LOCAL PRESS

EU Ministerial Council: Serbia to gradually harmonize foreign policy, continue to normalize relations with Kosovo (RTS/Beta)

The EU Ministerial Council has praised the progress that the Serbian government has made in the field of reforms and normalization of the relations with Pristina, but it has been pointed that there is still unfinished work to do. At the meeting of EU heads of diplomacy in Brussels, the start of the accession talks with the EU has been commended, along with good preparedness during the screening. It has been pointed that Chapters 23 and 24, pertaining to the judiciary and basic rights, ought to be opened early and then relate the opening of other chapters with the progress in those two. The Council will keep on monitoring the normalization of the relations with Pristina, including the implementation of the hitherto achieved agreements. It is also noted that Chapter 35, which pertains to the process of the normalization, should be opened among the first ones, and the progress in that domain should be related to work in the other fields. The EU Ministerial Council has called upon Serbia to keep harmonizing its foreign policy with that of the EU.

Mogherini: Belgrade-Pristina dialogue to resume in January (Politika/Tanjug)

The EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said in Brussels yesterday that the high-level political dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will resume as soon as the New Year and Christmas holiday season ends. “I know that Christmas is celebrated in January in some parts of the region, so I will invite the prime ministers of Serbia and Kosovo to come to Brussels immediately after the holidays,” Mogherini told reporters after the first day of a meeting of EU foreign ministers. She said that she has already informed the ministers of this although Serbia and Kosovo were not on the agenda of Monday’s meeting.

Following the decision of the Constitutional Court to reject the proposal for assessing constitutionality of the Brussels agreement (Novosti)

The Constitutional Court rejected the proposal of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) for assessing the constitutionality and legality of the Brussels agreement, whereby it practically declared itself incompetent for this issue. “The Court’s decision that the Brussels agreement in its nature isn’t an international agreement, i.e. a general legal document, as claimed by the proponent, but a political document, is the result of an all-encompassing analysis of certain elements of the agreement conducted by the Court viewing different arguments presented by invited experts of international public and constitutional law within the held public debate,” Novosti was told by the Constitutional Court. Professor of Constitutional Law Ratko Markovic explains for Novosti: “The Court has obviously considered that the Brussels agreement is an individual political document that is not subject to the assessment of constitutionality, but in my opinion, it had to also look beyond this and keep in mind that, even though policy making is in the competence of the government, it must be within the current Constitution. Still, the decision is expected, because otherwise the entire government policy would have been disproved.” For the Chairman of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Constitutional and legislative issues Aleksandar Martinovic, there is no doubt that the Court’s decision is legal, and not political: “As the representative of the parliament at the debate before the Constitutional Court I presented the position that this institution is not competent for the debate on the constitutionality of the Brussels agreement, because it doesn’t have the characteristics of a confirmed international agreement.”

Constitutional Court failed the exam (Novosti, by Zoran Ivosevic, former judge of the Supreme Court of Serbia)

I didn’t expect that the Constitutional Court of Serbia will reject the proposal for assessing the constitutionality of the Brussels agreement, because, it is supposedly a “political and not a legal” document. In fact, I expected that the Court would not accept the “arguments” publicly presented by Justice Minister Nikola Selakovic, who precisely conveyed that the Brussels agreement is a political and not a legal document. I agree, the Brussels agreement is a political document, but not exclusively. And in any case, political documents must be also in accordance with the Serbian Constitution and our laws. Already in the preamble of the Constitution, it literally states that the “constitutional obligation of all state organs is to represent and protect the interests of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija in all internal and foreign political relations”. Thus, the Constitutional Court is competent to assess whether the interests of our state in the province of Kosovo and Metohija are protected in the case of the Brussels agreement. An international agreement that Serbia concludes must be in accordance with the highest state document, and personally I think that the Brussels agreement violated the Constitution. For example, it envisages the formation of the Union of Serb Municipalities. Thus, it encroaches on the territorial organization of the country in a way that is not envisaged by the Constitution. The Serbian police and courts in Kosovo and Metohija are integrated into the self-declared Kosovo “state” system and are practically removed from the state-constitutional order and stuffed under the so-called Kosovo constitution. I am afraid that the members of the Constitutional Court of Serbia have demonstrated that they are not worthy of holding office.

