LOCAL PRESS 

Vucic: Serbia in a complex environment (Beta/RTS) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday that Serbia is in a very complex environment and complex political situation, and that this is precisely why the Serbian Army is needed as a guarantor of peace and stability and to deter attacks on our country. “We have many more things to do considering the fact that everyone in our surroundings is dramatically arming themselves. It is our obligation to have at all times enough strength, enough power to protect our country and preserve it, and the Serbian Army will be capable of doing so at every moment,” Vucic said after meeting with Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic and Chief of Staff Milan Mojsilovic, the Ministry of Defense reported in a statement. Vucic stressed that he had discussed strengthening cooperation with domestic armament factories with the General and Minister Stefanovic, and that the Ministry of Defense will hold additional and special talks. In another statement, Vucic said that the country’s political position in terms of regional stability was difficult and uncertain. He said that everyone in the region was arming themselves and that the Albanians had bought new weapons, as had Kosovo.

Vucic briefs Botsan-Kharchenko on Serbia’s stances ahead of Monday’s resumption of discussions in Brussels (Tanjug/RTV/RTS) 

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Russian Ambassador Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko on Friday to discuss topics of mutual interest, in particular bilateral cooperation.

Vucic and Botsan-Kharchenko reviewed the progress of works to build a Stara Pazova-Novi Sad rail line and said they were pleased the final rail tracks would be laid down soon. They said the works were progressing at the set pace, the presidential press office said in a statement.

Vucic and Botsan-Kharchenko exchanged views on a series of regional and global issues.

Vucic briefed Botsan-Kharchenko on the state of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and on Serbia’s stances ahead of Monday’s resumption of discussions in Brussels, reiterating his gratitude for Russia’s active support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia. The parties also discussed the health situations in Serbia and Russia regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and voiced concern over a growing number of infections, expressing the hope that an increase in the number of vaccinated citizens would stop the trend.

Pristina’s attempt to appropriate Serbian cultural heritage (Tanjug/RTV) 

“The Serbian Ministry of Culture and Information, on the occasion of the farce on seeking compensation from Belgrade for alleged destruction of monuments, underlines that at issue is another step by Pristina in the escalation of nonsense,” the Ministry reacted regarding the announcement on establishing a “commission for documenting the destruction of Kosovo’s cultural heritage during the war in 1998 and 1999”. “In this process, Pristina has long since lost its way in trying to pretend to be concerned about cultural heritage and is showing its real motives more and more openly. As we have pointed out on several occasions, this is an attempt to recklessly appropriate Serbian cultural heritage and abuse it in the function of creating the illusion of legitimacy of the so-called institutions,” the Ministry said in a statement. It is stressed that this attempt by Pristina, primarily addressed to the international public, starts from the bad assumption that it will achieve its unilateral and destructive agenda by clumsily imitating a state, in which cultural heritage is exclusively intended as a smoke screen and a hostage. “In this case, the accusation of those who nurture the decades-long achievements of destroying the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is especially obscure, precisely at the expense of those who dedicated and sacrificed themselves for that cultural heritage,” the statement added. The Ministry recalled that through the 90’s, 2004 and the systematic destruction, burning and desecration of Serbian monuments, churches and monasteries, until today, the destruction of Serbian cultural heritage in order to erase the traces of the Serb people has continuity. The only thing that is new is that such attacks and false accusations against Serbia have now been added to the usual forms of physical violence. “However, anyone who believes that because of the obvious absurdity, such transparent attempts will remain unanswered, is mistaken once again. The Ministry of Culture and Information will continue to tirelessly point out to the deceit, trickery, and cheap tricks and provocations, bearing in mind the essential importance and exceptional value of our cultural treasure for our national identity, and for the world heritage,” the Serbian Ministry of Culture and Information said in the statement.

