LOCAL PRESS

European Parliament adopts resolution on Serbia (Tanjug/RTS)

The European Parliament passed a resolution on Serbia on Thursday, with 498 votes in favor, 66 against and 70 abstentions. The resolution calls for opening key Chapters 23 and 24 in EU entry talks as soon as possible, welcomes the progress achieved in the normalization of Belgrade-Pristina relations and encourages Serbia to continue with economic reforms. The resolution, drafted by EP Rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister, urges Belgrade and Pristina to implement the deals reached so far in full and timely and notes this is important for Serbia’s advancement along the EU path. The EP calls on Serbia to tackle decisively the systemic and socio-economic reforms, ensure the work of judges and prosecutors is free of political influence and step up efforts in the fight against organized crime and corruption. “We send out a clear message – Serbia is on track towards the EU. The opening of the first negotiation chapters in the accession process, due to further normalization of relations with Kosovo, was a well-deserved success for the country,” said McAllister.

The EP also passed a resolution on Kosovo, with 403 votes in favor, 130 against and 104 abstentions. The resolution, drafted by EP Rapporteur for Kosovo Ulrike Lunacek, expresses concern over high-level corruption and organized crime, and calls for drafting a statute of the Community of Serb Municipalities. The resolution takes note of the decision of the Kosovo Constitutional Court on the implementation of the Community of Serb Municipalities and calls for drafting of relevant legislation and statutes in line with the ruling of the Constitutional Court.

It commends the progress achieved in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue in 2015, and calls on the sides to refrain from negative rhetoric and move forward with the full implementation of all the already reached agreements in good faith and in a timely manner.

Joksimovic, Hahn: Serbia is on right track (Tanjug)

Serbia is on the right track, Serbian Minister in charge of European integration Jadranka Joksimovic and the European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn agreed in Strasbourg Wednesday. Joksimovic and Hahn discussed Serbia’s European integration, particularly in the light of Serbia’s early parliamentary elections to be held this year, and agreed that Chapters 23 and 24 could be open by mid-year. After meeting with Hahn, ahead of a EP debate on a resolution on Serbia, Joksimovic told Tanjug that the current government took their commitment to making Serbian society more efficient most seriously, something that the European Commission and the EP had already recognized.
Hahn told Tanjug that it was important for Serbia to remain committed to furthering accession negotiations and opening new chapters.

Request of Croatian MEPs in Strasbourg (Novosti)

The presentation of the annual report on Serbia, which was written in a positive tone by the German MEP David McAllister, was one more opportunity for Serbia’s neighbors to come out with numerous requests without the possibility for Serbia to respond. Bulgarian MEP Andrey Kovachev insisted on returning the name Tsaribrod to Dimitrovgrad “so this Serbian town would not be called after a Bulgarian dictator anymore”. Croatian MEP Ruza Tomasic, as usual, went the furthest: “It wasn’t Croatia that attacked Serbia, but Serbia that attacked Croatia. When you attack a state, you must admit that you conducted an aggression. What about the refugees? What will you do with hundreds of raped women? What will you do with seized and stolen treasure?” Other Croatian MEPs pointed to the “abolishment of media in minority languages”, rehabilitation of Draza Mihajlovic, autonomy of Vojvodina, while they also called for recognition of Kosovo. Belgrade was also criticized for not harmonizing more with the EU foreign policy, while a large number of MEPs requested greater freedom of media and expression.

Sanctions according to UN and OSCE rules and in line with Serbia’s interests (Politika)

The adoption of the proposed law on international restrictive measures doesn’t mean that Serbia will introduce any kind of sanctions to anyone, if this is not in its interest, said Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic in the Serbian parliament at the end of the debate on the amendments to the mentioned law. This law prescribes that the procedure of implementing sanctions that Serbia introduces, applies or abolishes based on laws passed by the UN SC, OSCE and other international organizations in which Serbia has membership and legal documents of other international organizations when this is in its foreign political interest. This decision is defined by the amendment of the Foreign Affairs Committee that corrected the initial government proposal according to which sanctions would be introduced only based on UN SC documents.

