LOCAL PRESS

Wang Yi: We will continue to strongly support the sovereignty of Serbia (RTS/Tanjug/B92)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met today with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The two statesmen then chaired a meeting of the two delegations. Vucic stated that the friendship between Serbia and China is sincere and great and added that it is not strange that it is often called steel friendship. “Thank you for supporting the territorial integrity of Serbia in the very way that Serbia supports the One-China policy,” Vucic said after a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Vucic thanked Wang for the opportunity for Serbia to participate in the Chinese initiative “Belt and Road”. “We support the wise words of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the last session of the United Nations and his initiative for global development,” Vucic emphasized. “We do not have open issues in the sphere of multilateral relations,” Vucic pointed out and stated that the two countries cooperate excellently in international institutions. He thanked Yi for the visit and wished the Chinese statesman to feel at home. Minister Yi conveyed cordial greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to President Aleksandar Vucic. Yi conveyed to Vucic that the Chinese President highly appreciates the great friendship he has with Vucic.

“President Xi values the deep friendship he has established with you personally and strong mutual trust. The development of our relations is based on equality and mutual respect and common interests,” Yi said. He also pointed out that it is a great driving force in the relations between Serbia and China, which have a bright future. Good relations are for the benefit of the people of both sides, Yi added. As he said, the two countries are in solidarity with fairness, equality and advocate for justice on the international scene, as well as respect for principles in international relations. “Together we bear the responsibility for peace and stability, both in the region and the world. We are proud of the development of our relations,” the Chinese Minister emphasized.

Further development of political, economic relations of Serbia and China (Tanjug/RTS)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic talked late Wednesday with State Councilor and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi about bilateral relations and the ways and means of their deepening and development. Brnabic expressed gratitude for the help that China provided to Serbia during the coronavirus pandemic – professional medical help, equipment and support in vaccination. This has only strengthened the steel friendship between the two countries, which is deepened with the project of building a factory for the production of vaccines of the Chinese company Sinopharm. She also highlighted the importance of cooperation with the People’s Republic of China in the field of infrastructure development and new large investments of Chinese companies in Serbia, despite the fact that the pandemic continues, noting that the dynamics of most projects is proceeding at an agreed pace and that some are getting completed faster than the deadlines stipulated in the contract. Brnabic expressed special gratitude for the successful privatization of the Smederevo Steelworks, thanks to which thousands of jobs were saved, as well as for finding a strategic partner for RTB Bor. Serbia also attaches great importance and provides strong support to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s global The Belt and Road initiative and the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism, she added. Our ambition for further development of political, economic and all other relations is big, said Brnabic and congratulated her Chinese interlocutor on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party. Wang Yi thanked for the congratulations and pointed out that the friendship between the two countries, on equal grounds, is developing for the benefit of both peoples. He added that China is ready to continue being a true friend of Serbia, and that is why Belgrade can fully count on any kind of help that is needed. Wang Yi said that there is still room for cooperation, especially when it comes to trade, and given that he knows how much the Prime Minister of Serbia is personally committed to the development of digitalization and innovation, China is fully available to Serbia in that field too.

Selakovic meets Chinese Foreign Miniter (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic on Thursday met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang said he was greatly honored to have an opportunity to visit Serbia and discuss further development of bilateral relations. “Our side is very appreciative of the traditional friendship, a friendship that has endured temptations and changes in the international scene,” Wang said, adding that the Serbia-China friendship had been renewed under the strong leadership of Presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping. “China will always be a partner to Serbia. The goal of my visit is to find a sustainable path to a deep exchange with Serbia and to raise the level of our cooperation,” Wang said. Selakovic said Serbia was proud of its relationship with China and hoping for a visit by Xi. Selakovic said Wang’s official visit to Belgrade was an excellent opportunity to exchange views on issues of mutual interest to the two countries, which he said were connected by a steely friendship. He said Sino-Serbian relations were developing without obstacles despite all the problems created by the coronavirus pandemic worldwide. A protocol on cooperation between the foreign ministries of Serbia and China was also signed at the meeting, an official statement said.

