Institute for Political Studies

"The law on the reform of the pension system was adopted in the French parliament and, if it passes the control of the constitutional council, then sooner or later it will have to be the topic for negotiating table, because regardless of the fact that the law has been adopted, it needs to be implemented, and that will not work easily because the unions in France are very influential," Duan Guja

After Albania's Court of Appeals failed to end to the main opposition Democratic Party's leadership battle, the rival two groups within the party on Monday both submitted their applications to the Central Elections Commission for the local elections on May 14.

Albania's President, Ilir Meta, will end his mandate in office after winning a Constitutional Court battle with the ruling Socialist Party, which dismissed him via a vote in parliament nine months ago.

In a verdict on Wednesday, the Court said the accusations made against Meta "do not constitute serious violation of the constitution".

The question is whether it is possible for the two great world powers to reach an agreement, i.e. to avoid a conflict, but also whether Serbia will be asked to choose sides if a conflict occurs.

After boycotting Albania's parliament for around two years, one of the first initiatives of the opposition when it returned in September, after losing the April 25 elections, was vetting politicians.

Opposition Democratic Party leader Lulzim Basha has called for the same vetting procedure to be applied to politicians as to justice officials.

After the news that the US has barred former Democratic Party leader and Albanian President and PM Sali Berisha, experts told BIRN that his opposition centre-right party might benefit from this decision in the long run.

Limited progress on electoral reform, few investigations into corruption and regular attacks against freedom of speech tarnished Albania's year as chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, OSCE, six rights organisations stated in a report published on Monday.

BELGRADE - Famous Serbian journalist Zoran Petrovic Pirocanac, who worked for several Serbian and regional newspapers and televisions, as well as a number of foreign weeklies and dailies, has died in Belgrade.

As a freelance journalist, Pirocanac reported from regions ravaged by civil wars and inter-ethnic conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East.