Drecun: Archive that could lead to command responsibility of KLA members (RTS/Tanjug)

The Chairperson of the Serbian parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun said that an archive was beginning to be collected that could lead to command responsibility in crimes committed in Kosovo and Metohija. Drecun, who is also chairperson of the working group tasked with collecting facts and evidence concerning cases of crimes committed against the Serbs and other national communities in Kosovo and Metohija, said that the archive would be divided into sections corresponding to terrorist KLA operational zones. “A lot of information about crimes committed, possible perpetrators and command responsibility of members of the terrorist KLA was presented today,” Drecun told reporters in the parliament after a meeting of the working group. He notes that they had agreed at the meeting the exact sequence of moves that will be undertaken, as well as institutions that will be requested to hand over material and evidence. “This primarily refers to KFOR, UN and OSCE. We have obtained information that there are war diaries of the terrorist KLA that were confiscated by KFOR and that speak of committed crimes,” said Drecun. They also agreed on how to collect internally certain evidence. “We have started to collect material in order to form our own archive. Veljko Odalovic submitted today documents and explanation of this material that is at the disposal of the Office for Missing Persons. We also have very good material from the service for discovering crimes,” stressed Drecun.

Marinelli starts term as Belgrade NATO liaison office chief (RTS/Tanjug)

Italian Brigadier General Cesare Marinelli, the new chief of the NATO Military Liaison Office in Belgrade, who replaced Brig. Gen. Lucio Batta, has said that NATO remains ready to continue working with Serbia on items of common interest. According to a release from the NATO office, Marinelli said “NATO and Serbia are engaged in many practical cooperation programs and the Alliance remains dedicated to deepening our relations in areas of common interest.” “I am especially looking forward to continue working with the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces (VS) in further supporting their defense reform activities,” said Marinelli. According to the release, the Change of Command ceremony was attended by Chief of Staff of the Joint Force Command Naples, Lieutenant General Leonardo di Marco, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense Zoran Djordjevic, Deputy Chief of the VS General Staff, Lt. Gen. Jovica Draganic, members of the Serbian government and military, as well as diplomatic, media, and NGO representatives.

Marinkovic: Clear plan needed against terrorism (Tanjug)

Serbian Deputy Parliament Speaker Vladimir Marinkovic has taken part in a US Senate debate on the Islamic State as a threat to the Balkans, stressing that a clear joint Western Balkan plan is needed in the fight against terrorism, but that so is greater US and EU support for efforts to solve the migrant crisis. The Western Balkans is a part of a strategic plan for an expansion of the Islamic State, Marinkovic said Tuesday, adding that the latest figures show that over 1,000 people from the region are fighting alongside Islamists in Syria and Iraq. “That is a very worrying fact in the context of a potential terrorist threat to our countries,” warned Marinkovic, who will attend the Prayer Breakfast in Washington Thursday. In a conversation with Marinkovic, Senator John McCain, a co-sponsor of the debate, backed Serbia’s efforts to fully contribute to the fight against terrorism and implement political and economic reforms that are crucial for stability across the region.

Faktor Plus: Six lists in parliament (Politika)

If elections were to be held on Sunday, turnout would be the same as in 2014 – 53 percent and six parties would enter parliament. One third of the total number of voters knows who they would vote for.

