LOCAL PRESS

Kosovo not participating in 16+1 gathering (Danas)

Even though the Serbian government, since the signing of the Brussels agreement, has a liberal stand on participation of the self-declared Kosovo state in international gatherings, Pristina doesn’t have representatives among the participants of the Third Meeting of the Heads of Governments of China and Central and Eastern European States that is being held in Belgrade. The organizer of the summit China and its European host Serbia officially do not recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, even though Beijing has accepted, following the Belgrade-Pristina agreement on freedom of movement, the Kosovo passports along with adequate visas. China, along with Russia, is one of the two main and only allies of Serbia among the permanent members of the UN Security Council, when it comes to the respect of UNSCR 1244. Certain Belgrade media had recently accused Moscow and Beijing of “betraying Serbia because they didn’t block Kosovo’s membership in the International Olympic Committee”, but they didn’t mention that official Belgrade hasn’t done anything to prevent Kosovo’s membership in this international sports organization. Even though Beijing adheres to principles that, respecting international law, it recognizes states in the borders when they were admitted in the UN, China, just like Russia, has an office in Pristina. It is headed by an attaché and it is part of the Chinese Embassy in Serbia. According to unofficial information gathered by Danas, the Russian and Chinese offices in Pristina hold regular joint meetings. The Chinese office, Danas’ sources claim, is almost not seen or heard on the ground. It has no contacts with the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. The story in Pristina is that the leader of the Alliance for New Kosovo, businessman Bexhet Pacoli has best ties with the Chinese. According to Serb sources, there are three Chinese stores in northern Kosovo and Metohija that operate without problems, while Chinese trade south of the Ibar River is less secure. Diplomatic circles claim that China, over Taiwan, will never recognize Kosovo.

Joksimovic: No new EU conditions (Tanjug)

Serbian Minister without Portfolio in charge of European Integrations Jadranka Joksimovic has stated in Brussels that the EU is not setting new conditions for progress in the association process, but it should clarify some details about the implementation of the Brussels agreement. After the session of the Council for Stabilization and Association, Joksimovic has said that Serbia is a bit disappointed with the fact that the date for the opening of negotiating chapters has not been set this year, but added it would be an incentive in working on the European integrations. “Full implementation of the Brussels agreement cannot be the condition for the opening of Chapter 35, because nobody has explained the model of how that chapter would be opened, and our stand is that it needs to be clarified,” Joksimovic said. She has stressed that the Serbian side is aware of its obligations regarding the normalization of the relations with Pristina, but the same is expected from the other side. Nobody had asked us to introduce sanctions to Russia, she underlined, while reminding that Serbia is a candidate and does not partake in the process of decision making about foreign policy issues.

Epilogue of the Adriatic Charter in Tirana (Novosti)

Albanian Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati, who was the host of the Adriatic Charter in Tirana, stated that Kosovo’s membership was supported by all countries, except by B&H. At the same time, Serbia’s representative left the meeting when the debate on Kosovo’s possible membership started. Both Kosovo and Serbia will continue to have the observer status.

Analysis from Belgrade: Thirteen days and Barak Obama (Politika, by Miroslav Lazanski)

The other day I watched, for the third time, the American movie “13 days” with Kevin Costner in the leading role. The movie is about the big ‘missile crisis’ regarding Cuba in 1962, when the Soviets secretly delivered and installed in Cuba the SS-4 missiles with nuclear warheads that can reach Washington D.C. in less than five minutes. President John F. Kennedy risked a nuclear war with the Soviet Union, but the crisis was, nevertheless, resolved by agreement: the Americans lifted the naval blockade of Cuba, promised not to attack the island nation and told Moscow that the USA will withdraw the “Jupiter” and “Tor” missiles from Turkey within six months, while the Soviets in return withdrew the SS-4 missiles from the island. The world was on the verge of an atomic cataclysm in the course of those 13 days of 1962, and the US resolutely demonstrated that in their backyard, in their interest sphere, it will not permit enemy missiles.

Would Washington proceed in the same manner today, if, let’s say, Russia would decide to deliver and install on Cuban territory missiles that could fly within five minutes to Washington D.C.? I am absolutely certain that America would do the same as in 1962, because when the opponent has missiles within five minutes flight from your capital, then you don’t have any freedom of political or diplomatic action. They have a gun against your head, you are blackmailed.