Serbian authorities, opposition meet without EU mediation (N1) 

Serbian opposition and ruling coalition parties met in parliament on Thursday for another round of the inter-party dialogue without the mediation of European Parliament officials. The meeting was chaired by parliament speaker and Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) leader Ivica Dacic and was attended by senior officials of the Dveri Movement, Dosta Je Bilo party, Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), Zavetnici movement and Serbian Radical Party (SRS). The meeting focused on the reporting of pro-government media – TV Pink and TV Happy and Vecernje Novosti and Politika dailies. Dveri Movement leader Bosko Obradovic was the only meeting participant to speak to the media afterwards, saying that the spokespeople for the pro-government media promised to submit scheduling plans which would allow a greater opposition presence. He said that was the greatest result of the meetings to date, adding that he expects the authorities to voice their stand on opposition demands in the next few days.

Djilas: We will not take part in elections if EP proposals cater to Vucic (Nova/Beta) 

Freedom and Justice Party leader Dragan Djilas has said that a number of opposition parties will not take part in the upcoming elections if the proposal for improving the election process, to be made by the European Parliament mediators, caters to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, but will organize protests instead. “We will send our demands to the Europeans by 1 August, I believe that they will make proposals that will be acceptable for us to participate in the elections. If they are proposals that cater to Vucic, with the idea, ‘Why don’t you just take part in the elections so we can breathe a sigh of relief’, we will not participate in those elections,” Djilas told Nova. Djilas underscored that in that case he would invite citizens to a protest and fight for the election conditions and free elections on the street. “I hope that it will not happen this time, that the pressure from Europe will be enough for them to relent in what they have done so far, to get back to normal a bit, so that people can hear us, and we will take part in such elections and win them,” Djilas stressed. He also said he believed the opposition would manage to gain the minimum, i.e. elections that were at least a little fair. “Far from what they should be, but to make it possible to participate in them nevertheless,” he said.

REGIONAL PRESS 

Softic: There is campaign against OSA (Oslobodjene)  

SDA Vice President and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) MP Safet Softic, asked if the arrest of OSA Director Osman Mehmedagic can be considered as HDZ B&H’s final attempt to secure changes to the Election Law and undermine the state along with the SNSD, first underlined that there are blatant attempts to undermine B&H OSA through obstructing the work of B&H Commission for Supervision over OSA Work. Secondly, he underlines, everyone witnesses that several indictments have been filed against Mehmedagic which are being rejected and thirdly he deems that the arrest is a part of the campaign against OSA.  Softic argues that it will be interesting to see what stance the Court of B&H will take in this case and how they will decide about the detention measure, underlining that “in the end Court is the institution which we should trust”.  

Dodik: Apprehension of Mehmedagic is entertainment of Bosniak political and police circles (Srna/O kanal)  

In a statement for Srna, member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said that the apprehension of Director of the Intelligence-Security Agency (OSA) of B&H Osman Mehmedagic is “entertainment of Bosniak political and police circles” in which no one from the Republika Srpska (RS), or at least from SNSD, wants to participate. Dodik reminded that serious suspicions that Mehmedagic committed criminal offenses were presented in the public a long time ago. He added that despite of this, SDA insisted that Mehmedagic should get another mandate. According to Dodik, all developments in this case, including orchestrated protests before premises of Prosecutor’s Office of “remind of a circus with well-known clowns.” He assessed that the OSA has been an anti-Serb agency working against the RS, Serbia and Serb people in general. Dodik was quoted as saying: “If anyone from the RS could or wanted to influence the process in the ‘Mehmedagic’ case, as is vilely suggested from Sarajevo, they should explain how it is that a Muslim is a prosecutor, that he is detained by Muslim police and who can seriously accept that someone from the RS has influence on them. This is how we have a play for the public that will end like everything similar before it. I will not and do not want to participate in that play”. Speaking of the Muslim prosecutor and the Muslim police, Dodik has consciously avoided the constitutional name Bosniak, added the reporter. At the beginning of 2020, Dodik spoke about the verification of Mehmedagic’s diploma in Banja Luka when he stated: “Here we have some universities, faculties that were given certificates earlier, that issued fake diplomas. They must be held accountable. I am in favor of closing that University immediately”. Dodik also said: “This is another proof of hopelessness called B&H. It can be noticed that no foreigner, and especially Americans and Europeans these days, talk about crime, corruption and similar epithets dear to them. For even less knowledgeable that is enough.”  