Drecun: Threat of Valac raid by Pristina real (Tanjug)

The Chair of the Serbian parliamentary committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun said on Wednesday the threat of a new raid by Pristina in northern Kosovo was real and that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s warnings about this were legitimate, as also indicated by stepped-up KFOR intelligence activities regarding the Valac power transformer station. “That indicates the possibility of unilateral actions by Pristina being under preparation in the north of Kosovo and that seizing the Valac transformer station could be their aim,” Drecun said. Over the past few days, KFOR troops have been intensively collecting intelligence information about the Valac station, Drecun said in a statement to Tanjug. He said around 80 percent of electricity for the north of Kosovo was being supplied via the Valac station, situated in the Zvecan municipality. Drecun said a violent unilateral attempt by Pristina to take control of the station could be expected following the expiry of a new, 6 November deadline set by the assembly of the so-called Kosovo for the local power company to start collecting electricity bills from all residents of northern Kosovo.

Petkovic: Serbia is not carcinogenic, but Pristina’s statements (Tanjug/RTV)

The Head of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic reacted on Wednesday to a statement made by Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani by saying that “Serbia is not carcinogenic, as Osmani said, instead her statement is carcinogenic, showing the true nature of the authorities of provisional institutions in Pristina and their malignant effect on building peace and stability in Kosovo and Metohija, but also in the region”. In a press release, Petkovic said that Kosovo president’s clear intention was to “try to provoke a new crisis in Kosovo and Metohija with inflammatory rhetoric and impose herself as an important political factor in Pristina with anti-Serbian statements and actions”. “Nether Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija nor Belgrade will be hostages to political ambitions, nor will they allow new actions in Serb communities. The formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO) with executive powers is not only an obligation of Pristina undertaken by the Brussels agreement, but also an obligation that Pristina undertook before its own institutions. Therefore, it is clear that by disrespecting both the Brussels agreements and its own institutions, Vjosa Osmani actually puts hatred towards Serbia above any other motive, and that she is not interested in searching for missing persons, normalizing relations and building mutual trust through dialogue, but only in an inflammatory political agenda,” said Petkovic. According to him, the formation of the ZSO will be the main topic during the next meeting in Brussels, as confirmed by the European Union, and that is why he says it is high time for Vjosa Osmani and other Albanian politicians to accept that reality and start procedures for forming the ZSO. “And the fact that Vjosa Osmani would like to reduce the life of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to the level of a non-governmental organization, clearly speaks of Pristina’s intention to put Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija in a political and economic ghetto, in which there would be no freedom of movement or freedom of opinion – but they will not succeed,” concluded Petkovic.

REGIONAL PRESS

Dodik states he informed Croatian President Milanovic about undermining of RS’ competencies and violation of Constitution by HR in B&H and B&H Constitutional Court (ATV) 

Serb member of the B&H Presidency and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik said on Wednesday that the conversation with Croatian President Zoran Milanovic made their joint stance – on the need to secure stable and safe security environment in B&H closer. Dodik said that the conversation was fair and that the two of them informed each other about all important developments in B&H, Croatia, in the region and in the EU. Dodik stated that both of them expressed content with finalization of the bridge over the River Sava near Gradiska, adding that Milanovic informed him that Croatia already selected a constructor for a highway section from the bridge to Okucani. Dodik and Milanovic also discussed changes to the B&H Election Law during their meeting in Zagreb. Dodik said on Wednesday he had informed Milanovic about transfer of RS competencies, and that Milanovic had not tried to persuade him to abandon those intentions. “I have informed the President with about current situation, constitutional status, constitutional competencies, and everything used to undermine those competencies, what has been done and how it has been done in the past, in an irregular political and other environment, filled with threats from international power, that did not base its policy on the rule of law, but on the rule of force, and that, in that regard, it is clear there has been a series of violation of the Constitution in B&H, exactly by those who should protect the Constitution, i.e. the High Representative, and, especially the B&H Constitutional Court,” said Dodik for the media.

Dodik discussed with Milanovic the importance of representation of constituent peoples and the RS competencies being taken away by the international community. Dodik told Milanovic what was done in the past and that foreign judges in B&H conduct a policy of force. Dodik said that the RS has no intention to just observe further deprivation of rights of the RS. Dodik denied that he had a meeting with Special Representative for the Western Balkans Matthew Palmer in Zagreb and said that when it comes to an agreement between, as Dodik called them, Muslims and Croats, the Serb side will not decide. Dodik also said that there can be no conversation with those who call the RS apartheid and that it is in insult to the RS and Serb people. Dodik said that the consents that the RS gave earlier for formation of the Armed Forces of B&H, the HJPC and consents in the area of indirect taxes should be withdrawn. Dodik further said he believes the RS parliament could hold a session in mid-November in order to discuss issues that working groups are working on, adding that he will respect the RS parliament’s conclusions. Asked by the media if President Milanovic tried to dissuade him from his intentions, Dodik replied: “Why would he dissuade me, I informed him about it, I think they understood it, that it is our constitutional right, that the transfer of competence happened in irregular circumstance and that it cannot survive.”

