LOCAL PRESS

Vucic with Touadera: Thank you for firmly respecting territorial integrity of Serbia (B92/RTS/RTV/Tanjug/Politika)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the Central African Republic (CAR) President Faustin-Archange Touadera address the public after the meeting. “I want to thank you for your visit, to say that Serbia extremely values friendship with the CAR. It is of great importance for us, we will do our best to develop our relations even more. Serbia is proud of its heritage of sincere friendship with African countries”, Vucic said. “Thank you for firmly respecting the territorial integrity of Serbia,” he added. “President Touadera told me that we respect Serbia for its own sake, but also for the respect of international law. Serbia will always fully support the territorial integrity of the CAR. It is an important country for us because we have our soldiers there as part of the UN Mission MINUSCA and that is the way how can we help our friends. They have seen how you can establish military hospitals. I am sure that under the leadership of e the CAR will go on the path of success and Serbia will help as much as possible. We have a huge respect and I know you understand the geopolitical situation and I had the opportunity to learn a lot from you. Special thanks for your openness and for believing in the knowledge of our people,” said Vucic. The President also mentioned the construction of stadiums and power plants, and that construction will continue in the future for the benefit of the interests of both countries. He added that enviable results can be achieved in all areas. Vucic suggested to Touadera that their contacts should be brought to the level of constant consultations, in order to achieve common interests in the best possible way. “During this year, we will have three lines to the People’s Republic of China, we will have three lines to the USA permanent, we already have two… We are also thinking about a high-speed line to Seoul. Today it is difficult to find large planes without spending too much and not being unprofitable, but it is our job to find planes that will allow us to go to Central and South Africa, and we will try to ensure that in the next year. Thank you once again for your visit, you are always welcome and I want you to feel at home in our Serbia. I think that there is no European country that looks at the African continent with so much love and benevolence as Serbia,” Vucic concluded.

Touadera: Sincere thanks for the warm welcome

At the beginning of his speech, the CAR President emphasized that this is a working but also a friendly visit. “I want to express how glad I am that we achieved this cooperation that already existed between the SFRY and the CAR. I want to express my sincere gratitude for the warm welcome. You showed that to me and my delegation. Here, I see, spring is coming and those buds are a symbol of what is born among us,” said Touadera. He also mentioned Josip Broz Tito, and thanked him because he initiated cooperation between the SFRY and the CAR. “A new day is dawning on the friendly and historical relations between the two countries. The glorious decades when the SFRY and the CAR cooperated in the 70s left a great impression on my compatriots. Many diplomatic missions were opened and many projects were realized to the joy of both peoples. Here we are today, to follow the examples of our predecessors. Your government has achieved a great goal because it takes part in UN Peacekeeping missions. I will use the opportunity to tell my people and the people of Serbia that Dr Olivera Jovanovic died of malaria in our country, and I want to express my condolences on that occasion, because she only came to us to help. My goal is to achieve concrete cooperation and I see that we share the same feelings about it. On March 30, 2016 and 2021, I expressed the position regarding the complete independence of my country, with the desire to achieve peace and cooperation with all countries. This visit fits into that dynamic and represents my country’s will to open its borders even more for Serbian investors. From now on, our two countries really have no borders, except for geographical distance, but if we have will, it will not present an obstacle,” Touadera concluded.

Serbia, CAR sign four cooperation agreements (Tanjug/RTS/RTV)

Representatives of the governments of Serbia and the Central African Republic (CAR) signed four agreements on mutual cooperation today in the Palace of Serbia, in the presence of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and President of the Central African Republic (CAR) Faustin-Archange Touadera. The Framework agreement on cooperation between the Serbian government and the CAR government, on behalf of Serbia, was signed by Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Francophone Affairs of the CAR Sylvie Baipo-Temon. Dacic and Temon also signed the Agreement on the establishment of a Mixed Commission between Serbia and CAR. The Agreement on cooperation between the Serbian government and the CAR government in the field of defence was signed, on behalf of our country, by Serbian Defence Minister Milos Vucevic and CAR Minister of National Defence and Army Reconstruction Claude Rameaux Bireau. The Memorandum of Understanding between the Serbian government and the CAR government relating to the implementation of cooperation in the fields of geology, mining and the oil sector was signed by Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic and the CAR Minister of Mines and Geology Rufin Benam-Beltoungou.

Vucic says he does not understand why Pristina is making unilateral moves (Beta/Politika)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic stated in Tirana yesterday that he did not understand why Pristina was making unilateral moves and that he hoped it would be making more rational decisions in the future. “We have always been ready to discuss everything with Pristina, we sent our chief negotiator to Brussels in the hope that we would discuss the problem (of abolishing the Dinar in Kosovo), but the other side’s representative did not show up,” Vucic said at a news conference after the Western Balkans summit. He added that he hoped a solution would soon be found for the problem created by the decision of the central bank of Kosovo to ban the use of the dinar in Kosovo because, if not, that would create a massive problem for the Serbs living there. Vucic said at the news conference that the chief of the observation mission for the Serbian elections of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Stefan Schennach had put forward accusations of rigging without presenting a single piece of evidence. Asked to comment on Schennach’s claim about the observation mission having found that significantly more voters had been registered for voting in the elections for the Belgrade Assembly than for the parliament, he responded by saying that he was of the impression that Schennach was “a world-class fraudster”.