There has never been more statehood (NIN, by Dragana Pejovic)

Two pieces of news that were made public in parallel to the formation of the provincial Kosovo government is the pace at which, along the dialogue with Belgrade, the statehood of the government in Pristina will continue to be confirmed in world proportions. One news, long expected, refers to Berlin’s conditions for Serbia’s further EU integration, which are specified, among other things, in: participation of Kosovo in all regional forums, passing of the statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities in accordance with the Pristina laws, acceptance of the so-called “Kosovo Republic” passport at the Serbian border, the formation of inter-state border between the province and Serbia proper as well as other practical gestures of recognition. The second news arrived before the expected deadline from the International Olympic Committee whose bodies decided that Kosovo will be represented as a participant in the next games in Rio de Janeiro. While the former and new Kosovo prime ministers Hashim Thaqi and Isa Mustafa were bickering about the distribution of ministries and posts, the institutional crisis has brought about membership in some other important international forums and bodies such as the Francophonie and Coalition against the Islamic State. The first meeting occurred between members of the two parliaments – Kosovo and Serbian – as well as the visit of the so-called Kosovo “Foreign Minister” Enver Hoxhaj to Belgrade, so we can say that the stalemate of the dialogue was the most productive phase of “bilateral” relations. However, the institutional crisis was very harmful for the Serbs. After they have agreed to take part in the elections, none of the goals of this participation has been achieved to this day (not even the Community). In the meantime, the blackmail capacity of the Serb (Srpska) List was beheaded with the previous distribution of mandates, during which the provincial Kosovo Central Election Commission didn’t recognize Serb votes above the census. The Serb List received nine mandates, and Nenad Rasic, the leader of the Party of Democratic Progress, received one, so complaints to the Constitutional Court seems impossible, because 11 parliamentary votes are needed for it. Belgrade moved, as it promised, this battle to the international field (Marko Djuric), so even before the new Kosovo government was declared, in agreement with the Democratic Party of Kosovo and the Democratic Alliance of Kosovo, it was clear that the Serbs cannot receive anything more than the minimum number of seats that belong to them according to regulations. Gracanica Mayor Branimir Stojanovic has become one of Mustafa’s three deputies, shoulder to shoulder with Hashim Thaqi, the future first deputy prime minister and “foreign minister.” The Minister for Local Self-Administration will be Ljubomir Maric, the Minister for Communities and Returns will be Aleksandar Jablanovic, while the deputy speaker of the assembly from the ranks of the Serb List will be Jasmina Zivkovic. The two Kosovo Albanian ruling parties have 67 of the total of 120 deputy seats and they will not need, operatively, the votes of the Serbs, while Isa Mustafa will begin his mandate with more attributes of statehood compared to all of his predecessors “in provisional institutions of the southern Serbian province”.

REGIONAL PRESS

Bosnia and Herzegovina blocked the admission of Kosovo (Nezavisne novine)

The B&H has blocked the admission of Kosovo to the US-Adriatic Charter, even as “Kosovo *” with a footnote, confirmed Ana Trisic-Babic, B&H Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, who led the B&H delegation at the meeting of the US-Adriatic Charter in Tirana. As Trisic-Babic said, she refused to consent to the admission of Kosovo, because there is still no agreement between Belgrade and Pristina about that. “This was done despite the fact that Serbia is not a member of this Charter. Because of this the rest of the Communiqué on which, otherwise, she agreed, was not accepted,” she said. Otherwise, the Foreign Affairs Minister at the meeting formally assumed the presidency of the US-Adriatic Charter in 2015, and is planning a number of activities aimed at improving the security and defense cooperation in the region and to accelerate the NATO integration process of the US-Adriatic Charter members. As announced by the Ministry, Trsic-Babic in her speech pointed out that the US-Adriatic Charter is an effective system of cooperation and regional integration with an important role in the Euro-Atlantic integration of the member states and the instrument of cooperation in the field of security and defense. “US-Adriatic Charter is essential for improving our defense capabilities and an important framework for regional dialogue and security consultation,” added Trisic-Babic. They explained that the US-Adriatic Charter serves as a powerful argument for strengthening the efforts of individual countries in the region, the implementation of reforms and strengthening security, prosperity and stability, with the ultimate goal of full NATO integration. “All countries of the US-Adriatic Charter member states are essential for promoting regional cooperation, regardless of the field: security or the economy, infrastructure, justice or home affairs,” announced the Ministry. They added that the Foreign Affairs Minister Trsic-Babic expressed gratitude to the A-5 countries that are full members of the NATO, for their shared experiences and their broad support to B&H in customization of its capabilities and meeting the requirements for full membership in NATO.