Dzaferovic: Serb representatives will certainly return to B&H institutions, Dodik should leave political scene (Hayat) 

Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency and SDA Vice-President Sefik Dzaferovic, commenting on the ongoing blockade of work of the B&H institutions, assessed that Serb political representatives will certainly return to the institutions “because that is in interest of those they claim to be representing”, but he is uncertain when that might take place.

Dzaferovic warned that SNSD leader and Serb member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik and SNSD are testing the field in terms of how the international community (IC) and others would react to their policies of blockades, hindering reforms, and secessionism. “That is not going well for them. They will not succeed in any of that,” Dzaferovic asserted and welcome the RS opposition’s recent confrontation to Dodik’s policy. According to Dzaferovic, the situation where the RS parliament failed to adopt Dodik’s initiative to veto some of the Presidency’s decisions, as the opposition refused to support Dodik, indicates that the overall situation in B&H might improve soon. With regard to Dodik’s initiative for restoring competences that were transferred from the level of the RS to the state level, Dzaferovic noted that the entire IC made it clear to Dodik that he is on the wrong path. Dzaferovic stressed that the competences cannot be returned to the entities, while Dodik needs to face sanctions. Dzaferovic considers that the US has been working on sanctions most concretely. “I think Dodik should leave the political scene”, the Bosniak member of the Presidency underlined, adding that Dodik is slowly being left in the political history. “Politicians like Dodik only bring instability, while they should actually be serving for the benefit of the people who live here,” noted Dzaferovic, who also warned that such policies that Dodik conduct lead to certainty and threaten to cause destabilization and even war.

Dzaferovic referred to the RS parliament’s adoption of the Law on Medicines and Medical Devices of the RS as “coup d’etat”, specifying that no medicine can be sold in B&H without the permission from the B&H Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices. In his opinion, such activities are detrimental to Dodik’s political rating. He expressed hope that Dodik will lose support of “conscious people who are against this mad policy”. In addition, Dzaferovic noted that Dodik’s actions undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA), stressing that bringing the DPA down would cause abolition of entities while the state of B&H existed even before the DPA. Speaking about Tuesday’s meetings of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic in Belgrade and of Croatian President Zoran Milanovic with Dodik in Zagreb, Dzaferovic presented an opinion that these meetings were coordinated and that this is part of “the neighbors’ plan” that is inconsistent with the DPA. Dzaferovic accused SNSD and HDZ B&H along with political leaders of Serbia and Croatia of supporting each other in “some impermissible things that are detrimental to B&H”. The Bosniak member of the Presidency noted that the Serbian and Croatian authorities should meet with representatives of institutions of B&H, which they keep avoiding, yet they meet with “so-called representatives of peoples”. He believes that Covic, who said that he is against imposing of sanctions, only supports Dodik – and vice versa – in situations where that is in their personal interest and against interest of B&H. Since Dodik supports Covic in insisting on HDZ B&H’s amendments to the Election Law, Dzaferovic wondered what Dodik’s stance would be in case where Covic might present his stance on a possible reorganization of the state. He also said that Dodik has lately been referring to Bosniaks only as Muslims, which represents “mere primitivism, and attempt to reduce Bosniaks onto the level of a religious group, depriving them of their name from the constitution”. Asked what does he think needs to happen for the international community to react, Dzaferovic indirectly replied that the international community should draw important lessons from the current crisis in B&H, which is that they should react faster and more efficiently. Dzaferovic said that international interventionism is defined by the DPA and that the IC should react instead of only observing the situation. Stating his expectations from the upcoming address of High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt before the B&H House of Representatives (HoR), Dzaferovic underlined that he expects Schmidt to really act as the HR at full capacity, adding that no one can dispute his role as the HR “as he has his legitimacy and legality and he needs to protect sovereignty, integrity of B&H, the achieved level of reforms, as well as to help institutions of B&H to function normally”. Dzaferovic stressed that Schmidt is an experienced politician who was perhaps “too cautious so far”, and highlighted that “he comes from the great state (Germany) that is a friend of B&H”. Dzaferovic considers that Schmidt should use all the means he has at his disposal to help with resolving the current situation. Asked about his opinion on the recent protest of citizens in front of the OHR building, Dzaferovic said he supports all forms of peaceful protests, inferring from this particular protest that the citizens have decided to start sending their messages to the international community. “Their message includes a question of what they are doing, or what they are not doing, whether they know what their mandate is, why they are not reacting,” the Presidency member assessed. He concluded that there is a need for such peaceful protests and for presenting opinions to the international community.

