LOCAL PRESS

Brnabic with Tanin: Slowness of Pristina authorities in investigation (RTS/RTV/Tanjug/Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic spoke with UNMIK Head Zahir Tanin during his visit to Belgrade ahead of the upcoming UN Security Council session on Kosovo and Metohija. Brnabic assessed that the overall security situation in Kosovo and Metohija is very serious and sensitive after the murder of Oliver Ivanovic. She expressed concern over the slowness of the Pristina authorities in resolving this case, stating that it is crucial for stability and security in Kosovo-Metohija to reveal the motive for murder, and to bring the perpetrators and organizers to justice.
The Prime Minister expressed her dissatisfaction because the state authorities of Serbia do not participate in the investigation. Tanin said he believes that investigative authorities in Pristina will be more effective in resolving the crimes, and expressed the belief that all international agencies on the ground are ready to support the authorities in order to help arrest those responsible for this tragic event. He pointed out the importance of normalizing relations, through the continuation of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the implementation of agreed agreements. Brnabic assessed that Belgrade is ready to continue the dialogue with Pristina.
She reminded that Serbia took a responsible approach to the implementation of the agreement, but that the other side did not make any efforts, especially when it comes to the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities. Brnabic pointed out that for Serbia it is very important that the UN Security Council meetings on Kosovo and Metohija are public and that their current dynamics continue. The officials pointed to the importance of further uninterrupted presence and action of UNMIK, in order to create the conditions for a normal and dignified life in Kosovo and Metohija.

 Vulin calls Montenegro not to send troops to Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin demanded that Montenegro not send officers to Kosovo because it had not asked Serbia about it, and because it would jeopardize its relations with it, as well as stability in the Balkans. “We kindly ask the Montenegrin state and the Montenegrin Ministry of Defense to think again and not send troops to Kosovo… The Montenegrin authorities know very well that Kosovo is part of Serbia according to UN Resolution 1244, and I will remind them that during the time of the NATO aggression they were part of the same state and that citizens of Montenegro were killed by the exact same aggressor,” Vulin said. Vulin added that if Montenegro sends officers to Kosovo without consultations with Serbia, it will certainly not help improve relations with Belgrade.

Joksimovic: Normalization of relations, not obligation of recognizing Kosovo (Dnevnik/Tanjug)

I expect the European Commission (EC) Enlargement Strategy to be in accordance with the positive, I would say leadership message of EC President Jean-Claude Juncker and that, as such, it will recognize Serbia and Montenegro as the leaders in the EU integration process, and at the same time, to give an opportunity to potential candidates, Serbian Minister for EU Integration Jadranka Joksimovic told Dnevnik. It is clear to Serbia what is written in the negotiating framework with the EU – comprehensive normalization of relations is expected, which does not imply the obligation for us to recognize Kosovo, because it this would be the case then dialogue would be superfluous.

McAllister: Normalization for sustainable improvement (Tanjug)

The negotiation framework for Serbia’s EU accession requires continued engagement towards a visible and sustainable improvement of relations with Kosovo, says European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister. The process should gradually lead to a “comprehensive normalization” of relations between Serbia and Kosovo with the aim of enabling both sides to exercise their rights and obligations in full, McAllister told Tanjug in an interview. Under the draft enlargement strategy of the European Commission, seen by Tanjug, the “comprehensive normalization” should take place by 2019, and McAllister notes the objective of the process is a “visible and sustainable” improvement of relations with Kosovo. The normalization will be beneficial to the people in Serbia and Kosovo, and a foundation for preserving regional peace and stability, he said.