MEP: Impression that elections in Belgrade were rigged confirmed by ODIHR Report (TV Nova S/Beta)

Chief of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe observation mission in elections in Serbia Stefan Schennach said yesterday that when talking about election fraud in elections in December, that meant the capital and that this did not apply to parliamentary elections. “Judging by everything that happened on election day, the buses from Republika Srpska, the impression is that this was an instrument for Belgrade. When we asked for the electoral register, we noticed that many more voters were registered for city elections than for parliamentary elections. However, we did not have the jurisdiction to probe deeper,” Schennach told TV Nova S. He said that the report that was presented in Belgrade was a joint report composed by international observation missions. He said that PACE had its report and the “European Parliament its own, as well as the OSCE its own.” “They (the reports) are clear and express concern about what happened on election day in December. In a joint statement in Belgrade, we said how many recommendations had not been implemented, the ones given by the ODIHR and Venice Commission. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe offered a post-electoral seminar or conference, the offer still stands,” Schennach said. Asked whether he had any information as to whether the authorities in Serbia had lobbied for the final report to be milder he said no, but that it was new for the authorities of a country in which elections were being held to criticize international observers.

Brnabic: I am not in favor of new Belgrade elections (TV Informer/Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said she advocates for the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) to form the city government in Belgrade, rather than for new elections to be held in the capital. “I am in favor of forming a majority, because legitimacy exists. People are tired of elections. I am quite certain that we would have even more votes and so form a majority even after those new elections, yet we would waste time. There are many things that need to be done in Belgrade. Elections are behind us, what is ahead of us is a fast formation of institutions and resumption of work,” she told the TV Informer. However, Brnabic said she was not sure that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and SNS leader Milos Vucevic will make this kind of a decision. “Vucevic and Vucic are under serious pressure for the government to be formed in Belgrade because we have a majority. Vucic reproached us, asked us if we have legitimacy. Many say that the legitimacy is indisputable, because Aleksandar Jerkovic topped the ticket for the City of Belgrade. But I am not certain we have managed to convince Vucic or Vucevic. Vucic’s advice means a great deal to us. We have to consult with him, because the ticket bore his name,” the Informer website quoted Brnabic as saying.

CRTA: ODIHR Report on elections “a serious slap for the regime” in Serbia (TV N1/Beta)

Program Director of the Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) Rasa Nedeljkov said yesterday that ODIHR’s report on elections in December “is a serious slap for the regime, and a foundation of sorts for citizens, so that they can ask institutions to do their job”. Nedeljkov told TV N1 that ODIHR’s report unambiguously made it clear that all of the evidence and assessments corresponded to the assessments voiced by CRTA’s observation mission. “The report deals with the issue of voter rolls, migration and abuse, and questions the democratic character of calling local elections in one third of municipalities. There is nothing in the report that justifies the serious manipulation that continues on the part of representatives of the authorities that the elections in Serbia were as clean as a whistle,” Nedeljkov said. Nedeljkov stressed that for some time now he had believed that elections in Serbia were seriously flawed, and that the authorities had fully met four priority and 14 lower priority recommendations since 2012, which, as he put it, showed “that the state has chronically not been tending to the key problems of the electoral process”. He underscored that a Freedom House report also showed this, which states that Serbia has become Europe’s leader in the decline in democracy.

Stano: EC stands ready to support Serbia in implementing ODIHR recommendations (Tanjug)

European Commission (EC) spokesperson Peter Stano said on Thursday the EC stood ready to support Serbia in implementing all recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). “We stand ready to provide support for the implementation of all the recommendations by ODIHR OSCE, including on the issues that are vital for the public in Serbia, for the Serbian people, and for its confidence in the electoral process, because there are more elections to come in Serbia,” Stano said at a Brussels press briefing following Wednesday’s release of the final ODIHR report on the December elections in Serbia. “We stand ready to support the Serbian authorities in addressing all those issues,” he said. “Of course, we expect all the credible reports, all the irregularities to be followed up in a very transparent manner by the competent national authorities. This includes also the allegations which relate to the local elections in Belgrade in particular, but also other municipalities,” he said. Asked when the EC would respond to a non-binding European Parliament resolution calling on it to set up an expert mission to investigate alleged electoral irregularities in Serbia, Stano declined to elaborate on details of the EC’s interactions with other EU institutions. “The position of the EU, of the EC, is very clear – it was already phrased in the reaction to the preliminary report of ODIHR on 19 December, where we expressed certain reservations and concerns. Now, after the publication of the full report, of course, we are taking note of this report,” Stano said. “The electoral process in Serbia requires tangible improvement and further reform because proper functioning of Serbian democratic institutions is at the core of Serbia’s EU accession process,” he also said.

Vucic continues consultations on PM designate (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic continued consultations on a PM designate with a meeting with representatives of the We, A Voice From The People electoral list on Friday.

Aleksandar Pavic and two other representatives of the list entered the building of the General Secretariat of the President of the Republic in central Belgrade slightly before 8.30 am.

We, A Voice From The People won 13 seats in the 17 December parliamentary polls but has since split into two factions. Vucic began the consultations on Monday, when he met with representatives of two ethnic minority lists – the Saip Kamberi-led Political Struggle of Albanians Continues and the Slobodan Nikolic-led Russian Party. In separate statements, the representatives of the lists said they would not be joining the new Serbian government. Vucic also met with representatives of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians and a list led by Usame Zukorlic and Tomislav Zigmanov. The representatives said afterwards they expected to continue to cooperate with the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) as part of a new ruling coalition. Vucic is also expected to meet with representatives of the SNS and the Socialist Party of Serbia in the coming days, while the Serbia Against Violence and the HOPE for Serbia coalitions have announced they would not be taking part in the consultations.

