Balkans

Scholz, von der Leyen urge Western Balkans to overcome conflicts and ‘grab opportunity’

Germany and the European Union urged the Western Balkan countries on Monday (October 16) to “overcome” their conflicts and to “Grab the opportunity” to move closer towards the European Union.At the so…

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Several people dead after Balkans hit by powerful storm

Six people have died in a powerful storm which has battered much of the Balkans - while Southern Europe continues to face a searing heatwave. Dozens of people have also…

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Heavy snow, strong winds sweep through western Balkans

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Heavy snow and strong winds, unusual for the springtime, swept through most of the western Balkan region. In central Serbia, a bus swerved off a snow-covered road…

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Serbia to ask NATO to deploy Serb military, police in Kosovo – Vucic

BELGRADE (Reuters) -Serbia will ask NATO peacekeepers to let it deploy Serbian military and police in Kosovo, although it believes there is no chance of the request being approved, President…

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Balkans turns to coal as energy crisis trumps climate commitments

Balkan nations in southeast Europe are turning to coal as they try to tackle a global surge in energy prices, raising fears among environmentalists that countries are rowing back on…

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EU top diplomat says Bulgaria should be more flexible on EU expansion to Western Balkans

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that Bulgaria should be more flexible on EU expansion to Western Balkans. Bulgaria is against North Macedonia, already a NATO member, joining…

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EU restates Balkan membership guarantee but won’t say for when

The European Union's 27 leaders promised future membership to their six Balkan neighbours on Wednesday, restating a pledge first made 18 years ago, but they brushed aside calls for a…

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UPDATED: You are family, EU chief tells Balkans; leaders not so sure

The European Union's chief executive sought on Wednesday to reassure the six Balkan membership hopefuls that they were family who would one day join the bloc after cooler comments from…

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Factbox-Status of Balkan hopefuls’ EU membership bids

The European Union can no longer agree to give a guarantee of future membership to the six Balkan countries once promised a place in the club, diplomats said before a…

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EU no longer agrees on Balkan membership guarantee, diplomats say

The European Union, fearing a political backlash in member states, can no longer agree to give a guarantee of future membership to the six Balkan countries once promised a place in the club,…

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Merkel sees long road for Western Balkan states to EU membership

Western Balkan states have a long way to go to achieve membership in the European Union but it is Germany's goal that they do, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday. At a joint news…

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New peace envoy gets hostile reception from Bosnian Serb leaders

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - German politician Christian Schmidt took up the post of Bosnia's international peace overseer on Monday after a hostile reception by Bosnian Serb leaders who want the Office…

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Slow progress in Balkan countries’ bids to join EU

German Chancellor Angela Merkel this week hosted a summit with six Balkan countries to forge closer cooperation as they make slow progress in their goal of joining the European Union.…

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EU’s Balkan strategy losing local support, internal paper warns

The European Union must recognise that Balkan countries seeking membership are losing faith in Brussels’ long accession strategy, worsened by its initial failure to provide COVID-19 vaccines, according to an…

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Kosovo parliament backs Albin Kurti as new prime minister

Kosovo's parliament voted in Albin Kurti as the country's new prime minister on Monday (March 22), more than a month after the small Balkan country held a snap election. Kurti,…

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EU plans 9 billion euros investment for Balkans

The European Union's enlargement commissioner, Olivér Várhelyi, said on Thursday that the bloc has designed a 9 billion-euro ($10.6 billion) investment plan to aid the economic recovery of the six…

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EU allocates assistance funds to eight enlargment and neighbourhood partners

The European Commission has announced Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on macro-financial assistance (MFA) programmes with eight partners. The agreements are part of the €3 billion MFA package for enlargement and…

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Vienna Airport to suspend flights from 18 countries

Austria is expanding a list of countries from which planes won’t be allowed to land to include six nations in the western Balkans, as well as Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and…

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Mid-Summer election calling in North Macedonia

North Macedonian political parties on Monday agreed to have parliamentary elections on July 15 despite a persistent level of novel coronavirus infections, a move seen as a crucial step for…

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EU pledges €3.3 billion to Western Balkan countries

The European Commission has announced over €3.3 billion of EU financial support mobilised jointly with the European Investment Bank to the benefit of the Western Balkans' citizens. This package aims…

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2-8 year jail terms for coronavirus quarantine rule-breakers in Albania

Albania amended its penal code on Thursday to punish anyone breaking coronavirus quarantine and self-isolation rules and infecting others with up to eight years in jail as it slowly prepares…

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Western Balkan states request help from EU

The European Union is considering a joint proposal submitted by the Western Balkan states requesting an exemption from the ban on the export of medical supplies from the Union. The…

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Montenegro introduces lockdown

Montenegro introduced a lockdown on Monday to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has infected dozens in the small Adriatic republic. In a statement, the government said the lockdown will…

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Balkan countries close border crossings to stop coronavirus

Serbia, Albania and Romania have closed many of their border crossings in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus, leaving some parts of the Balkans practically cut off for…

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Balkan cocaine cartel taken down in Montenegro

A large Balkan criminal network trafficking drugs, mainly cocaine, from source countries to Europe has been dismantled in a large international operation. This hit has severely disrupted/cut one of the…

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Greek – Turkish border – EU border agency Frontex is on ‘high alert’

Greece blocked nearly 10,000 "illegal" entries into the European Union from Turkey on Saturday and Sunday morning, a government official has said. The Greek government announced on Sunday that it…

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von der Leyen defies Macron on the West Balkans accession talks

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s incoming president, has come out in support for accession talks with West Balkan countries, in a move defying French president Emmanuel Macron’s fierce…

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EU’s new foreign affairs chief will focus on Balkans and EU eastern neighbours

The European Union's incoming foreign affairs chief said on Monday he would focus on the Balkans and Europe's eastern neighbours, while urging the bloc to stand firm on sanctions against…

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Montenegro sacks Serbian-born football coach for boycotting game between Montenegro and Kosovo

Serbian-born football coach Ljubisa Tumbakovic was removed from his position as Montenegro's national team chief on Saturday after he boycotted the game between Montenegro and Kosovo. The two Balkan nations…

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Corporate Dispatch Morning Briefing

Good morning Once again, the morning briefing, leads with death, this time of two women in a traffic accident in Mosta. This our selection of news from Malta, Europe and…

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Widow of late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic has died in Russia

Once dubbed "Lady Macbeth of the Balkans," Mirjana Markovic, the widow of ex-Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic has died in Russia. Her husband died in jail in 2006 while on…

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Over 10,000 protest to end Montenegrin’s President 30-year rule

More than 10,000 people marched on Saturday through Montenegro's capital, Podgorica, to call for the end of Montenegrin President Milo Đukanović's 30-year long rule. It was the third protest in…

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Kosovo president visits disputed area

Kosovo’s president made a rare visit on Saturday to a disputed, mainly ethnic Serb area in the north of the country, angering Belgrade just three weeks after Serbia’s president infuriated…

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Balkans – Disinformation age challenges in the new ‘battle’ for Macedonia

As Macedonians prepare for the most important vote in their nation’s history, scores of Facebook posts are urging voters to burn their ballots. Hundreds of new websites are calling for…

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EU committed to Iranian nuclear deal; wants the US to exempt the bloc from steel tariffs

The EU remains firmly committed to the Iranian nuclear deal, and it wants the US to permanently exempt the bloc from steel tariffs. Donald Tusk, the European Council president said…

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Balkans : It is open hunting season on independent thinkers

POLITICO reports that in the Balkans the West is fighting back against Russia in a battle for influence in the Balkans. But although the European Union has renewed its interest…

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