LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic: Working group on dialogue to be set up Friday or next week (Tanjug/Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic announced on Wednesday the government would very soon set up a working group to provide logistic support to President Aleksandar Vucic in the internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija. “The working group is ready. We haven’t adopted it yet in the cabinet. We’re waiting for some other opinions, because of the responsible ministries, about who would be the best members of the working group. I think it’ll be before the cabinet on Friday or next week,” Brnabic told reporters in the Palace of Serbia. “The second stage of the dialog begins with the working group, when we finalize the calendar and places with President of the Republic Aleksandar Vucic and the organizations that want to take part,” she said.

Dacic: No visit to Croatia if the price is silence (Beta/RTS)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said 4 that it was not good that the desire for good neighborly relations is not being put into practice in Serbia’s and Croatia’s everyday political activities and that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s visit to Zagreb has been postponed.

Dacic told reporters that Vucic’s visit would not have been a matter of protocol, but one of problem-solving, and that he would not remain silent over “the accusations, insults and lies” heard in Croatia against Serbia and the Serb people. “Vucic would not go to listen about Greater Serbian aggression. How can Vucic go to Zagreb and not ask Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic where the 400,000 Serbs, who lived in Croatia in 1991, are?” the Serbian minister asked. He said the visit did not need to happen if the price was Serbia’s silence.

“Wait, do you think we’re so upset about the visit not happening? It doesn’t have to happen if the price is for us to keep silent. If you want to work together, reach out and we go forward,” he said.

Brnabic, Dacic dismiss comparison of Catalonia and Presevo Valley (Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said on Wednesday, commenting on statements that the southern part of central Serbia demanded unification with Kosovo after the Catalonian model, that the issue was not “open to debate,” while Dacic said he was looking forward to hearing a comment by the EU and explanation whether Presevo might also be “a special case.”

Asked whether she had discussed the demand of southern Serbia seeking unification with Kosovo after events in Catalonia with representatives of the ethnic minorities’ national councils, Brnabic said no and that she would not. “Those are not the topics, the topics are institutional mechanisms in line with the Constitution and law of the Republic of Serbia. That is in no way in line with either the Constitution or Serbia’s laws. Therefore, it is not up for debate,” Brnabic, chairing a session of the minorities’ National Councils for the first time since taking office, told reporters.

Dacic reflected on the statement by the European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic that Kosovo was a special case (sui generis) and could not be compared to Catalonia, and posed a question whether Presevo might be also a special case. “Everything regarding us, when it comes to Serbia, is unique and special case,” said the head of Serbian diplomacy, and urged the EU to make specific statements on the issues related to Serbia and the Serbian people.

Vucic’s cabinet: Visit to Croatia will take place when political atmosphere changes (Tanjug)

President Vucic will visit Zagreb when more peaceful circumstances and a different political atmosphere allow for talks between him and the Croatian President, Tanjug reported, quoting “circles close to President Vucic and the Presidency”. “President Vucic feels, and it seems that President Grabar Kitarovic agrees, that it’s better for the visit to take place when they can talk peacefully in a different atmosphere,” the agency reported quoting the explanation from the Serbian Presidency, adding that the date of the visit had not been set nor confirmed.

Kosovo gives up demand for UNESCO membership (RTS)

The Kosovo Foreign Ministry has deferred its demand for membership in UNESCO, saying that this is a pragmatic postponement in coordination with influential Western countries, RTS reported on Wednesday.

Serbian amendments to NATO PA draft resolution approved (Politika)

A balanced resolution giving a fair presentation of the situation in the Western Balkans is to be passed at the October 7-9 autumn session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly session, Politika reports. Vladimir Djukanovic, a member of the Serbian delegation to NATO, says the draft of the document, prepared by the UK’s Richard Benyon, had accused Serbia of causing tensions in the region but had now seen many changes after all amendments from Belgrade had been approved.

Justice Ministry sends letter to ICTY supporting Mladic initiative (Tanjug)

In addition to guarantees given by the government, the Serbian Justice Ministry has sent a letter to the ICTY in support of an initiative of Ratko Mladic’s family for the general to be provisionally released for medical treatment in Serbia, Justice Minister Nela Kuburovic told Tanjug Thursday. “We believe the ICTY will, first and foremost, consider the family’s initiative that Ratko Mladic be released for medical treatment in Serbia, and the government will honor all requests the ICTY sends,” Kuburovic noted.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H ITA Steering Board passes draft law on excise duties of B&H (N1)