Belgrade City Assembly session re-scheduled again (N1)

The constitutive session of the Belgrade City Assembly was postponed for a second time on Friday with outgoing Mayor Aleksandar Sapic saying that the postponement was deliberate. Sapic told reporters in Belgrade City Hall that Councilor Toma Fila would re-schedule the session for 3 March, the final deadline to form the City Assembly, with Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) councillors providing the reason by not attending Friday’s session. Fila chairs the constitutive session as the oldest councillor. The outgoing Mayor said that the ruling coalition decided to raise the level of legitimacy and try to reach an agreement with Branimir Nestorovic’s We the People movement but things changed because the movement broke apart in the meantime. Nestorovic’s movement was the kingmaker in the Belgrade City Assembly, giving the ruling coalition (SNS-SPS) the majority or making new elections inevitable. Speaking after Friday’s consultations on a new national government with President Aleksandar Vucic, Movement spokesman Aleksandar Pavic said that the political group would remain the opposition both in the Serbian Parliament and Belgrade City Assembly. Pavic broke away from other We the People Movement founders with Nestorovic following disagreements over its leadership. Serbia Against Violence (SPN) councillors stood holding signs claiming election fraud, calling for a new vote and other messages. Speaking to reporters after the session was re-scheduled, opposition officials repeated their earlier claims that the ruling coalition failed to win the Belgrade city elections, adding that new elections are imminent. They also noted that Sapic held a news conference in City Hall not the City Assembly.

REGIONAL PRESS

B&H Independence Day marked in FB&H (O Kanal/Srna)

O Kanal reports that on the occasion of 1 March, the Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), the streets of the capital of B&H, Sarajevo, and other cities around the country have been decorated with B&H flags. O Kanal reminded that the citizens of B&H chose the path of independence in the referendum held on 29 February and 1 March 1992. Of the 64 percent of citizens with the right to vote who responded to the referendum, when asked whether they were in favor of a sovereign and independent B&H, a state of equal citizens and peoples – Muslims, Serbs, Croats and members of other nations who live there, 99.44 percent voted ‘for’. Independence was supported mainly by Bosniaks and Croats, while a larger number of Serbs boycotted the referendum due to SDS’s call not to vote in the referendum. The results of the referendum were accepted on March 6 of the same year in the parliament of B&H. The authorities of Republika Srpska (RS) dispute this day, which is why it is celebrated only in the Federation of B&H (FB&H). RS President Milorad Dodik stated for Srna on Thursday that marking of “tragic” date, 1 March, as “so-called” B&H Independence Day, when Serb blood was split in Sarajevo as a result of a cowardly act, clearly shows a paradox of existence of such a B&H. Dodik added that it is even sadder that diplomats from Western Embassies congratulate this say to murderers and those who celebrate a monstrous murder of a Serb wedding guest. Dodik added that these diplomats give lectures to Serb people about human rights and democracy. Dodik concludes that this is tragedy, irony and hypocrisy at the same time. He also criticized marking of 1 March in Sarajevo City Hall, concluding that 1 March is not and cannot be a holiday of Serb people in the RS and B&H. Dodik argues that for him March 1 will always be only a warning how Serbs would be treated and what intentions regarding Serbs in B&H are like if they give up even for one second only on their “beloved and eternal” RS. As for the statement of B&H Presidency member Zeljko Komsic on 1 March, when he talked about “aggressors from who they had to defend a sovereign and independent B&H”, Dodik noted that those who attended the reception in the Sarajevo City Hall, so-called diplomats, tourists, representatives of various Western  embassies,  who are more known as those who hate Serbs, who impose laws, pass decisions, dictate Komsic and his colleague Denis Becirovic what to do, show what B&H is like. Dodik concluded: “This is not sovereignty and independence, and it will never be as long as such people want to decide on our destiny.” He added that this reception is actually a commemoration to a multi-ethnic Sarajevo. He added that Serb people will live and survive in their RS, which is a symbol of their freedom, survival and existence.

Schmidt prepared comprehensive decision on electoral integrity (Klix.ba)

Klix.ba reports that February ends and the promised reform laws are not adopted, reminding that with exception of two laws, crucial for opening of the EU accession talks, the authorities obligated themselves to adopt the technical changes to Election Law. Author reminded that all this was promised in January, only for the ruling coalition to convey message from the last meeting in Mostar that the agreement is not reached, and they will continue to talk through their working groups. Author noted that details about the talks on Law on Courts, Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest and Election Law are not presented to the public, so it remains unknown how much progress the working groups made on harmonizing of stances. Article comments that following the last meeting in Mostar and the statement that they will continue to talk, the impression is that the ruling coalition most notably sent the message to the High Representative Christian Schmidt. Namely, ruling opposition is aware of Schmidt’s promise that he will impose technical changes to Election Law and author comments that this moment is fast approaching.

Ruling authority, author comments, is aware that in case Schmidt imposes the decision, the crisis will occur and SNSD and Milorad Dodik will start with obstructions, which they announced. On the other side, ‘The Troika’, while they support introducing of more transparent election process and new technology, do not directly support Schmidt, because they are aware this would ruin relations within the coalition. Article reads that the ruling coalition is trying to buy more time by stating that they will continue to talk, but Klix.ba learns that Schmidt already prepared a decision, a comprehensive one, which besides technology (scanners, video-surveillance), depoliticization in leadership of polling station committees, will also include ban of nominations for persons convicted of war crimes, methods of financing of political parties and series of other details. Author comments that it is difficult to expect Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) politicians to adopt such comprehensive technical changes and all they can do is adopt mere satisfying of the formality and mild progress, while full transparency is mostly in hands of the High Representative.