Covic: Real sources of problems in B&H are ideas of separatism and unitary B&H (HRT) 

Leader of HDZ B&H Dragan Covic, asked whether his Tuesday meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade and meeting of member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik with Croatian President in Zagreb is part of joint initiative to improve the situation in B&H, Covic said that this is not a coordinated activity because he agreed a meeting with Serbian President at a meeting of the European People’s Party (EPP) held in Slovenia one month ago. He stressed that both of these meetings were aimed to finding a solution for stabilization of the situation in B&H, adding that he believes talks do not have alternative and that it will be necessary to talk even more intensively. The HDZ B&H leader underlined that SDA leader Bakir Izetbegovic will meet with Vucic and he met with the Croatian President earlier. Covic stressed that if it was a problem, it would be easy to solve it. He added that the real problem and a source of crisis in B&H are ideas of separatism and unitary B&H. Covic went on to saying that despite to Dodik’s “unusual expression”, the leader of SNSD has support of most of Serb citizens of B&H. Covic emphasized that it is necessary to look for solutions, adding that Annex IV of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) needs to be ground for it. He added that all future activities need to be implemented in line with coordination mechanisms established within activities related to the EU path of B&H. Covic said that he disagrees that Dodik is a destabilizing factor: “On one side you have separatism and on the other unitarizm. They complement each other and that is the true source of crisis in B&H. when it comes to Mr. Dodik, someone can like it or not, but he has support of the majority of Serb people in B&H.”

FB&H HoR adopts conclusions calling on judiciary and HR Schmidt to sanction persons conducting anti-constitutional activities; HDZ B&H representatives abstain from voting (FTV) 

Majority of representatives at the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) House of Representatives (HoR) are of view the most recent activities by Milorad Dodik are an attack on the state and anti-constitutional activities, and, at its session held on Wednesday, the FB&H HoR adopted a number of conclusions, calling on the judiciary, EUFOR, NATO and High Representative (HR) Christian Schmidt to take concrete actions and sanction primarily Dodik. FTV reports that HDZ B&H representatives at the FB&H HoR did not vote for the conclusions, being of view the responsibility should not be with the international community, but with local officials. In the proposal for one of the conclusions, Head of HDZ B&H Caucus at the FB&H HoR Marijan Klajic wrote, among others: “The international community representatives are friends of B&H and are invited to support good solutions and agreements of political parties in B&H, but not to do their job”. HDZ B&H’s coalition partners from SDA are of view the conclusions are acceptable and well-balanced. Speaker of the FB&H HoR Mirsad Zaimovic said for the media the conclusions are the way to state opinion without worsening the current political situation. “It is not good to close our eyes to what is happening now, but I think the conclusions do not provoke anyone,” said Zaimovic. Chairman of the Commission, Damir Masic (SDP) said they expect HR Schmidt to intervene and remove and annuls all reached decisions, which he finds to be in collision with B&H Constitution and other laws in B&H.

Dzaferovic: Palmer’s possible willingness to meet HDZ B&H’s demands in amending B&H Election Law and ignoring amendments regarding HoP unacceptable (Hayat) 

Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency and SDA Vice-President Sefik Dzaferovic, asked about his expectations from the visit of European External Action Service (EEAS) Managing Director for Europe Angelina Eichhorst and US Special Envoy for Electoral Reform in B&H Matthew Palmer to B&H, stated that he generally expects from everyone, including in the EU and the US, to treat the issue of amending the Election Law of B&H through seeking solutions to implement the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) rulings, given that several ECHR rulings established there is discrimination of ‘Others’ who seek to be elected in the B&H Presidency. According to Dzaferovic, these rulings would be implemented by removing the ethnic prefix, but he expressed concern over the fact that he heard that Palmer stressed the need to focus the electoral reform on election of the Presidency members “and it goes in the direction of meeting HDZ B&H’s demands”. Dzaferovic warned that HDZ B&H’s demands concerning the Election Law are “political demands that do not move towards implementing the ECHR”. The Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency said that Palmer’s possible willingness to meet HDZ B&H’s demands and to ignore amendments regarding the Houses of Peoples (HoP) in B&H “is absolutely unacceptable”. The Bosniak member reminded that SDA and pro-Bosnian parties consider that both the B&H HoP and the Federation of B&H HoP should be turned to an institution that would protect the vital national interest (VNI) “in accordance with the April Package”. He emphasized the need for seeking to implement the ECHR rulings and find a fair solution for everyone in B&H, pointing out that this can be achieved through unity of pro-Bosnian parties.

