LOCAL PRESS

Vucic not to visit Kosovo due to conditioning of Kosovo (RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic will not be visiting the north of Kosovo on Wednesday within the pre-election campaign, as had originally been planned. In an interview for Radio Television Serbia (RTS), Vucic confirmed that he would not go to the rally in Leposavic, a municipality with a majority Serb population, since he would not agree to the conditions of the Kosovo government. “Whether I will come with Vulin, Stefanovic or someone else, I will not be ordered about by them. You will not watch that film,” Vucic said. He said that he refused blackmail and pressure, and that the Kosovo Albanians say one thing to their media in Pristina, and completely another to the European Union, to look nice in their eyes. Vucic said that he was confident that the Serbs of Kosovo would invariably vote for peace and stability. He added that a rally would take place in Leposavic, on 29 March, and that other people will address the rally, as their attendance was not made conditional on God knows what approvals.

Roads towards Leposavic blocked (RTS/Beta)

More than 60 buses with Serbs on their way to Leposavic for the support rally to presidential candidate Aleksandar Vucic were stopped at several locations south of the Ibar River. RTS’ correspondent reports that the roads were blocked near Novo Brdo, Velika Hoca, Rudnik near Srbica, Strpce, Gorazdevac, exit roads from Pristina and several dozen of Albanians are at all these locations. According to unofficial information from the ground, the blockades were various – some buses were stopped by policemen, some by citizens with their cars, and some even by Rosu special units. Serb List MP Bojan Mitic says that Kosovo police members stopped at two locations the buses with Serbs who were heading for the rally in Leposavic. He said that in addition, members of the Rosu unit stopped and search three buses carrying Serbs from Strpce. In various ways, around 60 buses in total have been stopped, Mitic said, and concluded: “This democratic act of the Kosovo police is beyond the pale.” Marijan Saric from Orahovac told Beta that a group of about 20 ethnic Albanians used their cars to block the buses headed to Leposavic from Velika Hoca.

The SPS provincial board for Kosovo and Metohija most harshly condemned the blockade of buses heading towards Leposavic. The statement reads that all roads south of the Ibar River are blocked by the Kosovo provisional institutions and Kosovo Police Service in order to prevent the Serbs from arriving at the rally of the ruling coalition in Leposavic. “This represents a gross violation of elementary human rights, such as the right to freedom of movement. This way, we wish to inform the international public and their representatives in Pristina to react immediately and enable freedom of movement throughout Kosovo and Metohija,” reads the statement. Such moves will not prevent the Socialists in Kosovo and Metohija to massively turn out at the elections on 2 April and vote for Vucic.

Djuric: Blockades – attack on freedom of movement of Serbs (Tanjug/RTS)

The barricades throughout Kosovo and Metohija in a synchronized and organized action are in fact an attack on the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, on their freedom of movement, but also on their right to elect. “This is because certain political leaders in Pristina are obviously afraid of the election of a strong President of Serbia who is capable of gathering entire Serbia and setting in place the Serbian state institutions, its defense capabilities, its reputation in the world, its economy; all this doesn’t suit certain political circles in Pristina that are in fact showing they are afraid of the support that Aleksandar Vucic enjoys among the Kosovo Serbs,” Marko Djuric told journalists in Kosovska Mitrovica. He says that we see that the institutions in the province are not functional, since we haven’t seen a single policeman at these barricades, blockades who would try to enable citizens to pass through. He says that they also learnt about the attempts to detain Aleksandar Vulin at one of the administrative crossings, in case he tries to come to the SNS rally in Leposavic, which, according to him, shows that Pristina institutions are afraid of the support that Vucic enjoys among the Kosovo Serbs.

Kocijancic: Authorities in Kosovo to ensure conditions for people to attend meetings ahead of Serbian presidential elections (Tanjug)

European Commission spokesperson Maja Kocijancic stated that the EU asks the relevant authorities in Kosovo to ensure the conditions for those who wish to attend meetings of Serbian politicians ahead of Serbian presidential elections.“We are following events in northern Kosovo related to visits by Serbian politicians ahead of the Serbian presidential elections on Sunday closely,” stated Kocijancic. She added that they welcome such visits scheduled under the arrangements agreed in the EU facilitated dialogue and said that it is unfortunate that recently visits planed under these arrangements could not take place. “We have received reports about road blocks, preventing people to attend meetings in northern Kosovo today. The EU asks the relevant authorities in Kosovo to ensure the conditions for the people who wish to, to attend these gatherings,” she said.