Niksic: Schmidt will impose changes to B&H Election Law when integrity of election process is in question if ruling coalition leaders do not reach agreement (Klix.ba)

Klix.ba carries an interview with FB&H Prime Minister Nermin Niksic. He said that chances for B&H to open accession negotiations with the EU have not been missed. He added: “As long as there is a chance, we are committed to work, to talk, to try to reach a solution. It has turned out the that the policy of quarrels, divisions and conflicts is not good. If it had been good, we are world champions ii this, we would have been the EU so far for sure.” Commenting on relations within the ruling coalition and the fact that it is hard to reach an agreement on some issues, Niksic said he believes that more could have been done. As for HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic’s demands with regard to changes to the B&H Election Law, Niksic, among other things, said that for them the issue of election of B&H Presidency embers is at the same time the issue of implementation of decisions of the ECHR. Niksic noted that atmosphere at last meetings was fair, there was no tendency of conflicts and that they want to create atmosphere in which everyone can say what he thinks. He added: “Such a policy has brought to some solutions at the end. People in the EU do not hide that huge steps ahead were made when meeting of these conditions is in question.” Niksic also argues that it is clear that declaratively everybody is in favor of the EU, but the practice shows the opposite quite often, especially when (non)adoption of laws is in question. He added that nobody demands from Covic to give up on conditioning with the election reform, but Niksic believes that changes should be made in parts regarding which there is a compromise. He added that HDZ B&H demands change of the complete Election Law in three areas. Niksic noted that they believe that it is not necessary to change all three areas since objectively it is very difficult to change the Constitution is a short period of time. Niksic believes that High Representative Christian Schmidt will impose changes to the B&H Election Law when integrity of the election process is in question, if ruling coalition leaders do not reach an agreement. Niksic further said that after the meeting on Tuesday they agreed that a meeting of working groups continue on Wednesday. Niksic added: “I think that we received from SNSD consent for one thing, which has been problematic so far, and that is scanning of ballots in real time, although they believe that this should be a pilot project and that it is not applied until change of the Election Law is not made again. We believe that it is good that we approve this as the pilot project and that this is implemented at local elections.” Niksic also said that he and another SDP member Denis Becirovic are in good terms and that there are no factions in SDP. As for EU path of B6H Niksic concluded: “I want to tell to citizens when ‘The Troika’ issue is in question that we have shown that they should not worry that we shall cross some red line, betray anyone’s interest, of any citizen in the FB&H or in the RS when the state interest of B&H is in question, and that we shall do everything to reach a solution through this compromise of talks and negotiations… 21 March is very close and then we shall know where we are.”

European Parliament Resolution calls for sanctions against Dodik, other high-ranking RS and Serbian officials who provide political and material support to spreading of divisive and secessionist rhetoric in B&H (N1)

The European Parliament has again called for the introduction of sanctions against the RS President Milorad Dodik and other destabilizing actors in B&H. The adopted Resolution called on EU-member states allow the European Council to introduce such sanctions or, if this is not possible, to impose them bilaterally or by agreement with other EU-member states. According to the Resolution of the European Parliament on the implementation of the common foreign and security policy of the EU in 2023, which was adopted on Thursday by a majority vote. With that resolution, the MPs welcomed the European Commission’s recommendation that accession negotiations with B&H are opened as soon as the necessary level of compliance with membership criteria is achieved. The MPs welcomed the agreement on the extension of the mandate of the EU forces in the Althea mission and emphasized the EU’s support of EUR 20 million so far from the European Peace Aid Instrument to support the capacity building of the B&H Armed Forces. They called for the strengthening of the Althea Mission primarily by deploying additional units and resources and by ensuring a credible presence in the Brcko District.  The MPs called on the B&H authorities to work on the establishment of multi-ethnic units of the B&H Armed Forces. The resolution condemns inflammatory rhetoric, secessionist laws and policy of leadership of the RS, including celebration of unconstitutional the RS Day. European Parliament called for reform of the Election Law of B&H in order to secure equality of constituent peoples and implement the judgements of the international and domestic courts. This is the provision of the EP Resolution on implementation of the common foreign and security policy of the EU in 2023, which was adopted on Thursday by majority vote in the EP. The Resolution welcomes recommendation of the European Commission to open the accession talks with B&H as soon as the necessary level of harmonization with the membership criteria is reached. “European Parliament encourages political leaders of this country to carry out comprehensive group of reforms, including the electoral reforms, in line with judgements of domestic and international courts in order to secure principles of equality and non-discrimination for all citizens and constituent peoples, as established in its Constitution and with full respect of judgements of domestic and international courts, including all the judgements of European Court of Human Rights in regard to B&H,” reads the Resolution. The second, complementary Resolution on foreign and defense policy, which was also adopted on Thursday, reads: “European Parliament fiercely condemns every divisive and secessionist rhetoric, which additionally contribute to higher vulnerability of the country and underlines that the status of candidate country is opportunity and obligation of election representative of B&H to fulfil citizens’ expectations and improve daily lives of common people.” Reacting to the resolution of the European Parliament calling for the introduction of sanctions against the RS President Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the B&H Presidency Zeljka Cvijanovic said that it is good that there will be elections for the European Parliament soon. Cvijanovic was quoted as saying: “I hope that people will be elected who, unlike most of the current parliamentarians, understand what is happening on the continent where they live”.