RS parliament fails to confirm violation of VNI of RS in relation to conclusions of B&H Presidency (ATV) 

After SDS and PDP representatives left the special session of the RS parliament held on Wednesday, there was no the necessary two-third majority to confirm violation of the Vital National Interest (VNI) of the RS when it comes to conclusions reached in the B&H Presidency on 18 October. The conclusions among other things refer to opening of the Azerbaijan Embassy in Sarajevo and the Office of the Russian Consulate in Banja Luka and to the agreement between the B&H Council of Ministers and the Turkish government on mutual protection and exchange of confidential data that refers to defense industry. To remind, Serb member of the B&H Presidency and leader of SNSD Milorad Dodik voted against all items on the agenda at the session of the B&H Presidency. Opposition said that they do not know how the issue of the Office of the Russian Consulate in Banja Luka was included because in their opinion, this is detrimental for the VNI of the RS. Dodik explained that he had to vote against this item on the agenda because conclusions of the RSNA – on non-taking part in decision-making processes at the level of B&H – implied this. In this regard, Dodik called on representatives to let this item enter into force. The reporter explained that the same thing will happen with all other items that RS parliament representatives discussed because there was no majority in the RS parliament on Wednesday. At the beginning of the session, Dodik addressed the session and shorty after that, SDS and PDP representatives left the session. ATV noted that they were bothered with Dodik replying to their insults. Head of RS SDS Caucus Miladin Stanic accused Dodik of being the only one “who is important, the only one who has the right to rob, to protect family, while all others do not have rights.” Dodik accused the opposition of being instructed from Sarajevo to obstruct the session. SDS MP Milan Radovic informed media that they decided to leave the session due to inappropriate behavior of Dodik. Leader of PDP Branislav Borenovic said that there is no need to take part in the session of the RS parliament in this form because this turned into everything but into a serious session of the RS parliament. Dodik stated the RS is a guarantor for survival and freedom of not just the Serb people but also all other peoples who live in this area. He also underlined the need for unity in order to preserve the RS. Dodik called on the representatives to jointly show that the RS and the Serb people and their interests are the most important. Among other things, Dodik said that the RS has no hidden agenda and that their activities are public and transparent and oriented to respect the Dayton Agreement, the Constitution of B&H but primarily to protect competences and interests of the RS and the Serb people. According to the reporter, the unity within the opposition seemed to be missing on Wednesday as SPS and DNS representatives did not leave the session because as they said, this was about defense of interests of the RS. RS President Zeljka Cvijanovic criticized the opposition in the RSNA of ruining each high, political or ethnic-related issue. RS Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic commented on the opposition’s leaving the session characterizing it as a performance. Viskovic added that the upcoming days will show who supports the RS and who does not.

Dodik insults RS opposition, accuses PDP of being involved in corruption; Borenovic announces defamation lawsuit (RTRS) 

During the RS parliament session, there was a heated debate about alleged crime and corruption. The Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik reminded the opposition of the accusations of the former member of PDP Slavko Vucurevic against the top of the PDP. PDP Leader Branislav Borenovic announced lawsuits. While the RSNA talked about the protection of the vital interests of the RS, the opposition again insisted on the topics of alleged crime. Dodik reminded them of the accusations, precisely about the crime, from Vucurevic, against his former party colleagues. Due to the alleged money laundering, Dodik reminded, Vucurevic called on the judicial authorities to initiate an investigation into criminal actions in PDP. Dodik asked why other members of the opposition do not answer how they acquired certain property. Dodik stated: “Vucurevic pointed out that PDP is in collusion with the international financial mafia, and that the people, as he says, are their relatives at the top of the party and participated in the laundering of tens of millions of Euros”. Borenovic claimed that these are lies, accusing Dodik and Vucurevic of creating them together. Everything, Borenovic pointed out, will be proven in court. Borenovic stated: “We in PDP are ready for any investigation, in addition to what we will do ourselves to protect the personal credibility and the people who are PDP members. We are surprised that no one remembered to check these so-called allegations of potential criminal charges in the previous years, because not reporting a criminal offense is committing a criminal offense”. Borenovic rejected the accusations based on Vucurevic’s claims as “brutal lies” and said that PDP will respond to this with a lawsuit for slander. Borenovic assessed that Dodik and Vucurevic have obviously skillfully made this to attack PDP. Borenovic accused Dodik of having an intention to abolish the RS in order to avoid prosecution. “With abolition of the RS disappears the authority that could legally prosecute whoever committed crime and corruption in the RS,” the PDP leader noted. The PDP leader added that Dodik is making “unbelievable, insane moves” with the aim to unpack the Dayton Peace Agreement and declare the RS null and void. SDS Vice-President Milan Radovic stressed that Dodik turned the RS parliament hall into his own speech platform, and he assessed that the RS parliament Collegium failed to conduct the session. “Dodik was allowed to say whatever he wanted, while we (the opposition) were deprived of right to provide a response in adequate time,” Radovic said. He added that the RS parliament is losing its identity and legitimacy, because of such Dodik’s behavior and concluded that the opposition will discuss whether or not they will participate in the next session.