The Steering Board of B&H Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA SB) adopted on Wednesday the new proposal of the Draft Law on Excise Duties in B&H, which stipulates increase of excise duties on fuel by BAM 0.15 per liter. The ITA SB adopted the Draft Law in the form that was previously endorsed by B&H House of Peoples (HoP). The ITA SB was supposed to vote on increase of excise duties at Monday’s session. However, Monday’s session was postponed after ITA SB expert member Muhamed Kozadra presented certain additional proposals with regard to amending the law aimed to ensure better transparency in spending the funds from increased excise duties. Following Wednesday’s session of the ITA SB, Kozadra noted that he advocated defining the proposal in a way that increase of BAM 0.05 per liter would clearly and exclusively be intended for construction of roads, while the remaining BAM 0.10 per liter would go for motorways. B&H Minister of Finance and Treasury and ITA SB member Vjekoslav Bevanda explained that funds from increased excise duties on fuel will be a guarantee for taking loans for further construction of roads and motorways. Bevanda announced that the Draft Law should further be discussed by B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) and then also by B&H House of Representatives (HoR). Given that the ITA SB adopted the proposal in the form that previously lacked his support, Chairman of B&H CoM Denis Zvizdic assessed that this proposal will not pass the procedure at B&H HoR. Zvizdic reiterated his disagreement with the adopted amendments as he believes that they do not ensure additional transparency in spending the funds. Zvizdic stressed he is therefore uncertain that funds from increased excise duties on fuel will be spent for the purpose they are intended i.e. construction of roads and motorways. The CoM Chairman made a remark saying that it is necessary to prevent continuation of spinning when it comes to such an important law and the proposed Draft Law should clearly define the purpose of funds obtained from increased excise duties on fuel.

PMs Cvijanovic and Novalic agree excise duties need to be increased (FTV)

Governments of the RS and FB&H held a joint session on Wednesday. The issue of adoption of excise duties was not one of the items of the agenda but it still attracted the most of attention. The FB&H government did not mind the new proposal on excise duties but the RS Government insisted that the proposal which was agreed upon on Wednesday and recently adopted by the House of parliament (HoP) of B&H parliament should be kept. RS Prime Minister Zeljka Cvijanovic apologized to press that representatives of the governments did not get in any quarrels on Wednesday but “did their jobs in a nice manner”. FB&H Prime Minister Fadil Novalic stated that, as far as the FB&H government is concerned, it supports excise duties and guarantees that revenues will be allocated only for construction of roads. Representatives of the RS government warned that there is potential danger of having different texts on excise duties in procedure and to have the Commission for Harmonization decide on everything. Cvijanovic said that, to her knowledge, SNSD does not have its representatives in this commission so she wondered “SDS, which did not vote at all and does not want to see excise duties be adopted, will untangle things there”. The reporter noted that the joint session resulted in several conclusions and one of those was harmonization of implementation of 27 measures in the fight against grey economy. Novalic said that the goal was to “eliminate all deformations” related to different legislation in the other entity. The reporter also noted that the governments of the RS and FB&H will act jointly when it comes to protection of domestic farmers and producers in wood industry so they will deliver a joint initiative to the Council of Ministers of B&H to adopt a decision on prohibition of export and trade of wood logs. The governments also accepted the information on the status of non-prospective military property and expressed the joint stance that this issue must be solved as soon as possible.

SDP organizes meeting of political parties on technical changes to Law on Elections of B&H (FTV)

SDP organized a meeting to discuss technical changes to the Law on Elections of B&H on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by all parliamentary parties except HDZ B&H and SNSD. The presenter said that they discussed technical changes related to voting and counting of votes in order to reduce possible manipulations in the election process to the minimum. The presenter also said that all participants of the meeting accepted this proposal of changes and will jointly work on a proposal which they will forward to the parliamentary procedure.

The reporter noted that the proposal suggested that fines for those who violate regulations in the election process and participants of the meeting also advocated changes to the criminal legislation in this context.

HDZ 1990 leader Ilija Cvitanovic said that HDZ 1990 is perhaps a party which is the most interested in technical changes to the Law on Elections of B&H because it will finally create preconditions for fair elections in B&H.

Representative in the House of Representatives (HoR) of B&H parliament Damir Becirovic (DF) said that this proposal definitely represents a solution which should bring election frauds to an end.

The SDA said that the electronic voting did not produce significant results in countries which use it. Representative in B&H HoR Hazim Rancic (SDA) said that certain corrections must be made but he is not sure that the proposal will produce results having in mind experience of European countries.

SDS leader Vukota Govedarica said that everyone knows about corruptive activities and electoral manipulations used in B&H to score election results, deeming that the SDP’s initial proposal of amendments to the Election Law of B&H represents a very good and quality solution.

The Coalition ‘Pod Lupom’ expressed its resentment because the election process in the country lasts too long and added that the deadlines must be shortened. President of the Strategic Board of Coalition ‘Pod Lupom’ Vehid Sehic stated that the use of scanners would be the most acceptable because traditional voting ballots would be kept and all ballots would be scanned.

The reporter commented that it is obvious that it is not very difficult to reach an agreement on technical changes to the Law on Elections of B&H but everyone will have to wait for the essential changes to the Law on Elections of B&H.