Dodik: Protest note sent to Montenegro was not sent on behalf of B&H (ATV)

ATV commented that some in the FB&H have been hysterical due to visit of RS President Milorad Dodik to Montenegro. The B&H Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a protest note to Montenegro authorities, because speaker of Montenegro parliament Andrija Mandic hosted Dodik in official premises and no symbol of B&H was displayed. Dodik stated that this is not the protest note sent on behalf of B&H, but a private note of (B&H Minister of Foreign Affairs) Elmedin Konakovic, adding that a better definition is that this is “a Muslim protest note.” Dodik went on to saying that the protest note sent to Montenegro cannot be sent on behalf of B&H, because he did not represent B&H there, but the RS. “As long as I go somewhere as the RS President, a flag of the RS will stand behind me”, said Dodik. He emphasized that it is high time that Muslims finally realize that B&H is not theirs alone and that it is community composed of two equal entities, one of which is the RS. Dodik stressed that he is legitimately elected the President of the RS and has right to meet with whoever he wants and talk about whatever he wants.

Plenkovic: OECD accession would round off Croatia’s international positioning (Hina)

The Economic and Social Council (ESC) discussed the process of Croatia’s accession to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on Thursday. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that this was very important, and that accession would round off Croatia’s international positioning. He said that a second economic review of Croatia’s readiness for accession will take place in September 2025, followed by a process in the member states. Membership is important because the OECD includes the most developed, richest countries with the best legal, tax and anti-corruption systems that want to have the same standard, Plenkovic said. Every company knows that it is entering an environment of legal certainty and avoidance of administrative and bureaucratic obstacles, and the protection of labour rights is expected at the highest level, he added. The areas where Croatia needs to make progress are better corporate governance in state-owned companies, a better business climate and stronger mechanisms to curb corruption, the prime minister said. Political stability is also important as it shows how the state is functioning and where it is heading, he said, adding that Croatia’s development is at 75% of the EU average. Croatia’s accession to the EU in 2023 cost 600 million Euros, and in terms of funds received from the EU, Croatia is in the black to the tune of 3.4 billion Euros, he added. The President of the General Secretariat of the Council, Kresimir Sever, said that the OECD expects the General Secretariat of the Council to be strengthened and a national plan and model to be adopted in order to achieve the EU target of at least 80% of workers in member states being covered by collective agreements. Foreign Minister Gordan Grlic-Radman said that the OECD is a prestigious organisation of 38 of the richest countries in the world, the G7 and the G20, and that membership will contribute to Croatia’s reputation, make it attractive to investors and guarantee them legal certainty and better policies and rules for a better life. The Croatian Employers’ Association supported Croatia’s accession. Ivan Misetic said on its behalf that it should contribute to GDP growth.

SDT investigating whether Mandic abused his official position for displaying tricolour flag (CdM)

The Special State Prosecutor’s Office (SDT) has formed a case on whether parliament speaker Andrija Mandic abused his official position by displaying the tricolour flag in the cabinet of the parliament. On 15 February 2024, the caucuses of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), the Social Democrats of Montenegro (SDT), the Democratic Union of Albanians (DUA) and the Croatian Civic Initiative (HGI) filed a criminal complaint against Mandic for the criminal offense of abuse of office. “The investigation is ongoing”, state prosecutor and SDT spokesperson Vukas Radonjic has told CdM. Then, at a joint press conference, they announced that Mandic had committed a criminal act of discrimination by displaying the flag of a foreign country, which is the national symbol of only one nation. They believe that Mandic has a political role to change the character of the country, and that he wants to formally introduce Montenegro into the Serbian World.

NAU: None of the Montenegrin officials came to the reception on the occasion of 16 years of Kosovo’s independence (CdM)

Last night, the Embassy of Kosovo in Podgorica organized a reception on the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the independence of that neighboring country. There were many dignitaries at the reception, and famous ambassadors were also present, it was announced from the National Albanian Union (NAU). “It was noted, however, that none of the highest or senior officials of Montenegro attended the ceremony,” they state in the announcement. NAU, as they pointed out, did not expect representatives of the “For the Future of Montenegro” coalition to be at the reception. “They were probably still in a trance after welcoming the Putinist Milorad Dodik and they still don’t change a hair or their temper.” But it was to be expected that the representatives of PES and the Democrats would attend the ceremony, because they are at the head of the government in which Albanians also participate”, said the NAU. As they assessed, they did not want to tell their citizens of Albanian nationality that they are redundant in the government, because as they state, whoever does not respect the state of Kosovo cannot respect the native Albanians either. “In addition, good neighborly relations are an important element in the democratic image of countries striving for European integration. And our country strives for that”, they stated in the announcement. Also, they add, the intentional or unintentional omission was mitigated by the Montenegrin opposition whose highest representatives were present at the anniversary of the youngest neighbor’s independence. “We believe that they were pleased when they heard the ambassador’s sentence that Kosovo will never forget the open doors of Montenegro for around one hundred thousand Kosovo Albanians who fled the crimes of Slobodan Milosevic‘s regime in 1999″, concludes the NAU. “The fact that none of the highest officials of the state of Montenegro appeared at last night’s reception on the occasion of sixteen years since the independence of the Republic of Kosovo, organized by the embassy of this country in Podgorica, is the latest diplomatic gaffe of the current government and the parliamentary majority,” believes Aleksandra Vukovic- Kuc, vice-president of DPS and member of parliament of Montenegro. She points out that with such an action, the representatives of the government showed their disrespect towards the state of Kosovo, its sovereignty and territorial integrity. “After Bosnia and Herzegovina sent a note of protest to our country yesterday, this scandal continued the collapse of Montenegro’s traditional good-neighborly relations with the countries of the region. We are seeking an official answer from the MFA why the government boycotted the reception held at the embassy of the Republic of Kosovo and whether this undiplomatic act is actually the price it has to pay for the support it receives from Andrija Mandic and ex DF as a whole”, announced Vukovic-Kuc.

Gorcevic: The growth plan is a mechanism for initiating reforms and improving the quality of life (CdM)

We greatly appreciate the announced additional support through the new Growth Plan, and we believe that it will be an effective mechanism to initiate the reforms needed to get our accession process back on track, but also to show our citizens that, beyond everyday political talks, EU accession is actually the best way to improve the quality of life through intensive work and concrete, visible results, said Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorcevic at the ministerial meeting “Growth Plan: Growth and Convergence for the Western Balkans” held in Tirana. Minister Gorcevic, as announced by her department, presented the reform measures, activities, indicators and results that Montenegro planned through the draft Reform Agenda for the EU Instrument for Reform and Growth. She reminded that the government adopted the draft Reform Agenda at the beginning of December 2023, which contains basic measures in four policy areas and 22 sub-areas with around 90 reform measures. “During January of this year, we formulated more than 300 activities, as necessary steps needed to implement reform measures in 4 priority policy areas: business environment and private sector development, digital and energy/green transition, human capital development and the rule of law,” she said. Gorcevic. As she explained, Montenegro, even before the adoption of the new, very ambitious plan, proposed to the EU partners that, due to the very demanding, complex and expensive set of reforms that are required as part of the EU accession process, an increase in EU support is needed in order to support our economy and intensified economic growth. “There is an undoubted commitment to the preparation of the Reform Agenda and cooperation with the European Commission, which will be required for the implementation of the Growth Plan.” In the case of Montenegro, the total amount of potential funds is 413 million Euros, distributed as follows: 137 million through an EU grant and 275 million through soft loans,” Gorcevic announced. The MEP states that this meeting, which is being held in Tirana for the second time, was an opportunity for the ministers of European affairs of the Western Balkans to exchange opinions on the current status of the countries’ preparation for participation in the EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, as well as on the steps to bring closer to a single the EU market. The ministers discussed the current situation regarding the preparation of the Reform Agenda and analyzed the planned reform measures and the way in which their implementation will contribute to the achievement of accelerated economic convergence for the region, the department stated. The meeting of the ministers of European affairs of the countries of the Western Balkans was co-chaired by the general director of the Directorate for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Gert Jan Koopman, and the chief negotiator for the pre-accession negotiations of the Republic of Albania, Majlinda Duka.

Leaders commit to further institutional cooperation on Growth Plan for Western Balkans (MIA)

Leaders from the Western Balkans have adopted a joint statement at the high-level conference dedicated to the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans in Tirana on Thursday, expressing their commitment for further institutional cooperation among countries through specific steps and initiatives in order to improve people’s lives. Caretaker Prime Minister Talat Xhaferi represented North Macedonia at the conference, which also brought together other regional leaders, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi, EU officials and representatives of relevant international financial organizations. In the joint statement, the regional leaders commit to a structured dialogue alongside the European Commission and EU member-states for the purpose of implementing the Growth Plan in a way that it brings individual benefit and stimulates regional prosperity and socio-economic approximation to the EU, the government said in a press release. “The Growth Plan for the Western Balkans represents an excellent opportunity for enhancement of the region’s integration at the single market, as well as EU mechanisms and instruments, while accelerating reforms in strategic and key areas, including those related to the rule of law and fundamental rights,” reads the statement.

Marichikj: Goal of Growth Plan is to feel benefits of economic development on EU path, several measures agreed in Tirana (MIA)

The goal of the implementation of the Growth Plan and the development of the Common Regional Market is for the citizens to feel the benefits of socio-economic development of the region on the path to the EU, until North Macedonia’s full-fledged membership in the EU, wrote Deputy Prime Minister for European affairs, Bojan Marichikj, in a Facebook post after participating in the regional meeting on European integration in Tirana on Thursday. Marichikj said the regional meeting in Tirana focused on cooperation between the Western Balkan countries, implementation of the Growth Plan and development of the Common Regional Market. “Outlining concrete measures and priority actions for the inclusion of the economies in the EU’s single market means accelerated integration of the Western Balkans and significantly enhanced socio-economic development of the region,” wrote Marichikj. Marichikj said several concrete measures were agreed at the meeting – participation in the EU’s Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), which, he said, would facilitate the payment for products and services between the EU and the Western Balkans. “The measure will be implemented by the end of the year. Another concrete measure are the green lanes on the border crossing for vehicles carrying products from the Western Balkans. The goal is to reduce waiting time, increase trade and economic development,” said Marichikj. The next measure is Wi-Fi for the Western Balkans, which would ensure free internet access to the citizens in public spaces and buildings in 500 municipalities of the Western Balkans. Marichikj said the measure would be implemented with financial assistance from the EU. The last measure, according to Marichikj, is the inclusion of North Macedonia’s pharmaceutical industry and civil society in the EU’s system for procuring essential medicines. Western Balkan leaders held a meeting Thursday in Tirana focused on the European integration of the region and the implementation of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. The meeting was attended by the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Talat Xhaferi, the Chairwoman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Borjana Kristo, and the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic. European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, and the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council Majlinda Bregu attended the meeting as well.