Novakovic Bursac: Mehmedagic’s arrest speaks a lot about state of B&H; Majkic: Statements of senior SDA officials who protect Mehmedagic say enough about situation (Glas Srpske)  

Head of SNSD Caucus in the B&H House of Representatives Snjezana Novakovic Bursac stated that the arrest of Director of B&H Intelligence and Security Agency (OSA) Osman Mehmedagic speaks a lot about B&H. “The very fact that the Director of an institution is under investigation for things such as inadequate education and suspicion about methods of obtaining property is vividly illustrating what the state of B&H looks like when it is made to suit the interests of political Sarajevo whose distinguished member he is,” said Novakovic Bursac.   

SNSD delegate in the B&H parliament Dusanka Majkic said that in any normal country, the arrest of the director of the state intelligence agency would be publicly supported after it was discovered that he is suspected of committing several crimes. She added that the statements of senior officials of SDA who protect Mehmedagic say enough about the situation.  

Stevandic: SDA is interfering in judicial process, Niksic needs to convene session of Joint Commission on Supervision of Work of OSA (Nezavisne)  

Member of the B&H parliament’s Joint Commission on Supervision of the Work of Intelligence and Security Agency of B&H (OSA) Nenad Stevandic commented the arrest of OSA Director Osman Mehmedagic and SDA’s harsh reactions to it. According to Stevandic, SDA is interfering with the judicial process although it had the opportunity in the past to control who is appointed to the post of OSA Director and what kind of qualifications and diplomas that person possesses. Stevandic underlined that Chairman of the Joint Commission on Supervision of the Work of OSA Nermin Niksic needs to convene a session of the Commission to discuss Mehmedagic’s arrest.  

Russia, China submit draft resolution to lift High Representative’s mandate to UN Security Council; Russian Embassy to B&H: It is being worked on resolution (ATV)  

Russia and China proposed a resolution for the abolition of the Office of High Representative (OHR) in B&H to the UN Security Council (UN SC). The draft of the resolution proposes the stripping of all competences from the High Representative, because the competences given to the High Representative in 1997 are not necessary anymore due to the progress made by political parties in B&H. The draft supports the appointment of Christian Schmidt as a High Representative and proposes for his mandate to last until 31 July 2022, when the OHR would be closed. SNSD believes that the adoption of this resolution would support the conclusions adopted by the RS parliament about the abolition of the OHR. The Russian Embassy to B&H did not provide details on the content of the resolution, but they confirmed that it is being worked on. The Russian Embassy to B&H issued a statement: “Earlier, we emphasized our assessments and our position on the procedure for appointing a new High Representative to B&H, which stipulates the consent of the UN Security Council. Work is currently underway on a resolution proposed by the Russian Federation to the UN Security Council. We assume that all the necessary comments will be given upon completion of this work”. Professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Istocno Sarajevo Radomir Lukic said that the fact is that the draft resolution is offered by China and Russia and all Western countries mark China and Russia as the main threat to their national security. According to Lukic, because of that, the resolution may encounter resistance from Western countries, which do not have a good policy towards B&H. In addition to depriving the RS of its competencies, rewriting the Constitution, and imposing laws, the High Representative to B&H is disputable, according to Lukic, because his presence is an obstacle for the three factors in B&H to come to understanding. The news about the initiative of Russia and China was welcomed by the representatives of the ruling and opposition parliamentary parties from the RS, with the message that the resolution is an acceptable, principled position by which B&H would finally be left to domestic actors.   

RS officials welcome draft resolution of Russia and China delivered to UN SC (Nezavisne)  

RS politicians assessed that the draft resolution on abolition of powers of the High Representative, which Russia and China delivered to the UN Security Council (UN SC), might represent a chance for B&H if it wants to move forward. Chair of RS SNSD Caucus Igor Zunic said that the adoption of the resolution in the UN SC would also assign significance to the RS parliament conclusions, according to which B&H does not need the High Representative.   