B&H CIK reminds cantons of deadlines for submission of candidates’ lists for FB&H PA house of peoples (Oslobodjenje)

Members of the B&H Central Election Commission (CIK), at today’s session, reminded representatives of the assemblies of Sarajevo and Una-Sana cantons of the legal deadline for the submission of lists for certification of deputies to the House of Peoples of the FB&H Parliament. Candidates’ lists up to date have been delivered by eight cantonal parliaments and President of the CIK Stjepan Mikic suggested that for the remaining two cantons a letter of urgency is sent to remind them that the deadline has passed. “The letter needs to specify a new deadline, and it should be seven days deadline to submit the list,” said Mikic. The legal deadline for the submission of these lists is 20 days from the date of publication of the final election results confirmed by the CEC on 10 November, which means that the deadline for the composition of the FB&H House of Peoples expired on 1 December. The CIK member Branko Petric has proposed that the FB&H House of Peoples is formed without the two cantons.

Ten Bosnian Serb officials arrested for war crimes (Fena)

Ten Bosnian Serb wartime officials were arrested on Tuesday over the killing of close to 70 Muslim Bosniak civilians and persecution of many more, including women and children, early in the former Yugoslav republic’s 1992-95 war. Two decades since the war, B&H is still hunting down those behind war crimes committed during a conflict that killed 100,000 people and displaced two million. Raiding premises in three towns in eastern Bosnia, police arrested 10 former senior military and police officers on accusations of crimes against humanity, the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) said in a statement. The men are suspected of planning, supervising and conducting the persecution of around 120 Bosniaks from a village near the eastern town of Zvornik on July 14, 1992, the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

After the victims were forced out of their homes, they were taken to different locations and detention sites where they were tortured and maltreated in various ways, the prosecution said.

“On several occasions, the detained civilians were separated into groups and shot en masse. More than 67 civilians were killed,” the statement said. Eastern B&H was a wartime stronghold of the Bosnian Serb army and ethnic Serb paramilitaries, fighting Bosniaks and Croats to carve out an exclusively Serb statelet. Earlier this month, 15 former Serb paramilitaries and soldiers were arrested in Serbia and Bosnia for the 1993 murder of 20 people, mainly Bosniaks.

The head of European diplomacy on the conclusions of the FAC-a: A new beginning for the EU and B&H (Dnevni avaz)

The Vice-President of the European Commission and the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini announced today in Sarajevo the preparations on developing the written statement by which the political leaders and B&H institutions would be bind to implement the reforms and unblock their European path. Speaking last night in front of reporters, she said that the ministers of 28 EU countries, she and the Commissioner for negotiations on the enlargement and neighborhood policy Johannes Hahn, agreed in the B&H capital to make as soon as possible the draft of a written statement that, should be signed and accepted by the political leaders of parties represented in the State Parliament, the Council of Ministers and the Presidency of B&H, and to be supported in the state parliament by the MP’s vote. “In that statement, the commitment and involvement of leadership and the population which is ready for the reforms that would lead B&H to the EU should be clearly emphasized. Primarily they are economic and social reforms, but there will also have to be work on the problem of solving functionality of the state and of the other levels of government. We are ready to get involved and respond with our measures and activities, when the B&H Parliament adopts this commitment. Indeed, we believe that this could be a turning point on the B&H journey towards the EU. All Western Balkan countries have the European perspective, they are European countries and we have to ensure that their involvement is in deeds, not only in words,” said Mogherini. She told reporters in Brussels that her recent visit to Sarajevo was very helpful. Meetings with NGOs and politicians have given her and Commissioner Hahn “grounds to believe that there are grounds for hope that this can be a new beginning between the EU and B&H and that they must use these opportunities in full extent.”

“Even Serbia and Russia wouldn’t recognize RS” (Tanjug/Standard)

Chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina Presidency Mladen Ivanic says he is confident that “not even Serbia would recognize the possible independence of the RS.”