Regarding the organization of Serbian elections in Kosovo she said that the OSCE should be mandated to facilitate the collection of votes for the Serbian presidential elections in Kosovo on the basis of the practice established during previous such occasion, in accordance with relevant agreements reached in the context of the dialogue.

RIK appoints members of electoral boards (RTS/Tanjug)

The Republic Electoral Commission (RIK) adopted the decision on appointing members and deputy members of electoral boards in an extended composition for conducting presidential elections on 2 April. RIK also adopted the decision on forming RIK working bodies for conducting presidential elections in Kosovo and Metohija – for the Kosovo administrative district, Kosovska Mitrovica administrative district, Pec administrative district, Prizren administrative district and Kosovsko Pomorovalje administrative district. These working bodies perform jobs in accordance with the Guidelines for Conducting Voting at the Serbian presidential elections on the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. RIK also adopted the decision on forming electoral boards for conducting elections in Kosovo and Metohija. RIK members from the opposition ranks criticized the proposed decision, then part of them, except for the Serbian Radical Party (SRS), League of Social-Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) and representatives of candidate Milan Stamatovic, left the RIK session. Certain RIK members from the opposition noted that the decision in line with the Guidelines for Conducting elections in Kosovo and Metohija is illegal. RIK Chairman Vladimir Dimitrijevic reminds that there is no voting on such proposals during a debate on items of the agenda and only put the decision for voting, after which part of the members left the session.

Popovic: Talks on Kosovo must be returned to UN (Tanjug)

The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) presidential candidate Aleksandar Popovic said he strongly opposed the negotiations that were “killing” the presence of Serbia as a state in Kosovo and Metohija. “No Serb can be free as long as all Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija are not free. Serbia cannot be a free country as long as Kosovo and Metohija is not back under full sovereignty of Serbia,” Popovic said during a conversation with citizens of Kosovska Mitrovica.

Canak: Vucic cannot count on our votes (Tanjug)

Presidential candidate Nenad Canak has urged citizens to turn out in the presidential elections in as high numbers as possible, noting a run-off election was very important. When asked who he would support if a second round were to take place, Canak said in Novi Pazar, southwestern Serbia, late Monday it would certainly not be Vucic.

BIRODI: In prime time news Vucic given 250 minutes more than all other candidates together (Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic is omnipresent to such a degree during the current election campaign that in almost three weeks in the news on leading television stations in the country he was represented more than six hours more than all the other presidential candidates, shows the survey of the Bureau for Social Research (BIRODI). BIRODI researcher Drazen Pavlica, in presenting the results of the monitoring of televisions RTS 1, Pink, Prva, Hepi and N1 from the 3rd to 23rd March, cited that Vucic, just like during the parliamentary elections last year, was the “key media protagonist” in the ongoing campaign for presidential elections as well. “Testifying to his omnipresence is the information that he is by 15,000 seconds (250 minutes) more represented than all the other candidates put together. As the Prime Minister, Vucic was present in 31% and as a presidential candidate in 17% of the overall monitored time”, Pavlica said. “As the Prime Minister, he was present with 25,000 seconds, and as a presidential candidate with 13,500. The most time, 20,000 seconds was dedicated to Vucic on Pink television, in whose prime time news programs he is daily represented with about 15 minutes”, Pavlica said.

BIRODI researcher, Zoran Gavrilovic, said that the situation in the area of the media campaign was today “noticeably worse” in relation to the results of the monitoring for the pre-election campaign in 2012, in which the then president Boris Tadic was, in the run-off, by a close difference in results, beaten by the then SNS candidate Tomislav Nikolic. “The crucial thing is the lack of work of the Regulatory body for electronic media (REM)”, Gavrilovic said. Commenting on the results of the survey in which interviewees cited the media which they used for the purpose of informing themselves about political events, Gavrilovic said that there were ‘two ‘kinds’ of voters” in Serbia. “About 40% of the interviewees, and that is that conservative part which will vote for Vucic or Seselj, arrive at important information by watching television stations with a national or regional frequency. They are older than 45, with primary or secondary education, and 80% of them believe that Serbia needs a leader with a firm hand”, Gavrilovic stated.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H CoM passes amendments to Law on Excise Duties (TV1)