Jeremic: Vucic plans to trade Kosovo for audience with Merkel (Beta/Nasha TV/B92)

People’s Party leader Vuk Jeremic says President Aleksandar Vucic is not capable of reaching a favorable compromise deal on Kosovo and Metohija. According to the former foreign minister, Vucic is preparing to allow Pristina to get a chair in the UN, at the request of foreigners, and in return get only a one-day visit to German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “Achieving a compromise solution about Kosovo and Metohija is a very complicated situation, and it is not enough to just talk to the Albanians and decide to give up everything they are demanding. The only model of Vucic’s negotiations with the Albanians is them demanding something, he giving them that, and then asking foreigners not to touch him when he, for example, turns off the media light in Serbia,” the Jeremic told Nasha TV. Beta is reporting, citing his party, that the opposition politician also said the process has come to its end, and must end – because foreigners are demanding a UN chair for Kosovo from Vucic – and he is getting ready to hand that over, by preparing the public for such an outcome through the media. “It would not have to be that way. The whole issue of the future of European integration of the Western Balkans has had a question mark put on it by Spain’s letter, which completely relativized the position of Kosovo in joining the European Union,” Jeremic said. He pointed out that if Vucic had a grain of diplomatic experience and wisdom, the situation created after the letter could very much be used to make the final compromise between Belgrade and Pristina – that he strives to achieve quickly – far better than is currently anticipated. Jeremic then specified that it was currently envisaged that Serbia signs an interstate agreement with Kosovo, under which Kosovo would get a chair in the UN, while Vucic could get a one-day visit to Angela Merkel.

Markovic: 85% of people were against recognition of Kosovo (Tanjug/B92/RTK)

Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic says his country “wants to see Kosovo in the EU and in NATO.” Markovic spoke for the Pristina-based RTK ahead of his trip to Kosovo on Tuesday. He said Montenegro’s government “had vision” when it decided to recognize unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo – despite the fact that, as he said, “85 percent of citizens were against that.” Montenegro will “support and help” Pristina’s institutions “on the road to the EU and NATO” to the degree to which Pristina requests it, Markovic said, according to Tanjug, which quoted RTK’s Serbian language website. He also said that “regional countries have tradition, culture, and values” – but had “lost opportunities for a European perspective” due to “various historical circumstances.” Markovic told RTK’s correspondent from Montenegro that Podgorica “has no open issues with Pristina when it comes to the demarcation question,” and repeated that as far as Montenegro was concerned, this issue had been “closed.” And as Pristina is yet to ratify a relevant agreement, Markovic said he would on Tuesday “call on Kosovo PM Ramush Haradinaj to make a brave decision.”

REGIONAL PRESS

Izetbegovic: Third entity cannot be created without war (TV1/HRT1)

In an interview for HRT1, Bosniak member of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic commenting on HDZ B&H’s policy and relations between Bosniaks and Croats, said that the third entity cannot be formed without a conflict or war. “In the long run, this is one of the mechanisms by which Mr. HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic puts pressures on Bosniaks – ‘if you do not accept this, the third entity could be formed’. It cannot happen without a conflict or war. As I said, 60 percent of Croats live in B&H being mixed with Bosniaks. Where would they pull this borderline of the third entity, if they failed to pull it with the HVO back in 1993? After the joint criminal enterprise, demolitions in Herzegovina, demolitions of hundreds of mosques, after erasing the traces of Bosniaks, after the concentration camps such as ‘Dretelj’ and other things, they failed. How do they intend to do that with a pencil now? With whom do they intend to do that?” Izetbegovic argued and concluded that these are just the stories for voters.

He accused Covic of spreading the story about Bosniaks wanting to create an Islamic state in B&H. “Someone spread these kinds of absurd stories in Brussels, according to which we tend to create an Islamic state in B&H, which is supposed to undermine our position. Unfortunately, Mr. Covic repeated that in the presence of President of the European People’s Party Joseph Daul – that the Bosniak right-wing parties cause problems and want to create an Islamic republic in B&H”, Izetbegovic explained. “Bakir and Bosniaks will not start the conflict. We know who started the war here. It is better to tell them on time: Do not cross the red line,” said Izetbegovic and added that Bosniaks are trying to relax the situation in B&H unlike the Croats. “They cannot put up a cross over Mostar. Can you imagine how Croats would feel if a star and crescent were put up? Do not force Bosniak children to learn Croatian language, that Zagreb is their capital and give them report cards with checkers on it, which is what is happening in Central Bosnia,” said Izetbegovic.

