[ Western Balkans and EU ]

The leverage of the EU-accession perspective seems to work after all: after the discontent in EU circles after the election of ultra-radical Nikolic to the post of President of the Parliament (NZZ), Tadic, Kostunica and Dinkic (DS, DSS and G17) reached an agreement on Friday to form a democrat government (NZZ and Tagesspiegel). We should know more in some 24h - the deadline for forming a new government is on 15th May (midnight).

Olli Rehn already announced - rather quickly - the re-opening of SAA talks (the talks had been interrupted in May 2006).

Maybe he had the impression things were moving fast lately - and indeed: The US and EU introduced a draft resolution on Kosovo in the UN Security Council last week... while about at the same time the news spread that direct flights would be operated between Pristina and New York starting in June.

Koha Ditore's correspondent in Brussels, Augustin Palokaj, comments this last week in the following way (Koha Ditore, 14.5.): "in the week when the holiday of Europe was marked, one understood that Serbs can still elect fascists to power [referring to Nikolic who withdrew today from his post of Parliament President], Albanians understood that there can be Albanians with anti-American agendas, Croats and Bosniaks gave maximal points to Serbia in Eurovision. Europe understood that the Balkans is still a chaotic place where anything can happen."