ATHENS, Greece Opposition parties emerged as winners in most EU countries in the Balkans, following weekend European Parliament (EP) elections. In Greece on Sunday (June 7th), the ruling New Democracy (ND) lost to the main opposition PASOK by four percentage points, 36.75% of the votes, compared to 32.68%. The Communist …

BELGRADE, Serbia Recognising Kosovo’s independence and joining NATO are not preconditions for Serbia’s EU accession, Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac told the Vecernje Novosti newspaper on Sunday (June 7th). He added that he was assured of this “during conversations with people holding the highest possible positions” in the bloc and the …

PRISTINA, Kosovo EULEX is looking for a quick re-establishment of control at two border crossings with Serbia in northern Kosovo, local media reported on Monday (June 8th). The EU’s mission has asked the government to purchase equipment — including generators — for its officers as a quick fix, until the …

PRISTINA, Kosovo As of Saturday (June 6th), Turkey lifted its visa regime for Kosovo citizens holding newer passports, not those with older ones issued by UNMIK. Foreign ministry officials say it reflects a new phase of bilateral co-operation.

ANKARA, Turkey Warplanes have bombed hideouts of the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, media reported on Sunday (June 7th), citing military sources. Turkish military jets conducted the bombings on Saturday evening after PKK militants were spotted on Iraqi territory, as ground forces shelled PKK targets near the …

MOSCOW – Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has issued an order to set up a constitutional commission in an effort to end a two-month political stalemate, news reports said on Monday. According to the order, the president, the government and the parliament can nominate three representatives respectively to the new body, …

Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini met Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Ivailo Kalfin in Sofia on June 8. During the meeting, Frattini assured his hosts that Bulgaria is still viewed as an excellent place for investment despite the global economic crunch.

The US will have a new ambassador to Bulgaria after current ambassador Nancy McEldowney was asked by the Obama Administration to return to Washington and assume the position of principal deputy assistant secretary of state in the bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, a US embassy statement said on June …

The United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, will be keeping 507 personnel in the country, the world body’s spokesman in Kosovo announced on Monday. “UNMIK has been undergoing a reconfiguration process since last year, and the new budget, which is being debated by the General Assembly, calls for the presence …

NATO is expected to cut its troop numbers in Kosovo by one third because of the improved security situation, US sources have said. “NATO is working towards the next phase of its operations to a deterrence presence,” the US official told journalists in Brussels. NATO’s Kosovo Force, or KFOR, entered …