The B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) held a session in Sarajevo on Tuesday, at which it passed the amendments to the Law on Excise Duties, which stipulate increase of excise duties on fuel and oil derivates by 15 fenings per liter and whose adoption is among conditions for continuation of the arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Addressing reporters after the session, Chairman of B&H CoM Denis Zvizdic underlined that, by passing a set of laws on excise taxes in B&H, B&H CoM fulfilled all obligations from the Letter of Intent for the continuation of the credit arrangement with the IMF. However, representatives of the parties gathered around the Alliance for Changes (SzP) coalition failed to support the Law and requested elimination of negative consequences of fuel price increase for agricultural sector through introduction of so-called ‘blue diesel’. Commenting on the issue, Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of B&H Mirko Sarovic stressed that backup plans, which would eliminate or ease consequences of increase of fuel prices, need to be made. Minister of Finance and Treasury of B&H Vjekoslav Bevanda pointed out that the adoption of a set of laws to increase excise taxes on fuel, in addition to obtaining a second tranche of the loan from the IMF, created conditions for entities for new credit agreements primarily with the EBRD, the Kuwait and OPEC Funds, which are intended for the construction of roads and highways in B&H. Minister of Finance of Republika Srpska (RS) Zoran Tegeltija expressed his satisfaction over the fact that B&H CoM now fulfilled all obligations under the Letter of Intent with the IMF and voiced the hope that the Parliament of B&H would do the same. President of the RS an leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik underlined that, given that the current convocation of B&H CoM signed the Letter of Intent, the parliamentary majority at the state-level needs to deal with this issue. “SNSD is not part of the majority and it will not be part of this story,” Dodik underscored. Prime Minister of the RS Zeljka Cvijanovic said that the arrangement with the IMF will be blocked if B&H fails to pass this law. Reporter noted that B&H CoM is now expected to forward the Law to the Parliament of B&H for review by urgent procedure. However, in order for this Law to be passed in the House of Peoples (HoP) of the Parliament of B&H, it needs to win the support of the majority in the Serb Caucus. Reporter reminded that three Serb delegates failed to attend the recent session of B&H HoP, citing the recent move of Bosniak member of the Presidency of B&H and SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic related to revision in the case B&H vs. Serbia before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as the reason.

Declaration on Protection of General Framework Agreement for Peace in B&H and Accelerated Path to EU sparks heated discussion in RS Assembly (BN TV)

At the session of the RS Assembly convened on Tuesday, MPs discussed the Declaration on Protection of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) and Accelerated Path to the EU as Strategic Goals of Republika Srpska (RS). Proponent of the Declaration is leader of SDS Vukota Govedarica. This proposal caused harsh discussion between opposition and ruling parties in the RS. Among other things, Govedarica said that the goal of this declaration is to enable equality of all three constituent peoples in B&H. The leader of SDS underscored that he will not lead populist policy, adding that SDS does not need something like that. “Serb people living in the RS and the Federation of B&H do not need this type of policy,” stressed Govedarica, adding that he wants to lead responsible national policy. He explained that such policy reflects in preservation of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). On the other hand, representatives of ruling majority said that they will not be submitting amendments to this document because all six articles of the Declaration are deficient. RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic said that it is necessary to create a completely new version of the Declaration, adding that the current version of this document should be withdrawn from the parliamentary procedure. She underlined that the Declaration failed to address significant period of the RS history. Govedarica stated that this document advocates original DPA and reminded that only few days after Cvijanovic became the Prime Minister of the RS, B&H Parliament adopted amendments to part of the DPA related to the Brcko District. “This is when the RS lost Brcko,” stressed the leader of SDS. SNSD, DNS and SP RS will not support the Declaration, while MPs from “Domovina” coalition underlined that they will support it. Head of SNSD Caucus in the RSNA Radovan Viskovic emphasized that the Declaration prefers state institutions over entities’ institutions, adding that it opposes the original DPA.

Dodik condemns Declaration on Protection of General Framework Agreement for Peace in B&H (RTRS)

RS President Milorad Dodik stated in Banja Luka on Monday that SDS’ proposal of the Declaration on Protection of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in B&H is a “cuckoo’s egg laid in another bird’s nest”. Dodik argued that the declaration does not even mention a way in which the RS would get its competences back from the level of B&H. “I would be glad if SDS, as a political party, suggested something like that,” he added. He also confirmed that political parties in the RS have not discussed the text of this declaration at all, but it seems to him that the RS Assembly should not adopt such document.