Party ratings

SNS 49.5 percent

SPS 10.6 percent

DS 6.8 percent

SRS 6 percent

DSS,Dveri 5.6 percent

SDS,LDP,LSV 5.2 percent

Minorities 4 percent

Some other 3.3. percent

PUPS 3.3. percent

“It was Enough” 2.3 percent

SNP 2 percent

JS 1.4 percent

Coalition Patriots 0.8 percent

REGIONAL PRESS

Izetbegovic questioned in B&H Prosecutor’s Office (Klix)

Member of the B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic was questioned in the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H yesterday as a witness, related to the appointment of Nermana Hadzijahic for the Ambassador of B&H to Slovenia. Izetbegovic arrived at the premises of the Prosecutor’s Office of B&H around 3 p.m. and the questioning ended around 3:40 p.m. At the session of the Presidency of B&H, Izetbegovic appointed Nermana Hadzijahic as the Ambassador of B&H to Slovenia upon the proposal by the president of the Alliance for Better Future (SBB) Fahrudin Radoncic. As a reminder, in intercepted conversations between Bakir Dautbasic and Fahrudin Radoncic there was a word about appointing Nermana Hadzijahic as a sign of gratitude to her husband Zijad, employee of the Embassy of the USA in Sarajevo, who was supposed to influence on the suspension of investigation against Bakir Dautbasic and others. SBB stated that they were surprised themselves with the speed with which Izetbegovic appointed Hadzijahic as the Ambassador. Moreover, at the hearing for the custody, Radoncic said that Izetbegovic did not comply with standard procedures while appointing Hadzijahic. Radoncic is in one-month custody due to grounds for suspicion of committing a criminal offense conspiracy to commit criminal offences, obstruction of justice, and criminal offense of giving rewards or other kinds of benefits for the trade of influence.

Izetbegovic gives a statement about the appointment of Ambassador Hadzijahic (N1)

Bakir Izetbegovic, member of B&H Presidency gave a statement at the Prosecutor’s office about the appointment of Ambassador Nermana Hadzijahic in Slovenia. She was appointed to the position by the B&H Presidency. Izetbegovic received her CV from Fahrudin Radoncic, President of SBB, after which an immediate appointment followed.Prior to that, Izetbegovic said that she was Radoncic’s proposal, while Radoncic during his court trial on 27 January stated that SBB never officially requested Hadzijahic’s appointment. The Prosecutor’s Office called Bakir Izetbegovic, President of SDA and B&H Presidency member to a hearing in the case against Bakir Dautbasic and Fahrudin Radoncic, reports N1. Izetbegovic will appear before the Prosecutor’s Office as a witness in relation to the statement about the circumstances of the appointment of the ambassador to Slovenia Nermana Hadzijahic. Izetbegovic has earlier said that, should he be called by the Prosecutor’s Office, he will go and give his statement. Presidency of B&H appointed Nermana Hadzijahic as Ambassador to Slovenia under rather unclear circumstances. Hadzijahic has been appointed as SBB candidate, though SBB says that her name has never passed through official procedure, which is otherwise a practice in SBB. Radoncic gave Hadzijahic’s CV to Izetbegovic, after which Izetbegovic the day after at the meeting of the Presidency proposed her appointment which, according to Radoncic, surprised even him. Hadzijahic’s appointment was preceded by suspicious activity between Bakir Dautbasic, an SBB official and Zijad Hadzijahic, who is, by the way, an employee of the US Embassy in Sarajevo and Nermana Hadzijahic’s spouse. According to Bozo Mihajlovic, the prosecutor, in the Dautbasic case, Hadzijahic was supposed to lobby in the US Embassy for Dautbasic that is, to stop the investigation against him in favor of the appointment of his wife as Ambassador to Slovenia.

Izetbegovic calls the court documents “a speculation” (Patria)

