Merkel: ‘Truly united Europe’ includes Western Balkans (Politico)
Europe will only be truly united when all the countries of the Western Balkans join the EU, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday. Merkel’s remarks represented a strong restatement of Berlin’s commitment to EU enlargement, an idea that is unpopular with some EU governments and many voters in Western Europe. French President Emmanuel Macron has […]
Read More →Vucic: Western Balkans must break down trade barriers (Politico.eu)
The future of the Balkans looks far brighter today than many would have predicted two decades ago. The Balkan wars left more than 100,000 dead and caused millions to flee their homes. The region’s economies lay in ruins, and many of our best and brightest left in droves to seek a better future elsewhere. Political […]
Read More →Albanian prime minister: EU faces ‘nightmare’ if Balkan hopes fade (politico.eu)
TIRANA, Albania — Albania’s prime minister said a union between Albania and Kosovo cannot be ruled out if EU membership prospects for the Western Balkans fade. In an interview with POLITICO that also covered a political crisis in neighboring Macedonia, an upcoming election at home and the inspiration he draws from Tony Blair, Prime Minister Edi Rama […]
Read More →Kosovo ready to step up its Balkan security commitments (politico.eu)
PRISTINA — Kosovo marked another milestone in its state-building process this week by moving to establish Kosovo’s own defense forces. A multi-ethnic organization established post-independence under strict scrutiny from NATO, the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) will soon assume a new role as a military defense force. The change will enhance KSF’s role and mission, and […]
Read More →Goodwill short-lived between Kosovo and Serbia after EU talks (Politico)
After weeks of rising tension between Kosovo and Serbia, the leaders of both sides agreed to calm things down Tuesday night at a Brussels meeting with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. But comments by Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi after the meeting left Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić fuming Wednesday morning — and even prompted […]
Read More →Kosovo, Serb dispute threatens to derail Balkan peace (Politico)
The European Union is stepping in between squabbling Kosovar Albanians and Serbs, fearing that a new dispute could undo nearly two decades of efforts to stabilize the southern Balkans. http://www.politico.eu/article/eu-kosovo-serbia-train-dispute-eu-mogherini-vucic-thaci/
Read More →Shpend Ahmeti the nation builder (Politico.eu)
Kosovo may have taken an important step toward international recognition this year, when it joined FIFA and won Olympic gold in Rio. But for Shpend Ahmeti, the mayor of Pristina, building a nation begins on the ground. Since his election in 2013, the 38-year-old Harvard graduate, former World Bank economist and university professor has been […]
Read More →Welcome to EUgoslavia (Politico)
BERLIN — Metternich, the godfather of pan-European statecraft, once famously quipped that the Balkans started just beyond Vienna’s ramparts. In the emerging EU of 27, the Balkans are everywhere. The European Union could always be neatly divided into regional blocs that, for the most part, pursued a common agenda, whether the northern group around Germany […]
Read More →In Kosovo, if debating doesn’t work throw teargas (Politico.eu)
Albin Kurti has long been a thorn in the side of authorities in Kosovo. A vocal critic of Serbian rule, he is now a member of parliament not averse to using tear gas on rival MPs to drive his message home. Kurti helped lead protests against Belgrade’s oppression of the majority Albanian population until independence in 2008. Now the head of […]
Read More →UNMIK Headlines 2 March
• EU: Kosovo has met its obligation to establish special court (Koha)
• Netherlands won’t be responsible for special court costs and prisoners (Koha)
• Government reshuffle (Koha)
• Mustafa: Rugova was also elected by PDK votes (Epoka e Re)
• Ymeri: We are determined in our cause (Epoka e Re)
• Thaci’s message to Britain: Don’t Balkanize Europe (Politico.eu/media)
• Tahiri: Ban is ignoring justice for women raped during the war (media)
• Plans underway for establishing another Serb-majority municipality (Zeri)
• Jahjaga decrees procurement law, part of visa liberalization criteria (RTK)
• Truck with documents from Palace of Justice stopped at the border (Kallxo)
Washington’s Balkan power play (Politico.eu)
NATO’s invitation to Montenegro this week to join the military alliance was more than a kindness to a small ex-Yugoslav republic. It was another sign of a battle for influence in the Balkans between Russia and the U.S. http://www.politico.eu/article/washingtons-balkan-power-play/
Read More →Kosovo signs EU association agreement (Politico)
Kosovo signed a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union on Tuesday — a first step towards the still-distant prospect of EU membership. http://www.politico.eu/article/kosovo-eu-association-agreement-europe-member-nato/
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From Google News- Kosovo fails to overturn power plant award - GAR 26/04/2024Kosovo fails to overturn power plant award GAR
- Kosovo-Serbia Declaration on Missing Persons Remains Unimplemented - Balkan Insight 26/04/2024Kosovo-Serbia Declaration on Missing Persons Remains Unimplemented Balkan Insight
- Measures against Kosovo on the table of EU institutions - Eunews 26/04/2024Measures against Kosovo on the table of EU institutions Eunews
- Kosovo fails to overturn power plant award - GAR 26/04/2024
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