votes to jump over the 4% entry bar for the Bulgarian Parliament at the elections this summer, a Sova Haris survey reveals Friday. The five are Sofia Mayor’s GERB party, the Bulgarian Socialist Party, the Ethnic Turkish dominated Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), far …

Athens./Sofia.  Bulgarian Minister of Economy and Energy Petar Dimitrov invited foreign investors to prefer Bulgaria for their investments, Greek Imerisia newspaper informs. In Dimitrov’s words “our country is one of the most attractive investment destinations in EU.” Minister made prognosis at a business- investment forum in Sofia straight foreign investments …