Chair of RS DEMOS Caucus Spomenka Stevanovic said that even the worst agreement of domestic representatives would have been better than any solution imposed from abroad. Chair of RS SDS Caucus Miladin Stanic said that the draft resolution of Russia and China is acceptable. Chair of RS PDP Caucus Perica Bundalo too expressed his support to the draft resolution and said that the draft resolution once again showed that Russia and China are friends of the RS and Serb people. NPS leader Darko Banjac said that the draft resolution shows that there are conscious countries in the international community, which know that “the High Representative is the generator of crises, misunderstandings and failures to reach agreements in B&H”. Chair of RS United Srpska Caucus Kostadin Vasic said that this is a good move of Russia and China because the High Representative should not exist in B&H at all. Leader of United Srpska Nenad Stevandic said that it is a shame of the West to have Russia and China teach them about democracy. Chair of the Serb Caucus in the House of Peoples (HoP) of B&H Sredoje Novic said that the draft resolution represents a compromise and assessed that this is good if B&H wants to move forward. “It seems to me that this is a reasonable proposal and solution and that they would be willing to accept the new High Representative if his mandate is limited to maximum one year,” Novic said. The daily reminded that the draft resolution noted that the powers granted to the High Representative are no longer needed because of the progress B&H achieved and it expressed support to the appointment of Christian Schmidt as the High Representative until 31 July next year, when the Office of the High Representative should be shut down. The Foreign Affairs Advisor of Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik, Ana Trisic-Babic, said that it is especially important to see that China got actively engaged in solving of this matter because this indicates that compromise might be reached after all.   

Softic: I am optimistic Schmidt will bring certain changes and new turn (Oslobodjenje)  

SDA Vice President and B&H MP Safet Softic, asked about expectations form new High Representative Christian Schmidt and if he expects stronger engagement, said that he attended a commemoration on July 11 in Stuttgart, where he met with Bundestag member Josip Juratovic with whom he discussed the engagement of the new HR and German policy in B&H. Softic noted that after this meeting he is hugely optimistic that Schmidt could bring certain changes and a new turn in B&H. “I believe that a new policy and new energy is coming with the new HR. Based on what was possible to hear about Mr. Schmidt from the man who knows his political stances, my expectations have significantly increased,” said Softic. Asked about the new Resolution proposed by Russian and China in the UN Security Council, Softic said that he believes that this is Russia’s reaction to their inability to prevent Schmidt’s appointment in UN SC and attempt to “save face”. Softic argues that there are clear directions what needs to be done in order for the OHR to close down and they are presented in ‘5+2 Agenda’, arguing that he does not believe that decrease of competences of and possible closing down of the OHR will be decided upon in any other way. Asked if he thinks that the EU will take a firmer stance and stand by US policy in the Balkans, thus containing the appetites of domestic stakeholders, as well as Russia and China, Softic said that these are global issues, but what is realistic is that everyone has high expectations from the new US Administration, but stressed that he is encouraged by higher coordination level between the EU and USA after the election of Joe Biden. He believes that this will eventually result in benefits for B&H. Asked about the political crisis in B&H and whom he considers the most responsible, Softic said that the situation in B&H is very complex and can be treated as a serious crisis. He assumes that basis of all the issues is in the Election Law of B&H and because of this he deems that HDZ B&H and its leader Dragan Covic are the most responsible ones, arguing that because of HDZ B&H the election results from 2018 were never fully implemented and the Federation of B&H (FB&H) still has a government in technical mandate. Commenting the relations between SNSD and HDZ B&H, Softic said that there is a strategic partnership between two parties and it is very obvious that there is a synergy in the parliaments and governments and all bodies where these parties are represented. “There is a synergy, there are certain joint political goals which are supported also by neighboring countries, Croatia and Serbia. There is also a sort of dilemma of the international community, which has its obligations and rights in B&H, which these two parties are trying to use in order to additionally weaken state institutions and everything that makes B&H more stable. It is only logical that they will accuse SDA for such situation and that in such way they will in fact cover up what they are doing. Each day we have on the scene new episodes of weakening of the state, humiliating of the state and state institutions said,” Softic. Asked about the process of electoral reform, Softic said that if they truly want to reach the agreement, HDZ B&H will have to redefine their stances and goals and set them within the realistic framework – “simply said, if HDZ and Mr. Covic had accepted Fuele’s model, today probably Mr. Covic would have been sitting in B&H Presidency and not (Zeljko) Komsic”.  He however said that he is convinced that this year will bring a certain progress in this regard, but underlined that talks on electoral reform have to be led with presence of other parties and competent institutions, most notably B&H Central Election Commission. Softic stressed that major issues, such is election of B&H Presidency and houses of peoples have to include the international community. As for the work of IAWG on electoral reform, Softic said that they can do a lot, but certain major issues, which interfere with Constitution of B&H require stronger decision-making level and presence of the IC. He deems that IAWG can do a lot in terms of stealing of votes, election committees and everything that is tied to the election process. Asked about SDP’s proposal for rationalization of the FB&H and HDZ counter-proposal for abolition of the FB&H, Softic said that both proposals are unrealistic, arguing that it is difficult to reach agreement even on less important issues. He briefly commented recent departures from SDA, most notably case of Denis Zvizdic, and Softic said that while he regrets Zvizdic’s departure, SDA is a big party and people will come and go. He argues that all these events made it clear that SDA needs an internal reform.  

EU Integration (Dnevni list/Glas Srpske)  

SDA President Bakir Izetbegovic met with German Ambassador to B&H Margret Uebber to talk about the current situation in B&H. Special focus was on reform processes and meeting of 14 priorities from the European Commission’s Opinion. According to the article, it was jointly assessed that it is necessary that all relevant political stakeholders invest additional energy in order to accelerate the European path of B&H and that the country gets the status of an EU candidate. The SDA President thanked Ambassador Uebber for the constant support Germany provides to B&H on its Euro-Atlantic path and implementation of necessary political and economic reforms. Two officials also talked about the Coronavirus pandemic and response to economic consequences caused by the pandemic. Meanwhile, B&H Council of Ministers Chairman Zoran Tegeltija met on Thursday with Norwegian Ambassador to B&H Olav Reinertsen. Tegeltija told Reinertsen that B&H has fulfilled enough measures to have its EU integration process qualified as successful. According to Tegeltija, B&H meritoriously deserves the status of EU candidate. He underlined that the status of EU candidate would send the positive message to B&H citizens that the EU is counting on B&H. Tegeltija also stated that additional efforts need to be invested in improving trade exchange with Norway and creating new opportunities for Norwegian investments.  

Milanovic attends trilateral meeting with his Austrian and Slovenian counterparts (HRT1)  

This is the 8th trilateral meeting of the three country’s presidents, and the third to be hosted by Slovenia, which is also the current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency. President Zoran Milanovic was in Slovenia on Thursday, where he participated in a trilateral meeting with the presidents of Austria and Slovenia, Alexander Van der Bellen and Borut Pahor. The focus of discussion was on the future of EU enlargement and recovery from the corona-crisis. The three presidents agreed that it is necessary to accelerate vaccination, but that this shouldn’t be done in a repressive way. For his part, Milanovic openly questioned the practice of pressuring citizens to get vaccinated: “My patience with those who do not wish to get vaccinated is considerable. As is my bewilderment. However, I believe that any form of repression from the administrative branch, is a road to tyranny, and the despotism of one group of people. This is where I see dangerous conspiracy, not in people getting poisoned from the vaccination and all other form of nonsense we have been hearing.” Milanovic went on to question the logic of forcing people who have been vaccinated to wear face masks. With regard to the European perspective of Southeast Europe, all three presidents agreed that the EU should open its doors to those countries as soon as possible. Milanovic said he had briefed his colleagues of the problems in B&H, specifically the need to reform the election law. Milanovic said he went to B&H because of “hard and thankless” job, which is his duty because he is the Croatian President. Milanovic further noted he wanted to inform his “friends and colleagues”, “people who know something about it, about problems in B&H”. The Croatian President further noted there is one common thing in Europe when it comes to B&H, in other words ignorance when it comes to people in senior positions. “Devil is in the detail, in this case it is not hidden in the detail, the devil is in whole body, but it is no incurable. It is the Croats’ right to elect their representatives,” said Milanovic. Pahor warned that if that perspective is not available to them, that space will be filled by others who do not have noble goals like the EU. Pahor also said that he believes in an imminent solution to Bulgaria’s blockade of Northern Macedonia’s accession talks and believes it will restore the EU’s credibility and people’s trust in the EU. Van der Bellen announced that he would raise the issue during his upcoming meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev.   