Karamatic: Relations within B&H are changing (Glas Srpske)

Croat delegate in the House of Peoples of the B&H parliament Mario Karamatic (HSS) commented a statement of Bosniak member of the Presidency of B&H Bakir Izetbegovic, according to which a third entity cannot be created without a war, and he stated that Izetbegovic has shown once again that he never participated in the war, but spent the days in the bank vault. “His rhetoric is still based on a classic rhetoric of SDA – why is not he doing anything? Europe and the US have recognized the attempt of establishment of the Balkan caliphate – the Islamic caliphate in this region and that is now changing the relations,” said Karamatic. He also said that Europe and the US recognized attempts to establish “Balkans caliphate, i.e. Islamic caliphate in this area”, adding that this changes relations in B&H. He reminded that political Sarajevo harshly reacted when Presidents of Croatia and Czech Republic talked about thousands of possible terrorists in B&H, adding that political Sarajevo remains silent after the US warned of the same thing.

B&H Presidency Chairman Covic and EC President Juncker discuss EC Questionnaire (BHT1)

Chairman of the B&H Presidency Dragan Covic held a meeting with President of the European Commission (EC) Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Friday. According to announcements after the meeting, the answers to the EC Questionnaire for B&H will be handed over to Juncker in Sarajevo on February 28. The two officials assessed that the next two weeks will be of crucial importance for implementation of the decision of the Constitutional Court of B&H, referring to elections for both the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP) and B&H Presidency, which have to be carried out in a legitimate and constitutional manner. They announced that a number of meetings will be held with international legal experts and officials of the international community, at which an adequate solution will be definitely reached. Addressing reporters after the meeting, Covic warned that a serious crisis might occur in case of a stalemate in this process. “In general, we talked about the need to ensure legitimate representation in order to avoid any kind of stalemate. Yesterday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini especially warned us that we have to find a solution on our own. Solutions brought by someone from Europe or anywhere else in the world would be impossible to implement and they would hardly stabilize the political relations. Covic underlined that Bosniaks, as the most numerous people in B&H, must understand the need for legitimate representation of Croats which is in his opinion, the key for all solutions. Covic concluded by saying that officials must give their best within the next three months, not thinking what will happen in case of failure to implement election results and bringing the country into a political blockade.

SDA rejects possibility of changing Law on Elections of B&H without constitutional changes (FTV)

Commenting the announcement of HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic that the international community is expected to organize a meeting in Sarajevo in the next ten days to that experts can establish whether it will be necessary to change the Constitution in order to change the way in which B&H Presidency members and delegates in HoP are elected, SDA already announced that it will not accept such proposal. Deputy Speaker of B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Sefik Dzaferovic (SDA) said that it is simply not possible and added: “We had such proposal in B&H Parliament and that was an attempt to once again confirm or expand discrimination in B&H and we will not accept any solution that would drive us further away from rulings of the European Court of Human Rights”.

Dodik to launch initiative to have RS elect Serb member of B&H Presidency (RTRS)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik noted that the RS advocated direct election of one B&H Presidency member from the RS, since the constitution currently stipulates that one member should be a Serb. “I must say that I will launch the initiative to redefine this previous stance in order to maintain the current constitutional organization, so that the RS elects a Serb,” Dodik said. DNS leader Marko Pavic said that Dodik’s initiative is justified. On the other hand, SPRS’ Nedeljko Milakovic said that he thinks the RS meddles too much in the story on changes to the Law on Elections of B&H, while NDP leader Dragan Cavic assessed that Dodik made the statement for the sake of his election campaign. PDP’s Perica Bundalo noted that Dodik’s statement is unnecessary because the RS should insist only on certain technical changes to the Law on Elections of B&H.

