Council adopted the EU’s long-term low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategy
The Council today adopted the EU’s long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategy on behalf of the EU and its member states. This will now be forwarded to the…
What we know and what we don’t yet know about the Coronavirus
We all recognize that the situation with the spread of the coronavirus is very serious and could well get worse. This affects us all. Let me start with…
Implementing Political Commitments together, making a difference on the Ground
“Taking over the OSCE Chair is a truly historic moment for Albania: from a country under a cruel communist regime that opposed the Helsinki spirit, we have become…
Concern over the Spread of even a relatively contained outbreak can lead to decreased Trade
Infectious diseases and associated mortality have abated, but they remain a significant threat throughout the world. We continue to fight both old pathogens, such as the plague, that have…
Importance of Investing in the Country’s Children and their Education
Across sub-Saharan Africa, a visit to a school offers both a vision of hope for the future, and a reminder of the difficulties in attaining that vision. My recent…
Number of well-paid middle-skill Jobs in Manufacturing has decreased
Will I do as well as my parents? A positive answer to this question once seemed a foregone conclusion; now, for recent generations, less so. Despite being more educated…
Borell: We are witnessing an Unprecedented Crackdown on Civil Society
On world Non-Governmental Organisation Day, celebrated on 27 February, the European Union applauds the fundamental contribution made by civil society organisations to the promotion of human rights, good…
Number of Children placed in Detention Facilities reduced by 90 Percent
Over the last twenty years, the number of children placed in detention facilities in Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia annually has gone down from 45,000 to 5,000…
Arab World is in Revolution Age currently?
“First war and conflict had not been resolved and the second war and conflict had begun. The second war and conflict had not been understood and the third war…
EBRD to continue Investing One Billion Euros Annually in Western Balkans
The Western Balkans Investment Summit 2020 will be held at the EBRD in London on Monday 24 February. The event will be attended by all heads of government from…
IMF Managing Director Proposes the Appointment of Antoinette Sayeh as Deputy Managing Director
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), today proposed the appointment of Antoinette Sayeh as a Deputy Managing Director, effective March 16, 2020. The appointment is…
Increased Economic Growth, Lower Crime Rate?
Central America remains one of the world’s most violent regions, where about 4.5 percent of the world’s homicides occur. The region has only about 0.5 percent of the world's…
How to Find a Solid Footing for the Global Economy?
As the Group of Twenty industrialized and emerging market economies (G-20) finance ministers and central bank governors gather in Riyadh this week, they face an uncertain economic landscape. After…
Not all gender-responsive Fiscal Policies benefit Women equally
Making sure that opportunities to enter the workforce are fair and rewarding for women benefits everyone. Yet, the average female workforce participation rate across countries is still…
G20 Meeting of Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors held in Riyadh
Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement today at the conclusion of the Group of 20 (G20) meeting of Finance Ministers…
IMF: Secure a Sustainable and Orderly Resolution
Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, met with Mr. Martín Guzmán, Economy Minister of Argentina on the sidelines of the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central…
High Representative Josep Borrell speaks to Political Leaders of Kosovo and Serbia
High Representative Josep Borrell spoke on Friday in separate phone calls with President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, President of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi and Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti to…
IMF plans to assess the Stability of Twelve Financial Systems this Year
In 2020, the IMF plans to assess the stability of twelve financial systems. Seven assessments are of jurisdictions with systemically important financial sectors (Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong SAR, Italy,…
Cybersecurity Threats Call for a Global Response
Last March, Operation Taiex led to the arrest of the gang leader behind the Carbanak and Cobalt malware attacks on over 100 financial institutions worldwide. This law enforcement operation…
Bosnian killed in an Armed Attack in the German City of Hanau
Bosnian Consul General in Frankfurt Luciano Kaluza has informed the Bosnian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the victim of the armed attack in the German city of Hanau had…
OSCE EEF meeting in Vienna focuses on Prevention and combating Corruption through Stability and Economic Growth
The first preparatory meeting of the 2020 OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum concluded on 18 February in Vienna. The meeting focused on countering corruption by improving the understanding of…
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office deeply concerned about surge in heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Prime Minister and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of Albania, Edi Rama, and OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger expressed their deep concern about reports of heavy…
EU Council adopted Conclusions on the Priorities to be followed by the EU in UN Human Rights Fora
The Council today adopted conclusions on the priorities to be followed by the EU in United Nations human rights fora this year. On the occasion of the year marking…
EU and international donors pledge €1.15 billion for Reconstruction after the Earthquake in Albania
About 100 delegations from the European Union, its Member States and partners, including international organisations and civil society gathered in Brussels today at the International Donors’ Conference to mobilise…
Significant Resources are required to combat Climate change and to invest in Preventative Measures
Last week, UNDP launched Mission 1.5, a global campaign to bridge the gap between millions of people and their governments on ambitious climate action. In the online game, players…
Need for continued Support in the tracking of the remaining ICTR Fugitives
