Balkans expect big cheques from donors

International financial institutions and donor countries are expected to pledge substantial aid and political assistance to Balkan countries at a conference beginning in Bucharest on Thursday.

The World Bank has already announced a billion-dollar loan to Romania to finance rural development.

Officials of the Balkans Stability Pact, which is organising the conference, have stressed that governments in the region should not rely too heavily on donor support and need to do more to attract inward investment .

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service