Zvizdic, Daul conclude that reforms in B&H and political dialogue in Western Balkans are necessary (Oslobodjenje)

Chairman of the Council of Ministers (CoM) of B&H Denis Zvizdic held a meeting on Wednesday with President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Joseph Daul. During the working lunch in Sarajevo, according to daily, Zvizdic informed Daul about the current political situation in B&H. Zvizdic and Daul agreed that implementation of reforms is the main condition for resolving of problems which are burdening the citizens of B&H. They also agreed that B&H and the entire region of Western Balkans have European prospect, but it is necessary to strengthen political dialogue in the region. Daily briefly reported that Daul held a meeting with Head of the Islamic Community in B&H Husein Kavazovic as well. They talked about the Islamic Community’s experiences in managing religious issues of Muslims living in a secular state, and how those experiences can be useful in today’s Europe.

Delegations of SBB B&H led by party leader Fahrudin Radoncic also met on Wednesday with delegation of the EPP. The meeting discussed SBB B&H’s application for membership in the EPP, political situation in B&H and cooperation at the international level. Radoncic reiterated SBB B&H’s commitment to join the family of European people’s parties as soon as possible, expressing hope that decision will be made soon. Radoncic and Daul also discussed necessity of B&H making significant progress in education, rule of law, judiciary reform and fight against corruption, and they also agreed that voice and will of citizens has to be listened to in all political moves.

EPP delegation met with the SDS leader Vukota Govedarica. Govedarica said that SDS is strongly committed to membership in EPP’s organizations and bodies and that he expects the Political Assembly of the EPP to discuss SDS’ request for membership in EPP as soon as possible.

President of the EPP Daul also met with the delegation of HDZ 1990 led by HDZ 1990 President Ilija Cvitanovic. Cvitanovic informed Daul about the general situation in B&H and position of the party he is leading. They jointly assessed that the halt in B&H’s progress towards the EU and the status quo is fatal, stressing that exodus of young and educated people from B&H is a consequence of bad policies. Daul noted that political actions must change and that irresponsible policies will not have the EPP’s support.

Fierce discussion on Ambassador Colakovic, who denied all accusations against her (N1)

The disciplinary proceedings against B&H Ambassador to Netherlands Mirsada Colakovic were completed in the building of B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sarajevo on Wednesday and the first-instance disciplinary commission should present its decision on Thursday.

Namely, the disciplinary proceedings were launched at the initiative of B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Crnadak with regard to issues with letters pertaining to revision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s ruling in the case ‘B&H vs. Serbia’. Issues with the letters occurred in early 2017. Crnadak accused Colakovic of failing to act at his instruction to deliver his letter about revision to the ICJ, opening the ICJ’s letter for Bosniak member of B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic, as well as opening the ICJ’s letter for Serb member of B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic without the authorization.  Wednesday’s disciplinary proceedings lasted about 7.5 hours and included hearings of Colakovic, a number of witnesses, as well as presentation of evidence in the disciplinary case. Addressing the disciplinary commission, Colakovic pleaded not guilty to all charges that were presented in the disciplinary proceedings. Colakovic explained that she opened Izetbegovic’s letter, but she was authorized to do so. According to Colakovic, Izetbegovic and Head of his Cabinet Elvir Camdzic ordered her over the phone to open the letter and this was confirmed by Camdzic himself. In addition, Colakovic denied having opened Ivanic’s letter. As for the accusation that she refused to act at Crnadak’s instruction to deliver his letter to the ICJ, Colakovic said she in fact respected Crnadak’s prior instruction. She explained that the B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs first instructed her not to communicate to the ICJ and then he asked her to forward his letter. The Ambassador said she is glad to be provided with an opportunity to defend herself in a fair manner. None of the witnesses in the disciplinary proceedings said that Colakovic opened Ivanic’s letter. Witness Riad Habul told the disciplinary commission that he took the letters to Crnadak’s Cabinet, at the order that came from this Cabinet itself. Witness Milica Lopatic, who received the letters from Habul, stated before the disciplinary commission that she submitted the letters to Head of Crnadak’s Cabinet. Reporter noted that Crnadak’s representative requested that Colakovic’s salary is reduced by 5% for the next three months, while Colakovic’s representative requested that all charges against her are dismissed.

Serbian President’s visit to Croatia postponed (Vecernji list)

The official visit of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to Croatia has been postponed. It is not known when the visit will eventually take place, but it is already certain that the return visit by Serbian President to his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic will not happen this year. According to previous reports, Vucic was expected to visit Zagreb in November or December. The Office of the Croatian President has confirmed there has been “a change in the time frame” and that the two presidential offices were in contact, reports Vecernji list.