HNS Main Council: Change Law on Elections in line with principle of status of constituent people of three peoples (Vecernji list)  

The Main Council of the Croat People’s Assembly (HNS), which met on Thursday, stated it took note information about the process of talks about changes to the Law on Elections of B&H and that the Main Council is giving its full support to the Croat representatives in the process. “We also expect that our partners demonstrate political responsibility and support changes to the Law on Elections in line with the basic principle of the Constitution of B&H, the principle of status of constituent people and equality of the three peoples and all citizens of B&H, and in line with judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and decisions of the Constitutional Court of B&H,” reads a statement issued by the HNS Main Council. The Main Council also adopted, on basis of conclusion of the HNS Presidency, a decision on making od the demographic strategy and revitalization.  

Welcoming Djukanovic with the highest state honors (CdM)  

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, who is on an official visit to Slovakia, is welcomed in Bratislava with the highest military and state honors. Djukanovic traveled to Bratislava at the invitation of his Slovak colleague Zuzana Chaputova. Montenegro and Slovakia are historical friends, and it is up to us to show respect for that tradition and to upgrade it, Dukanovic wrote on Twitter. “In the continuation of the visit, Presidents Dukanovic and Chaputova had a tete-a-tete conversation, which will continue at the meeting of the delegations of Montenegro and Slovakia and the gala lunch organized by the President of Slovakia,” Dukanovic’s cabinet announced.  

As previously announced, Dukanovic will also meet with Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger, President of the National Council of Slovakia Boris Kolar and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Ivan Korcak. On the second day of his visit to Bratislava, President Dukanovic will be the exclusive guest of the conference “Western Balkans: A Key Part of the European Security Puzzle” organized by GLOBSEC. President Dukanovic’s official visit to Slovakia represents a continuity of dialogue at the highest level and a confirmation of friendly relations, as well as an opportunity for more detailed talks on bilateral relations, processes in the region, European integration and cooperation within NATO.  

Krivokapic meets with IPU President Pacheco (Gov. Press service)  

Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic hosted the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), H. E. Duarte Pacheco. Krivokapic expressed satisfaction that he had the opportunity to host for the first time the President of the Union, which is a global organization of national parliaments, and which aims to protect and build global democracy through political dialogue and concrete action. In the context of the last parliamentary elections in Montenegro and the refreshed political scene, as well as the events during the pandemic, Krivokapic welcomed and supported the vision and current mission of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which is convergent with current processes in Montenegrin society, where every citizen and every vote is slowly becoming important, and democracy and parliament are beginning to fully ensure peace, dialogue, human rights and equality, empowering young people and developing society.  

“I congratulate you on your appointment and wish you successful presidency. I hope that the dialogical spirit of parliamentarism will be dominant. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for everything that Portugal has done during its Presidency of the Council of the European Union, especially during the Intergovernmental Conference, which resulted in strong support for the countries of the Western Balkans. The task of this government is to make Montenegrin society truly civil and democratic, to create an environment in which the citizen will be able to vote freely for the best representatives, who will truly fight for the benefit of the people,” Krivokapic said. Krivokapic informed Pacheco about the government’s initiative for consistent respect for the principles of gender equality and rejuvenation of professional staff, which is compatible with the global vision of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. This government is not guided by political, but fundamental, state interests. One third of the government are women, our exceptional colleagues, and the two ministers together are as old as the Prime Minister. Having in mind these parameters, the current government has made a revolutionary step forward in relation to the previous ones, Krivokapic said.  Pacheco said that national democracies can and should learn from each other, and that it is important for any democracy to have understanding between the parties. “The essence of democracy is to put the state and general interest before personal and party interest. Dialogue is the key to all problems and solutions are found within the system. I would commend the inclusiveness I find in both the Montenegrin parliament and the government, and when it comes to women MPs, ministers and young MPs,” said Pacheco.  

