Two new publications on the EU and the Western Balkans: in a short comment for the Guardian, Ian Bancroft explains why Kosovo is a crucial test for the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy. In a new CAP study, Dominik Tolksdorf and Milka Vilovski develop 4 scenarios for the EU (non-)integration of the Western Balkans (in German). And for those of you who happen to be in Berlin on 28 November, there will be a panel discussion on "Revisiting the Europeanisation of the Balkans" at the Hertie School of Governance (Schloßplatz 1, Berlin) at 12:00 (click here to download the invitation/pdf).

Preliminary results of yesterday's elections in Kosovo have been published by the civil society coalition “Democracy in Action” based on votes counted from 1756 out of 2323 polling stations - click here for an overview over the first results of the Assembly elections, the municipal and mayor elections. Turnout was very low with about 45% (8% lower than in 2004) and nearly 99% of Kosovo-Serbs boycotting the elections (a few days ago, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung criticised the election boycott as "children's games"). Check the website of the Central Election Commission for technical details on the elections and for official results (which are to be certified by  UNMIK on December 4, says BIRN).