Europe Archives

September 5, 2008

EU split over Ukraine's path to membership

BRUSSELS (IHT) After the crisis over Georgia, new divisions have emerged within the European Union over whether to offer Ukraine a clear signal that it might one day join the 27-nation bloc.

September 3, 2008

Cyprus rivals begin peace talks

Rival leaders of the divided island of Cyprus are meeting to launch negotiations aimed at resolving the 34-year dispute.
August 31, 2008

Kremlin critic shot in Ingushetia

(BBC News) The owner of an internet site critical of the Russian authorities is shot dead in police custody in the volatile region of Ingushetia.
August 29, 2008

Karadzic to make genocide pleas at Hague court

(Guardian) Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader arrested last month after 13 years on the run, is to be asked today to enter his pleas to charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.

August 21, 2008

A painful past uncovered

(Guardian) For decades, the whereabouts of thousands executed in Spain under Franco's rule have remained a mystery. Now the exhumation of mass graves is reuniting relatives with their loved ones' remains - and revealing the country's dark history.

August 19, 2008

UN begins Kosovo handover to EU

(EU Observer) The UN has begun the handover of office space and vehicles to the EU's "EULEX" police and civilian administration team in Kosovo, amid Serbian and Russian complaints that the move does not have a legal mandate.

August 16, 2008

Russia pledge on Georgia pull-out

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says his forces will begin withdrawing from Georgia on Monday.

Russia signs up to Georgia truce

Russia signs a ceasefire deal with Georgia, but says its troops will not leave until extra security measures are in place.
August 14, 2008

US and Poland sign defence deal

The US and Poland sign a deal on plans for the controversial US missile defence shield, which Russia strongly opposes.
August 9, 2008

Georgia and Russia Nearing All-Out War

GORI, Georgia (New York Times) The conflict between Russia and the former Soviet republic of Georgia moved toward all-out war on Saturday as Russia prepared to land ground troops on Georgia’s coast and broadened its bombing campaign both within Georgia and in the disputed territory of Abkhazia.

Russian jets attack Georgian city

(BBC News) Fierce fighting between Russian and Georgian troops continues in the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia, reports say, while discussions at the United Nations make little progress.
August 6, 2008

New fighting reported in South Ossetia

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) Authorities in the Georgian separatist region of South Ossetia said Wednesday night that the outskirts of the region's capital were coming under heavy fire from Georgian-controlled territory, Russian news agencies reported.

August 4, 2008

Croatian Serbs Commemorate Their Expulsion From Home

BELGRADE, Serbia (Moscow Times) Several hundred nationalists marched to the U.S. and Croatian embassies in Belgrade on Monday to mark the anniversary of a Croatian offensive that drove tens of thousands of Serbs from their homes in 1995.

July 29, 2008

Bosnian Serbs jailed for genocide

(BBC News) Seven Bosnian Serbs are jailed for genocide over the massacre of more than 1,000 Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995.
July 28, 2008

Greece rebuked over migrant care

(BBC News) A French charity has accused Greece of creating a "humanitarian crisis" for hundreds of illegal migrants detained on the Mediterranean island of Lesbos.

July 27, 2008

Eta 'planned series of attacks'

(BBC News) A Spanish judge says seven alleged members of the Basque separatist group, Eta, planned a series of summer attacks.
July 24, 2008

France to slash military manpower by 15 percent

PARIS (AP) France's military will slash its ranks by 54,000 personnel and close dozens of air, army and other bases in an overhaul meant to slim forces at home while making it easier and faster to deploy troops abroad, the prime minister announced Thursday.

July 23, 2008

EU freezes aid to Bulgaria, citing corruption

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) The European Commission froze almost euro500 million ($800 million) in aid to Bulgaria on Wednesday, citing corruption, organized crime, severe spending irregularities and alleged vote-buying in a country that only joined the EU last year.

Karadzic Backers Riot in Belgrade

(Der Spiegel) Supporters of Radovan Karadzic clashed with police Tuesday after his arrest on war crimes charges. His lawyer plans to appeal against his extradition to The Hague. Meanwhile, a German politician said Serbia's EU accession is still a long way off.

July 22, 2008

Italian MPs approve immunity law

(BBC News) Italy's MPs gives their final backing to a controversial immunity bill put forward by Silvio Berlusconi's government.
July 18, 2008

Spain-Africa link decision 'near'

(BBC) - Spain says a study is nearly complete to determine whether an undersea tunnel can be built linking the country to Morocco.

A Muslim woman too orthodox for France

FRANCE (International Herald Tribune) When Faiza Silmi applied for French citizenship she was worried that her fluent French was not quite perfect enough or that her Moroccan upbringing would pose a problem.

EU's 'spare 1bn euros' for Africa

(BBC News) The European Commission backs a plan to give 1bn euros of unspent EU farm subsidies in aid to African farmers.