Milanovic criticizes EU for prolongations in Croatia’s accession to Schengen Area (Hina) 

President Zoran Milanovic said on Wednesday that Croatia’s problem is that it is on the “external border of the Schengen Area, yet it isn’t Schengen,” he said, criticizing the EU for procrastination in allowing Croatia to join this passport-free area. That is being prolonged yet Croatia is expected to act as if it is playing in the first four Series A or premiership league teams, Milanovic said after meeting with his Maltese counterpart George Vella. Apart from strengthening cooperation, the presidents discussed foreign policy topics including migration which has once again come to the fore with the Afghanistan crisis. Milanovic believes that Croatia is in an unfavorable situation due to its position. “This puts us and our reputation in a bad situation because if the Croatian police don’t control the border then Croatia is unreliable and isn’t doing its job. If the Croatian police do their job and make mistakes at times, exceeding their authority, then it is something that Europe points its finger at Croatia. That’s not fair” said Milanovic. Milanovic asked Malta to support Croatia, as the youngest EU member state, and its accession to the Schengen Area and criticized the Union for “procrastination and delay.” Romania and Bulgaria have been members of the EU since 2007 and are still waiting for a green light to access that European area without border controls. Vella said that the migration issue is a huge challenge for the EU, however, he expects a consensus from all 27 members of the bloc. Saying that his small country is full of migrants, the only solution is to proportionally distribute migrants and refugees among member states prepared to take them. We are trying to find countries – 20, 22- as many as possible willing to work together and try and implement a system of distribution (of migrants), said Vella. Milanovic praised Malta for its treatment of the migration issue. “A small nation such as Malta, in the middle of the Mediterranean – with a special culture, language and identity, is different from others yet open in every aspect the whole time – it is able to deliberate the difficult topic of migration maturely, soberly and humanely, while some Central European states are just about to arm their population. Incredible difference! This just says how openness, especially for small economies, is important. Well done, Malta!” This is the second meeting between the presidents in a few weeks and Vella said that it confirms “the splendid relations between the two countries and the friendship that has been developing between our nations.”

EU enlargement: The bloc “is buying time and the years are passing” 

The two presidents talked about the countries in Southeast Europe and their journey towards the Union. Vella said that Malta has “always advocated for the Western Balkans to become part of the EU.” “Countries such as Croatia and Slovenia have become members and can definitely help, they can show the way. The process of EU accession is lengthy, certain sacrifices are necessary, but I am sure that there is a strong will both in the EU and in the Western Balkans for them to join the EU,” said Vella. During the recent EU-Western Balkans Summit organized by Slovenia as the incumbent chair of the Council of the EU, membership prospects for those countries were once again confirmed however they were not given any time frame for that. I wouldn’t want this to be transformed into some kind of procrastination, delay. “A lot indicates that the EU has such a policy because, in fact, it hasn’t got one, it’s buying time and the years are passing” said Milanovic. There is an election here or there, hence the fear of leading mainstream politicians of right voters and rivals on the right and then countries with an Islamic population which is one of the prejudices we have to talk about, are some of the reasons why the EU is not clearly stating what it wants, believes Milanovic. Croatia’s President said he wants a more stable neighbor and that in the context of the Western Balkans it is necessary to talk about stability, predictability, security, and money. “When we talk about the Western Balkans, we must talk about stability, predictability, and security, and ultimately we talk about money too because those are fundamentally impoverished states,” he said.