Prosecutor’s Office investigates Softic (Dnevni avaz)

The Prosecutor’s Office of B&H has officially formed a case against former B&H’s agent before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Sakib Softic, aimed at reviewing the allegations that refer to his work in process of motion for revision of the ICJ’s ruling in case against Serbia. The information was confirmed by Spokesperson for the Prosecutor’s Office Boris Grubesic. The daily unofficially learns that Softic should be interrogated before the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H in the following days, within this investigation. He has not been summoned yet. Softic stated for the daily that he will gladly respond, stressing that there is no reason not to respond. “I am a citizen of B&H. I respect B&H judiciary, both the Court and the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H”, he underlined. The daily reminds that the ICJ informed Softic in May last year that Softic is no longer seen as B&H’s agent but, despite that information, Softic acted on behalf of the country and submitted the revision request.

Interdepartmental Task Force for Amendments to Election Law of B&H holds session (BHT1)

Interdepartmental Task Force for Amendments to the Election Law of B&H held a session in Sarajevo on Tuesday. Members of the Task Force discussed amendments to the Election Law of B&H in part of constituencies in the Federation of B&H and RS, i.e. the number of direct and compensation mandates assigned to these constituencies. They also discussed implementation of the Constitutional Court (CC) of the Federation of B&H’s ruling rendered upon the motion for review of constitutionality of certain provisions of the Election Law of B&H related to election of Croat delegates to the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP), filed by former Speaker of the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H Bozo Ljubic. They also touched upon election of delegates from rank of Serbs and Others to the Federation of B&H HoP, which is currently incomplete. No concrete proposals or conclusions were presented at the session and the next session was announced to take place on 19 April. Member of the Task Force Branko Petric said after the session that deadline for implementation of the Federation of B&H CC’s ruling on election of delegates to the Federation of B&H HoP expires in three months, after which the CC will most likely pass a supplemental decision in case that the ruling remains unimplemented. “However, I am sure that the elections will be called and carried out fully and democratically, whether through implementation of the CC’s ruling or through some of numerous legal capacities and ways,” Petric assessed.

EUFOR warns politicians in B&H: If needed, we are prepared to intervene (Nezavisne)

The European Union peacekeeping force (EUFOR) in B&H warned its political leaders on Tuesday it was prepared to intervene at short notice should violence resume two decades after the end of its ethnic war that killed 100,000 people. Concerns are rising about increasing instability in the historically volatile Balkans including secessionist pressures in B&H, a parliamentary boycott in Montenegro and renewed tensions between Serbia and its former province of Kosovo. “A lot has been achieved but a lot can be lost again,” Major General Anton Waldner said at a ceremony in Sarajevo marking his takeover of the command of EUFOR, which has 800 troops deployed in B&H. “There is still an executive mandate which allows significant reinforcement at short notice of (EUFOR). I will not hesitate to call (on) these reserve forces if needed,” Waldner, an Austrian, said. “You, political leaders, have the most powerful key in your hands.” EUFOR’s new operations chief, General James Everard, said there were “external influences at play in the wider Western Balkans region, and in B&H, that have the potential to challenge progress. “In the face of such challenges it is essential that we persevere together,” added Everard, a Briton.

Covic met with Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Wigemark (Nezavisne)

Member of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic met with Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Ambassador Lars-Gunnar Wigemark in Mostar on Wednesday. They emphasized it is necessary to put maximum effort to separate European road of B&H from internal disagreements and political battles. Covic said following the meeting it was reiterated that European road of B&H is everyone’s commitment and that the time has come to implement this in practice. He also announced that meetings discussing financial and other topics will be held more often, expressing belief that changes to the Law on Elections of B&H will be before the Parliament by end of April. Wigemark recalled that an important set of legislative measures was adopted on Tuesday by the Council of Ministers of B&H, and that vote in parliamentary procedure is what is important now. Asked about disagreement of the Alliance of Changes (SzP) regarding the excise duties, Covic said that these issues have become obligations linked to the stand-by arrangement and agenda and that there must be no disagreements on that. He also commented that parliamentary majority at the state level obviously does not exist but that the elections will nevertheless not be held before the next year. Commenting the vote on excise duties before the CoM, Wigemark said that the issue of excise duties is only one matter within a much wider set of measures and that it was emphasize many times it is not possible to pick only preferences. He expressed understanding for the SzP’s concern over agricultural producers adding that he shares the concerns.

VMRO-DPMNE and DUI with counter-arguments regarding the Law on Languages at Parliament (Meta)

At the second prolongation of the constitutive session, the MPs, like yesterday, instead of discussing the first point from the election of members and a president of the Commission of elections and appointment issues, most part of the debate was spent on discussions about the platform of the Albanian parties and for the use of the Law of the languages.