“Given the comprehensive circumstances which influence the date of the visit, it has not yet been determined,” say sources from the Office of the Croatian President. “Comprehensive circumstances” include the latest exchange of accusations between Zagreb and Belgrade. The moves by Belgrade certainly did not help to make the visit happen. The Serbian government recently supported the unveiling of a monument to Milan Tepic, a major of the Yugoslav National Army who committed suicide during the 1990s war in Croatia by blowing up an arms depot. Also, Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said that the 1990s war in Croatia was a civil war, while Croatia believes that it was a Greater Serbian aggression. In such a situation, it has been concluded that official political dialogue between Zagreb and Belgrade should be frozen. Until recently, it was considered that the conditions for Vucic’s return visit to Grabar-Kitarovic were fulfilled. She spoke positively about Vucic in interviews and speeches, even saying that in Vucic she finally found an appropriate partner with whom to start the process of reconstructing interstate relations. Also, they attended each other’s inaugurations in Zagreb and Belgrade. Vucic also sent positive signals and publicly expressed his enthusiasm that he would finally officially visit Zagreb. His predecessor Tomislav Nikolic was never invited to come to Croatia. On the other hand, with Vucic, Grabar-Kitarovic initially established a relationship of trust and respect, even singing a joint declaration last year when Vucic was still the Serbian Prime Minister. The return visit of Vucic to the Croatian President has long been planned, but the intensification of political tensions has made it difficult to reach an agreement on that visit. It was expected that the visit should bring about a substantial improvement in relationships. The Serbian media also gave great importance to the visit, even announcing that it would “normalize relations and close the old book of misunderstandings.” It was expected that it would open the way for a meeting between the two prime ministers, Andrej Plenkovic and Ana Brnabic and that these meetings would become regular. But, the plan cannot be realized for now.

Milorad Pupovac, the leader of the Serb national minority in Croatia, said he did not know that the visit had been delayed. “But, it is undeniable that the latest exchanges of views regarding the past do not support the dialogue and cooperation. It is difficult to predict when the visit might take place,” commented Pupovac.

EU commissioner hopes that Croatia will join Schengen by 2019 (Vecernji list)

While on an official visit to Zagreb, the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopulos expressed his hope that Croatia would become a member of the EU’s Schengen area during the mandate of the current European Commission, which comes to an end in 2019. European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopulos was received by both Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic. The commissioner acknowledged the huge progress Croatia had made in fulfilling the criteria for membership of the Schengen border regime. He said that Croatia’s continuous efforts were showing positive results and that both the EU and Croatia’s common goal was to reach the point where this good promise was completed and confirmed. There was also discussion about migration, security and asylum seeking issues. Greece and Italy are the two EU member states who are carrying the heaviest burden in terms of accommodating asylum seekers and Croatia’s interior minister confirmed today that Croatia would fulfill its internationally agreed obligations towards such people. Bozinovic emphasized that Croatia’s firm position was that when it came to dealing with the challenges of migration, the European response must be based on the principles of solidarity and responsibility.

Jurisic: Croatian Russian relations are returning to normal political waters (HRT)

Speaking for Croatian Television’s, Professor Jelena Jurisic from the Communication Department at Croatian Studies and a former correspondent from Moscow, said that relations between Croatia and Russia are normalizing. “After a seven year pause they are returning to their normal track,” said Jurisic. “I would consider the visit by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic to Russia in the context of returning relations to normal political waters. In that sense, one of the agreements that will be signed should be considered – on meetings between representatives of the two countries. As of 2010 there were no normal contacts. A sort of beginning to it all was the visit by former Minister of Foreign Affairs Davor Ivo Stier. A continuation and encouragement for further steps should be the three day visit by the president of the Republic of Croatia,” said professor Jurisic. “The intergovernmental Croatian-Russian commission held a session after many years. The main result of this was only the preservation of the commission. After a little more than seven years a meeting of the intergovernmental committee for economy, trade, culture and scientific-technical cooperation was held. What is most important is a statement by the president of Crodux, who announced the signing of an agreement with Zarubeznjeft (the owner of the refinery in Bosanski Brod) soon, on the construction of a route that would deliver natural gas to that refinery, after which it should transfer to working on natural gas,” said Jurisic.

When asked how Russia views Croatian soldiers that will soon be deployed to the Eastern borders of NATO, Jurisic said that Russia does not look at that separately, but rather generally at NATO soldiers. “They believe that this is in a way unnecessary. The announcement of the action last year prompted them to conduct certain military exercises in the area and to strengthen their presence there. Sanctions are an issue that negatively affects relations between Croatia and Russia. We know that in economic relations they do not have that much influence, or that they have affected farming products, primarily exports of tangerines from the Neretva area. However the majority of our economic trade consists of energies and they are not under sanctions.

After 25 years since the establishment of Croatian-Russian relations we can say that they had their ascents and descents, during which Croatia did not play the role of the one that pushed relations. The past seven years were passive on the part of Croatia, but also on the part of Russia,” said professor Jurisic.

Asselborn: I am not Orbán, I support the normal functioning of the country (Meta)

I cannot say when the negotiations on Macedonia’s membership in the European Union will start, because the EU is more complex than the Balkans, said Luxembourg Foreign Minister, Jean Asselborn, after meeting with his Macedonian counterpart, Nikola Dimitrov, at the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Asselborn explained that the European Commission can propose the start of negotiations with Macedonia, but for that to happen, the EU Council must unanimously make the decision. “In 2005, I was sure that in 2015, we would see Macedonia and all the countries in the region in the European Union. But the mistake is not only Brussels, but also countries that have not met the Copenhagen criteria,” Asselborn said. When asked about the division in the EU in terms of support for Nikola Gruevski, Asselborn said that he is not Viktor Orbán, although both are officials from member states of the European Union.