Ivanic, whose party is in opposition in the Serb entity in Bosnia, also told the Austrian daily Standard that he believes Bosnia’s admission to the EU could happen no sooner than in 20 years’ time. When asked about Republika Srpska (RS) “aspirations for independence”, he said that the president of the entity, Milorad Dodik, “used it to consolidate his power”, while “the first country that would not recognize it, at least in the coming years, is Serbia”. According to Ivanic, this is because “otherwise, Belgrade would have to say that Kosovo’s independence is a reality”. Ivanic expressed his doubt that even Russia would have an interest to support the independence of the RS. At the same time he was quoted as stressing that he does not believe that “emotional ties with Serbia” have negative impacts on Bosnia. “We believe that our ethnic roots are there,” said he, and continued: “What’s the problem with that. I also think it’s a fair stance that Serbia “loves the RS, but accepts the existence and integrity of the Dayton Bosnia”. Ivanic is convinced that Bosnia’s Council of Ministers will be established during the first days of February and that in March and April this body “could solve the problems related to the road towards the EU”. Asked when he thought Bosnia would join the EU, he said: “Not in 10 years, but maybe in 15, that is, I hope in 20.” He then said that “controversial subjects should be avoided in order to prevent a deadlock in the government”, and noted there were “three different views in Bosnia”: “Mr. Bakir Izetbegovic wants a unified Bosnia, preferably without entities, but he knows that this is not possible. I’d like to see an independent RS the most, but I know that’s not possible. Dragan Covic has the idea of ​​a third entity, but we know that we are not united on that. So it is better to leave it aside. Our generation of politicians is not able to solve it.” Ivanic believes that “everyone has become more mature, as has the international community”, noting that ten years ago there was “an idealistic idea about as many as possible national institutions and as much Bosnia as possible”. “But this is not the case, because now there are institutions that do almost nothing and are now a problem. There is a government commission for concessions that has not issued a single concession in ten years,” said Ivanic. Speaking about himself and two other members of the presidency, he then that “three serious politicians are currently in the presidency” and that there was “no other institution, including the Council of Ministers, with such serious politicians”. “This means that the presidency will be in focus, and will, as their parties are in the Council of Ministers, have an impact on that body,” Ivanic is convinced. He stressed that it is necessary to send a message that Bosnia is a place “where decisions can be made and not the end of the world, and although complicated, is not so inefficient”. “I’ve been in politics long enough to know that what’s ‘fashionable’ is a part of international politics. If someone starts talking about Bosnia as not being so bad, then others will immediately start to say the same thing. It is about its image and about nobody fearing to come to Bosnia,” he said. Ivanic spoke in favor of a reduction of the public sector on all levels, and added that in this regard the greatest pressure will be on the Federation (FB&H) entity. Unlike the Serb Republic, this Muslim (Bosniak)-Croat entity is further subdivided into cantons, and according to Ivanic, “realistically, ten cantons are too much”.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Guest post: the Serbia-China friendship bridge (The Financial Times, 15 December 2014)

Guest writer

By Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia

Serbia recently began its accession talks with the EU and is firmly dedicated to its European path. This is a blessing to a country like Serbia, since its geographic position places us at a key strategic juncture between Europe and the Orient – and this role is becoming ever more prominent.

The first character in the Chinese words for Serbia and Serbian is pronounced sai. It translates as ‘place of strategic importance’. As Chinese characters so often do, it offers a remarkably concise and meaningful description of Serbia’s relationship with China and the world more broadly.

On December 16, Serbia will welcome Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and representatives of 16 central and eastern European countries for the third China-Balkans Summit. Belgrade has not hosted an event of this magnitude for 40 years and this summit is clear evidence of the Serbia-China relationship entering a new era.

We have enjoyed an increasingly warm relationship with China in recent years – one that is destined to become even stronger. When we met in Tianjin this year at the ‘Summer Davos’, Premier Li Keqiang and I spoke of our desire to boost the level of China-Serbia relations and cooperation. I look forward to continuing this conversation as we welcome him to Belgrade.

This political goodwill and mutual interest is underpinned by an increasingly strong economic partnership.

