Balkans related content 

Croatia will become the EU's 28th member in July 2013. Croatia signed its accession treaty to the European Union today paving the way for the former Yugoslav republic to join...

EU affairs ministers cannot reach agreement, so controversial issue will be discussed by EU leaders on Friday. National ministers for EU affairs have been unable to reach...

The EU's diplomatic mediation between Kosovo and Serbia does little to address the underlying conflict. The deadly violence that flared at Kosovo's border with Serbia last...

Negotiations on practical matters to resume in September, chief mediator says. The European Union has cancelled talks between Serbia and Kosovo that were scheduled to take...

EU-sponsored talks between Kosovo and Serbia need to address the most important issue: northern Kosovo. This week Kosovo and Serbia will finally resume talks after a...

Balkan country hopes to join EU in 2012. Croatia is a step closer to EU membership following the provisional closure of negotiating chapters in three policy areas today.

The huge strides made towards improving governance. Albania has made huge strides to improving its governance, as many international international organisations can attest.

There is a general feeling in Brussels that Albania belongs  with the most troubled would-be members of the European Union, Kosovo and Bosnia, even though, unlike...

The European Commission's progress report on Montenegro will be generally positive – so positive that it will recommend the country be given candidate status – without...

Guido Westerwelle says clearing illegal camps would be in 'contradiction with the German constitution'. Guido Westerwelle, Germany's foreign minister, has said claims by...

MEPs call for all member states to recognise Kosovo. Catherine Ashton, the EU's foreign policy chief, has welcomed yesterday's advisory opinion by the International Court of...

Ruling likely to trigger further recognitions of former Serbian province Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008 did not violate international...

An advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice on the legality of Kosovo's independence could give new momentum to plans to partition. The International Court of...

The EU's rule of law mission in Kosovo launches raids. The EU's rule of law mission (Eulex) in Kosovo undertook its first major raid last week (28 April), at the ministry of...

EU set to scrap visa requirements for citizens from Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia on 19 December. EU justice and home affairs ministers are expected to give the go-ahead...

EU foreign ministers ask Commission for formal opinion on the opening of talks.

A year on from the Roma summit, what has changed? The attendees at the first-ever EU Roma Summit were powerful: five European commissioners, representatives from member...

Working towards a a ‘decade of Roma inclusion'. The Roma have been marginalised in Europe for centuries – and for centuries divergent opinions have been expressed on the...

Quite what is the secret of Milo Djukanović's extraordinary hold over Montengro? If it feels like Montenegro has been here many times before, it is because it has. Prime...

Few governments have been awaiting the outcome of this week's (18-19 October) EU summit in Lisbon more anxiously than that of Croatia. It is just two years since Croatia's...