Petrovska: Hybrid threats countered through unity (MIA)

Defense Minister Slavjanka Petrovska took part Thursday at debate “Future of NATO and the Balkans: Lessons from Estonia”, discussing the need for unity in countering hybrid threats and strengthening of collective security within NATO as an alliance based on values and principles. Minister Petrovska referred to the hybrid threats that countries in the region and NATO are faced with, noting that societies resilient to disinformation can be built only through coordination and unity, the Ministry of Defense said in a press release. “We are aware of the Russia’s hybrid activities in our country. Their objective is to create a perception of the institutions as vulnerable and dysfunctional, thus reducing the people’s trust in them. The best response to this threat is to build strong collective resilience,” said Petrovska and added that institutional transparency and openness represent an important tool in the fight against disinformation. On the NATO membership, the Defense Minister said the bold decision in 2018 enabled the country to join the Alliance, which has been the best investment in the security of the country and its citizens. Petrovska said regional cooperation is key in the integration process, while noting North Macedonia’s support to NATO’s open-door policy. “Political structures in the region must take difficult but right decisions in order to speed up the integration processes. We all share a similar past but have a common future,” said Petrovska. The debate tackled Estonia’s experiences in managing Russian disinformation campaigns and impact of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The event is part of project “Seeing is believing-Building Public Understanding of NATO & Resilience in the Balkans by Bringing Macedonian and Montenegrin Journalists to Estonia”, implemented by Forum-Center for Strategic Research and Documentation, in cooperation with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) – Bologna Institute for Policy Research (BIPR).

Zelensky asked for joint production of weapons, Rama: The region said “yes”, the allies will invest (Radio Tirana)

The request of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky to cooperate for the production of military equipment has been accepted by all the countries of the Western Balkan region. Prime Minister Edi Rama clarified that none of the countries offers such a production industry, but all agreed to invest and cooperate in this field in the future. However, Prime Minister Rama made it clear that in regard to Albania, investments in the military production industry will only be made by allies. Rama added that he will work with the partners to revive the old Albanian military infrastructure”. “We had a very good Summit and we had good discussions with President Zelensky. That Summit showed something that is deeply important, everyone was here. The region was away of Russia’s hands and was here as a region seeking to be part of the EU. Regarding the military industry and the production of weapons us, Serbia, Bosnia or Croatia do not have a military equipment manufacturing industry. We want to have it for ourselves in the first place and we are working to find the right deal and the right partners to revive our old military infrastructure and make more investments. Secondly, there is nothing extraordinary that Zelensky spoke about the possibility of cooperation, which means investment, production, and cooperation, and we all said yes, not only Albania. This is a process, and we know very well that we need to invest more in Defense and we will do so. We will do this with our allies and not with others,” said Rama.

The EU – Western Balkans Summit, Rama: New Growth Plan speeds up the EU membership; Varhelyi: It doubles the region’s economy within 10 years (Radio Tirana)

The New EU Growth Plan for the Western Balkans will speed up the integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU, said Prime Minister Edi Rama and the European Union Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Oliver Varhelyi at the joint press conference after the end of the EU-Western Balkans Summit. The head of the Albanian government emphasized that through this Plan, the EU integration process will also be tangible for the citizens too. Through this Plan, Rama said that there will be more funding from the EU for projects and for the budgets of the countries of the Western Balkans. “The EU is not just doing business as usual, but is going one step further to join us, with a New Growth Plan that is actually an initiative conceived out-of-the box. This is the result of dialogue, of our encouraging to be heard, to be understood in terms of our difficulties. Thanks to this mutual exchange of views, we have achieved this very important objective to introduce into the traditional process of integration, something new that is very concrete and can take us to the next level very quickly. The New Growth Plan is a key platform to speed up our entry into the EU and is an instrument that will make this process tangible for people. The other side of the Plan is more funding for projects and for our budgets. I am very pleased that we reached this point, it has not been easy, but it is really quite rewarding,” said Rama. However, he emphasized that European integration goes through regional integration. “On the other hand, all those efforts that we have made during 10 years to move towards regional integration, now with the New Growth Plan, take place without political reasons for not making an agreement. European integration goes through regional integration. This is not at all debatable and the New Growth Plan proves this. Further, what has been said about the Western Balkans is already exposed as nonsense because this is the way, regardless of political disagreements. With the New Growth Plan, all 6 countries have agreed that this is something that must be done,” said the Prime Minister. Varhelyi said that the New Growth Plan was conceived precisely in Tirana, while adding that it will serve as a mechanism to show the economic benefits of a country before it becomes a member state of the EU. According to EU estimates, Varhelyi said the region is expected to double its economy in the next ten years. “The very idea of ​​the Growth Plan itself was conceived right here in Tirana, in the previous discussions we had with the Prime Minister, but also with other leaders. You see today that we are saying what we will do from this plan during this year. Therefore, today has been a great encouragement to move faster. Europe is very bureaucratic, but I think that this time we have the opportunity to show the economic benefits of a country that becomes a member state, because we already have the opportunity to share these with the region before they become member states. This means that your region can become part of the Union even faster. Participation in the common market is also about competition, and competition in the EU market is strong. That is why we are providing additional funds to help the necessary and indispensable reforms, and we are ready to facilitate this work and therefore the EC leaders have decided that 6 billion Euros will have to help the region until 2027. The region will have the same level of aid intensity as member countries. After 2027, it would be difficult for the countries of the region to say that they are not ready to join the EU. I think that we have already moved to a higher level, which means that if you want to be treated as an EU member state, then you have to treat Western Balkans members as EU members too. What you have seen today will dramatically change the reality in Western Balkans. According to our calculations, the region will double its economy over the next 10 years,” he said.