Dodik’s announcement of his possible candidacy for member of B&H Presidency causes reactions (ATV)

RS President Milorad Dodik stated that it is possible he will be SNSD’s candidate for post of Serb member of the B&H Presidency in upcoming general elections. Dodik added that SNSD is yet to officially nominate its candidate for this post. Dodik’s statement caused reactions in the RS. Vice President of SNSD Nikola Spiric said that announcement of Dodik’s possible candidacy for post of Serb member of B&H Presidency caused panic among opposition parties in the RS. Leader of SP RS (SNSD’s coalition partner in the RS) Petar Djokic stated that his party will support nomination of Dodik for post of member of B&H Presidency. Djokic underlined that he believes Dodik has capacity to contribute to improvement of relations in B&H and preserving of its stability through one realistic policy that implies respect for the RS. DNS leader Marko Pavic stated that DNS can be part of some pre-election coalition only if this party will nominate its candidate for post of member of B&H Presidency or post of RS President. PDP Branislav Borenovic said that Dodik’s nomination for abovementioned post does not represent problem for the Alliance for Changes (SzP) because he will lose these elections. SDS’ Dragan Cuzulan stated that Dodik’s nomination is expected, and wondered whether it is good thing to have Dodik as candidate for any post, especially post of member of B&H Presidency – considering Dodik’s stance about B&H as “impossible state”. Reporter commented that some other parties are preparing for elections in B&H. Vice President of Main Board of SDP from the RS Vojin Mijatovic said that it is goal of SDP to return to the RS Assembly. Also, it is clear that Dragan Covic will be HDZ B&H’s candidate for post of member of B&H Presidency, while SDA’s candidate for B&H Presidency will most probably be Denis Zvizdic.

SBB B&H’s Djonlagic advocates strong engagement of international community (FTV)

When it comes to changes to the Law on Elections if B&H, SBB B&H representatives said they will not accept individual proposals of amendments to the Law on Elections of B&H in the upcoming period, until the two sides reach agreement on this issue. SBB B&H representative in the B&H HoR Mirsad Djonglagic stated that the only way out of this situation – in which key parties exclude each other – is strong engagement of the international community, noting that lack of political will was caused by mutual distrust between these parties.

Croatian President discusses her upcoming meeting with Serbian counterpart (Hina)

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said on Friday that she would talk sincerely and openly with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic so that the outstanding issues between the two countries could be dealt with as soon as possible. Grabar-Kitarovic said the visit had been prepared for months, “even longer”. “When we postponed it last year, we wanted the conditions to be right to talk with the Serbian president about all outstanding issues between the two states in a calmer atmosphere, without tensions.” “What we have seen in the past few days has indeed started to escalate to a verbal war between Croatia and Serbia. Very simply, I couldn’t allow that. I decided to put a stop to it. That’s my responsibility. That’s a statesman’s responsibility,” she said. She added that “in such a situation the easiest thing to do would be to look the other way, to postpone the visit again and do nothing, perhaps scoring political points along the way.” “I’m aware of the political risk this brings. However, politicians who care about their rating aren’t good for the state. One should be a statesman who thinks about what they will do for their people and their state in the end.” She said that “the sooner the tensions are defused, the easier will it be to talk about those issues… I believe that the sooner we begin to talk about those issues, the sooner will the time come to resolve them.” The President reiterated that for her “the issue of all issues is the search for the missing, for the people we are looking for, for our Croatian defenders, for civilians.” “I said the visit would be successful if the fate of even one person, even one Croatian defender and one civilian, is resolved.” “We are going into that meeting with the intention to talk honestly, to tell each other what the problems are, and to try to come closer in resolving them. There’s a range of topics that need to be talked about,” she said. The president said “Croatia and Serbia look differently on the past, on the 20th century… However, what we have to deal with are the consequences of that past, and that’s the missing, the many other issues resulting from the dissolution of the former state, such as the borderline, such as the archives and so on. I will be satisfied if we agree three to five elements on which we will start working immediately.” “If you don’t talk, you won’t resolve problems… We mustn’t be enemy states,” said Grabar-Kitarovic. Asked if there had been pressure from the European Union and the United States that she meets with Vucic, she said, “No, absolutely not… There have never been pressures… It was left up to us and Serbia to start resolving those issues as responsible states. But… there’s a lot of support for this meeting, from the US and the EU, even from Russia, which has also welcomed that visit.” “I believe and see by the reactions that a vast majority of both the Croatian and the Serbian people are tired of disputes from the past and wish us to embark on a better, more constructive future.”