Pahor: Compromise acceptable for Macedonia and Bulgaria needed (Republika)  

Presidents of Croatia, Austria and Slovenia, Zoran Milanovic, Alexander Van der Bellen and Borut Pahor respectively, held the eighth annual trilateral meeting at Slovenia’s Kostanjevica na Krki on Thursday, focusing on the Conference on the Future of Europe, recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the European perspective of the Western Balkans, primarily the Bulgarian blockade to Macedonia. Pahor expressed hope that a compromise could be reached by the October summit, which would open the door to Macedonia’s EU membership talks. We all understand the complexity of this process. Special emphasis is placed on the issue of a compromise that would be accepted by Macedonia and Bulgaria. This is one of the few measurable results of the Slovenian presidency. If we succeed, which will not be easy, then we can say that we have done a lot for EU enlargement to the Western Balkans, because we will strengthen confidence in the credibility of the Union, which previously promised Macedonia that if it fulfills all conditions related to the Greek blockade, it will get the “green light” for the start of negotiations, said the Slovenian president. The Croatian President stressed that impossible conditions should not be set for Macedonia, which interfere in the intimate space of the nation.  

Mickoski-Jan Kop: Netherlands supports the need for rule of law reforms (Republika)  

VMRO-DPMNE leader Hristijan Mickoski, accompanied by the party’s International Secretary Timco Mucunski, met Thursday with the Dutch Ambassador to Macedonia Dirk Jan Kop.  

At the meeting, Mickoski thanked for the principled support of the Netherlands aimed at the need for rule of law reforms, but also stressed that Macedonia remains the most corrupt country in Europe, which in recent years has failed to take concrete steps to address systemic shortcomings. Mickoski stressed the strategic commitment of VMRO-DPMNE for full-fledged EU membership based on values and standards instead of blackmail that does not comply with the founding treaties of the bloc. The interlocutors affirmed the need for fair and credible local elections this fall.  

Catching the Big Fish: Low-Grade officials at the MoI responsible for 28 million USD scandal (Tirana Times)  

In Albania, the battle against corruption starts and ends at the bottom. Nine government officials were indicted last Friday by the Special Prosecution Services for rigging tender procedures related to the purchase of police uniforms. It is estimated that a single uniform cost the ministry of interior close to 3000 USD. The former minister in charge of the MOI claims to have no knowledge of the events, even though he was publicly accused by a MP of rigging the tender procedures. The former general secretary of the MOI also claims to have no knowledge of the events, although he made sure to sue the Democratic Party for libel when it publicly accused him in 2020 for allowing this tender procedure to take place. It is unclear if anyone has even asked the Prime-Minister whether he was aware of the fact that 28 million USD were taken from the state budget and used to purchase overpriced, low-quality police uniforms. What does he have to do with this, after all? In the Nordic countries, where levels of corruption in government are negligible, one could have expected the public to genuinely believe that this scandal was in fact an isolated affair, perpetrated by a small group of underpaid and perhaps resentful officials, who suddenly decided to essentially steal 28 million Dollars from the state budget, and who seriously thought they could get away with it. If Albania were part of the Nordic countries, the explanation given by the government regarding its own lack of responsibility for this event would have been plausible. The government would have most certainly resigned, but the people would have believed them. Far from being part of the Nordic Countries, Albania constantly ranks as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, and given that the Socialist Party has ruled the country for almost a decade, it would not be a stretch to say that the Albanian government is one of the most corrupt governments in Europe. A few years ago, a former Minister of the Interior was tried under international drug trafficking charges. Just last week, his former bodyguards were arrested under the same charges due to their involvement in an international drug smuggling ring consisting of high ranking police officers and other government officials. These officials were part of the same government which paid a shell corporation that had deposited falsified documentation to the Albanian authorities 40 million Euros for the construction of a two-kilometer road in the center of Tirana a few years earlier. And again, the government which professes not to interfere in public tendering procedures is the same one which was forced by an International Arbitration Court to pay 100 million Euros to an Italian Investor for using governments agencies to illegally seize his assets. Corruption scandals are ever-present in Albanian politics, so much so that the public has become desensitized. A scandal of this nature would require an overhaul of the governance structure in the Ministry of Interior at the least, but nobody has sought to organize such protests, and it is very likely that this scandal will blow over in a few days. Although the Albanian public is rather apathetic when it comes to matters of government corruption, such apathy should never be confused with naiveté, for nobody in Albania believes that corruption starts and ends at the bottom.  

