November, 2009

• 30 November

  EU liberalize visa regime for Serbia

  The European Union has liberalized Monday the visa regime for Serbs. The decision of lifting of the visa regime has been voted by the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council, and will come into force on December 19. Serbs can travel without visas in almost EU member states, except for …

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• 30 November

  Romania: Minorities Support Geoana

  Romania’s minority parties have thrown their support behind Mircea Geoana, further boosting the Social Democratic Party’s candidate in the forthcoming presidential electoral run-off. Geoana on Saturday signed a political agreement with leader of the representatives of the national minorities in Romania’s Parliament Varujan Pambuccian for his support.

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• 30 November

  Macedonian PM Seeks EU Support

  Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, sent a letter to the heads of government of EU member states seeking their support for Macedonia’s EU accession bid. In the letter announced on Sunday the Prime Minister expressed hope that EU member states, meeting under the auspices of the EU Council on 7 December, …

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• 30 November

  ICJ to Hear Serbia Challenge to Kosovo Independence

  The International Court of Justice, ICJ, will this Tuesday begin hearing Serbia’s challenge against Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence. Both Serbia and Kosovo voice optimism about the outcome, claiming they will present strong evidence to support their positions. “We have reason to believe that the court will base its opinion …

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• 28 November

  Macedonia wants two new border checkpoints with Greece

  Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia demands opening of new border checkpoints with Greece. This is what Prime Minister of FYROM Nikola Gruevski said at a meeting with his Greek counterpart in Pili on Friday. In an statement after the meeting the Greek Prime Minister Papandreou said that Gruevski had insisted …

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• 28 November

  Tadic: New Kosovo Approach Needed

  Serbian President Boris Tadic said that Serbia needs a different approach towards Kosovo, saying the current rigid stance is not yielding results. “A different approach is what Serbia needs today…inflexibility is one of the primary problems which we face. Innovation is needed now more than ever in reaching political decisions,” …

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• 28 November

  No Results as Greece, Macedonia PM’s Meet

  There were no significant steps forward in the Athens-Skopje “name” row. But there were signs of improved bilateral relations after the prime ministers of Greece and Macedonia, George Papandreou and Nikola Gruevski, met on Friday afternoon in Greece near their bilateral border. “We were told that Greece keeps positions… so …

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• 28 November

  President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, unveils his new team

  José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, today announced the portfolios responsibilities for the next Commission. The President has held detailed consultations with all the Commissioners-designate in order to assign the right jobs to the right people. The President believes that this team can deliver the agenda for change …

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• 27 November

  International Community Stuck in Bosnia

  Due to ongoing political obstruction and rising ethno-nationalist tensions, western powers have opted to maintain their political and military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but still lack a precise strategy for the country’s future, Anes Alic writes for ISN Security Watch. Following a recent meeting in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, …

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• 27 November

  Organized crime in the Caucasus

  Caucasus is traditionally seen as the geographical bridge between Europe and the Middle East and it is one of the focal regions in modern day global politics due to its sensitive placement within the reach of some of the most volatile, yet energy rich peripheries of Eurasia. Moreover it is …

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