We are fortunate in our strategic location and this, coupled with growing political and economic links with the wider world, means that we are well placed to become the gateway between east and west. China is no longer a developing country but rather a modern superpower with a central role in the global economy. Far from being the world’s low-cost manufacturing base, its economic future lies in the areas of technology and brand development.

China is expanding its investment footprint across different countries and sectors and is looking increasingly to south-eastern Europe and the Balkans. With our proximity to EU markets, lower operating costs and support for foreign direct investment, I believe that it is a more attractive destination for Chinese firms than ever.

We have already seen a real appetite from Chinese investors for opportunities in Serbian infrastructure. A clear illustration of this is the new bridge across the Danube opening this month built by the China Road and Bridge Corporation, which involved an investment of $260m. This is far from the only example of a successful Sino-Serbian venture.

Serbia, traditionally strong in technology and engineering, is ideally placed to support China as it looks to re-position its economy through investment in technology and innovation and to engage with international research and development networks.

We have a strong track record of excellence in maths and science education, which adds to our skills base. Furthermore, as the global economy suffers from an increasing shortage of IT and engineering talent, Serbia offers foreign investors a range of financial incentives including tax holidays for major investment projects, grants and the ability to import equipment tariff-free.

Some of the biggest global names are already taking notice: Microsoft has chosen Belgrade as the home of one of its leading research and development centres in Europe to capitalise on the quality of talent available, while benefiting from far lower overheads than in the US. Siemens is another world leader in technology which has chosen to invest in Serbia.

Our talent and skills base are just as attractive to Chinese tech giants and, and the China National Electric Engineering Company has already announced plans to invest $1.2bn in Serbia.

Hosting the China-Balkans summit this week affirms our developing regional cooperation. It gives extra-importance to our vigour in pursuing our European path. We will use all these strengthened regional and international ties to reform our economy, create more jobs, raise the living standards of our people, and give them hope that the future is something they can look forward to.

Aleksandar Vucic is Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia

EU Urged to Widen Kosovo Mission Graft Probe (BIRN, by Petrit Collaku, 16 December 2014)

An independent expert appointed to investigate allegations of corruption inside the EU’s rule-of-law mission in Kosovo only has a ‘limited’ role, warned Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, to give more powers to the expert tasked with probing the corruption allegations, made by an EU prosecutor, which caused a scandal in Kosovo in October. In the letter which was made public on Monday, HRW’s EU director Lotte Leicht said that legal expert Jean Paul Jacqué’s brief should be wider in order to ensure that the allegations are addressed “fairly and firmly” to maintain the credibility of the EULEX rule-of-law mission. “We are concerned… that Mr. Jacqué’s role appears limited to overseeing EULEX’s internal investigation rather than conducting an independent investigation into the allegations,” Leicht wrote to Mogherini. “That investigation should not be limited to the corruption allegations raised by the former EULEX prosecutor but should include all credible allegations of corruption implicating the mission and its current and former staff,” she added. The allegations were made by EULEX prosecutor Maria Bamieh, who claimed that her colleague, judge Francesco Florit, took a bribe in order to release a defendant in a murder case. Florit strongly denied the allegations. Bamieh has since been suspended. She also claims that EULEX initially failed to investigate her suspicions about Florit, and instead targeted her for being a whistleblower. Last month Mogherini appointed Jacqué, a senior legal adviser to the EU, to conduct a four-month review of the situation. Leicht said in her letter to Mogherini that Jacqué’s investigation should also look at complaints by Vehbi Kajtazi, a journalist from Kosovo newspaper Koha Ditore who reported on the graft claims, that EULEX pressurised him to hand over his source material. “Free and independent media are cornerstones in any democracy and contribute to strengthen the rule of law. Any allegation that EULEX has put pressure on a journalist investigating corruption within the mission must therefore be promptly and thoroughly investigated by Mr. Jacque,” Leicht said. The EU mission has denied that the mission asked for any of Kajtazi’s documents. EULEX deals with cases of organised crime, corruption and war crimes which are considered too important or sensitive to be handled by the Kosovo judiciary.