US President Barak Obama finally has the opportunity to justify the Nobel Peace Prize that he received. He has the opportunity to stop the process that is unavoidably heading towards a wider war in Europe. He has the opportunity to stop the unnecessary and insane expansion of NATO into the post-Soviet space, to stop NATO’s being at the exit of almost all of Russia’s western borders, and to finally curb the bureaucratic-militarist oligarchy at NATO Headquarters in Brussels that sees its sole purpose of existence in the alliance’s eastward expansion and keeping their lucrative posts.

They say that it is Ukraine’s sovereign right to choose whether it will join NATO. How come Cuba didn’t have the sovereign right to choose whether it will have Soviet missiles on its territory? America didn’t allow Soviet missiles on Cuba, yet Russia should allow American missiles in Ukraine. The Soviet missiles would fly in five minutes, while it takes even less than five minutes for the American missiles to fly from Ukraine to Moscow.

The West has for some time been pushing Russia up against the wall. Moscow has nowhere to withdraw and things are slowly going over the edge, from where, soon, return will not be possible anymore. Russia asked that it takes part, together with US and NATO, in building and managing the US anti-missile shield in Poland and Romania. This was rejected. Then Russia asked the US and NATO to guarantee, in writing, that the US anti-missile shield is not directed against Russia. Russia’s request was again rejected, since they don’t wish to give any guarantees, not even on plain paper. They want, and ask, the Russians to trust them! With this, they are directly lying to the Russians and even laughing at their face.

American missiles that can allegedly intercept Iranian and North Korean intercontinental projectiles are stationed in the American bases in Romania and Poland. This is the case even though neither Pyong Yang nor Teheran have missiles of this range, not to mention that geography says that, were North Korea to shoot US territory with a missile, it would do so via the Pacific, and not across Chinese or Romanian territory. American bases in Poland and Romania will have projectiles that can shoot down Russian intercontinental missiles already in the initial phase of the flight, immediately after launch. This devalues and practically devastates the Russian system of nuclear deterrence based on intercontinental projectiles land basing. Furthermore, American missiles at bases in Poland and Romania are modular, instead of the missile-interceptor, so that offensive missiles for targeting cities and industrial centers can be set on the launcher in less than ten minutes. The launchers can fire both types of missiles.

In that situation Russia has no effective power or either the first or second missile nuclear strike land basing. Thus, Moscow is brought into a situation where it doesn’t have the freedom of political and diplomatic action. It has a gun against the head. The bases for this “gun” were given by the Poles, who are building their new Western identity on pronounced Russo-phobia, and the Romanians, who are dreaming a greater Romania, i.e. annexation of Moldavia. The Romanians, whose soldiers were occupying Crimea in World War II together with the fascist German Nazi Wehrmacht, when Romania raised the Romanian flag on the monument to the famous Russian admiral Nahimov, outraged even the Wehrmacht soldiers, since they believed that such monuments should be respected.

The Russians never forget such things, and the German siege of Stalingrad precisely broke at the part of the front that was held by the Romanian fascist army.

Since the West has rejected all Russian offers regarding the missile shield in Europe, Moscow has decided to respond to the American missile shield in Romania and Poland by deploying its “Iskander” missiles in the Crimea and in the region of Kaliningrad. Quite logical moves in the military sense. The latest versions of “Iskander” can reach Romania from the Crimea, and they cover part of Poland from the region of Kaliningrad.

And now, after everything, the US Congress ups the ante by passing the draft law on new sanctions against Russia, along with authorizing concurrent powers to President Obama to send Ukraine military aid in the amount of $350 million. The spiral of confrontation is tightened; Kiev is arming and preparing for a major war with Russia. The hawks on Capitol Hill are supporting that, NATO is rattling its sword along Russia’s borders. Moscow is asking for guarantees from Brussels that Ukraine will not enter NATO; Brussels is refusing to offer such guarantees. The status of military neutrality would provide Ukraine with the return of the Donbas autonomous region inside its borders. Without a militarily neutral Ukraine, without a strategic compromise with Russia, Europe is slipping towards war.

On these pages, in 2007, right after the famous speech by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Munich, I wrote that a phase of a new cold war is coming. Almost no one believed.