Artan Grubi of DUI said that the Albanian platform doesn’t go into the country’s unitarian character, it doesn’t instigate cantonization and federalization and that DUI doesn’t strive for dividing the country. Ilija Dimovski of VMRO-DPMNE stressed that the problem is that the MPs aren’t well acquainted with the content of the Law on Languages. DUI MP, Dzevad Ademi, emphasized that the problem with the negotiations between VMRO-DPMNE and DUI was the Special Prosecutor’s Office and not the Law on Languages.

“The problem was the extension of SPO’s deadline for filing charges, and that was said by all party leaders from DUI. The Law on Languages wasn’t an issue nor the president of Parliament,” said Ademi, who called on MPs to vote for a president of Parliament and not waste any more time.

Antonio Miloshoski of VMRO-DPMNE stressed that it is not correct to skip the third point from the session’s agenda, for the election of members and a president of the Commission for Elections and Appointments and to start another. “No one can prevent the Commission for Elections and Appointments to propose a candidate for a president of the Parliament. The debate and the arguments are more important than speeding up,” said Miloshoski.

MP Ferid Muhic addressed VMRO-DPMNE’s MPs and told them they have no right to say they love the people more than the others and that all MPs were elected by the people.

The Parliament will resume Wednesday the constitutive session and the debate on election of the Committee on Election and Appointment Issues.

VMRO-DPMNE proposed a “Signpost” or a specific agreement between the parties for solving the crisis (Meta)

VMRO-DPMNE asked for reaching out for a specific agreement between the parties for future solving of all internal differences only within the institutions without the interference of foreign factors. When he stated his proposal, Antonio Miloshoski, a member of the party’s executive committee and an MP, asked for an internal reunion and a decisive rejection of all efforts for revision of the Ohrid frame agreement. At a press conference stressed that for an exit from the crisis and for renewal a dialog is necessary “only by elected representatives at the elections within the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia” where “common denominators would be found for the positions regarding the issues proposed by VMRO-DPMNE.”

Miloshoski proposed that it is necessary that all relevant political factors reunite and reach an agreement consisting of five points:

1. To reconcile whether the importance of political practice for entering into a coalition of a winner with a winner is a factor for an additional stability for the country?

2. Whether foreign agendas are acceptable for inner-political goals?

3. Whether during the constituting the Parliament, the current, including any future personnel, the position of a president of the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia would logically belong to the political coalition or the party that has won the elections or that should be a subject of voting?

4. Whether all political participants agree with the keeping of the multicultural model of the Macedonian society with the equal promotion of all communities or a change of this model into a binational is supported, on the account of most of the non-majority communities?

5. Whether a top priority in this moment remains the stabilization of the country, the institutions, the economy and the European reforms for Euro-integrations as a unifying force for all citizens, or, all of these priorities should be changed by redefining the relations between the communities and the state establishment of the Republic of Macedonia.

MEP Fleckenstein: EU to offer democratic measures as initial attempt for resolving Macedonia’s political crisis (MIA)

At Tuesday’s debate ‘Crisis of Democracy in Western Balkans’ at the European Parliament, MEP Knut Fleckenstein – part of EP – troika facilitating the efforts for settling the political crisis in Macedonia, voiced his disappointment over the developments in Macedonia, MIA correspondent reports from Brussels. However, Fleckenstein, who have proposed sanctions to be imposed on some individuals, considers that the EU should first of all apply democratic measures for resolving the protracted political crisis in Macedonia. If there is a coalition of 67 MEPs following the elections, than it should be given an opportunity to form a government, Fleckenstein said. “VMRO-DPMNE refuses to move forward. Citizens should know that nobody in Europe, even within the European People’s Party-in which (Nikola) Gruevski’s party enjoys a membership status, supports such politics. In Macedonia the matter is not related to the left of right-wing orientation, but about an ‘existence or lack’ of democracy” he said. The debate in the European Parliament addressed the situation in the Western Balkans and what could be done for the region to make progress on its road to the EU membership.

SMI: Elections cannot be developed without opposition (ADN)

Contrary from the Socialist Party, the biggest ally in the ruling coalition, Socialist Movement for Integration (SMI) believes that the parliamentary elections or the partial local elections in Kavaja cannot be realized without the opposition. The head of SMI Parliamentary Group, Luan Rama, declared on Tuesday that the process cannot be conceived without the opposition. “Parliamentary elections cannot be normal without the opposition and I believe that even those for the new mayor of Kavaja,” said Rama. Meanwhile the socialist believes and strongly declared recently that the elections can be developed even without the opposition, after the continuous protest of the last for a caretaker government to lead the country to free and fair elections. SMI has not decided yet if they will continue the alliance with the socialist or not.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

US Senate backs Montenegro’s membership of NATO (EurActiv/Reuters, 29 March 2017)

The US Senate yesterday (28 March) overwhelmingly backed the expansion of NATO to allow Montenegro to join the alliance, hoping to send a message that the United States will push back against Russian efforts to increase its influence in Europe.