Bosnian police arrest 10 war crimes suspects (AP, 16 December 2014)

Bosnian police have arrested 10 people suspects of war crimes committed in northeast Bosnia where Serb forces in 1992 killed and expelled non-Serbs in order to create an ethnically pure territory. A statement from the prosecutor’s office said the 10 were high-ranking Bosnian Serb police and military officials who planned, commanded, monitored and carried out the expulsion of some 190 Muslim Bosniacs from their homes in the village of Lokanj. The victims — many of them women and children — were tortured and 67 of them were executed.

Police said Tuesday that the suspects were arrested in three towns in northeastern Bosnia.

The Bosnian 1992-95 war took over 100,000 lives.

EU approves German-UK initiative to revive Bosnia membership bid (DW/ Reuters/AFP, 15 December 2014)

The European Union has agreed to back a German-UK initiative meant to revive Bosnia’s bid to join the bloc. The plan offers the carrot of EU funds in exchange for Bosnian politicians implementing key reforms.

European Union foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday agreed to implement a German-UK plan in a bid to revive Bosnia’s bid to join the 28-member bloc.

Under the plan, the EU is demanding that Bosnian politicians implement key legal, social and economic reforms designed to make the country’s structures more compatible with those of the bloc. A press statement issued following Monday’s talks said that in return for those reforms, the ministers would consider endorsing Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Stabilization and Association agreement with the EU, a move that would give it access to EU funds.

However, they said this could only come after they have received a written pledge to do so from Bosnia’s politicians.

“This could be a turning point in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s path towards the European Union,” the bloc’s foreign policy coordinator, Federica Mogherini, told a news conference.

Due to Bosnia’s fragile economy, the country, which currently relies on the International Monetary Fund to meet its budget deficit, is in serious need of extra funding.

Uphill struggle

The troubled Balkan state launched its bid to join the EU in 2010, but it continues to be plagued by economic stagnation, official corruption and an unemployment rate of more than 40 percent.

Its system of ethnic power-sharing between the Muslim Bosniaks, the Orthodox Serbs, and the Catholic Croats has also hindered Bosnia’s efforts to become an EU member state.

Majority in favor

Since the country’s general election in October, Bosnia is yet to form a national government. However, according to the Reuters news agency, the new lower house of parliament’s inaugural session last week saw the emergence of a majority, seemingly in favor of the German-British initiative.

The statement issued by the EU ministers on Monday also stressed the “crucial importance” of quickly forming a government.

In February, in the worst violence since the war, demonstrators torched government buildings across the country in protest against political inertia, unemployment and corruption.

EU Summit Parks Macedonia Membership Bid (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 16 December 2014)

This week’s European Council Summit predictably put off discussion on Macedonia’s stalled EU accession bid. EU Foreign Ministers agreed to delay the issue of Macedonia’s EU accession to later in 2015, once they are updated by the European Commission on the progress of its relations with neighbouring Greece and Bulgaria. “The Council will re¬access the matter in 2015 on the basis of an updated EC report, implementation of reforms, as well as steps taken to promote good neighbourly relations and to reach a negotiated and mutually accepted solution to the name issue,” reads the conclusion of the General Affairs Council, which is likely to be adopted by the European Council on Friday. This conclusion caused little surprise in Macedonia, where Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki had already warned the public “not to have big expectations from the summit”. Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski spent the time of the European Council Summit in Brussels, but at a different venue, attending the summit of the centre-right European People’s Party, EPP. Due to a years-long blockade on Macedonia’s membership hopes by EU member-state Greece, it was certain, even before the summit began, that the sixth consecutive European Commission recommendation for a start to Macedonia’s EU accession talks would not be accepted. Macedonia obtained EU candidate status back in December 2005 and European Commission reports have recommended a start to membership talks each year since 2009.

But it has never been offered a date for talks, or an invitation to join NATO, owing to a Greek blockade related to the dispute over its name, to which Greece objects. Greece insists that Macedonia’s name implies territorial claims to its own northern province, also called Macedonia.

In 2012, Bulgaria joined Greece in blocking Macedonia’s accession bid, alleging Macedonian discrimination and hate speech towards Bulgarians. As a result, Macedonia was told to improve relations with its eastern neighbour. The Council however, agreed with the Commission’s assessment that Macedonia continues to meet the political criteria for a start of accession talks and repeated that the European union will continue to be open for enlargement.

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Media summaries are produced for the internal use of the United Nations Office in Belgrade, UNMIK and UNHQ. The contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership.