Brussels, 22 Oct 2002

Improved Situation in South Eastern Europe as Free Trade Dawns, Refugees Return in Record Numbers - Activity Report of the Stability Pact 2002 to EU Ministers

A free trade area with 55 million consumers as of next year, over 125'000 returned refugees in 2002 and a mechanism in place to collect small arms in illicit private possession are the major achievements of the Stability Pact this year. This progress report was presented in writing to the EU Foreign Ministers Council in Luxembourg, by Stability Pact Special Co-ordinator Erhard Busek on 21 October. On a

From RFE/RL Balkan Report Volume 6, Number 29
This fall is a bumper election season in the former Yugoslavia. In addition to the local elections in the Presevo region that already took place on 28 July, the Macedonian parliamentary ballot will be held on 15 September. That will be followed by the Serbian presidential vote on 29 September, the Bosnian general election on 5 October, and then the Montenegrin parliamentary vote (with local elections in Podgorica and Tivat) the next day. Kosova goes to the polls in a local ballot on

Unofficial translation

The Government decided today to contribute SEK 2.6 million to a new regional centre in Slovenia which will work with children in the Western Balkans. Sweden will finance a sub-project for training teachers to work with children suffering from trauma after their distressing experiences of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and Yugoslavia.

The grant is part of the Government's international efforts to support children in vulnerable situations. The project is run primarily by the Slovene Philantropy organisation which