The long-delayed vote passed by 97-2 in favour of Montenegro’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. That was well above the two-thirds majority needed in the 100-member Senate to ratify Montenegro’s membership. There was no immediate confirmation of whether President Donald Trump would formally deposit the instrument of ratification, the last step in the US ratification process. However, his administration had supported NATO membership for the tiny Balkan nation, one of Europe’s smallest, despite Trump at times criticising the alliance as he campaigned for the US presidency last year. While campaigning, Trump accused other NATO members of failing to pay their fair share while adopting a conciliatory tone toward Russia. But as president, Trump has pledged his support for the alliance. Last week Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrote to the leaders of the Senate to say Montenegro’s membership of NATO was “strongly in the interests of the United States”. On Tuesday, the only two “no” votes came from Republican Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee, who had delayed the vote for months by refusing to allow a quick vote. Senate leaders held the more time-consuming roll call vote this week after receiving Tillerson’s letter. Paul had questioned the wisdom of allowing a country with just 650,000 residents and an army of just 2,000 to join the alliance, saying American taxpayers should not be forced to pay if Montenegro were attacked.

Russia opposes NATO’s enlargement in the Western Balkans. Backers said it was important to support countries like Montenegro to promote Western values and push back against Moscow, which Montenegrin officials said was partly behind an alleged plot to overthrow their government during an election in October 2016. Moscow dismissed that accusation.

“With a nearly unanimous vote, the Senate has sent a clear message that it stands firmly with Montenegro and against the Kremlin’s bullying,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. All 28 NATO members must ratify Montenegro’s accession in order for the country to join the alliance.

Washington is among the last to do so.

BiEPAG in EP: The Crisis of Democracy in the Western Balkans – Authoritarianism and EU Stabilitocracy (European Parliament TV, 29 March 2017)

A new BiEPAG (Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group) study ‘The Crisis of Democracy in the Western Balkans. Authoritarianism and EU Stabilitocracy’ was presented at a round-table in the European Parliament on Tuesady, March 28. The study argues that the state of democracy and freedom in the region has been backsliding or stagnating over the past decade despite the progress in the EU integration process. The event was participated by Igor Bandović, Florian Biber, Marko Kmezić, André de Munter, as well as by the MEPs Eduard Kukan and Knut Fleckenstein.

The new BiEPAG study provides a list of policy recommendations in regard of the European integration of the Western Balkans region, which is closely connected with the current state of the democracy in the separate countries. The study is available here.

Dr Florian Bieber, Professor and Director of the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, Austria and Coordinator of the Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) presented the basic principles and goals of the study. The policy brief was conducted by the core group and other researchers, which is based on a much larger study. “State of democracy is rather worrying, but the EU has leverage, has commitment and capacity”, Bieber stated.

He noted that the “overall picture of the countries of the Western Balkans region is that they have not made any progress in the state of consolidated democracy in the last 10 years”. He noted that there has been a trade-off between peace and democracy and the aim to secure peace if seen as a trade-off to creating a firm and established democracy.” “There is an apparent paradox between lack of democracy and the process of joining the EU”, he added. Bieber introduced the new term – stabilitocracy – which means that the stability is given priority over democracy, which is what is happening in the Western Balkans. “Political leaders are using autocratic way of ruling”, he noted and added that autocratic behaviour thrives and that the EU cannot turn the blind eye when it comes to these issues. Otherwise people would lose faith in the EU he said. “That way the EU could lose the Western Balkans but also the Western Balkans could lose the sight of the EU”, he noted. Dr Marko Kmezic, Lecturer and Senior Researcher at the Centre for Southeast European Studies at the University of Graz, Austria and BiEPAG Member said that democracy and freedom have been stagnating in the Western Balkans but they have also progressed in the negotiations on EU accession. „The EU has remained silent on things such as wiretapping and Savamala”, Kmezic said. “Main message of this policy brief is that democracy should not be negotiable”, he added. Kmezic said that they have prepared solutions and proposals for the EU in order to tackle these issues. “One of the solutions is to be clear and to name the shortcomings of the governments. Second is to make negotiations more transparent, third is to gather expert opinions on a regular basis in the area of democratic consolidation, and one more would be to empower democratic forces in the region”, he explained. Kmezic added that the EU should insist on the independence of the key institutions – judiciary, public prosecutor’s office and police, and their work should be systematically reviewed in order to pay closer attention to the informalities in their work. “Chapters 23 and 24 should be open as soon as possible in all of the Western Balkans countries. EU should start up the screening process immediately”, he said. “One of the benefits would be to replicate the success of visa liberalization, increase the intensity of ties and linkages, limit the veto power of elites, but also to give the biggest leverage of the EU to influence the establishment of democracies”, Kmezic concluded.