“I’m not called Orbán, but Jean Asselborn, and there’s a difference. I support those who want to create conditions for the normal functioning of the country, just like most EU politicians who want to bring stability to the Balkans,” Asselborn said, emphasizing that the functioning of the law is crucial. Dimitrov pointed out that Asselborn’s visit is an important moment both for Macedonia and the region.

VMRO-DPMNE’s Gruevski meets NDI president Wollac (MIA)

Opposition VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski and Kenneth Wollac, president of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), discussed Wednesday in Skopje on political developments in Macedonia, upcoming elections and the country’s strategic priorities. The party is open for cooperation in all spheres of Macedonia’s interest and affirmation of the country’s strategic goals, Gruevski told Wollac. He also voiced concern about the serious violations of the election process, such as injuring of mayoral candidates, fabricated charges, demolishing of parties’ headquarters and acts of intimidation, VMRO-DPMNE said in a press release. Such offences are an indication of anxiety and fear of electoral defeat, Gruevski said, pointing out that state institutions should clarify the incidents and create minimal condition for a regular course of the election process.

Dimitrov and Ivanov have reached an agreement regarding the diplomatic mission in the EU (Meta)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and President Gjorge Ivanov have reached an agreement for a vacant ambassadorial position in Brussels, announced the Head of the Macedonian diplomacy, Nikola Dimitrov. “It is correct that we are in the final phase of the first round of filling in the vacant positions for ambassadors and in the first round, our mission in the European Union is also included. I wouldn’t want to, during this phase, since the procedure is ongoing at the moment, to talk about names, but the accent is given to career diplomats” said Dimitrov. At the moment, there are 13 vacant ambassadorial positions, out of which 12 are in Europe and one in China, including 3 consular positions, and Macedonia doesn’t have ambassadors either in the EU or in the mission of the UN in Geneva. At the moment, the duties of these positions are done by acting managers. For now, the names and number of people that will be ambassadors in Brussels, London, Paris, Oslo, Talin, Warsaw, Bucharest, Zagreb, Podgorica, Bern, Madrid, Beijing, and Prague are not known.

Rama, closed doors meeting with Ruci and Xhafaj (ADN)

Prime Minister Edi Rama held a closed doors meeting on Wednesday with Parliament Speaker, Gramoz Ruci and the Minister of Interior, Fatmir Xhafaj. Their meeting follows the harsh critics by the US Ambassador, Donald Lu against the justice system in Albania and the crime dominance in Albania. According to the US diplomat the crime in Albania is controlled by four criminal clans with 20 mafia families. Rama later told that “intensive work is underway in the fight against crime and concrete results will be shown very soon.” The government head commented for the first time the U.S. Ambassador’s remarks on the situation of crime in the country during a gathering of judges and aspiring magistrates two days ago. “I would like to appreciate U.S. Ambassador for joining me because I have repeatedly underscored the need for the start of a new phase in the fight against the so-called strongmen and track and seize criminal assets. The preparations for a new phase have been made for long and we are in the process. It is a good thing this was also said by the US Ambassador,” Rama said. Rama noted “these criminal elements were not born in 2013 and their career in the underworld of crime underground is quite consolidated.”

DP accuses MPs, Rama urgent meeting with the Attorney General (ADN)

Prime Minister Edi Rama and the Attorney General Adriatik Llalla had an urgent meeting this Wednesday over the last accusations made by the democrats against two MPs Aqif Rakipi and Gjetan Gjetani. According to Llalla, Rakipi’s file is still under investigation and Albania is waiting for further answers from some foreign authorities.  Llalla guarantee that the General Prosecution will continue the investigation and will have a complete answer soon.

Electoral reform – Balla: We stick to May 18 deal, ready to join political table (ATA)

The chairman of SP parliamentary group Taulant Balla declared Wednesday that the SP sticks to May 18 agreement on electoral reform. “We are ready to sit at a political table to discuss issues of electoral reform and others. At a media briefing on Wednesday, Balla said:  We have filed the request with the Conference of Whips, seeking inclusion in the agenda of parliament of the draft decision on approval of the Code of Conduct of MPs, which in our view is an important step towards building the public confidence in parliament, strengthening integrity and transparency in the system of governance and consolidating the national democratic institutions through approval of the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament of Albania. Asked by the media about the declaration of U.S. ambassador saying in Albania, four major clans control 20 crime families, Balla said: Our govt. has come up with a well-thought –out plan involving all law enforcement agencies which will have the support of parliament with legal amendments tightening the crackdown on organized crime. There’s one thing for sure, in the days and weeks to come, you will be witness to the hitting force of the State Police institutions, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, addressing any concern raised by ambassador and any ordinary citizen for reinforcement of the rule of law. Asked about the electoral reform, Balla said: We stick to May 18 deals and our aim is not only to prioritize the electoral reform but also to address other issues.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Catalonia’s Independence Push Echoes Across Balkans (BIRN, by Ana Maria Luca, Sven Milekic, Danijel Kovacic, Perparim Isufi, Maja Zivanovic, 5 October 2017)

The Spanish region’s bid for independence has reverberated across the Balkans, which has a history of separatism and where some regions harbour similar ambitions.