Answering to journalists’ request for a comment on the recently broadcasted Court transcript of a conversation in which Fahrudin Radoncic, President of SBB said that Ramiz Delalic Celo and Nedzad Ugljen were murdered by order of Bakir Izetbegovic, SDA President Bakir Izetbegovic said: “I do not wish to comment as Mr Radoncic is not available to be asked if he stands behind those words. What matters to me right now is the stability of SDA – SBB coalition, and what somebody may think or say at a certain moment, that may not be important. What is important is how Mr Radoncic treats this coalition, and he treats it well. We had some good messages after the meeting of the SBB Presidency and they will yield the same response from us, and that’s what matters for this country. About those speculations or what some think when in distress, that doesn’t matter” said Izetbegovic. Responding to a comment by Patria journalist that ‘it was not a speculation but a transcript read out before the B&H Court, Izetbegovic said: “When in distress and emotional, people have a right to say something unfounded. I don’t stand behind that because it is not in my interest. My interest is a stable coalition and a good relationship with Mr Radoncic.” President of SDA also commented on the rumors about SBB putting pressure on SDA to remove some people from certain positions. “They did not have any such request and I believe they never will, because SDA will not be ready to do such things at anyone’s call. I do not intend to meddle with the personnel issues of SBB or of any other coalition partners. SDA will not allow others to meddle with its personnel policies. However, members of SDA who do not behave responsibly and with discipline in relation with decisions of SDA, will be excluded from the governing bodies of the party. At the end, Izetbegovic said that this whole situation will probably leave scars but also that it awakened defiance in SBB because it is the high time for people to feel that something concrete is being done.

Fahrudin Radoncic remains in custody, appeal rejected (Fena)

President of the Alliance for Better Future (SBB) and the former minister of security of B&H Fahrudin Radoncic is to remain in custody after the Court of B&H rejected the appeal by his legal team on February 2. The Appellate Council of the Court of B&H has been considering the appeal to the ordering of one-month custody for Radoncic, filed by Dragan Barbaric and Vasvija Vidovic, Radoncic’s legal team. This appeal was rejected as unfounded. Appeal to this resolution of the Appellate Council of the Court of B&H is not allowed. The Court of B&H has earlier ordered one-month custody for Radoncic due to grounds for suspicion of committing a criminal offense conspiracy to commit criminal offenses, obstruction of justice, and criminal offense of giving rewards or other kinds of benefits for the trade of influence. Fahrudin Radoncic can be kept in custody until February 25, i.e. until the new decision by the Court is reached.​

Parliament failed to adopt the negative opinion on amendments to the Criminal Code (Srna)

The B&H Parliament at the House of Representatives failed to adopt on Wednesday the negative opinion of the Constitutional and Legal Committee on the draft law on the Constitutional Court and draft law on amendments to the Criminal Code, which were proposed by the caucuses of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) and Serbian Democratic Party (SDS).Draft Law on the Constitutional Court stipulates that foreign judges should hand over their positions to the domestic judges, so that the Constitutional Court of B&H may strengthen its autonomy and independence.

Sakib Mahmuljin pleaded not guilty (Nezavisne)

The former general commander of the B&H Muslim army and the Third Corps, Sakib Mahmuljin, pleaded not guilty to the Prosecution’s indictment, before the Court of B&H. The indictment charges him with war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war. After Mahmuljin plead not guilty, the Court announced the trial. As a reminder, the indictment alleges that during the war in B&H and the armed conflict between the B&H Muslim army and the Army of Republika Srpska (RS) in the municipality of Zavidovici, accused Sakib Mahmuljin, in his capacity as commander of the 3rd Corps of the B&H Muslim army which incorporated the al Mujahideen unit, in 1995, during the offensive combat operations of the B&H Muslim army in the in the wider area Vozuca  – Zavidovici, in which the al-Mujahideen unit also participated, whose members killed around 50 prisoners of war of Serb nationality, did nothing to prevent this crime.   ​

B&H to finalize and publish Census results without further delay! (Srna)

