Search

The article reports on the near accession of Romania to the European Union (EU). It is expected that the membership of Romania in the EU will be announced at a June 2006 summit. The European Commission has published a report on the country's readiness to join the EU on January 1, 2007. Romania has signed the Accession Treaty in April 2005 and from then on the country has been implementing reforms to meet the economic and political standards for membership.

The article reports on the issue of making a final assessment of how prepared Bulgaria and its neighbor Romania are for European Union (EU) accession on January 1, 2007. If it is deemed that the Balkan states have failed to achieve the criteria designed to harmonize political and economic institutions with EU norms, admission will be delayed for a year.

The article reports on the capture of war crimes suspect Ante Gotovina concerning the social, political and economic development in Croatia. Gotovina's arrest has enhanced Croatia's chances for the EU membership because it paves the way for closer relations with the US and NATO. The capturing of Gotovina may also affect political stability in Croatia because many people especially the older generations view him as a national hero in the Balkan wars and his arrest sparked mass protests in the town. Now, after the imprisonment of Gotovina, Croatia can undertake several reform processes related to domestic, legal, political and business environments.

The article offers news briefs in Croatia including the country's European Union (EU) accession, the appreciation of the Croatian kuna in 2011 and the development of tourism in the country as the fourth most attractive destination for European tourists.

The article presents a political outlook for the Republic of Macedonia in 2010 which involves its dispute with Greece. It mentions that both countries maintain their commitment to resolve the conflict but neither makes the necessary compromise. Another opportunity for negotiation on accession was missed at the United Nation (UN) summit wherein its mediator Matthew Nemitz declared that he had no new propositions to break the stalemate after his meeting with the country's president Gjorge Ivanov.

The article forecasts the political condition of Macedonia for 2010-2020. The European Commission (EC) indicates that membership talks with the city of Skopje should be open as a positive step in the right direction despite the fact that the country's European Union (EU) accession bid is far from reality. However, it states that the country is noted of becoming the next Western Balkan to join the union for a number of obstacles to overcome.

The article presents the political, economic, and business risk in Macedonia. The implementation of harsh rules on ratifying future accession treaties remains the biggest obstacles for many Balkan states in early European Union (EU) membership. The government continues to push hard its foreign direct investment (FDI) promotional strategy called "Invest in Macedonia." The Israeli real estate firm Gazit-Globe Ltd. plans to invest on developing a commercial centre in Skopje.

The article offers information on the political, economic and business risk in Macedonia. European Union Enlargement commissioner and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization secretary general warned the Macedonian government that its lack of domestic reform could hamper its European accession drive. Access to stable electricity supplies remain a concern in the country. Twenty police officers and six customs officials have been arrested by the interior ministry in a corruption raid.

The article reports on the political and economic risks in Bulgaria. Based on the latest monitoring report, the country will have to wait for the European Union's final decision on whether they will accede into the union in 2007 or have to wait another year. The country's approval of a budget for 2007 that targets a surplus of 0.8 percent of GDP is expected to cause imbalances in the current account and inflation.

The article presents a political outlook regarding Romania's entry to the European Union (EU). The country's progress on many EU reform has created social unrest including strikes, protests and waning optimism about the benefits of the accession, which is likely to add pressure on the country's political leaders. Moreover, anticipation that the accession will increase excise and vice tax on fuel, cigarettes and alcohol has caused a Bucharest taxi driver strike.

The article reports that the European Council has delayed a final decision on an appropriate accession date for Bulgaria and Romania. According to the latest monitoring report, both states will be among the members of the European Union on January 2007. This assertion rely upon the idea of enacting the one-year delay clause in the accession treaty for Bulgaria.

The article presents an analysis on the political, economic, and business risks in Bulgaria. The government is working out to secure European Union accession in 2007. The annual inflation increased to 8.8 percent. The country is behind in terms of business environment rating compared to other European Union states.

The article discusses the obstacles in building a consensus to initiate the economic reform process in Albania. The EU has expressed its consent over the implementation of Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) treaty with Albania but lack of consensus among the political parties may dampen its implementation. The political tensions between the parties is the greatest obstacle in initiating the economic reform process The Republican Party has recently threatened to withdraw its support is they were not given more influential portfolios in the administration.

The article focuses on economic trends in Romania. The European Union's (EU) annual convergence report on progress towards EU accession in Romania suggests that membership in 2007 is a feasible, though a challenging, prospect. Romania's January-September trade deficit widened to €4.82billion, from the €3.20billion recorded in the same period in 2004. The deterioration was attributed to a significant rise in the cost of energy imports. Two bidders remain in contention for a 62% share in the country's largest financial concern, Banca Comerciala Romana.

The article presents a report on Bulgaria's entry into EU. In a Strategy Paper on the process of EU enlargement, released on October 6, the European Commission for the first time specified January 1 2007 as the date for Bulgaria's entry into the EU. Despite some earlier worries about the shortcomings of the country's efforts to reform the criminal justice system and combat corruption, the announcement conformed to expectations and marks a highly significant step forward on the country's path to European integration. The European Council will then make a decision on the admission of Bulgaria and Romania early in 2005, after which an Accession Treaty could be signed that would come into force on January 1 2007. INSET: POLITICAL OUTLOOK.

The article discusses the political and economic conditions of Bulgaria. The European Commission has pencilled in January 1 2007 as the date for Bulgaria's entry to the EU. The European Council will decide on the terms of a formal accession treaty early in 2005, but it appears likely that entry will be made conditional upon significant reforms being achieved— particularly in the area of criminal justice— and measures to address corruption being put in place. The key threat arises from strong domestic demand, which is keeping inflation relatively high, and could put pressure on the currency if it leads to excessive accrual of debt.

The article presents a report on the enlargement of EU. The release of the latest reports on the preparedness of candidates for further enlargement of the EU has reinforced the differences between the membership credentials of Bulgaria and Romania. In its October report, the European Commission endorsed Bulgaria's timetable to accede to the EU on January 1 2007. Although the Commission retains some concern over the country's judicial system and the effectiveness of its anti-corruption efforts, there appears to be little technical impediment to the fulfilment of the authorities' EU ambitions.

Mission accomplished is what Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha and his cabinet must have been thinking during the official ceremony on April 2 that marked Bulgaria's accession to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), along with seven other Eastern European countries. Implementing the necessary reforms to join the military alliance has indeed been a remarkable achievement for the Balkan state, especially in light of the bloated Soviet-style army and inefficient military system that were inherited from the previous political regime. Nonetheless, with NATO executives having deemed the restructuring to date sufficient to allow the Balkan state to join the alliance, Saxe-Coburg has stressed that domestic and regional stability should increase as a result of the accession.