Croatia

Croatian war veterans, who want a referendum to limit minority rights and end official use of Serbian Cyrillic script in parts of Croatia, accuse the government of ignoring their initiative.

An initiative backed by various intellectuals has been launched in Croatia to name some streets after victims of Croatian forces in the 1990s conflict.

BELGRADE - The Coalition of Refugee Associations in Serbia condemned Wednesday in the harshest terms a call for boycott of the Serb goods and shops in Vukovar, and urged the authorized state bodies in Croatia to institute proceedings against the initiators of the boycott.

ZAGREB - A call has appeared on certain social networks to boycott Serb shops and goods in Vukovar as long as Cyrillic script is being used in the city, website dnevno.hr reads.

Milorad Pupovac, president of the Serb National Council (SNV) and member of the Croatian parliament, condemned the call in the harshest terms on Wednesday, and urged the authorized institution to react.

OPATIJA - Ministerial conference on contemporary challenges in regional police cooperation, attended by Serbia's outgoing Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic, started on Tuesday in Opatija, Croatia.

On the fringes of the conference, Dacic also conferred with Simonetta Sommaruga, Swiss Federal Minister of Police and Justice.

The United Nations has recommended that people who fled the 1991-95 war in Croatia should no longer have refugee status now the country has joined the EU.

Balkan energy companies explore regional, EU markets

EU membership means entering a large, liberalised energy market, and regional companies need to prepare, experts say.

Croatia's INA has been expanding its oil exploration activities domestically and offshore. [INA]

ZAGREB - Headquarters for the Defense of Vukovar, a right-wing organization campaigning against official use of the Serbian Cyrillic script in Croatia, announced on Thursday that it will tour the country to convince the citizens that the referendum on bilingualism is neither unconstitutional, nor contrary to the position of the European Union.

Hearings in Croatia-Serbia genocide lawsuits conclude

THE HAGUE -- The hearing concerning the mutual charges of genocide between Croatia and Serbia held before the International Court of Justice was completed on Tuesday.

Balkan countries train together for ISAF

Joint preparation contributes to regional co-operation and Euro-Atlantic integration.

Croatia and Montenegro troops work together in a training exercise. [NATO]

Soldiers from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Croatia and Montenegro are working together to join the NATO mission in Afghanistan (ISAF).