Haunted by recent ethnic conflict and still troubled by separatist drives, the Balkans has kept a close eye on recent events in Catalonia, as well as on Spain’s, Europe’s and the world’s response.

Events in the coming days, in which Catalan officials have pledged to declare independence, and Spain’s reaction to this, may well influence the future of Bosnia’s Serb-dominated entity, Republika Srpska, as well as the Serbian province of Vojvodina.  Kosovo, as well as other countries and ethnic groups in the region, all stand to be affected. However, Florian Bieber, a leading Balkan expert, says comparisons between regionalists and the Balkans and Catalonia should not be drawn simplistically. “Spain is not [former] Yugoslavia, nor is Catalonia [like] Slovenia or Croatia. Equally, Istria, Vojvodina or Republika Srpska are not [the same as] Catalonia],” Bieber told Free Europe on October 3, listing some of the countries that seceded from Yugoslavia, as well as those some regions mulling independence today. Despite clear differences with the situation in Spain, the Balkans has seen its fair share of independence movements in the past. Since the 1990s, the former Yugoslavia, formed after World War I, has broken up into no less than seven independent entities. Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia all seceded in the early 1990s, followed by Montenegro in 2006.  Finally, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Whether the process of breaking up is over is less clear. Nine years on from 2008, some people in the Serbian province of Vojvodina, and many more in Republika Srpska have the same dream.

Kosovo shuns comparisons with others:

Although Kosovo was itself once a province – of Serbia – today its leaders are keeping well out of the discussion on the fate of the region of Catalonia. One day after the Catalan referendum last Sunday, a government official told BIRN that Kosovo would not be commenting on developments there as the government “does not comment on the internal developments of another country”. Since Kosovo declared independence in 2008, Spain has been one of five EU states that have refused to recognize it, largely because they long feared a “domino effect” on their own restive regions. However, analysts in Kosovo are keen to play down comparisons between the two lands. Lulzim Peci, director of the Pristina-based think tank KIPRED, insisted that Kosovo and Catalonia have little in common. “If Kosovo has anything in common with the independence of any other country, it would be the case only with Montenegro and the other ex-Yugoslav entities because the context is similar,” Peci told BIRN. According to him, Sunday’s referendum in Catalonia and any subsequent decision based on it, would not have an impact on Kosovo. “This issue [Catalonia] is still in the domain of Spain’s internal affairs and it is not yet internationalized, so it could not have effect on Kosovo,” he said. “The cases of Catalonia and Kosovo are completely different. The case of Kosovo was not caused by Catalonia, and Catalonia’s case is not caused by Kosovo. They are not linked,” Peci added. However, Kosovo cannot entirely escape the discussion, even if wants to. The Pristina newspaper Zeri on Thursday quoted Catalan Spanish European Parliamentarian Josep Maria Terricabras as saying that he expected Kosovo to be among the first countries to recognize Catalonia once it declares its independence. “We would accept recognitions no matter where they come from. Spain has not recognized Kosovo, which is shameful,” he said. “At the same time, Catalonia will recognize Kosovo. I am not an MP in the Catalonia parliament, so I cannot make such promises, but as an European MEP, I believe this will happen,” Terricabras added. Peci, however, notes that Kosovo’s policy on foreign recognition is governed by the needs and wishes of its major foreign allies, not by sentiment. “Kosovo will follow the US and EU line, and this is to be expected from Kosovo. We cannot expect Kosovo to recognize Catalonia,” Peci said. Dren Ajeti, a researcher for the Pristina-based Group for Legal and Political Studies, also told BIRN that Kosovo saw its secession from Yugoslavia as sui generis – a “unique and unprecedented” case. “Today’s Kosovo and its inhabitants have gone through completely different historic and political circumstances compared to other territories with secessionist aspirations,” Ajeti said, referring to UN Security Resolutions during the 1990s, international military intervention, the international administration of the country from 1999 to 2008 as well as Kosovo’s ethnic, cultural and linguistic characteristics. It all made “makes Kosovo incomparable with other cases”, he maintained.

Autonomy, not independence, for Vojvodina:

Although the Catalan referendum has renewed tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, Serbia’s real concerns about separatism lie elsewhere. On the day of the Catalan referendum many local and international observers compared Catalonia with Serbia’s northern province of Vojvodina, which is home to a significant ethnic Hungarian minority as well as others seeking more self-rule. Indeed, the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, LSV, an opposition party that advocates more autonomy for Vojvodina, was paying an official visit to Catalonia on the day of the referendum. Several LSV officials, including its leader, Nenad Canak, backed the referendum, while back home, LSV supporters hung Catalan flags in several towns in Vojvodina.