The International Monitoring Operation (IMO) for the 2013 Population and Housing Census in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) met with representatives of governments, including Minister of Civil Affairs Adil Osmanovic as Census Coordinator, and with the directors of all three statistics agencies in B&H on 2-3 February 2016 in order to assess and discuss progress as well as to map the way forward regarding publication of the final results. The IMO, chaired by Pieter Everaers, Director at EUROSTAT and responsible for Statistical Cooperation with Enlargement Countries, reiterates the need to urgently finalize the data processing and preparation for publications. This is of utmost urgency, now that more than two years have passed since the enumeration. Although the IMO observed only modest progress over the previous months with regard to resolving the few methodological points necessary for adopting a common methodology, the IMO noted a strong commitment of the statistical institutes to finalize the census operation. The IMO, mandated to monitor the compliance with international recommendations and the European regulation on population censuses, considered that the preparations for the census had been conducted well, and later qualified the enumeration as overall smooth and conducted in accordance with the agreed methodology and the international recommendations, this being the case across the country. The successful scanning and capturing of data followed the enumeration period. B&H committed itself to conducting a population census and undertook the initial steps successfully. Consequently, the IMO now strongly encourages, again, the statistical institutes to complete the census and publish the results, and the B&H Council of Ministers to provide full support to the finalization. This is part of the responsibility that B&H took on by committing to hold a census. The IMO will continue to monitor progress with regard to implementing the census methodology in accordance with international recommendations and will follow closely the developments over the coming months. The IMO is confident that key outstanding methodological issues, in particular the determination of the resident population, will be resolved soon. The European Union attaches crucial importance to the census in B&H not only because of its relevance in the framework of the European integration process but also as vital to performing economic and social planning. This is of particular urgency in the context of the Reform Agenda, of which the census is an integral part. The IMO was established by the European Commission in 2012, upon invitation of the B&H Council of Ministers to ensure that the Census preparations and implementation comply with European and international standards. The IMO is comprised of representatives of EUROSTAT, chairing the Management Group, European Commission Directorate-General NEAR, CoE (Council of Europe), UNSD (United Nations Statistics Division), UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) and UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund).​

Croatian MEPS warn about Serbia’s outstanding issues with Croatia (Hina)

Croatian MEPs said during a debate in the European Parliament about Serbia’s progress on Wednesday that Belgrade needed to ensure a better treatment of ethnic minorities, underlining the importance of resolving issues of border, the fate of the missing persons and war crimes trials. Andrej Plenkovic of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said Serbia needed to secure an adequate representation of ethnic minorities and the use of minority tongues in education institutions. He also pointed to the issue of missing persons. Another HDZ representative, Dubravka Suica, said Serbia needed to adjust its foreign policy to that of the EU about both Russia and B&H. She also underscored the issue of the missing people. Tonino Picula of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) also addressed these issues, stressing that Serbia needed to improve bilateral relations with its neighbors and work on the remaining bilateral issues, such as the border, the fate of the missing people, succession, minority rights in its northern province of Vojvodina and the law on war crimes trials. Marijana Petir of the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) criticized Serbia for violating the rights of Croats, stressing that if Serbia wanted to continue its EU path it should immediately amend the law on the organization and jurisdiction of state bodies in war crimes proceedings. She also warned about the fact that in the past several months Serbia had shut down several media houses airing programs in the Croatian language as well as in the languages of other ethnic minorities. Ruza Tomasic of the Croatian Conservative Party (HKS) said that Serbia’s EU entry talks were a good opportunity for resolving outstanding issues with Croatia, underscoring that despite the opening of the first negotiating chapters there had been no changes in Serbia’s policy. She said Serbia invested minimum efforts in normalizing relations with Croatia, adding that the issue of missing people, the acknowledgement of the existence of camps for Croats in Serbia during the 1990s war and the restitution of property and cultural goods still remained opened. During the debate, Tomasic addressed EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, saying that he could not ask that bilateral issues be left out of the negotiations, if the negotiations were the only way to resolve those issues.

In NATO thanks to the results in Afghanistan among other things (RTCG)