REGIONAL PRESS

Determined candidates for RS ministers: Djokic Minister of Industry, Lukac Minister of Police? (Oslobodjenje)

On the eve of the special session of the National Assembly, the SNSD definitely established parties and candidates for ministers in the new RS government, which again should be led by Zeljka Cvijanovic. However, SNSD leader Milorad Dodik in last night’s statement to reporters didn’t want to disclose the names of their ministers in the cabinet of Zeljka Cvijanovic, and gave her the courtesy to do so at the parliamentary session. It is assumed that the SNSD will retain most of the former government ministers in the government of Zeljka Cvijanovic. Dragan Bogdanic thus remains at the position of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Zoran Tegeltija as Minister of Finance, Srebrenka Golic in the next four years will govern the Ministry of spatial planning and ecology, while the new Interior Minister should be Dragan Lukac, the chief of Communal Police in Banja Luka. Minister Jasmin Komic remains at the Department of Science and Technology, also Stevo Mirjanic the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management will remain at the same position, while Anton Kasipovic is making the return to the government of RS as a Minister of Justice. Zlatan Klokic is proposed to govern the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Regional Cooperation of RS, and Davor Cordas should continue to lead the Department for Refugees and Displaced persons in the next four years. President of the Socialist Party Petar Djokic is a candidate for the Minister of Industry, Energy and Mining, Milenko Savanovic from Mrkonjic Grad should lead the department of Labor and Veterans protection, Jasmina Davidovic from Foca is proposed for the Minister of Family, Youth and Sports, and Predrag Gluhakovic from Brcko is a candidate for the Minister of Trade and Tourism. On behalf of the DNS Nedo Trninic, businessman from Birac is proposed for the Minister of Transport and Communications in the new RS government. Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government remains Lejla Resic, while the department of Education should be led by professor Dane Malesevic from Gradiska. The agenda for this session is only a selection of the Prime Minister and Ministers in the government of the RS, and upon its completion, the third session will be held for the election of Vice-Presidents of the RS National Assembly.

Dzaferovic: SDA-DF partnership not under question (Oslobodjenje)

Sefik Dzaferovic, vice president of the Party of Democratic Action (SDA), believes that the partnership between the SDA and the Democratic Front is not under question. “We have a signed agreement with the DF and that’s two agreements, one from 9 November and the other from 19 November. One is the SDA-DF-Alliance for Change from RS, and the second is the SDA-DF-HDZ-led coalition. There are defined principles, and discussions are going on in the field. Of course, these are discussions around establishing a government, no one expects it to be that simple,” Dzaferovic told reporters in Sarajevo. He points out that there are certain issues that should be considered additionally, “but no one is calling into question this agreement, and there is firm commitment for it to be fully realized.” “I am completely confident that we, on the basis of these two agreements, will form a government both at the B&H and the entity level, and in every canton. According to that, there is no dilemma for me here,” Dzaferovic underlined.

However, he expressed regret that some cantons are at an impasse. “The Central Electoral Commission warned two cantons. I expect that this will happen very quickly and that we will have a Federal House of Peoples as soon as possible, after which we will have a president and vice presidents, after that a Federal PM,” said Dzaferovic. He said that, as far as the state level is concerned, there are no reasons for any waiting. “We have fulfilled the preconditions to immediately have a state prime minister appointed by the B&H Presidency and confirmed by the House of Representatives,” said Dzaferovic. Commenting on the DF representatives’ statement in some media sources that the DF-SDA coalition could be threatened, Dzaferovic says that he does not have this information and cannot speak about it. “I spent the whole day in a session of the Collegium of the House of Representatives, so I must see what this is about and then give a statement. At the moment I don’t have any information,” said Dzaferovic.

Politicians in favor of overall improvement (Srna)

Nedeljko Cubrilovic, the vice-president of the Democratic People’s Alliance (DNS), stated Tuesday in Banja Luka that the party backs all EU initiatives that aim to stabilize the overall situation in B&H. “We expect full agreement of all political parties from the RS when it comes to the set of conclusions of the EU Foreign Affairs Council regarding B&H,” Cubrilovic told reporters. The conclusions represent a good opportunity and a new chance for B&H, he said. Discussing the DNS candidates for RS ministers, Cubrilovic reiterated that Lejla Resic was a candidate for the minister of administration and local self-government, Nedjo Trninic for the minister of transport and communications, and Dane Malesevic for the minister of education and culture. Vukota Govedarica, the head of the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS) Caucus in the RS parliament, has qualified the EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions as good. “B&H should work to solve the problems in the process of accession to the EU. I don’t see any reasons why political representatives in B&H should not sign a declaration committing themselves to certain reforms,” said Govedarica.