Under the Serbian constitution, adopted in 2006, Vojvodina is deemed an “autonomous province” with the right to its own government, assembly and budget, which amounts to not less than 7 per cent of the budget of the Republic of Serbia. The constitution also said that Serbia’s parliament should adopt a Law on the Financing of Vojvodina by the end of 2008, which was never done, however. Senior LSV officials, including the then President of the Vojvodina assembly, Bojan Kostres, urged citizens of the province to boycott the constitutional referendum in 2006, because it did not restore to Vojvodina the executive, legislative and judicial powers that the province enjoyed under the Yugoslav Constitution of 1974, which Serbia scrapped in 1989 during the time Slobodan Milosevic. A loud critic of Belgrade’s treatment of Vojvodina, the LSV recently demanded that upcoming changes to Serbia’s constitution guarantee Vojvodina’s rights. Serbian nationalists resent the province’s autonomy, however, seeing it as a potential threat to the country’s unity and often calling it “separatism”. One of those “separatists”, the head of the Vojvodina Party, Aleksandar Odzic, said he does not want an independent state, however, but a separate “Republic of Vojvodina” inside Serbia. “Vojvodina remains the only unresolved issue among all former Yugoslav states, that is undeniable,” he told BIRN, noting that all the six former federal republics of Yugoslavia are now independent states, as well as the former province of Kosovo. He does not see why Vojvodina should be an exception, adding that his party also supports the right of Catalan citizens to decide their future. The EU should change its policy towards self-determination and independence, he added.

However, Aleksandar Popov from the Centre for Regionalism, an NGO, told BIRN that the referendum in Catalonia would not spark a drive for independence from Serbia. “No one is asking for the secession of Vojvodina from Serbia but for more autonomy, based on the constitution from 1974, which would be good both for Serbia and Vojvodina, as no one would then demand independence for Vojvodina,” he said. Every demand for autonomy in Serbia was invariably termed “separatism” by nationalists and right-wingers, he complained.

Confusion among the Bosnian Serbs:

As in Kosovo, officials in the Bosnian Serb entity at first avoided commenting on the Catalan referendum for almost two full days, and when they made their positions public, it was not as expected. Milorad Dodik, the Republika Srpksa President and leader of its ruling Alliance of Independent Social democrats, SNSD, has for years demanded a referendum on the independence of the RS. A few weeks before the Catalan referendum, he withdrew his initiative, however, saying the support for it was lacking. After keeping quiet about Catalonia for almost full day, Dodik finally lashed about Catalonia and Spain, but not in defence of the Catalans.

Instead, somewhat confusingly, he blamed the EU for having allowed Kosovo’s independence from Serbia. “Kosovo should never have been allowed to declare independence and receive recognition … because it was a Serbian territory practically abducted by members of the Albanian national minority. “The whole absurd unilateral proclamation of Kosovo’s independence, and the international recognition of such an artificial creation, is revealed by the Catalan referendum,” Dodik said on October 3. He then accused the international community of double standards and of being against the Serbs and of favouring the rights of the Muslims in Bosnia – vowing that this would not weaken the will of the RS to decide its future. “Such a [hostile] policy has strengthened us in the belief that without the autonomy given to us [in the RS] at Dayton, there would be no survival for us [Serbs],” Dodik said, referring to the international peace summit in the US in 1995 that created the two autonomous entities of Bosnia.

Banja Luka political analyst Srdjan Puhlao told BIRN that the Catalan referendum had put Dodik and other Bosnian Serb officials in a difficult position. “If they supported the referendum, that would make a problem for Serbia, which, because of [Spain’s support for Serbia over] Kosovo, supports the position of the Madrid,” he said. However, by being on the side of Spain, they are obscuring everything that has been said [about their own demand for independence] over the past years,” Puhalo said. Speaking for Bosnia as a whole – which for obvious reasons does not look favourably on separatism – Igor Crnadak, Bosnia’s Foreign Minister, told the Spanish ambassador to Bosnia that Bosnia supported the territorial integrity of Spain. However, unexpectedly, a group of citizens of Sarajevo gathered on October 1 in the city centre to support Catalonia. As N1 television reported, the gathering was held to support the right of citizens of Catalonia to vote in the referendum, but also to recall the help that Barcelona had given to Sarajevo during Bosnia’s 1992-5 war. The TV report recalled that at the height of the Bosnian Serb siege of Sarajevo, the Mayor of Barcelona between 1982 and 1997, Pasqual Margall, had symbolically declared Sarajevo the ninth district of Barcelona in 1992.

