STORIES FROM LOCAL PRESS • Serbia-EU talks opened (RTS) • Dacic: EU accession process does not concern Kosovo status (Tanjug) • Miscevic: Negotiations with EU, and what follows (RTS) • Fule: No time to relax (Tanjug) • Djuric: EU is not a dogma or an ideology, but it is in Serbia’s interest (Novosti) • Lavrov: Russia must do everything for stability in the Balkans (Beta) STORIES FROM REGIONAL PRESS • Covic: Two electoral units in B&H Federation acceptable (FTV) • Nimetz to speak before EP (Utrinski Vesnik) RELEVANT ARTICLES FROM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES • Serbia starts EU membership talks (EUobserver) • Bringing Serbia in from the cold? EU talks begin (CNBC) • Serbs See Future Alongside Former EU Foes After Bloody Past (2) (Bloomberg) • Serbia secures 150 million euro boost from EIB (Reuters) • IMF, Serbia to discuss new loan deal in March: IMF (Reuters) • Serbia to reconsider labor law in face of union opposition (Reuters) • European court ruling belongs to legal arena: appellants (Xinhua) • Montenegro Removes Graffiti Mocking Srebrenica Massacres (BIRN)

STORIES FROM LOCAL PRESS • Dacic: If things go wrong with Kosovo, then things will also go wrong with the negotiations (B92) • Vucic: Goal to complete EU accession-related work by 2018 (Beta) • Screening for Chapter 35 – a day after the inter-governmental coneference (Tanjug) • Djuric : Pantic’s act shall not affect the formation of the Union of Serb Municipalities (Tanjug) • Manzo: No one asks Serbia to recognize Kosovo (RTS) • Davenport: I expect Serbian citizens to feel changes in the course of negotiations (RTS) • Framework contains 31 points (Novosti) • Kosovo Serbs to vote for Serbian parliament (Novosti) • Washington: Elections are Serbia’s internal issue (Tanjug) STORIES FROM REGIONAL PRESS • Coalition of associations of refugees condemns pressure on Serbs in Croatia (Beta) • Dodik adheres to earlier position on Sejdic-Finci (Srna) • US call for name issue solving (Utrinski Vesnik) RELEVANT ARTICLES FROM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES • MEPs see progress after Serbia-Kosovo agreement (New Europe) • Bosniak NGOs ask Croatian president to take action against his adviser (Dalje) • Bosnia Census Problems Raised at IWPR Event (IWPR) • Critical Macedonian Weekly Faces ‘Draconian’ Fine (BIRN)

STORIES FROM LOCAL PRESS • Vulin: Elections in Kosovska Mitrovica to be held as soon as possible (RTS) • Stefanovic slates Belgrade assembly elections for 16 March (Beta) STORIES FROM REGIONAL PRESS • Constitutional Court unblocks B&H Federation (Fena) • Nimetz not to report to EP Committee on Foreign Affairs (Vecer) • 62.4% of Macedonian citizens do not support name change (Utrinski Vesnik) RELEVANT ARTICLES FROM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES • Fitch Downgrades Serbia Ratings to B+ (Wall Street Journal) • Serbia downgrade may fuel calls for election (Reuters) • EU Delegation in Bosnia welcomes FBiH Constitutional Court decision on FinMin case (Balkans.com) • Turkish Deputy PM in Bosnia to open Izetbegovic memorial house (World Bulletin) • Macedonia Name Logjam 'is Reality', Minister Says (BIRN) • Montenegro Papers Protest Against Media Attacks (BIRN)

STORIES FROM LOCAL PRESS • Dacic condemned Janicijevic’s murder, offers help in investigation (RTS) • Vulin: Murder is blow to dialogue and safety of citizens (Tanjug) • Serbia begins accession talks on 21 January (Tanjug) • SDPS submits draft law that would punish Serbian citizens who take part in wars abroad (Tanjug) • Kostunica: Serbia needs early parliamentary elections (Novosti) • EP adopts resolution on Serbia (Beta) STORIES FROM REGIONAL PRESS • B&H, most ministers per capita (RTS, RTRS correspondents) RELEVANT ARTICLES FROM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES • Serbia makes progress in privatisation corruption probe (Southeast European Times) • Serbian restitution deadline approaching (JTA) • Medical Tender Angers Macedonia Opposition (BIRN) • Montenegro Urged to Probe Media Attacks (BIRN)

STORIES FROM LOCAL PRESS • Dacic: Unity in battle against crime (RTS) • Djuric’s arrest increases tensions between Vucic and SPS (Politika/Novosti) STORIES FROM REGIONAL PRESS • Fule to visit Sarajevo on 17 January (Srna) • SDP expects series of meetings on implementing Sejdic-Finci (Fena) RELEVANT ARTICLES FROM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES • Serbian ex-security men held over Milosevic-era killing of journalist (Reuters) • Bosnia may lose IMF funds after regional finance minister sacked (Reuters) • Macedonia Tops Balkan Economic Freedom List (Balkan Insight) • Croatia, Slovenia Demand Facts About Tito’s Safe (Balkan Insight)