 RFE/RL Balkan Report 6/3/2010 6:03:23 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about the countries of the western Balkans. For more stories on the Balkans, please visit and bookmark our Balkans page . |
 Vying For Influence In The Balkans Turkey's and Russia's diplomatic and financial deployment in the Balkans have provoked a prompt response from the EU, which hopes to remain the main authority in the region. And Brussels indeed has a lot of catching up to do, largely because over the past four years it has lost much of its credibility. More  EU Reassures Balkans On Entry At a meeting in Sarajevo with officials from the western Balkan states, the European Union reaffirmed its commitment to the region, while underscoring the need for each of them to continue along the path of reform. More  EU Plans To Scrap South Caucasus, Moldova Envoys EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has reportedly proposed abolishing the positions of EU special representatives for the South Caucasus and Moldova. If approved by the EU's member states, the move would signal a drastic downgrading of the EU's involvement in its eastern neighborhood. More NATO peacekeepers and police separated thousands of ethnic Albanians and Serbs in the divided Kosovo town of Mitrovica today during the worst ethnic unrest since the country's independence two years ago. More A 19-year-old girl from Germany -- Lena Mayer-Landrut -- has won the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest with an upbeat pop number called "Satellite" -- topping contestants from 24 other countries in one of Europe's most-watched television programs. More  Balkan Leaders Urge EU Expansion The presidents of Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, and Montenegro have met in Sarajevo to pledge better relations among themselves and advance their membership bids for the European Union. More  UN 'Civilizations' Forum In Brazil Hopes To Reframe Debate Over Global Culture, Politics The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations will host its third-annual forum in Rio de Janeiro from May 27-29. The conference, titled "Bridging Cultures, Building Peace," will be attended by high-level dignitaries including President Lula da Silva of Brazil, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. More  Serbia Will Continue Hunt For Mladic Serbia will continue searching for its most wanted war crimes suspect, Ratko Mladic, even if he is declared legally dead as his family has requested, the prime minister said today. More  UN Envoy Warns Of Growing Tensions In Bosnia In a report presented to the UN Security Council, the international community's highest-ranking official in Bosnia warned that political conditions in the country remain under threat, and pointed to the leadership of the Serbian entity as seeking to weaken Bosnia's fragile political structures. More Bosnian officials say hundreds of police officers have raided more than 100 locations in one of Bosnia's largest actions against organized crime. More  Kosovo Welcomes NATO Troop Cut Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has welcomed NATO plans to reduce troop levels this year as a sign of confidence in the security of the Balkan country two years after it declared independence from Serbia. More  Serbian Currency Continues To Fall Amid Weak Economy The Serbian currency fell against the euro this week to break the 100 dinars to 1 euro barrier, and analysts said it will continue to decline, compounding Serbia's economic hardship,. More  NATO Steps Up Kosovo Reduction NATO will likely step up plans to scale down its military presence in Kosovo, the alliance's top commander has said. More |