Louvre breaks ground on new Islamic Arts gallery

PARIS (The Daily Star) In the first major modern architectural addition to the Louvre since its famous glass pyramid was built in the 1980s, Wednesday saw the laying of the first stone at the museum's new Arts of Islam gallery.

July 15, 2008

Belgium in crisis again as prime minister offers to quit

BRUSSELS (International Herald Tribune) After an interlude of just four months, the crisis that prompted fears that Belgium would split returned with a vengeance Tuesday when the prime minister offered to quit after failing to broker a deal between the country's two main linguistic groups.

Italian officials convicted of abuse at G-8 summit

ROME (AP) A court on Monday convicted 15 Italian officials of abusing protesters held in at police garrison following violent demonstrations during a Group of Eight summit in Genoa seven years ago, lawyers said.

July 14, 2008

France celebrates UN on national day

(France 24) For the first time in recent years, dozens of heads of state and government are expected on the Concorde square in downtown Paris to watch the July 14 military parade with the United Nations as guest stars.

July 13, 2008

Mid-East optimism at France talks

The Israeli and Palestinian leaders express their optimism ahead of a summit of EU and Mediterranean leaders in Paris.

Ties that bind

(BBC News) Why the Belgrade-Pristina bus leaves three times a day
July 10, 2008

'Alarming rise' in Ukraine racism

(BBC News) Foreigners live in a climate of fear because of increasing race-based attacks in Ukraine, Amnesty International says.
July 9, 2008

Medvedev Voices Distress Over U.S. Shield

RUSUTSU (The Moscow Times) President Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that Russia was "distressed" by a U.S. deal to place parts of a missile-defense shield in the Czech Republic and promised to respond with "concrete steps."

European Parliament votes to toughen rules on far-right groups

STRASBOURG (International Herald Tribune) The European Parliament adopted new internal rules Wednesday making it harder for fringe lawmakers - notably the far right - to secure funding, speaking time and prominent positions within the EU assembly.

July 8, 2008

Russia warns over US-Czech shield

(BBC News) Russia says it will be forced to react with military means if US-Czech missile defence shield plans go ahead.
July 7, 2008

Immigration new EU priority under French presidency

(France 24) France is to outline a new blueprint to control immigration in Europe, days after human rights groups and South American countries criticised the EU over moves to force illegal immigrants out.

July 3, 2008

Srebrenica Muslim chief cleared

(BBC News) The ex-commander of Bosnian Muslim forces in Srebrenica, Naser Oric, has had his war crimes conviction quashed by the UN tribunal in The Hague.

July 2, 2008

EU plans cross-border healthcare

(BBC News) The European Commission is poised to unveil a healthcare package that could give patients new rights to seek medical treatment elsewhere in the EU.

France terror laws 'flout rights'

(BBC News) France violates human rights in the way it handles terrorism-related cases, a Human Rights Watch report says.

July 1, 2008

Turkish ruling party put on trial

(BBC News) Turkey's chief prosecutor presents his case for banning the ruling AK party to the constitutional court.
June 30, 2008

Poland in new blow to EU treaty

(BBC News) Poland's President Kaczynski says he will not sign the EU's reform treaty at present, as France takes over the bloc's presidency.

Sarkozy calls for major EU change

(BBC News) French President Nicolas Sarkozy calls for a profound change to the way the EU is built, as France takes on the presidency.
June 28, 2008

Kosovo Serbs launch new assembly

An assembly set up by Kosovo Serbs holds its first session in defiance of the majority ethnic Albanian government.
June 24, 2008

Biofuel use 'increasing poverty'

(BBC News) The rush to use biofuels in rich countries has dragged more than 30 million people worldwide into poverty, an aid agency says.
June 18, 2008

Kurdish child singers face prison

(BBC News) Members of a Kurdish children's choir go on trial in Turkey for allegedly spreading rebel propaganda.
June 16, 2008

Nato reviews Ukraine entry hopes

A top Nato delegation starts a two-day tour of Ukraine to discuss the country's membership bid.
June 15, 2008

Parallel systems?

Why Kosovo's handover of power is less than clear
June 8, 2008

Irish PM bids to rally EU support

Ireland's PM accuses opponents of an EU treaty of "inaccuracy and absurdity", ahead of Thursday's referendum.
June 4, 2008

Fishermen clash with police at EU

Police clash with fishermen protesting against the high cost of fuel outside EU headquarters in Brussels.
June 3, 2008

Nato warns Russia over Abkhazia

Nato demands that Russia pull out military railway workers it sent to breakaway Georgian province of Abkhazia.
May 30, 2008

Europe fuel protests spread wider

(BBC News) Fuel protests triggered by rising oil prices spread to more countries across Europe, with strikes by fishermen.

Croatia jails war crimes general

A Croatian court for the first time convicts a Croatian general for war crimes against Serbs.