Montenegro can very quickly become a full member of NATO, and extraordinary results of Montenegrin troops in Afghanistan are one of the reasons for such an assessment, said the supreme commander of NATO forces in Europe Philip Breedlove. “Accession of Montenegro will not only bring benefits to Montenegro, but also to NATO, because among us will be a country, a great nation that has proved itself as an example of stability in this region,” said Breedlove at a press conference, who is visiting Montenegro. He said he was firmly convinced that Montenegro could be a full member of NATO. “And one of the reasons why I’m saying this is outstanding results achieved by your troops in Afghanistan. Your soldiers who were in Afghanistan together with NATO partners not only successfully adopted NATO standards, but also significantly improved their capacities, and therefore I am convinced that Montenegro can very quickly become a full member,” said Breedlove. Chief of Staff of the Army of Montenegro, Dragan Samardzic said that after receiving invitation for membership, the main goal was that Montenegro becomes a full member as soon as possible. “This is not an easy process, it is full of challenges, but I am sure that we will successfully implement it, including all state bodies.” He said he expected that in February, a group led by Ambassador Dragana Radulovic would begin accession negotiations in Brussels, which should be completed by the end of April. “So that in May we could take our seats in the relevant NATO committees and other working bodies, as observers, to full membership. At the same time we started the integration process, which refers mainly the army and how to integrate it into the collective security system,” Samardzic said.

Defense Minister Jolevski in US: Macedonia deserves prompt accession to NATO (MIA)

Cooperation between the countries is crucial when addressing asymmetrical threats facing the world, it was concluded at a roundtable of the Armed Services Committee at the US Senate, where the Macedonian Defense Minister Zoran Jolevski was in attendance. The event was addressed by several senators, including the US Senator John McCain, congressmen and officials from SEE countries. Minister Jolevski said that prompt integration of the countries in the region in NATO and the EU would contribute to the further strengthening of the countries and in the region and positively affecting the stability and prosperity of the SEE countries. At the same time, he urged NATO to extend a membership invitation to Macedonia as soon as possible, Ministry of Defense said in a press release. Jolevski in Washington also met with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy Daniel Fata. Macedonia as part of the NATO, Jolevski said, will play a role in establishing and maintaining a stable security climate in the region and beyond. Fata stressed that Macedonia and its army by taking part in ISAF until 2015 and afterwards in Resolute Support had demonstrated its exceptional commitment to the global values of peace and democracy. Speaking at a debate on security and the migrant crisis in the Western Balkans, organized by the German Marshall Fund, Minister Jolevski called on crisis-­affected countries to cooperate more and better coordinate their activities. Macedonian servicemen, he added, are quite exceptional when performing their tasks in cooperation with the Interior Ministry, international organizations and the NGOs in order to regulate and alleviate the passage of migrants crossing the Macedonian-­Greek border in the most humane way. High ranking officials in the US administration voiced preparedness to support Macedonia in its efforts to handle the migrant crisis. At the debate, the Minister Jolevski urged as soon as possible Macedonia to be extended a NATO membership invitation and negotiations to be opened with the EU. “The status quo of Macedonia’s integration bid is unsustainable,” the Macedonian Minister said stating that Macedonia had met NATO membership criteria as far back as 2008.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Migration And The Western Balkans (The International Post Magazine, by Valentina Spina, 4 February 2016)

The Balkans are a popular migration route as they are the bridge between Europe and the Middle East. Refugees and migrants are desperately moving onwards as quickly as possible. They run against the clock, for they fear that borders ahead of them will close, as the UN refugee agency affirmed. Following the latest increase of the refugee flow from the Middle East, the Balkan countries are gradually more flooded and have started to build barriers to prevent migrants not only from entering  the continent, but also from traveling within it. More and more refugees are indeed arriving to Greece, taking the Balkan road, and passing through Slovenia to finally get to Austria. For this reason, the Balkans are now facing a new migrants emergency and need to take actions to deal with the situation.