Croatia will keep rooting for B&H (Srna)

Croatia will keep rooting for B&H and help the country as a friend, without imposing any views, stated Croatian President Ivo Josipovic in Mostar. “During my term in office, Croatia has been a positive factor in the region and helped B&H. We’ve done everything we could for B&H to get a firm European perspective. We tried to help in a friendly manner, for I personally am good friends with Dragan Covic and Bakir Izetbegovic and many other politicians in B&H, and we tried to help without preaching or imposing our views,” Josipovic stated after a meeting with Dragan Covic, the Croat member of the B&H Presidency. He underlined that B&H should solve its problems and relations on its own. “We’ve tried to be friends who will reach out, give our opinion, help and motivate the politicians to talk and agree on things. I believe we have done it successfully over these five years,” said the Croatian President. He noted that B&H was Croatia’s most important neighbor with the longest border and deepest relations between them, and also because of the Croats in B&H and other citizens. A great number of Bosniaks and Serbs hold Croatian citizenship, Josipovic said noting that around 750,000 Croats lived in B&H before the war and that nowadays 1.1 million people from B&H hold Croatian citizenship. He recalled that Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic had advocated an EU initiative specifically designed for B&H. “B&H has specific relations and specific problems and it is good that the EU has offered a specific approach. Croatia will help B&H in any way and anywhere it can. In whichever case our vote matters, it will be to B&H’s advantage,” said Josipovic. He believes B&H needs constitutional change, but stresses it is the country’s own matter. “It would be the same as if I got angry if someone told me I should rearrange the constitutional order in Croatia. I wouldn’t dare advise anyone in B&H about what they should do and how,” stated Josipovic. The Croat member of the B&H Presidency, Dragan Covic, stated that they had talked about the ways of forming the government in B&H and how to respond to the Brussels initiative as soon as possible. Covic noted he and Josipovic had had an excellent cooperation, recalling that the Croatian president had paid visits to B&H on several occasions in the past four years, including Brcko, Orasje, Tuzla, and the parts in the south, adding that he had always helped the country. Commenting on the EU’s new approach to B&H, Covic said that an initiative would be submitted as early as the coming days or from the Presidency meeting on December 23 concerning a document that will confirm the willingness for the implementation of reforms. “We no longer have the luxury of failing to meet the commitments we agree to. We must act like responsible politicians and fulfill our promises,” Covic said. Josipovic met with Covic at the central administration of Mostar University and later on held a lecture on Croatia’s foreign and security policy.

GAC Conclusions: Macedonia not to get date for start of accession negotiations (Utrinski Vesnik/Kanal 5)

Macedonia will once again not get a date to start membership negotiations with the EU, the EU Foreign Ministers confirmed on Tuesday within the frameworks of the General Affairs Council (GAC). “The Council broadly shares the Commission’s assessment that the political criteria continue to be sufficiently met on the basis of cumulative progress achieved and takes note of the Commission’s recommendation that accession negotiations be opened with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. With a view to a possible decision of the European Council to open accession negotiations with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Council will revert to the issue anytime in 2015, on the basis of an update by the Commission on implementation of reforms, including in the context of the High Level Accession Dialogue, and on tangible steps taken to promote good neighborly relations and to reach a negotiated and mutually accepted solution to the name issue,” reads the General Affairs Council’s conclusion. Sandro Gozi, Secretary of State for European Affairs of Italy, said each country in the Stabilization and Association Process itself, not the EU, chooses the path and speed.

NLA Claims Responsibility for Explosions in Tetovo and Kumanovo (Dnevnik/MTV1)

On Tuesday, the National Liberation Army (NLA) claimed responsibility for the explosive devices thrown outside the police stations in Tetovo and Kumanovo. In an Albanian-language press-release, the Albanian paramilitary said it conducted the 9 December attacks. The communiqué signed by the KLA and a certain “commander Kushtrimi” sends a political message, too. In the press-release, the international community is asked to intervene so that an escalation of the situation and a new armed conflict in the country is prevented. The paramilitary claims that several other Interior Ministry facilities were attacked as well. “At 8 p.m. on 8 December, in a coordinated action, the NLA units carried out an attack against the Bit Pazar police station, the special police unit in the Ilinden barracks, as well as in Tetovo, Gostivar and Kumanovo,” the press-release adds.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Belgrade-Budapest railway part of Chinese ‘express lane’ to Europe (Reuters, 17 December 2014)

China, Serbia & Hungary signed a MoU on 370-km rail route on second day of a summit in Belgrade between China & 16 central & eastern European states