One of the panelists was MEP Eduard Kukan, Chair of the AFET Working Group on Western Balkans and Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Serbia SAPC. “This paper is coming in the very appropriate time”, Kukan stated. “In the last two or three weeks, Western Balkan is coming to attention in the EU, and this attention should be followed up with some tangible solutions”, he added. Kukan also noted that the important thing when it comes to this policy paper is that its authors understand the reality of the Western Balkans. “Stabilitocracy is a new term, very good term and we should have to learn it and use it”, he said. Kukan also referred to the state of democracy in the Western Balkans. “Over the last couple of years, some of the issues were ’creeping’ on us, the most pressing ones are concerning the state of democracy in the Western Balkans”, he noted. He expressed his belief that this paper is needed and useful and that this study is making a number of important points. Kukan commented on the main paradox of the EU integrations. “There is a new paradox of moving closer to the EU but further away from democracy and the rule of law. The EU needs to deliver on the promises as soon as possible when the homework is done or it will lose its credibility”, he commented. “Bringing the shadow of the past is not helpful or the enlargement process will become harder over the years as more countries become members”, Kukan added. As he explained, nationalism is on the rise and it is fuelled by leading politicians who are benefiting by attracting the voters. Kukan said that in the EU nobody likes the word boycott referring to the situations in Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. Among the panelists was MEP Knut Fleckenstein, Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and Rapporteur for Albania. “It happens that a rapporteur falls in love with the country they are working for, and we sometimes want to help them by not looking too precisely at some things”, he said. “We don’t improve things by speaking with our friends behind closed doors, we should be more precise and louder in order to be good friends, which means we can, that way, stop our friends from going in the wrong way”, said Fleckenstein. He also added that democracy in the Western Balkans is damaged and that it seems much easier for those who are ruling the country to rule in an autocratic regime. “Changes in the countries are necessary, not to please Mr Junker or Madam Merkel and Mogherini, but to please people of the countries”, he explained. “There is a lot of room for improvement in the countries of the Western Balkans, and silence of the EU is not an option”, said André de Munter, Policy Analyst from Policy Department of DG External Policies who was the discussant. He said discussed the current situation in the Western Balkans, referred to the situation in Macedonia and Serbia saying that these countries are experiencing a major rule of law issues and the EU is silent about it. “Savamala event was not even mentioned in the Serbia 2016 Report of the European Commission, and when you ask the Serbian government, they will say it is internal issue”, he said.

Albania heads for potentially the worst political crisis in 20 years political crisis as Democrats threaten election boycott (IntelliNews, 29 March 2017)

Albania is heading for potentially the worst political crisis in 20 years as the opposition Democratic Party threatens to boycott the June general election, a move that would seriously undermine the legitimacy of the vote.

The Democrats claim they want Prime Minister Edi Rama from the ruling Socialist Party to step down and for an interim government to prepare for the free and fair elections they won’t get under Rama. However, it looks more like the daily protests and parliamentary boycott launched by the party in February are really aimed at delaying the ongoing judicial reforms in the country.

Protests have been ongoing since the Democrats brought 10,000 people onto the streets of Tirana on February 18. Opposition supporters pitched a huge marquee opposite Rama’s office, from where DP leader Luzhim Basha has said he will host an alternative parliament.

While the protests have not yet resulted in clashes with security forces, they are taking place in a heated atmosphere. On March 18, one month since the start of the protests, participants burned an effigy of Rama. Around 1,800 police officers were dispatched for the protests, and criminal proceedings have been launched against Basha, accusing him of inciting violence.

Rama, whose Socialists and their coalition partner the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) have a comfortable majority in parliament, has so far resisted opposition calls for him to step down, though he did announce a mini reshuffle in mid-March. Among the ministers removed during the reshuffle was Interior Minister Saimir Tahiri, who has come under fire from the opposition for alleged links to organized crime. The DP says the replacement of just four ministers is not enough and they want Rama gone.