Western Balkans commit to tighter cooperation

At the end of October 2015, the leaders of the Western Balkan countries gathered to discuss the migration issue and to tackle the emergency problem. Eleven countries committed to the agreement for a ‘closer coordination’. The key issue which had to be addressed was to decide the number of the asylum-seekers that Greece should shelter. Given its geographical location, Greece is the country receiving the highest number of migrants. No particular detailed actions were taken, apart from a further will of cooperation. The leaders agreed on imposing “tighter controls on the flow of refugees from the Middle East to Europe“; they also committed to provide shelter for another 100,000 asylum-seekers and to prevent migrants from going to other neighbouring countries. Concerning this, many of the participants were extremely dissatisfied with the afore-mentioned proposition. They indeed criticised the draft statement which would oblige them to stop letting the refugees flee the country, for it would mean a further implication for the countries. Croatian prime minister Milanovic affirmed that “whoever wrote it does not understand how things work, he must have just woken up from a months-long sleep. There will be no obligations for Croatia…not a single one”, as reported by Daily Mail. Moreover, all countries present at the meeting committed to improve the registration system for asylum-seekers, so authorities can clearly distinguish the ones eligible for asylum and the ones who , not being eligible, will be returned. During the summit, some clashes amongst the leaders highlighted the fact that many countries are still not ready to face the emergency. The summit was convened by Juncker, Merkel and Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The leaders of the 11 countries took part to the summit but not everybody was willing to speak. In fact, Hungary’s Viktor Orban declined to speak when Juncker asked him to do so. In the opinion of Serbian prime minister, Aleksandar Vučić, the meeting was overall successful not particularly for the discussions, but more for the “chance to speak to each other, to hear each other and to learn a bit about the problems that all the others are facing”.

Building walls instead of bridges

Like many other countries in Europe, Slovenia decided to intensify border controls. However, the Slovenian government not only increased controls, but it also built a razor-wire fence to stem the inflow of the migrants. The measure was also taken in light of the events at the border between Hungary and Croatia. In fact, when Hungary closed its border with Croatia in October 2015, around 180,000 migrants redirected their path and entered in Slovenia. Nonetheless, Slovenian authorities affirm that the border with Croatia stays open, even if the fence is blocking the flow. However, tensions have risen among the Balkan countries. Slovenia has accused Croatia of not taking care of the migrants and  leaving them in ‘random locations on the border’ not minding how they will get to cross it, the New York Times reports. Humanitarian organisations and various citizens of the Slovenian Republic did not appreciate the new measures taken by their government. Many protests were organised to call for a revision of these policies. All these tensions and migration-related issues bring up the concerns of the place and the actions taken by the European Union. Many consider this crisis as a clear failure of the EU, which has not been able to manage it. The EU lacked a solid common strategy, but not everything can be reproached to the Union. Member States failed to commit to greater solidarity towards migrants and also towards countries which, due to their geographical position, receive a greater number of asylum-seekers. What is more, member states ended up reducing the number of refugees hosted; this proves their little implication in the crises which they do not consider as theirs.

Different paths, different destinies

Lately, as we said, the Balkans have often been taken for it happens to be one of the less dangerous routes to Western Europe. Every year the number of the people choosing to go through the Balkans in order to reach Europe doubles. Many of them prefer this way, not only because of the many fatalities in the Mediterranean, but because European asylum and immigration policies have changed and it is now easier to arrive via land and from the Balkans. However, it is very important to take the right way and to avoid certain spots; passing through Hungary would, for example, minimise the chance to effectively get to northern and richer European countries.

Five stakeholders along Western Balkans route to establish standardized migrant registration (Xinhua, 3 February 2016)

SKOPJE — Macedonian police directors agreed on Wednesday, together with their counterparts from Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia, they would establish a standardized registration of migrants along the Western Balkans route. During a press conference in Skopje, Macedonian Public Security Bureau head, Goranco Savovski, stated that participants in the meeting referred to the necessity to establish a standardization of registration procedures, and clear and common criteria. “This process involves the development of standardized documents to be issued by all stakeholders along the Western Balkans route. Registered migrants should be filed in national databases, which includes a timely exchange of this data,” stressed Savovski. Police officials spoke about the current state of migrant flow at their borders, as well as the need for a common, coordinated and harmonized approach by all countries along the route. “We agreed that swift and timely information exchange on developments along the migrant route, introduction and implementation of measures and procedures is crucial in avoiding tensions at the borders and the efficient management of migration flows,” added Savovski. Migrants without travel documents, carrying falsified documents, or providing false information over their identity or their country of origin will be prevented from transit. Moreover, Savovski declared that “We agreed that deployment of foreign police officers at Macedonia’s border with Greece is yielding positive results and will continue,” adding the initiative remained open for police officers from other countries affected by the migration flows. During the press conference, Austria’s deputy­ police chief, General Franz Lang, stated that it was necessary to work together on reducing the influx of people with little or no chance for asylum. “About 780,000 persons have transited over the past five months, with almost 100,000 asylum seekers in Austria in the last 13 months. Authorities have decided to reduce the quota of asylum seekers to 37,500,” said Lang. According to Lang, Sweden has 16 asylum seekers per 1,000 citizens, Austria follows with 10, Germany with seven and so on.