Serbian President’s visit splits Croatia in unusual ways (Jutarnji list)

When Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic issued an invitation to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to arrive in an official visit to Croatia in mid-February, the news came as a surprise to many. The relations between the two countries have been tense since the 1990s war (and, within former Yugoslavia, for much longer), but have recently grown even worse, especially after the Serbian government in late January organized a controversial exhibition at the United Nations headquarters in New York about Jasenovac, the infamous concentration camp during the Second World War in Croatia, which caused a war of words between the two governments about the content of the exhibition. What is not surprising was the fact that the Serbian President has accepted the invitation, always eager to present himself internationally as a great fighter for peace and improved relations in the region, while at the same time allowing his officials to give much more jingoistic statements targeted at his more hardline voters.

However, the most surprising were the reactions which the invitation caused in Croatia, with some rightwing politicians supporting the President’s initiative and others saying that Vucic should at least apologize for statements given during a much more radical part of his political career, when he openly advocated for parts of Croatia’s territory to be taken over by Serbia. Somewhat unexpectedly, leftwing politicians have also not unanimously supported the invitation, perhaps falsely thinking that by criticizing the move they will earn a few votes of the more nationalistic voters, which will never happen. Most shockingly, it seems that the government was not informed that the invitation was coming, at least not at this precise moment, which is a further proof that the relations between the President and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic are not as good as many had expected them to be, although the President is a former HDZ member and was the party’s candidate at the last presidential elections (and is supposed to be the party’s nominee at the next elections in late 2019 as well). How cordial their relations are could best be seen just a few days ago, at the photo taken ahead of one of their supposedly regular meetings, with Prime Minister and speaker of parliament Jandrokovic looking like they would rather be anywhere else. The Prime Minister has so far remained mostly silent about the whole issue, while Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic was among those demanding an apology for Vucic’s 1990s statements. Quite unusual is the reaction of most of the hard-right in Croatia, which is known to react strongly against any kind of rapprochement with Serbia, although only when leftwing parties are in power. With the current President’s unofficial role as the “queen of the right,” it seems she can do whatever she wants without being called “a traitor” and “hater of everything which is Croatian,” which are accusations reserved for the other side of the political spectrum. There are no tent protests in front of her office and no threatening letters coming from veterans’ associations and self-proclaimed protectors of national interests. Presumably, most of them do not know what to think about all of this. After so many contradictory statements coming from the Croatian President, they are not sure what to believe about Vucic’s visit. Just a few months ago, the President cancelled Vucic’s then scheduled visit, saying that “a lot of water will pass through the Danube before Croatia and Serbia are able to consider themselves to be friendly countries.” The President has met with Vucic before, with a meeting on a bridge between Croatia and Serbia a few years ago being the most memorable one due to flowers being handed over, and she even attended his inauguration in Belgrade last year. At the same time, she infamously apologized for a “mistake” of giving some Croatians children Serbian chocolates. Therefore, many of her supporters are not sure whether they should, as one commentator wrote, consider Vucic to be “an old enemy or a new friend.” While the rightwing representatives are mostly keeping silent, the government led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, considered to be a more moderate politician, is quietly sending signals that the moment might not be the best one for such visit to occur. So, the situation is the reverse of what might have been expected just a few days ago, when many were ready to accuse Plenkovic of being too mild towards Serbia. Still, some of the conservative commentators were not able to hide their surprise with the President’s move, and openly asked her why she was inviting someone who should supposedly be ignored due to false allegations against Croatia which keep coming from Belgrade. Also, she is being accused that she has already launched a campaign for the next presidential elections and that the invitation to Vucic is just an attempt to try to win over some of the more moderate voters she has lost during the last three years. The news that the invitation received support from the Embassy of the United States in Croatia, which immediately issued a rare public statement, is for some just another proof that Croatia’s foreign policy, such as it exists, is led not from Zagreb, but from Brussels, Berlin and Washington, with the President being a puppet of the American authorities. The fact that the President, immediately before coming into office, was a high-ranking official at the NATO, and was formerly also the Croatian ambassador in Washington, does nothing to weaken the impression. On the left, the invitation has also caused divisions, with support coming from, for example, the leader of the Serb national minority in Croatia Milorad Pupovac, former Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic and former President Ivo Josipovic, who himself tried and partially succeeded in improving the relations between the two countries during his one presidential term from 2010 to 2015. His task was somewhat more manageable, since for the first two years he had as his counterpart Serbian President Boris Tadic, a much more acceptable politician to many in Croatia. After Tadić lost his re-election campaign in 2012, he was replaced by Tomislav Nikolic, who as a former “Chetnik duke” was persona non grata for everybody in Croatia. Interestingly, he used to be Vucic’s political mentor. On the other hand, some of the other supposedly liberal politicians have decided to use this opportunity to try to improve their patriotic credentials and criticize the President for what is undoubtedly one of her better decisions in the last three years. Despite all the protests, the visit will hopefully take place, and that is good news. We can only hope that it will not be just a symbolic step, but that real progress will be achieved in at least some of the many open issues between Croatia and Serbia. The best opportunity for that will be a meeting between Vucic and Croatian Prime Minister Plenkovic since they are the ones who actually hold the real power in the two countries. Although Croatia and Serbia share similar constitutional arrangements, with governments being much more powerful than the presidents, in Serbia Vucic is the one making all the crucial decisions, while Prime Minister Ana Brnabic’s role is to present Serbia as being more tolerant and diverse than it really is than, and not to make any crucial decisions. A more likely scenario is for the visit to produce just a few high-minded statements, with relations between the two countries returning to their regular cycle of slight improvements followed by extended period of tensions. Still, some might say that even avoidance of further deterioration might be counted as a success.