Government officials present model of confiscation of property of illegal origin (Gov. Press service) 

The goal of adopting this law is to finally put an end to the illegal enrichment of public officials, criminals or citizens who acquired wealth illegally, Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic pointed out at a press conference on the occasion of presenting a model of confiscation of property of illegal origin. Abazovic emphasized that this is a systemic law that will significantly contribute to the fight against organized crime and corruption in Montenegro. This is the law against the mafia, which will significantly help in achieving justice. It is designed to be functional and applicable. I am proud of what the working group has done in the previous period. I hope that other competent bodies will also make contribution, Abazovic pointed out. Explaining the problems that preceded the drafting of this legal solution, Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister for Legal Affairs Ivo Soc stated that it was a challenge to create a law that would find its place in the existing legal system and be in line with international law. This is not an inquisitorial law, this is a model that guarantees the creation of a system that will effectively identify property that has been illegally acquired and confiscate property through court proceedings, unless it is proven that it was acquired legally. It was a challenge to avoid the traps of populism and drafting a law that would sound nice but would not be applicable in practice. Not just one law was drafted, but a whole mechanism that envisages the review and confiscation of illegally acquired property through several proceedings, Soc explained. Speaking about the procedure, State Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights Boris Maric said that the origin of the property will be examined if there is reasonable suspicion.

State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare Janko Odovic emphasized that there would be two additional mechanisms that could be applied. If the origin of the property is determined in court, then the classic tax procedure comes into play, which determines whether the property is reported and taxed in accordance with the law, he added.

Abazovic hosts ECFR representatives: The fight against corruption will also reduce tensions in society (Gov. Press service) 

Without a stronger fight against organized crime and corruption, which can only be provided by the reformed Prosecutor’s Office and judiciary, Montenegro cannot get out of the problems it has been in for decades, nor can it successfully overcome transitional processes in order to democratize society, said Deputy Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic at the meeting with representatives of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). Abazovic hosted ECFR representatives, among which were Executive Editor of Le Monde Sylvie Kauffmann, a former member of the European Parliament and President of the International Institute for Peace Hannes Swoboda, Croatia’s former Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusic, Vice Chair of Albright Stonebridge Group Jim O’Brien and other ECFR officials. Asked about the election of a new Prosecutorial Council, Abazovic said that he hoped that the Prosecutorial Council would be elected as soon as possible, because with such a Prosecutor’s Office it is not possible to deliver any concrete results in priority chapters of the EU accession process. We see Montenegro as a part of the Western world and we are doing everything in our power to become the first next member of the European Union as soon as possible. Therefore, in addition to the fight against organized crime and corruption, it is necessary to wage a resolute fight against growing nationalism and all those who are “infected with the virus of the 1990s”, because such retrograde policies cannot produce new value. However, we must also be aware that dirty capital and interests are almost always behind nationalism, so an effective fight against corruption would significantly help lower tensions in our society, Abazovic explained. The meeting expressed satisfaction with maintaining foreign policy priorities and strengthening Montenegro’s pro-Western course, but also pointed out the need to “create and strengthen bridges between all sincere pro-Western actors in Montenegrin society, as a basis for successful completion of European integration and certain EU membership”.

The SEC opened the Pandora’s box (Nezavisen vesnik) 

