Erkan's field diary

EU edges closer to agreement over Russia pact

Internal EU negotiations over a strategic treaty with Russia made headway at the weekend but were finally put on hold over concerns by Lithuania that "frozen conflicts" are threatening Georgia and Moldova's territorial integrity.

Interview: Multilingualism 'weakening in the EU institutions'

Making sure different languages are represented at the heart of the EU is essential for democracy, according to Abdou Diouf, secretary-general of the 'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie', the international French-language association.

MAIN FOCUS: Stalemate in Serbia | 13/05/2008

A political stalemate has emerged after early parliamentary elections were held in Serbia on Sunday. While President Boris Tadic's Democratic Party has come away with victory, it has not won enough seats to form a parliamentary majority. The nationalist Serbian Radical Party, on the other hand, could form a government despite its election defeat.

'The Illustration of The Great European War No.16
- A humoros Atlas of the World' found in Asia on the World

Serbia's voters reassure Brussels

The unexpected strong showing by the coalition for EU integration in the Balkan country's parliamentary polls underscores the preference of citizens to pursue membership

Elections in Serbia

Ivan SIMIC

Serbia: EU hails victory of pro-Western camp

Despite an unexpected 10 percent victory in Sunday's parliamentary elections in Serbia, the pro-European camp of President Boris Tadic is not able to govern alone and might depend on the Socialist Party of former dictator Slobodan Milosevic to form a government.

Serbia's political carousel, Eric Gordy

Serbian voters sent another mixed message to their political parties in the general election of 11 May 2008. The result was not as bad as many feared, not as good as some might think, and not as clear as some might imagine.

Serbs vote for a European future

Serbs gave strong backing yesterday in parliamentary elections to the pro-European strategy of the outgoing government and President Boris Tadic. Although the Tadic bloc did not win an absolute majority, it emerged as a clear victor in the national poll.

Serbia: new election, same results

By Lucy Moore

Boris Tadic, Serbian president and leader of the coalition “For a European Serbia,” declared victory after elections Sunday in which his party took an estimated 103 of the national assembly’s 250 seats.

True, yesterday’s large pro-Europe voting turnout did come as a pleasant surprise to

’s EU supporters. In light of Kosovo’s recent, and polarizing, declaration of independence, analysts were predicting a slight lead for ’s ultra nationalist Radical Party (SRS), despite some pretty serious efforts on the part of the EU to win over Serbian voters.

Brussels warns Bulgaria over EU funds mismanagement

Bulgaria may lose some ï11bn of EU funding because the European Commission does not trust the country's mechanisms for managing the European money from which it benefits as an EU member, EurActiv.bg reports.

German NSC Sparks Controversy

Joerg Wolf

This is a guest blog post by our long-time reader and commenter Pat Patterson:

The blog Coming Anarchy has a balanced piece concerning the recent proposal by Chancellor Merkel and the CDU to create a German National Security Council that argues, "It is for these reasons that a seemingly innocuous and in fact logical step like creating a national security council has again sparked debate among citizens and politicians alike." And that, "Over the past few years though with the changes in both the domestic and international security situation, debate has been ongoing about whether Germany needs a National Security Council based more on the American model for example."

MAIN FOCUS: Earthquake in China - the political fallout | 14/05/2008

More than 10,000 people have perished and the Province of Sichuan has been devastated by an earthquake. In addition to its humanitarian consequences, the disaster also has political ramifications.

Brussels outlines plan for new Mediterranean club

Russia: the European factor, Alexei Makarkin

Europe is Russia's historic neighbour as well as being part of its own identity. St Petersburg, for instance, is a distinctly European city. Europe is both a role model and an object of phobias. This ambivalence has characterised various periods of our national history.

Andijan, Germany and Europe, Marcus Bensmann

The armoured personnel carriers stormed Babur Square in Andijan with lightning speed on Friday 13 May 2005, bringing death without any warming. The uniformed men riding atop the vehicles fired purposefully and indiscriminately into the crowd of more than a thousand men, women and children gathered under the monument to the Mongol ruler Babur. In an instant, Uzbekistan's authoritarian president, Islam Karimov, had drowned the anti-tyranny demonstration in blood.