The Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, briefed the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee on his country's priorities as the current holder of the EU's rotating six-month presidency. Bildt offered a panoramic list of challenges that Sweden faces through the end of its tenure on December 31.
In effect, Bosnia has once again been divided along ethnic lines. This time, by the European Union. At a time when most analysts are warning that the fragile country is on the verge of collapse, the EU -- by lifting visa requirements for visitors from Serbia, Macedonia, and Montenegro -- is acting to intensify the ethnic fault lines there and to make Bosnia weaker.
Inspired by "The Atlantic's" mock "World Leaders" Facebook group, RFE/RL presents a Facebook-style summary of last week's events.
The European Commission has recommended that Schengen countries, most of which are members of the EU, stop requiring visas from short-term visitors from Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro as of 2010. While an historic breakthrough for the three ex-Yugoslav states, it's also a disappointment for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, and Kosovo, where the visa requirement will remain in place.
Macedonia's foreign minister has said he saw new hope in resolving a dispute with Greece over his country's name that has blocked its progress joining NATO and the European Union.
The United Nations mediator seeking to resolve a long-running dispute over Macedonia's name said on June 22 he would visit Athens and Skopje next month to push for a resolution.
The European Union may decide this year on offering visa-free travel to citizens of some western Balkan countries and on opening membership talks with Macedonia, the EU's enlargement chief has said.
EU enlargement may not be dead, but it is certainly showing few signs of life. Warnings that the process is on hold came thick and fast on the final day of an EU meeting in the Czech Republic that saw the bloc play host to the Western Balkan countries and Turkey.
International observers have said that Macedonia's local and presidential elections met most international standards, paving the way for progress toward joining the European Union.
Macedonians are going to the polls today to vote for a new president, in what is being seen as a key test of the country's ability to hold violence-free elections, less than a year after a parliamentary vote ended in a gun battle.
The global economic crisis, the lack of democratic habits and institutions, and the complete absence of a plan for future development have created fertile ground for nationalism and renewed ethnic conflict across the Balkans.
Load more
!["The forces of integration in [the Balkan] region are beginning to be stronger than the forces of disintegration," said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.](https://gdb.rferl.org/13A62E79-864C-44C7-9263-ECC4A310245F_w100_r1.jpg)
