Brussels, 27/07/2004 (Agence Europe) - Returning from a visit to the region, Dutch minister of foreign affairs, Bernard Bot, provided an update on the situation in the Balkans at Monday's Council. The Council adopted a series of conclusion on Serbia-Montenegro and Kosovo, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The Council welcomed the progress in the decentralisation process in the province of Kosovo but is encouraging the different communities and all parties concerned to make a full commitment to its rapid implementation. The Council declared that it was satisfied with the political agreement on the territorial organisation of the country and the city of Skopje (EUROPE 16 July) and called on all the political parties to adopt the legislation in accordance with the deadlines, which would allow for, as has been planned, the local Macedonian elections to take place next October. Finally, the Council welcomed the re-opening of the Stari Most-Mostar bridge, seeing this as a positive sign of the recent changes in Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUROPE 24 July).