Constitutional Court Ruling Adds to Bosnia’s Turmoil (BIRN, by Rodolfo Toe, 4 February 2016)

Bosnia’s state parliament has told the Constitutional Commission – which has rejected a Bosnian Serb proposal to reform the Constitutional Court – to re-examine the proposal.

The Bosnian Serb proposal to reform Bosnia’s Constitutional Court caused a stir in the House of Representatives of parliament on Wednesday after the Constitutional Commission – in charge of examining the constitutionality of draft laws before they are submitted to the chamber – rejected it. The House of Representatives, which then voted on whether to back or reject the opinion of the Commission, duly split along ethnic lines and voted against the decision of the Commission, which will now have to re-examine the proposal. The Alliance of the Independent Social-Democrats, SNSD, and the Serbian Democratic Party, SDS, the parties that proposed the reform claimed the opinion of the Commission was politically motivated. “We need to oppose the decision of the Commission,” Dusanka Majkic, from the SNSD, told the session. “In the RS we will never accept it,” she said. Mladen Bosic, leader of the SDS and deputy president of the House of Representatives, said the Court had already “caused a deep political crisis with their decision on the Day of Republika Srpska” – which it outlawed as discriminatory. “It is obvious that by this decision the Court has played a political role, which is not its job,” he added. Another SNSD deputy, Milica Markovic, said the Republika Srpska was now ready to organize a referendum on the Court’s powers, adding ominously that this would be only the first step before “the most important referendum”. A senior Bosnian Serb official told BIRN that the RS president, Milorad Dodik, may advise RS representatives in the state parliament to refrain from taking part in its work until the Commission re-examines the draft and parliament has voted again. The SNSD and SDS draft said the Court should in future comprise only nine judges, all from Bosnia, three for each of the so-called Constitutive Peoples – Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. Currently, the Court is made up of three foreign judges, two Bosniak, two Croat and two Serbian judges. The Bosnian Serbs also seek elimination of the article of the criminal code that envisages prison sentences for officials who refuse to implement decisions of the Constitutional Court. Political parties in Bosnia’s other entity, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, criticsed the draft. “It is not a good thing for the country to cancel existing mechanisms that ensure implementation of the decisions of the Constitutional Court; we’d rather think about new and additional mechanisms,” Sefik Dzaferovic, from the Bosniak Party of Democratic Action, SDA, told the session. “If you really wanted to change things in accordance to some principles in which you believe, you should have first implemented the decision of the Court, and then come here [in parliament] and said, ‘Let’s change this,'” Zeljko Komsic, an MP from the Democratic Front, DF, said. The SNSD and SDS demanded reform of the Constitutional Court in November after its ruling outlawed the annual Day of Republika Srpska, celebrated every January 9, as unconstitutional and discriminatory against non-Serbs. The controversial court ruling was backed by the three international and the two Bosniak judges, who outvoted the Croat and Serb judges. The ruling sparked outrage in Republika Srpska, where all the main political actors criticised it as an attempt to attack the autonomy of the entity and demanded reform of the Constitutional Court in order to eliminate the foreign judges. RS President Milorad Dodik said he was ready to hold a referendum to reject the verdict of the Court and keep the holiday of RS on January 9.