The Principals of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism) today welcomed some 90 members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and international…
Crime does not recognize Borders, Police shouldn’t either
Imagine this scenario, Albanian police spot a minivan smuggling ’migrants’. They immediately start pursuing the van but they can see that the driver is heading for the Montenegrin border.…
“Credit booms”—between buoyant economic Performance and the Danger of a Future Crisis
In Spain, private sector credit as a share of GDP almost doubled between 2000 and 2007. This increase was accompanied by a boom in housing prices—which doubled in real…
Slovenia adheres to the International Monetary Fund’s Special Data Dissemination Standard Plus
The Republic of Slovenia has completed the requirements for adherence to the IMF’s Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS) Plus—the highest tier of the Data Standards Initiatives. The Republic of…
In memoriam: Murad Wilfried Hofmann, a distinguished Doctor of German law
Murad Wilfried Hofmann, a distinguished doctor of German law and former German ambassador to Algeria and Morocco, passed away on January 13, 2020 at the age of 89. Dr.…
IMF predicts Economic Benefits of over 7 Percent of Caribbean Region’s GDP in 2018
The Caribbean economies have long recognized the value of working together. Improving regional integration—for instance, through more intraregional trade and policy coordination—can help the region’s small-size economies build greater…
Most Workers feel more Positive than Negative about Automation
Tired of reading articles about how a robot will take your job? We’ve all heard horror stories that foresee the devastating consequences that automation will have on people’s working…
IMF Board of Governors Approves a Resolution on Quota Reviews
On February 7, 2020 the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) adopted a Resolution concluding the Fifteenth General Review of Quotas with no increase in IMF…
IMF European Director Poul Thomsen to Retire
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva announced on Monday that Poul Thomsen, European Department Director, will retire at the end of July. Mr. Thomsen, a national of…
European Union to consider Carbon Tax for Western Balkans?
The EU is said to be considering the introduction of a carbon tax for the countries of the Western Balkans, David Žarković, head of open market trade at public…
Increased investment to combat climate change and natural disasters to bring Benefits
Structural economic reforms, along with sound macroeconomic policies, helped the Philippine economy to grow, on average, by 6.3 percent annually over the last decade. But sustaining and sharing the…
IMF Predictions: Japan’s Current Population of 127 million will shrink by over a Quarter
Japan’s population is aging and shrinking fast. With a median age of 48.4 years, Japan’s population is the world’s oldest. The government of Japan projects that there will be…
Judge Bonomy was appointed to the Mechanism’s Roster of Judges
On 6 February 2020, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. António Guterres, appointed Lord Iain Bonomy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to…
IRMCT President Agius briefed the Representatives on the Mechanism’s ongoing Activities
The President of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), Judge Carmel Agius and the Chief of Registry in The Hague, Mr. Michael Adenuga, on behalf of Registrar Olufemi Elias,…
Chief Administrative Officer and Deputy Managing Director Carla Grasso Leaving IMF
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva announced on Friday that Carla Grasso, Chief Administrative Officer and Deputy Managing Director (DMD), would be leaving the Fund at the…
Global Growth to increase modestly from 2.9 Percent to 3.3 Percent in 2020
In the October World Economic Outlook, we described the global economy as in a synchronized slowdown, with escalating downside risks that could further derail growth. Since then, some risks…
Enhancing the Accession Process – A credible EU Perspective for the Western Balkans
Today, the European Commission put forward a proposal to drive forward the EU accession process, by making it more credible, with a stronger political steer, more dynamic and predictable.…
February turned out to be Historic but also Undramatic
On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. We lost a member of our family. It was a sad moment for us, for European citizens –…
EU: we need to look to the Future and build a new Partnership between Enduring Friends
As the night draws in this evening, the sun will set on more than 45 years of the United Kingdom’s membership of the European Union. For us, as Presidents…
Half of all Respondents of the RCC’s Balkan Barometer are unhappy with the Security Situation in their Economy
“Nearly half of all respondents of the RCC’s Balkan Barometer are unhappy with the security situation in their economy - with estimates that five out of the six surveyed…
Excellent News for the Western Balkans: France has decide to re-join the Regional Cooperation Council
The Republic of France has decide to re-join the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), announced French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, at the high-level meeting of…
Mechanism Registrar met with President of the Seventy-fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly
The Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (Mechanism), Olufemi Elias today met with the President of the Seventy-fourth Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador…
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia-Herzegovina issued Statement regarding Traveling to China
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia-Herzegovina recommends that all Bosnian citizens who plan to travel to China postpone the trip until further notice, and for Bosnian citizens currently in…
Supporting Macroeconomic and Public Finance Institutions has been a Common Objective of the EU and IMF
European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, on behalf of the European Union, and International Monetary Fund’s Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva concluded a new Financial Framework Partnership Agreement that will boost…
Aboriginal People in Mourning Over Bushfires: “We Grieve because Country is Wounded and Bleeding”
Since June last year, the Australian bushfire crisis has destroyed more than 100,000 square kilometers of terrain and left at least 33 people and an estimated 1.25 billion animals…