BELGRADE: Chinese construction of a new rail link between Belgrade and Budapest should begin by the middle of next year, Serbia’s prime minister said on Wednesday, as China pursues plans to accelerate the flow of goods through the Balkans. China, Serbia and Hungary signed a memorandum of understanding on the 370-km (230 mile) rail route on the second day of a summit in Belgrade between China and 16 central and eastern European states. “This will put in place a corridor between China and Europe,” Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said after the signing ceremony. “With more such express lanes, the scale of our trade will be greater. We are confident we will complete this within two years.” The rail upgrade fits with a Chinese plan to turn Greece’s main port of Piraeus — where Chinese shipping giant Cosco Pacific holds a 35-year concession to upgrade and run two container cargo piers — into a regional hub for trade with Europe. The rail programme was first agreed a year ago, but it remains unclear how it will be financed. “We are dedicated to this project,” Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said following talks with his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban. “Our aim is for the feasibility study and all plans to be completed by June next year so that the railway could be built by June 2017,” he said. Vucic said the upgrade would cut train travel times between Belgrade and Budapest from eight hours to under three. On Tuesday, Li said China would create a $3-billion investment fund for central and eastern Europe, seeking to strengthen its foothold in the region. China sees the region, comprising some of the EU’s newest members and others in the Western Balkans that are trying to join the bloc, as a potentially lucrative market and bridgehead to the wider EU, drawn by relatively low wages, educated workforces and scope for development on the EU’s fringes.

China on board to finance Balkan bullet train (DPA/AFP/AP, 17 December 2014)

China has envisioned turning Greece’s port of Piraeus into a transport hub for China’s trade with Europe. Now that hope is becoming reality, as Chinese leaders secure deals with Hungary and Serbia. China signed a key deal on Wednesday to back the construction of a high-speed bullet train between Budapest and Belgrade – a major link that would speed up the delivery of the country’s exports to continental Europe. The travel time between the two cities will be cut from eight to less than three hours. The cost of the project has not been officially confirmed, but local media estimate it to run anywhere from $1.9 to $3.1 billion (1.5 billion euros to 2.5 billion euros), financed by the China Development Bank and executed by Chinese state-owned enterprises. “This will put in place a corridor between China and Europe,” Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told reporters at the economic summit in Belgrade. He added he was confident the project would be completed within the next two years.

Train symbolizes Chinese-German trade ties

The approximately 400-kilometer (250-mile) railway is part of Beijing’s ambitious plans to fast-track its exports to European markets through Greece’s port of Piraeus, where the Chinese shipping giant Cosco has a 35-year concession to massively expand its container terminals.

China also hopes to extend the line to the Greek cities of Thessaloniki and Athens. Macedonia, which lies on the path of the north-south passage linking Hungary with Greece through Serbia, has plans to join the project at a later date. During the two-day conference, Li pledged an additional $3 billion to $10 billion for infrastructure upgrades in central and eastern Europe, meant to improve access of Chinese goods to EU markets.

EU to aid Bosnia with $207 million in bid to spur reform (Reuters, 16 December 2014)

SARAJEVO – The European Commission will support Bosnia’s reform program with 166 million euros ($207.7 million) until 2017 in a drive to revive the country’s bid to join the EU, the Commission said on Tuesday. The European Union agreed on Monday to implement a German-British plan to use the October election as an opportunity to regain momentum and restart the process by dangling the carrot of EU cash and putting economics before political reforms.

Bosnia is at the bottom of the pack of Western Balkans states seeking EU membership. It is hampered by an unwieldy system of ethnic power-sharing set out in the Dayton peace accords that ended the 1992-95 war and divided the former Yugoslav republic into two autonomous regions. The Commission said it would distribute funds through its Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) to support democracy and governance, rule of law, competitiveness, local development, education, employment and social policies. “This assistance comes at a very important time for Bosnia,” Johannes Hahn, the EU neighborhood policy and enlargement commissioner, said in a statement. “It will support the EU’s renewed approach and the implementation of reforms that will directly impact citizens and help the country move forward on the path to the EU,” he said. Bosnia has yet to form a national government after the October vote but last week’s inaugural session of the new lower house of parliament saw the emergence of a majority pledging to work to spur economic reform and unlock EU funds. The Commission said it may extend IPA support to other sectors and allocate additional funds once Bosnia adopts relevant national strategic documents.

