Commission of European Communities

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on January 18th, 2010
Photo by Getty Images

Serbia aspires to join the EU, but has it really faced up to its war-guilt?

This article reports on a recent survey which shows that most Serbians do not think Ratko Mladic is guilty of war crimes, or that he should even be handed over to the UN war crimes tribunal in the Hague.

Anyone who knows Serbia well will not be surprised by these findings, nor by the fact that the majority of Serbs have a negative opinion of the Hague.  Many Serbs have told me they believe the UN tribunal is biased against them.

The Serb leaders in the Bosnian civil war, Ratko Mladic, and Radovan Karadzic, are widely lionised, especially, in the Serbian part of Bosnia, known as Republika Srpska.

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on December 30th, 2009
Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou / Photo by AFP

2010 is fast upon us. Here are some brief thoughts, and even a few predictions, on the critical issues for the year ahead in some of the countries I follow closely in southern and eastern Europe.

1) Cyprus

Talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots on the reunification of the island are moving slowly, and there’s growing concern that a window of opportunity is closing. The Turkish Cypriot leader, Mehmet Ali Talat, may lose elections in April to a more nationalist opponent. In which case, it will be even harder to stitch together a deal.

You might wonder why Cyprus matters. I can think of two reasons. Firstly, because progress towards reunification in Cyprus is intricately linked to the situation in Turkey. European leaders want to see if Turkey is prepared to encourage the Turkish Cypriots to reach an agreement. If a deal can be done, a significant obstacle to Turkey’s accession to the EU will have been removed.

By John Terrett in Americas on December 8th, 2009
Photo by EPA
In London on Tuesday the British public inquiry into the Iraq war heard a staggering revelation. 
 
A taxi driver, peddling fares along Iraq's border with Jordan, was the one who told British intelligence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction capable of hitting Britain in less than an hour's flying time from Baghdad.
 
And they believed him!
 
We know this because the claim turned up in a 2002 so-called "dodgy" dossier that was partly used to justify Britain joining the U.S. led invasion of Iraq six months later.
By Hamish Macdonald in Europe on November 18th, 2009
Photos by AFP

We've spent the day wading through the murky waters of European politics. Leaders from across Europe arrive here in Brussels on Thursday to choose the first ever President of the European Council.

But we really have no idea who they are going to choose. The process has already been described as "secretive" - so much so, the former Latvian President Vaire Vike-Freiberga (herself a candidate) told the Times newspaper that the EU should:

"stop working like the former Soviet Union"

There is much debate about whether to choose a tough, high profile leader in order to affirm Europe's role on the world stage, or alternatively appoint a low key consensus politician from one of the smaller EU states. Both options have their critics. 

By Nour Odeh in Middle East on November 17th, 2009

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Palestinians are getting ready for the biggest diplomatic battle of their recent history. This is becoming apparent, in light of the high-tone of political statements exchanged by Palestinian, Israeli, and other officials.

Senior Palestinian officials have announced that they intend to go to the United Nations Security Council and secure a resolution recognizing a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Such a resolution would by no means change the rules of the game or the already accepted terms of a resolution to the conflict, Palestinians argue.

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on November 13th, 2009

The European Parliament has endorsed a plan to give citizens from Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia the right to visa-free travel in most of the countries of the European Union.

It's expected that EU governments will give final approval to the plan by the end of the year. For citizens of those three countries, this is great news. Anyone who has travelled through the Western Balkans knows that people there feel cut-off and frustrated by the difficulty of obtaining a visa to go to the EU.

The sense of injustice is exasperated by the fact that, in the old days, citizens of Yugoslavia could travel freely around Europe.

But ... that still leaves Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Except it's not quite that simple, as the Economist explains.

By Hamish Macdonald in Europe on November 3rd, 2009

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It is always hard to sell stories about the European Union. Talking about treaties, constitutions, Brussels bureaucracy and proportional representation can make the most ardent news viewers fall asleep.

And so today was no different. Al Jazeera anchor David Foster threw over to me in London during the Newshour earlier with a friendly reminder that a simple mention of the EU generally sparks a collective yawn. My challenge was to make the story exciting.

But truth be told, today's developments in Europe don't need embellishing. The court decision in the Czech republic affects nearly half a BILLION people. And in a significant way.

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on October 21st, 2009
Radovan Karadzic, photo by Getty Images

I'm travelling to Bosnia this week. I'll be there to cover reaction to the beginning of the trial of the Bosnian Serb war time leader, Radovan Karadzic. The trial is taking place at the Hague, and Mr Karadzic is charged with crimes against humanity.  We'll be hearing a lot more about the horrific events of the early 90's in the coming months.

But whilst in Sarajevo, I'll also be keeping an ear out for opinions on the current situation in Bosnia.

The country is in a political crisis, although until now, the rest of the world has been paying little attention. Co-operation between the leaders of ethnic Serbs on one side, and Bosniak Muslims and Croats on the other, has broken down. This week EU and American mediators are in Sarajevo, trying to patch together a deal.

By Barnaby Phillips in Europe on October 12th, 2009
Photo by AFP

It could be a breath of fresh air in a region gone stale. Greece's new prime minister, George Papandreou, will bring new initiatives and energy to some apparently intractable problems in southeastern Europe.

He's known as a skilled diplomat. He served as foreign minister in a previous government, and has given himself the same portfolio in his new administration. 

Here are three thorny issues Mr Papandreou will have to grapple with:

1) Cyprus

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