Commissioner Varehlyi against Greece: There are no good relations if one prevents the neighbor to move on (Radio Tirana)

The EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi said that he cannot understand the behaviour of Greece, which is preventing the opening of negotiations of the group of chapters for Albania in regard to the integration negotiation process. He said that there is no good neighborhood if one prevents the other from moving on and that the European Commission is working and doing everything to overpass this so that Albania can start the negotiations of the chapters. “I don’t think there are people in Brussels who disagree with Albania’s achievements. Albania is ready to open negotiations for the first group chapter. No matter how technical the process is, it is simply the next step and I cannot understand why we cannot make this decision. You cannot build good relations with your neighbors if you block the other from moving forward. I really hope that we can come and have another intergovernmental conference to move to the real negotiations with the first chapter group,” said Varhelyi. While, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that Albania is working to fulfil all its obligations and that this is its only concern at the moment. Whether or not a country wants Albania in the EU, is another issue that should be discussed when membership happens, as the focus is now on the reforms. “We work every day with the EC as if we were negotiating everything that had to be officially negotiated at this stage. This shows that we are working here. When the process gets onto the next phase, we will be much more advanced. The EC has fought a lot with the member states to start negotiations earlier and this did not happen because of internal policies. Our EU membership will happen in 5 or so years, after that we can worry why someone is blocking us or we be upset why we didn’t sit at the table, but not now. Now we have to do the work, then whether a country wants us or not is another problem,” said Rama. The blocking of Albania to start negotiations for the first group chapter with the European Commission is happening because of Greece, after the tensions arising from what is known as the Beleri case.

The four agreements reached at the Western Balkans-EU Summit (Radio Tirana)

The Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi stated that there are four agreements that were reached at the EU-Western Balkans Summit on the New Growth Plan. In the joint media conference with Prime Minister Rama, Varhelyi said that “I think that today we had an agreement on four areas where there should be results this year. The first concerns SEPA, which means a comprehensive review of all regulatory aspects in our countries. We already see that in fact the countries are preparing for this and to be honest it shouldn’t be too difficult, for example because the banking system mainly consists of European banks”. According to him, “this means that they must apply the same rules that they apply in their countries of origin, but the challenge is how quickly we will be able to achieve that these rules become concrete on the ground, that is, how quickly we can they are applied, but I think there was broad agreement that this will be achieved this year and I believe it will be achieved this year”. The Commissioner underlined that the second agreement had to do with green lanes. “With green lanes, we mean to remove all waiting times at border point. It means that customs procedures will be adjusted in order to speed up border crossings throughout the region. We already have several border crossing points that work in a dual way for different countries, but we need to expand this to all the countries of the Western Balkans, that is, to extend it to all countries, to all border crossing points. This is again something that should be completed by the end of this year and in this way, it will significantly reduce business costs for various businesses in the countries of the region,” he explained. The third area, Varhelyi continued, “has to do with scientific research work, which means that we bring the next generation of different industries to the region, which means that innovation, research, scientific research, different industries will have need for a, let’s say in fact for what would be called a center where these industries are, a core where these industries can be supported and this is created here in the Western Balkans. We are talking about the pharmaceutical aspects, about the digital pharmaceutical sector, where knowledge about technologies is applied every day”. “The last…., I myself call it the free Internet network in public spaces throughout the Western Balkans, so that everyone has the opportunity to access the Internet and we can see this as part of the economic investment plan, we have the funds for this, and we must now equip the municipalities with all the necessary tools to make this a reality this year. So, these are the four priority areas for this year,” declared the EU Commissioner. He added that the other thing that was widely discussed is what we are going to do next year. “Now we are waiting for the region itself to bring us ideas, what the countries of the region want to happen next year, where are the obstacles for the economies, for the citizens, so what things can we achieve next year in that 12 months to achieve to show tangible changes for the citizens”, précised the Commissioner for Enlargement.

College of Europe, Rama: A European education destination. Varhelyi: The EU has arrived in Tirana (Radio Tirana)

Albanian Ministry of Education and the University of Tirana signed the agreement for the new home of the College of Europe that will open its doors in Tirana with the rector of the College of Europe, Federica Mogherini. The Commissioner of the EU for Enlargement and Neighborhood Oliver Varhelyi described the opening of this college as a sign that “the EU has arrived in Tirana”. “Most of the applications come from the EU itself and this shows the extraordinary added value that this institution will have not only for the Balkans but also for the EU itself. This means that the EU has arrived in Tirana,” said Varhelyi. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama also said that this college and the many applications that are coming from young people in the EU will turn it into a European education destination. “The large number of young people from EU member countries who want to come to Tirana shows that coming to Albania from the EU can be much more exciting than going from the EU to the EU. That’s why I believe we have such a large number. We are making a lot of efforts to have an iconic building, to have a mere European education destination not only from the program but also from the visual side and the quality of life for the students, from the auditoriums to the dormitories,” Rama added. The College of Europe is opening its campus in Tirana to start the academic year in September, with the first 31 students from all over Europe. The College of Europe opens a new horizon of education for young Albanians and not only, as it raises to another level the challenge for the internationalization of Albanian universities, creating, among other things, another opportunity for a deeper learning about the EU itself and the journey towards it.