VCG officers in missions to Kosovo and Macedonia (CDM)

At the session of Defense and Security Council chaired by President of Montenegro Filip Vujanovic and Council members Ivan Brajovic and Prime Minister Dusko Markovic, the decision on the participation of members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro (VCG) in international exercises in 2018 with an assessment of their importance for further development of abilities and experience of VCG. After discussion, the report on participation of VCG members in international exercises in 2017 was adopted, affirming the importance and value of this participation. “It was noted that in these international military exercises, the ability and confidence were developed among the members of NATO, partner countries and the countries of the region,” Vujanovic’s office stated. The Council established a draft decision on sending members of the Armed Forces of Montenegro to the international Resolute Support mission to Afghanistan. According to it, up to 40 members of VCG will participate in it with the possibility of rotation. The Council also established draft decision on the participation of VCG members in the KFOR (Kosovo Force) mission in the Republic of Kosovo with the involvement of two staff officers, one of which will be deployed at the Mission Command in Pristina, and the other in the Regional Command of the Mission in Skopje. The draft decisions will be submitted to the Parliament of Montenegro for the final decision.

140.000 people attended the “Macedonia is Greek” protest, part of them clashed with anarchists (MIA)

 The Greek police announced that during the “Macedonia is Greek” protest, that is taking place in the center of Athens, 140.000 people attended the protest and they arrived there from all corners of Greece with 283 buses, reports MIA. Parallel to the protest at the Syntagma square, only 800 meters away, anarchistic and antifascist organizations have organized a contra-protest which led to clashes, and the police reacted with teargas. At the protest, the Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, various metropolitan bishops of the Greek Orthodox Church and the organizers addressed the protestors. Theodorakis criticized the Greek government and said that Macedonia is Greek and has asked for a referendum. “If a Greek government is even considering to sign the approval for a composite name, there is no other choice but to ask the Greek nation about it. I call upon the MPs who have the right to call for a referendum,” said Theodorakis. The house of the Greek composer was sprayed with a red color before he went to attend the protest.