The amendment to the Guidelines for valid and invalid ballots adopted by the SEC yesterday, just five days before the second round of local elections, could be an introduction to chaos. The SEC stated that it had informed and instructed the Election Boards to comply with Article 109 paragraph (2) and to put a stamp on each ballot paper, but if there were ballots without a stamp, for such to act in accordance with Article 115, and in relation to Article 110 of the Electoral Code and such ballots to be valid if the will of the voter is clearly expressed. Changing the rules between two election rounds puts the participants in the election race in an unequal position. Let us not forget that in some municipalities the candidates finished the race in the first round with a minimal difference between them, in a situation of a large number of invalid ballots. Is it legitimate for them to ask the question now – how many of those invalid ballots would be valid under the now amended guideline? And how many of those candidates could have won in the first round, if the existence of ballots without a stamp was measured only by the fact that the will of the voter was clearly expressed on their side? With this in mind, the SEC’s decision to amend the guideline raises several questions. Can some candidates now request a halt to the second round until the invalid ballots in the first round have been revised, for the same reason that the guideline was changed? What if it is determined that more votes should be added to their account that were wrongly taken away from them, and that they practically won in the first round? Can candidates request a public review of invalid ballots? Based on the unequal treatment of invalid ballots in the first and second rounds, can they now challenge the election process? In what “deadlines” will they file their objections to this, given that no one could have guessed in time what the SEC would decide five days before the second round. Or will they have to go to the Constitutional Court? Apparently, the SEC found the shortest way to open the Pandora’s box. The commission has the right to issue instructions, but not to change the rules of the game between two rounds. And even if all the candidates for X reasons “reconcile” with the amended instructions (if they did not object to the presence of unprotected ballots in the ballot boxes, which raises a number of other doubts), it is certain that voters will remain distrustful, but also on demotivation. Why go to the polls – to get a ballot without a stamp? And they would not be surprised by such a procedure if there were members in the SEC who are something else by profession, and not “big” lawyers. Article 109 paragraph 2 of the Electoral Code is clear: “The ballot paper is torn from the block of the block in numerical order, stamped on the front and then given to the voter.” Why did not members of the Electoral Boards put and would not put a stamp on the ballots, when it is their legal obligation? Who trained them, how did they train them, and who will be responsible for such omissions or perhaps intent? Doubt will exist as long as there are no clear answers. Second, the State Election Commission will have to explain what it means to report to the Election Boards “to comply with Article 109 paragraph (2) and to put a stamp on each ballot”, if in the same sentence not only does not exclude the opposite , but also determines the conditions under which a dead leaf (without a stamp) would come back to life. There must be no unstamped ballots. In this way, the Election Boards are not motivated to comply with Article 109 paragraph 2. Sealing is one second thing, and people sit in the EB to implement all legal procedures for a fair and credible election process, not to not implement them. As a reminder, in the first round of voting for mayors in 80 municipalities there were 44,833 invalid ballots, and in the City of Skopje 15,940 invalid ballots, or a total of more than 60,000. How many of them were unstamped? The SEC must explain. Because if they try to cover that omission now with the amended instructions, and to the detriment of equal conditions in the election process, then the second round can turn into the ninth circle of hell. And the price for (un)responsibility, will be paid by who?

SP accepts to establish Special Committee for Electoral Reform (ADN) 

Majority and the opposition in Albania reached a consensus: to establish a new special Parliamentary Committee for the Electoral Reform. Albaniandailynews.com has learned that the Prime Ministers has accepted the last proposal of the Democratic Party for the creation of the new committee in order to realize a new reform. Sources confirmed that Rama communicated this decision to the SP leaders nationwide in the meeting held this Wednesday evening. The request was made public this same day by DP which deposited it at the Parliament. Democrats urge to fix problems identified in the last elections as vote buying phenomena, the use of the personal data, the fact that the emigrants could not vote or the prohibition of the creation of coalitions.

EU Delegation launches new campaign on its financial support to Albania (ADN) 

The Delegation of the European Union to Albania launched Wednesday a new communication campaign on how the European Union is supporting Albania becoming a Member State and Albanians becoming future EU citizens. Building on last year’s Europe Is Here campaign, this new wave will inform citizens about EU’s financial assistance to Albania, especially in key sectors such as education, health, innovation, agriculture and culture. Dedicated to the EU’s contribution to the education sector in Albania and in the presence of the EU Ambassador Luigi Soreca, Minister of Education and Sports Evis Kushi, EU Member States, university professors and students, the launching event of Europe Is Here 2.0 campaign took place at the Polytechnics University of Tirana. “Investing in young people is key in taking Albania forward on its EU path. This year we chose to start our Europe Is Here awareness raising campaign with education because of the importance the EU attaches to this key sector and the substantial funding it provides to Albania through programmes for education and youth. Europe Is Here because we want to continue our conversations with you on how the EU is helping Albania to get closer to the European Union, improving the life of Albanians every day while providing wide opportunities to the Albanian youth: to be engaged, to be connected, to be empowered,” said in his remarks, Ambassador Soreca. Meanwhile, Minister Kushi said that govt current objective, in which all universities have joined, is the close cooperation with the most prestigious European and world universities. “I am pleased to say that in a very short time, universities have managed to conclude cooperation agreements and initiate joint study programs, in order to guarantee quality in higher education and for our students’ diplomas to have the same value as those of their peers in other EU countries. I must emphasize that the European Union is our most important partner in the field of higher education, but also in our entire education system,” said Kushi. Apart from Erasmus+, the European Union has invested EUR 100 million in education in Albania over the last 10 years, mostly on vocational education and training, inclusive education as well as rehabilitation and reconstruction of educational facilities.