October, 2009

• 20 October

  Bulgaria speeds up granting passports to ethnic Bulgarians – minister

  Processing of applications for Bulgarian citizenship filed by ethnic Bulgarians living abroad has improved considerably, Bozhidar Dimitrov, Minister without Portfolio responsible for Bulgarians abroad, told Bulgarian-language Trud daily on October 19 2009. In just one month, the speed at which the Citizenship Council at the Justice Ministry worked had tripled, …

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• 20 October

  IMF mission arrives in Belgrade

  Representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are to arrive Tuesday on a visit to Belgrade. On the eve of the visit, Serbian media commented that examining the statements made by representatives of the mission, one may draw the conclusion that there is increasing suspicion in Serbian government’s success in …

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• 20 October

  Greek president Karolos Papoulias accepts nomination for second term in office

  President of the Hellenic Republic Karolos Papoulias has accepted the proposal by Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou to serve a second term in Greece’s highest post, as it was formally announced on Monday afternoon.

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• 20 October

  Medvedev and Tadic in Talks

  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is currently holding a one-on-one discussion with his Serbian counterpart Boris Tadic. The Russian leader landed at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport at around 11am and was transported directly to Serbia Palace where he was welcomed with full state and military honours.

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• 20 October

  Bosnia’s Crucial Talks Hit a Snag

  Representatives of all three of Bosnia’s main ethnic groups have essentially rejected the package of demands and incentives proposed by senior EU and US officials ahead of Tuesday’s resumption of negotiations. Local, EU and US officials have reconvened today at the Butmir military base near Sarajevo to discuss the package, …

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• 20 October

  Karadzic: Prosecution Whittles Down Evidence

  The Hague Prosecution has submitted its plan for the presentation of evidence in the trial of Radovan Karadzic, from which certain crimes have been removed. As per an order of the Hague Tribunal Chamber, the Prosecution has filed “a revised indictment” against Radovan Karadzic, which contains the counts that will …

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• 20 October

  MEPs Back Bosnia, Albania for Visa Liberalisation

  A European Parliament, EP, committee supports the call of special rapporteur for visa issues, MEP Tanja Fajon, for the acceleration of visa liberalisation for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania, once the two countries meet established criteria. Members of the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs also supported Fajon’s …

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• 20 October

  Border Deal Faces Legal Challenge

  Macedonia’s border agreement with Kosovo is a classic example of an exchange of territories made in murky conditions and outside the law, Macedonia’s opposition parties allege. The neighbouring states announced on Sunday that they had closed their long-standing border issue. Macedonia’s parliament ratified the agreement on Saturday with a simple …

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• 20 October

  Macedonia’s Opposition Urges Name Settlement

  The opposition Social Democrats, SDSM, would back any government compromise in the Athens-Skopje name row that guarantees that the language and nation would remain unchanged and referred to as Macedonian. “Whatever is acceptable to you will be acceptable to us.” SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski told Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski at …

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• 19 October

  Macedonia: Naming the Future

  Standing at the door of the EU and NATO clubs, Macedonia’s reception largely depends on one thing: compromise over the long-running name dispute with neighboring Greece. Meanwhile, regional stability hangs in the balance, Anes Alic writes for ISN Security Watch. The 14 October report by the European Commission recommended opening …

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