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Opening of New RFE/RL HQ Garners International Coverage

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Prague Mayor Pavel Bem were among the dignitaries at the grand opening of RFE/RL's new Prague headquarters. More
 
 
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RFE/RL's Balkan Service

 

RFE/RL launched its broadcasts to the Balkans in 1994 in the midst of the wars that swept the region, as a voice of peace and reconciliation. With a network of 150 journalists throughout the Balkans, distributed across six bureaus, the Balkan Service has developed a unique model of regional and national broadcasting. It has become the chief media promoter of the values of democracy, human rights, and freedom of expression in the postwar and postcommunist societies of the new Balkan states.

 
 
 
Features & Multimedia

Unfinished Business In The Balkans

Some would argue that the best the EU can hope for in the Balkans is maintaining a dissatisfying status quo. So the arrival of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in the region seems like a bid to push yet another "reset" button and an acknowledgment that Washington has unfinished business there. More
 
 

EU Warns Bosnia Its Accession Chances Are At Stake

The European Union's Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has told the visiting foreign minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sven Alkalaj, that the divided country must consolidate its central authorities or risk damaging its chances of one day joining the bloc. He also sought to stamp out criticism that its leadership in Bosnia is either weak or lacking altogether. More
 
 

Bosnian Serb Leader Has His Heart In Serbia

Milorad Dodik, the prime minister of Bosnia's Serbian entity, has evolved from a onetime darling of the international community to one of its most voluble critics. He spoke to RFE/RL about his views on Bosnia's future, his close ties to Serbia, and how the international community has failed the region. More
 
 

Panel Seeks Solutions To Albanian-Serb Divide

Kosovo's tumultous first year as an independent state and its continued ethnic divisions was the focus of debate during a political convention last week at Columbia University in New York. More
 
 

The Black Market In EU Travel Documents

Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, another kind of barrier has gone up in Europe. Citizens of countries east of the EU need visas to visit the bloc, which has tightened controls to fight illegal immigration. For many EU outsiders, the bloc's visa policy is perceived as an unfair ruling on which states are truly part of Europe. More
 
 
 
 
 
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Facts & Stats
Map of Balkans

BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA

Population
4,590,310 (2008 estimate)

Ethnic Groups:
Bosniak 48%
Serbian 37.1%
Croatian 14.3%
other 0.6% (2000)

Religions:
Muslim 40%
Orthodox 31%
Roman Catholic 15%
other 14%

Languages:
Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian

KOSOVO

Population
2,126,708 (2007 estimate)

Ethnic Groups:
Albanian 88%
Serbian 7%
others 5%

Religions:
Muslim, Serbian Orthodox, Roman Catholic

Languages:
Albanian, Serbian, others

MACEDONIA

Population
2,061,315 (2008 estimate)

Ethnic Groups:
Macedonian 64.2%
Albanian 25.2%
Turkish 3.9%, Romany 2.7%
Serbian 1.8%
other 2.2% (2002 census)

Religions:
Macedonian Orthodox 64.7%
Muslim 33.3%
other 2%

Languages:
Macedonian 66.5%
Albanian 25.1%
Turkish 3.5%
Romany 1.9%
Serbian 1.2%
other 1.8%

MONTENEGRO

Population
678,177 (July 2008 estimate)

Ethnic groups:
Montenegrin 43%
Serbian 32%
Bosniak 8%
Albanian 5%
other 12%

Religions:
Orthodox, Muslim, Roman Catholic

Languages:
Montenegrin, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Croatian

SERBIA

Population
7,498,001(2002 census)

Ethnic Groups:
Serbian 82.9%
Hungaran 3.9%
Bosniak 1.8%
Romany 1.4%
Montenegrin 0.9%
Croatian 0.9%
other 8.2%

Religions:
Serbian Orthodox 85%
Catholic 5.5%
Protestant 1.1%
Muslim 3.2%
other 5.2%

Languages:
Serbian 88.3%
Hungarian 3.8%
Bosniak 1.8%
Romany 1.1%
other 5%
 
 
 
 

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