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The Balkans Today
The Balkans Today: 4th - 8th July 2016
Our team brings you live updates of the most important events and developments in the Balkans as they happen.
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#Montenegro PM Đukanović: #ParisBalkans2016 after Berlin & Vienna offers continued encouragement for #WB cooperation http://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cmi3oLAXYAEOTfu.jpg
by MeGovernment via twitter 7/4/2016 8:55:08 PM -
Albanian opposition leader Lulzim Basha told the media on Wednesday that Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama might have a plan to take the country into a snap election, citing opposition disapproval of the current draft on judicial reform.However, Basha said the opposition is still waiting for the ruling majority to hold negotiations over the articles that they disagree agree with, when details of new proposals from the opposition will be made public. July 21 is set as the last day when majority and opposition MPs can vote in parliament on constitutional changes enabling the package of judicial reforms.Judicial reform is considered one of the most important reforms that the country has to undertake in order to clean up corruption in the justice system and continue the process of integration into the EU.
The opposition leader, Lulzim Basha (in front) and the Albanian PM during a meeting on judicial reform. Photo: LSA/Malton Dibra -
The European Commission has decided not to finance the Corridor 8 route through Macedonia because of problems with the country’s transport sector, said the EC’s spokesperson Maja Kocijanicic.
"There are many shortcomings in the transport sector that prevent proper sector planning and coordination. The country needs to focus on soft measures that will ensure the sustainability of large infrastructure investments,” Kocijancic said.
The trimming of funds comes after the EC last weekend announced it was cutting 27 million euros previously earmarked for Macedonia through its Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, IPA, citing stalled reforms and the current "political context" in the country, which is locked in a long-running crisis.
Maja Kocijancic. Photo by: EC
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Green light 4 #Serbia 2open key chapters in its #accession,negotiations finally underway soon,1st result of #EU2016SK #enlargement priorityby Miroslav Lajčák via twitter 7/7/2016 8:24:34 AM -
The Committee of Permanent Representatives of EU member states (COREPER) confirmed on Thursday that the EU will open Chapters 23 and 24 in Serbia’s membership negotiations, media outlets in Belgrade said.
Croatia had previously blocked Serbia from opening Chapter 23 while it lobbied for its conditions to be included in the joint EU document which serves as a platform for negotiations with Belgrade.
The document was agreed by EU ambassadors on Tuesday and the opening of chapters 23 and 24 membership negotiations with Serbia should follow the EU-Serbia Intergovernmental Conference on July 18 or 19 in Brussels. -
EU should grant visa-free access to the citizens of Georgia, Ukraine and Kosovo, said Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs on Thursday.
They adopted three opinions calling on Civil Liberties Committee to take up this recommendation, as these countries have achieved significant progress in implementing the benchmarks set for lifting visa requirements and it will promote people-to-people contacts.
Visa facilitation and visa liberalisation for Eastern Partnership as well as Western Balkan countries is an important instrument of EU's Foreign and Security Policy and as a way to promote people-to-people contacts and enhance relations with the EU, said Foreign Affairs MEPs.
Photo: Pixabay. -
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A deal aimed at overcoming Macedonia’s political crisis must be reached before summer holidays, visiting German envoy to Macedonia Johannes Haindl told Nova TV.
Asked to comment on his failure to meet the head of the main ruling VMRO DPMNE party, Nikola Gruevski, during his visit to Skopje, Haindl said he had been informed that Gruevski was away on a private trip, adding that responsibility for overcoming the crisis fell to all Macedonian political leaders.
Johannes Haindl. Photo by: MIA
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