(October 6)   The European Commission has delivered official notification to France asking it to meet the EU safeguards on freedom of movement and to set out a compliance timetable by October 15 in connection with France’s expulsion of thousands of Roma. However, the Commission stopped short of accusing France of discrimination against the Roma: an ethnic minority originally from India, now living in highest concentration in Romania and Bulgaria.  (An estimated seven to ten million Roma reside within the EU countries with the huge preponderance found in Eastern Europe and in the more recent EU members.)

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By all reports, the review conference of the International Criminal Court (ICC), in Kampala earlier this year, is turning out to be a good-news story, both for the US, which ironically does not submit to the jurisdiction of the Court, and the world ,which has an interest in a strong international voice against war crimes and atrocities and aggression. The conference was previewed by European Affairs in the July 2010 issue.

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During a recent trip to Albania, it was striking to notice the number or of Kosovars spending their summer holidays on the Ionian Sea stretch of the Adriatic coast. Many of these tourists were predictably drawn by the beautiful beaches, scenery and pleasant weather but, perhaps unconsciously, they were also celebrating the emergence of their landlocked homeland, Kosovo, as an independent nation enjoying growing world acceptance. It got a boost from the July ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Kosovo’s declaration of independence did not violate international law. See recent European Affairs blogpost. This unambiguous statement at the core of the court’s finding went further, in Kosovo’s direction, than many observers had anticipated. Even so, in its quest for legitimacy and viability, Kosovo still faces formidable obstacles ranging from the need for recognition by more states to the challenge of making a peace with Serbia -- and domestically, the requirement of tackling widespread corruption.

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(September 27)  Kosovo’s President, Fatmir Sejdiu, abruptly announced his resignation today after the nation’s Constitutional Court ruled that he had violated the country’s constitution by simultaneously holding the presidency and the leadership of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

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(Sept. 22, 2010) The world of Swedish politics was stunned by last Sunday’s elections, when the anti-immigration party (Sweden Democrats) won 20 out of the 349 parliamentary seats; a first since its’ founding in 1988 (see New York Times). Party leader Jimmie Akesson has described Muslim population growth as the biggest external threat to Sweden since World War II. The governing Center-Right coalition of Prime Minister Frederik Reinfeldt failed to win a parliamentary majority, falling just 3 votes shy of the necessary 175 seats. The Social Democrats, in turn, suffered their worst showing since 1914. Prime Minister Reinfeldt has pledged not to work with the far-right Sweden Democrats, and if the still uncounted ballots from Swedes living abroad do not tip the results, he may well have to seek to widen his governing coalition elsewhere.

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