Hungarians in Romania want more rights:

On Sunday, as events in Catalonia were unfolding, at a football stadium in Brasov, in central Romania, fans of the Bucharest-based team Steaua and fans of the rival team Sepsi Sfantu Gheorghe, a mainly ethnic Hungarian town in Transylvania, exchanged insults. “Romania is not your home! Leave!” the fans of the Bucharest team chanted. “Hungary! Hungary! Hungary!” the others responded, as they played Hungarian folk music. The chants did not lead to clashes, but local police were prepared to intervene. Most matches between teams from the Hungarian speaking Szekely Land and from the rest of Romania risk ending in violence. About 1.2 million ethnic Hungarians in Romania amount to 6.5 per cent of the total population, according to the 2011 census. Many live in a relatively concentrated area in Transylvania, which formed part of Hungary until the end of World War I. Half of all ethnic Hungarians in Romania are so-called Szekelys, a Hungarian-speaking community living mostly in what is known as the Szekely Land in eastern Transylvania, in the counties of Harghita and Covasna as well as in parts of Mureș county. The Szekely Land had autonomy until the 1870s, when the Kingdom of Hungary, then part of Austria-Hungary, abolished all autonomous regions. The region regained some autonomy in 1952 under the Romanian communists until the dictatorial leader Nicolae Ceausescu abolished all autonomous regions. After the communist regime fell in 1989, however, the autonomy movement in the Szekely Land revived. This has caused friction with Romanian nationalists, who fear that it just one step towards Transylvania’s return to Hungary. In 1995, Hungary and Romania signed a treaty by which Hungary renounced any territorial claims to Transylvania, while Romania vowed to respect minority rights. Hungarians in Romania now have the right to education in their native language, and in towns where they make up more than 20 per cent of the population, the right to use Hungarians in dealings with the local authorities. The largest of the three ethnic Hungarian parties in Romania, the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, UDMR, has always had representatives in parliament and been part of several government coalitions. However, while ethnic Hungarians champion autonomy for Szekely Land, UDMR members say the Catalan quest for complete independence does not resemble their own situation.

The party’s leader in the Lower Chamber of Parliament, Attila Korodi, said comparisons with Catalonia only damage the cause of autonomy for the Hungarians of Romania. “Autonomy means a series of political and administrative instruments for given regions in a country. There’s a difference [with independence] and it’s important,” Korodi said. The party has, however, issued a statement condemning the violence seen in Catalonia and calling for dialogue. “There is no need for renewed revolts in Catalonia,” it said on Monday. Claudiu Padurean, a newspaper editor in Cluj, Transylvania’s biggest city, said there is something to learn from what happened during the Catalan referendum, and change was needed in the way that states deal with minorities, including Romania. “The authorities need to explore new ways to value minority languages and symbols,” he said, adding that mutual respect is the key to reconciliation.

Hungarians in Romania are increasingly frustrated, he says, because their numbers are falling, so some affirm their identity more strongly than ever to compensate for demographic decline. He says the Romanians in Ukraine are going through a similar situation. “It’s very important that the affirmation of identity is not aggressive,” he says. “There is no problem if the Szekelys raise the Hungarian flag, as long as the Romanian flag and the EU flag are present as well. It’s a form of minimal respect and a sign of normality,” he pointed out.

Restive feelings in Istria, Croatia:
One Croatian news site, Index, has meanwhile drawn a parallel between Catalonia and the western region of Istria in Croatia, which also strives for more autonomy and fiscal de-centralisation. However, Ivan Jakovcic, Croatian MEP and one of the leaders of the regionalist Istrian Democratic Assembly party, IDS, which has ruled the region since the early 1990s, rejects the comparison. “It is understandable that comparisons are made with what is happening in Catalonia but it [the situation] is not comparable. Istria and Catalonia are not comparable,” he said. “Certainly, there are those who would like to see Istria as an independent state. But that was never my, or the IDS’s, policy,” he added. “What we certainly want is a high degree of regional autonomy, not an independent Istrian state,” he concluded. The peninsula of Istria has a specific history and identity, shaped by the fact that for a long period of time it was under Italian rule or domination. A significant number of Italians lived in Istria, although the majority were Croats.

At the end of World War II, the victorious Yugoslav Partisans claimed Istria as part of the new Communist-led Yugoslav state. Istria was then joined to Croatia within Yugoslavia, although the city of Trieste remained inside Italy. Many Italians were driven out. After the regionalist Istrian Democratic Assembly, IDS, won the first multi-party elections in Croatia since the end of World War II in the 1990s in Istria, Croatian nationalists accused it of secessionism. However, true secessionists remain a marginal force, while the IDS focuses on getting more autonomy and more decentralization, especially over fiscal policies. Today, Istria is one of Croatia’s richest and most developed regions, with a highly successful tourism industry. Adris Group, one of the biggest private companies in Croatia, is based in the Istrian town of Rovinj. Meanwhile, the “Republic of Istra” Facebook page, which seeks independence for Istra, has around a thousand supporters. One recent post asked: “When will a referendum make Istria separate?” The answer is: no one knows.