Kim: US assistance is bringing Western Balkans closer to EU (ADN)   

From the Qafe-Thana border crossing, US Ambassador to Tirana Yuri Kim said that US assistance is making the Western Balkans more secure, more democratic and more business-friendly. Present at the ceremony of donating equipment from USAID to the customs authorities, Kim said that she supports the EU integration of Albania and Northern Macedonia. “I am here to highlight how US assistance is making the Western Balkans more secure, more democratic and more business-friendly. Not so long ago, borders were like walls, especially in this region, under the pretext of national security, dividing people, hindering trade, mutual trust. While today we stand on a border that is not only safer, but aims to bring people closer and advance integration peace and prosperity. Today, Albania and Northern Macedonia are on the verge of EU membership, and the US supports this goal. The equipment purchased by USAID will ensure that customs authorities meet the highest standards in border procedures, business environment facilitation and security controls,” said Kim.  

DP publishes conclusions on elections (ADN)  

The Organizational Secretariat of the Democratic Party has compiled a list of 13 conclusions regarding what the opposition has called an “electoral massacre”. It has claimed that “in order to influence the results of the April 25 elections, the government was engaged in a massive operation and broad scale systematic scheme of vote-buying, that was carried out in collaboration with drug cartels and some of the most dangerous gangs of organized crime, which in many cases were protected by the State Police”. In the list of conclusions, DP said that there were many instances of misuse of public resources by the public administration and the boundary separating party from state was assimilated. The opposition party has brought up the incidents of the misuse of personal data of 910 thousand residents of Tirana, the payment of around 125 million euros from public funds during the campaign, as well as the use of around 120 million euros by the local government to conduct public work during the electoral campaign. “The record high level of public procurement of around 505 million euros during November-December 2020, for a total of 878 public contracts and procurements, compared to an annual average of around 116 million for the same period in the last 5 years – this figure is disproportionately higher, represents the abuse with public resources carried out by the Socialist Party, for their own electoral benefits, only 4 months before the elections of April 2021,” it noted. The largest opposition party also pointed out that “none of the electoral crimes have been punished, including those that took place during the elections in 2016, 2017 and 2019, which continue to feed the widely spread feeling of a lack of impunity of crimes linked to elections, by encouraging their massive spread even further during 2021”. DP also touched on the one-sided changes to the Constitutions as well as the border closures with Greece and North Macedonia, just a few days before the elections. In conclusion, DP presented a detailed analysis of the results, achieved through a coalition in the country’s 12 regions, emphasizing that it received over 165 thousand votes, more than in 2017. “DP was able to secure 59 mandates out of a total 140 mandates, or 42% of mandates. Compared to the 2017 elections, where DP won a total of 43 mandates, we can see that we were able to win 16 more mandates, which is a 37% rise,” according to the analysis. It went on to stress that it was able to obtain a maximal projection of mandates in the regions of Dibra, Elbasan and Kukes, meet the expectations in Berat, Fier, Korca, Lezha and Vlora, whereas minimal projections weren’t achieved in Durres, Gjirokastra, Shkodra and Tirana. However, the two deputy chairs of the Democratic Party, Edi Paloka and Edmond Spaho, have spoken out against the document regarding the analysis of the elections, suggesting it should be reviewed and changed.