Full Coverage: South East Europe

30.04.2007 At closer inspection, the legal protection of rights of workers in Croatia seems greatly satisfactory, even in comparison to European Union standards. Law on Labour prohibits all forms of discrimination of those working or seeking employment – from discrimination based on race and colour of skin, obligations in the family, age, sexual or even sexual orientation-based discrimination.

30.04.2007 As we write this, a group of citizens that have completed over 25 years of work and were left without any income whatsoever after their companies went bankrupt are striking in horrible conditions. These “bankruptcy” workers can’t meet the requirements to retire or receive social allowance from the Employment Bureau, demand from the Government to solve their problem by either finding them jobs, or by securing them a monthly allowance of, hopefully, 100 Euro until they meet the retirement criteria.

30.04.2007 Despite difficult postwar conditions and abnormal circumstances during most of the 1990s, Kosovo’s labor market is on its way to functioning normally. Stimulated by institutional flexibility and liberal wage determination framework, employment has rebounded to pre-war levels, but unemployment rate is still large.

30.04.2007 One of the biggest problems in the area of human rights ni Bosnia and Herzegovina is the non-observance of rights of workers, amply demonstrated by the statistical data collected by the associations for free legal assistance, which are used largely by those who fail to realize their labour and employment related rights.

30.04.2007 In Albania during ’90 years after the collapse of centralized socialist economy brought about the closing of thousands of jobs so the country was deeply immersed in labor-market crises as the main indicator of its period of transition.

27.04.2007 The First Children Embassy in the World – Megjasi, under the global week for inclusion of children in education process, implements the “Join Us! Right to Education NOW” campaign, that started on April 23 and will be implemented in over 100 countries in the world.

26.04.2007 "Peace Caravan" was initiated in 2005 by the Regional Network “Objection for Peace”, as an activity that should provide an opportunity to all interested people to contribute to establishment of lasting peace in this war-torn region. So far, “Peace Caravan” activities have taken place in Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

26.04.2007 A group of women from six Balkan countries and Kosovo have asked for an urgent meeting with the UN Security Council, and repeated their demand that women must participate directly in talks on the future of Kosovo.

26.04.2007 The "Peace Caravan" was initiated in 2005 to provide an opportunity to all interested people to contribute to the establishment of lasting peace in the war-torn region of southeast Europe. Events will be held in at least six cities during the month of May.

25.04.2007 The MULTIMEDIA Performing Arts Centre from Skopje, together with the Museum – Stip, Stip Municipal Council, the Foundation for Local Development, “Sergej Mihajlov” Music School, and “Zaedno” (Together) NGO, will organize the “ART GENERATOR” Urban Arts Festival in Stip, April 26-29, 2007.

23.04.2007 The MULTIMEDIA Centre of Performing Arts, under the auspices of its From Female Point of View project, organizes the first national debate on the topic “Development, Labour and Gender”. The debate will take place in the Municipal Council Hall in Stip, on April 24, 2007, starting at 12:00 hours.

23.04.2007 Serbian NGOs demand from the competent authorities to act and discover the perpetrators, the background the people who ordered the attempt on the life of Dejan Anastasijevic, journalist at “Vreme” weekly, on the night of April 14.

18.04.2007 The UNDP Early Warning System team launched the Early Warning Fast Facts outlining the data coming from a poll conducted last month, and asked Kosovars about their views on the Ahtisaari’s Plan.

18.04.2007 Last Friday, April 13, approximately 50,000 Albanians responded to the Prime Minister’s attacks on the media through a peaceful manifestation in “Skenderbej Square”, thereby marking the largest manifestation ever witnessed in Albania since the rise of the pluralist system. This manifestation was not coordinated by political parties; rather, it was jointly organized by civil society and the media.

17.04.2007 Zvornik Municipality invites all interested civic associations and organizations with headquarters on its territory to apply to the competition for distribution of funds in 2007. The deadline for application expires on April 24, 2007.

16.04.2007 Under the campaign for implementation of the National Youth Strategy, four workshops were organized in Veles secondary schools, with participation of their students.

16.04.2007 The Union for the Centre for Youth and Independent Culture which includes Zagreb based organizations working in the are of youth and independent culture, announced, last Wednesday, April 11, the opening of the Temporary Illegal Youth and Culture Centre, during the Operation City: Jedinstvo manifestation that will take place at former factory “Jedinstvo”, April 26-29, 2007.

16.04.2007 Challenges to a functioning administrative justice system need to be tackled to help protect individual rights and the rule of law, concludes a new report from the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

13.04.2007 UNITED NATIONS, Apr 13 (OneWorld) - In Serbia and the Netherlands, the judges may not have any doubts that the rulings they handed down were as just and fair as possible. But those who survived the mass slaughter some 12 years ago in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica are not buying it.

13.04.2007 The Metamorphosis Foundation joined the Association of Progressive Communications (APC) as a full member. In partnership with APC, Metamorphosis will conduct activities related to exchange of knowledge and experience, overcoming the digital gap, inclusion and human rights.