Ahmeti: Possible referendum on the name could complicate the process (Meta)

A possible referendum in Macedonia regarding the new name of the country which would be agreed by Macedonia and Greece could complicate the process, DUI’s leader Ali Ahmeti said at a meeting with the MEPs from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Victor Bostinaru, Tanja Fajon and Tonino Picula. At the meeting, Ahmeti stressed that a compromise regarding the name dispute should be reached now “respecting the characteristics of the parties and thinking about their common future in the Euro-Atlantic family”. “Ahmeti welcomed the willingness of the MEPs and said that the period ahead is crucial, not only for Macedonia, but also for the whole region. He assured guests that the courage would not be lacking and repeated that any solution could be reached sooner by ratifying any agreement regarding the name in Parliament, while a possible referendum could complicate the entire process”. The DUI’s leader stressed that the implementation of systemic reforms will not stop in the country and went on to express confidence that the opposition will participate in such a process for the benefit of all.

Representatives of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament group said they were giving full support to the agenda of the parliamentary majority and the government, making themselves available to help Macedonia and the region.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

EU needs commitment to rights in West Balkans (EUobserver, by Todor Gardos, 5 February 2018)

On February 6, the European Commission will present its new strategy for the enlargement of the EU. People in the Western Balkans may greet the news with scepticism. But if the EU institutions and states are really willing to end the EU’s policy drift and commit to support human rights and the rule of law in the region instead of sclerosis in the name of stability, it could be a new beginning. The Bulgarian presidency is already committed to bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU, including by organising a dedicated summit in May in Sofia that could create momentum. Western Balkans states have struggled for the best part of the last 25 years to emerge from the devastation of the conflicts leading to the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. The transition to become stable and rights-respecting democratic societies that respect the rule of law is incomplete. Reckless politicians use the ‘ethnic card’ when convenient, undoing years of rapprochement between former enemies, or blocking exchanges between experts. Judicial cooperation aimed at uncovering the truth, prosecuting war criminals, or finding mass graves would benefit all sides, yet evading truth has become the norm. Investigations are stalled or discontinued, prosecutions are rare, convicted war criminals are glorified as heroes. For most of this decade, the EU’s efforts to use its leverage and influence to set the Western Balkans on a democratic, rights-respecting course have been shallow. Progress reports linked formalistically to the ‘Copenhagen’ accession criteria have asserted that progress was being made while reports from non-governmental organisations continued to shed a light on a more worrying reality.

Toothless

And as the repeated failure to end political discrimination in the Bosnian constitution shows, leaders in the region know that the EU’s calls for them to uphold human rights have been toothless. Meanwhile EU leaders have tended to pay attention to the region only when political violence flares – as with the recent killing of Oliver Ivanovic, a northern Mitrovica based Serb politician – or the threat of violence looms large. This minimalist policy has failed people in the Balkans. Limited political and criminal accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity has left open wounds for the victims of the conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo and Macedonia. Political deadlock between the nationalist parties and ethnically divided entities in Bosnia, and antagonism between Belgrade and Pristina are as current as ever. The impact of groundbreaking trials at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, which wound up operations, has not carried over to national courts. And the EU has shown little interest in prosecutions in national courts, with the belated exception of the special court on Kosovo, which politicians in Kosovo are busy trying to undermine. Nor have they supported a regional truth commission to establish a single narrative of the conflicts and help people come to terms with the past, a move long advocated by civil society groups. Incomplete transitions and stagnant economies have created distrust toward government. Politicians in the region, increasingly irritated by critics in civil society and the media, focus their energies on stifling the critics. Nor do they shy away from interfering in the justice system in ways that compromise its independence.

Maximum leverage before accession

EU officials know from experience that transformative reforms are best demanded while talks are ongoing. Afterward can be too late. Think of Croatia, where the lack of rigorous post-accession monitoring meant the country continued to sponsor and glorify war criminals well after it entered the EU in 2013, or indeed Romania, where the rule of law is a real concern today.

The symbolic significance of joining the EU may have faded – few can really believe that any new Balkan states will join by 2025, but the prospect still carries significant potential for improvement across the whole spectrum of social-economic and civil and political rights.

To ensure that a new strategy can deliver on this potential, it needs to include robust monitoring and enforcement systems. Legal reforms only count if they are implemented in a reliable and sustainable way. If the EU is serious this time, then it needs to put forward a more ambitious and determined effort to position rights and the rule of law – the core Copenhagen criteria – back on top of the enlargement agenda.

Todor Gardos is a Europe researcher at Human Rights Watch