The Prime Minister in turn has accused the protesters of trying to block the ongoing judicial reforms and specifically the implementation of the critical vetting law, which will remove corrupt judges and prosecutors from their positions.

Last summer, the DP had dragged its feet on the approval of a package of legislation that formed the cornerstone of the judicial reforms. In the event, under heavy pressure from Albania’s external partners including the EU and the US, MPs from the party voted in favour in July. More recently, however, the Democrats are understood to be attempting to slow the adoption of further measures to implement the reforms.

Gabriel Partos, Europe analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit, says that the reform process has now stalled. “In the course of lengthy negotiations about the details of the judicial reform, the DP has cited several reasons for its concerns, including its objections to close international supervision of the vetting of the judiciary,” he says. “ Another likely reason is that many of the judges now to be vetted – and possibly facing dismissal – were appointed in the mid-1990s (during the purge of communist-era judges) when the DP was in power, and in a number of cases they have maintained close links with the DP.” This was confirmed by Arolda Elbasani of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies. She pointed out that when judges were replaced after the collapse of communism, “they replaced the judges not with professionals but with political partisans”. This is not to say that the Democrats are necessarily inherently more corrupt than other political parties, but being in power at the time of the original wholesale clean-out of the judiciary has put them in a protected position that they appear reluctant to give up.

Since the start of the parliamentary boycott, there have already been delays to the reform process, including the failure to appoint members of the vetting body, whose role will be to assess the backgrounds of judges and prosecutors. With this strong incentive to block the parliament’s work, it will be difficult for Rama to persuade the DP to return to the negotiating table or to participate in the upcoming election. As a result, Albania is heading for arguably its most serious political crisis since the mass unrest under the Democrats in 1997, when the collapse of pyramid schemes brought the country to the edge of civil war. “A pre-arranged boycott of the kind envisaged by the DP and other opposition parties would be unprecedented since multi-party elections were first held in 1991,” says Partos. The last time any kind of boycott took place was in 1996, when the Socialists withdrew part-way through Election Day. “In the past two decades both the conduct of elections and the rule of law have improved markedly – not least because of international pressure – so a boycott would be much more difficult to justify. Nevertheless, the threat of a boycott may well force the Rama government to grant some concessions to the opposition because it would not want to jeopardize Albania’s chances of starting EU accession talks.”

Albania gained EU candidate status in 2014, and Tirana is hoping to open its first negotiating chapters this year. However, this will depend on progress with the judicial reforms and free elections on June 18. In February, the European parliament approved a resolution on Albania that welcomed the adoption of a new justice reform strategy for 2017-2020, but called for further reforms and expressed concern over still high corruption levels and political influence over key anti-corruption institutions.

It’s not clear to what extent Rama will decide to appease the opposition in an attempt to ensure the judicial reforms are not derailed and to persuade the Democrats to take part in the elections. However, a failure to progress with Albania’s EU accession process would undermine the main achievements of his government in securing candidate status. It would also send out a negative signal to foreign investors, many of whom are already uneasy over the situation with the rule of law in Albania, given incidents such as the attack on Lebanese businessman Fadi Mitri, who was beaten up in September, causing his firm, Omnix International, to pull a $450mn tourism investment. Moreover, the political tensions and approaching elections in Albania come at a time of increased strife across the Balkans. Macedonia is entering its third year of political crisis, with the long-standing political conflict now taking on an ethnic dimension that threatens to embroil neighbouring Albania and Kosovo. Montenegro’s government is dealing with the aftermath of an attempted coup. The ever-strong tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have been on an upward trend since the beginning of this year as elections approach in Serbia and the normalization process stalls. Groups in countries including Albania, Macedonia and Hungary are turning on the west in general, with billionaire philanthropist George Soros becoming the focal point for their anger; protesters in Tirana held signs saying “Mafia Rama & Soros F*** Off”. But this also signals a wider dissatisfaction with proponents of liberal democracy such as the EU, who are increasingly accused of “interference”.

At the same time, the wider geopolitical landscape has been in a state of flux since the election of Donald Trump in the US, meaning that the players who usually act as brokers and peacemakers in the region are otherwise engaged. The EU is distracted by Brexit and is focusing on its internal divisions, while Washington is reviewing its former role as the proponent of liberal democracy, giving an opportunity for Russia to push back into the Balkans.