(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Zoran Radosavljevic)

EU-Montenegro: four chapters of accession negotiations opened (New Europe, 17 December 2014)

Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations participated on 16 December in the ‘Fifth meeting of the Accession Conference with Montenegro’ at Ministerial level. This is what he said to the media at the press conference:

‘It was my pleasure to participate in today’s Accession Conference where a further four chapters were opened. This is a clear signal that the enlargement process is progressing. Accession negotiations overall pace depends on progress on the rule of law. Montenegro has recently made progress in this crucial area, specifically in the fight against corruption. The new laws adopted last week by the Parliament are expected to contribute to the prevention of corruption in Montenegro. However, – and I would like to be very clear on this – only their effective implementation will help to achieve concrete results. It is of utmost importance that Montenegro establishes a credible track record of implementation. Therefore the implementing bodies need to be equipped rapidly with trained staff, equipment, and budget. In summary, 2015 should be the year where we see tangible results in the area of rule of law as well as a strong focus on addressing the remaining opening benchmarks. The last few weeks have shown clearly that the pace of accession negotiations lies with Montenegro. I am convinced that if Montenegro maintains the pace, we will see tangible results soon, for the benefit of Montenegrin citizens.’

Montenegro advances in EU entry talks in Russia’s shadow (EUobserver, by Andrew Rettman, 17 December 2014)

BRUSSELS – The EU has opened four new chapters in accession talks with Montenegro, while continuing to criticise lack of rule of law in Turkey and in the Balkans region more broadly.

The Montenegro decision came at an intergovernmental meeting in Brussels on Tuesday (16 December) and covers chapters on: statistics; consumer and health protection; customs union; and financial and budgetary affairs. It brings to 16 out of 35 the number of sections now open and cements Podgorica’s lead position in the region in terms of EU and NATO membership progress. It comes one day after EU foreign ministers allowed Bosnia more flexibility on constitutional reforms in its bid to complete a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, a pre-accession treaty. The European Commission in October recommended opening two new chapters with Turkey, while staying silent on Montenegro. But Russia’s increasing influence in the former Yugoslavia has caused alarm in EU capitals. Sandro Gozi, Italy’s EU affairs minister, said the Montenegro decision “was not in any way affected by external relations”. But Montenegro’s foreign minister, Igor Luksic, noted that, unlike Serbia and Turkey, Montenegro, which is a popular holiday spot for wealthy Russians, has aligned itself with EU sanctions on Russia despite a “centuries-old tradition” of close Russia ties. “It was a difficult call. But it was also very clear we cannot at the same time be on two sides, we cannot straddle, sit on both chairs at the same time, as our strategic choice is to join the EU. It’s always been the only reasonable choice”.

The EU Council’s annual stock-taking of the enlargement progress was this week marred by the row over Turkey’s mass arrest of opposition journalists. The EU ministers’ formal conclusions on Tuesday said Turkey is still on the path to accession and is still a “key partner” on energy, trade, and on the Syria-Iraq crisis. But they said nothing on opening new chapters. They also said its crackdown on judges and police who tried to investigate high-level corruption, as well as the media arrests, “cast serious doubts over the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, and demonstrated an increasing intolerance of political opposition, public protest and critical media”.

Italy’s Gozi added that he was also “very surprised” that Turkey’s leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told the EU on Monday to “mind its own business” on the media crackdown.

He called press freedom “one of the fundamental issues for the European Union”.

He stopped short of calling on Turkey to release the detained reporters. But he added: “We think this [the ministers’ conclusions] is a very strong messages to the authorities in Ankara”.

The conclusions on Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Serbia also underlined that despite the Russia crisis the rule of law has “central importance” in the EU accession process. The EU called on Albania to do more to fight organised crime. It said “there are serious concerns about increasing politicisation of state institutions and growing shortcomings with regard to the independence of the judiciary and media freedoms” in Macedonia. It tied the opening of the first accession chapters in Serbia talks to further progress on “normalisation” of relations with Kosovo and to Belgrade adopting the Russia sanctions regime. The normalisation talks are due to resume in Brussels in January after a pause due to elections in Kosovo. The EU on Tuesday instructed Kosovo’s new government to adopt new laws, “as a matter of priority”, to enable Eulex, the EU rule of law mission, to set up a special Kosovo war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

The tribunal is due to be up and running in early 2015 and could end up indicting top former commanders in the KLA guerrilla army, including Kosovo’s former PM and recently appointed foreign minister Hashim Thaci.