LOCAL PRESS

Dačić : Serbia expects assistance from international community, UN (Tanjug/RTS/Beta)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić has said that Belgrade is committed to a constructive dialogue with Pristina and the implementation of the agreements reached so far, but that Pristina has failed to take the necessary steps in this regard, notably in relation to the Community of Kosovo Serb Municipalities. Due to the lack of political will and the crisis of institutions in Pristina, it is with regret that I note that the key points of the Brussels agreement relating to the establishment and functioning of the Community have not been implemented yet, he said in Monday’s meeting of the UN Security Council on the work of UNMIK. The circumstances in which the Serb community in Kosovo and Metohija lives are still very complex, and Serbia expects the international community, primarily the UN, to offer continued assistance in building trust as the only foundation for a normal life for everyone in Kosovo and Metohija, he said. Serbia believes that the commitment to EU integration represents the main driving force for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, with the expectation that the EU will continue to facilitate the dialogue, the Minister said. Dačić underlined once again the importance of strengthening UNMIK’s presence and role for Serbia, notably for Serbs and other non-Albanian communities living in Kosovo and Metohija, voicing the expectation that UNMIK would continue to enforce its mandate under UNSC Resolution 1244. “The continued presence in Serbia of over 200 000 internally displaced persons forced to flee Kosovo and Metohija speaks loud and clear, Mr. President, against the reduction of UNMIK’s financial and human resources and the Security Council meetings at which the situation in the Province is considered, along with many security and other challenges faced by its non-Albanian population. Only 1.9 per cent of them achieved sustainable returns. I therefore call on the Special Representative of the Secretary-General again, as I did in my last Statement in this Council, to explain why this information is not presented in his Reports and whether the self-defeating 1.9 per cent should be taken as acceptable and who is ready to reconcile with it. The Special Representative would be well advised to present the information repeatedly in his Reports for one of UNMIK’s key goals and objectives, under UNSCR 1244, is precisely to facilitate returns.”

UNSC ambassadors address Security Council (Tanjug/Politika)

Ambassadors of UN member countries have called for all agreements reached between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels to be implemented. This includes increasing efforts to establish the Community of Serb Municipalities (ZSO), they said. Addressing a meeting of the Security Council on Monday dedicated to Kosovo, they said the opposition’s violence in Kosovo was unacceptable. The Russian representative said that Pristina was neglecting and attempting to unilaterally change the agreement reached with Belgrade regarding the ZSO, and that it was doing this with the tacit permission of the EU. “Pristina must immediately implement the agreement on the Community of Serb Municipalities, and that will be a litmus test of its willingness to meet its obligations – otherwise we will see the deteriorating situation in Kosovo and around it,” said the Russian representative, stressing that UN Security Council Resolution 1244 was and remains the only the platform for resolving the situation in Kosovo.

The representative of the United States called on Belgrade and Pristina to immediately implement the Brussels agreements, including the agreement on the ZSO, arguing at the same time in favor of allowing Kosovo to join Interpol, and of reducing the budget of UNMIK.

The representative of the United Kingdom urged the leaders in Belgrade and Pristina to move from talk to action and implementation what has been agreed, but pointed out that the decision to allow Pristina to join FIFA and UEFA shows there was growing trust in the international community toward Kosovo. As he said, that along with the recommendations of the European Commission on the introduction of visa-free travel for citizens of Kosovo show that conversations at the meetings of the Security Council “exist in a vacuum”, while “Kosovo’s independence is confirmed”. He said that the opposition violence has no place in Kosovo and that all Kosovo political leaders need to keep their promises. He also suggested having fewer Security Council sessions and UN chief’s reports on Kosovo.

The representative of France said that his country would continue to support Kosovo’s efforts to secure international recognition, reminding that Kosovo was admitted to FIFA “a month before the European Football Championship 2016”. He also said that France supports admission of Kosovo to Interpol, the Council of Europe, and the OSCE. He expressed strong support for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and called for the implementation of all agreements within the Brussels dialogue, including the establishment of the ZSO, calling it the cornerstone of the dialogue. He urged both sides to resume dialogue in order to bring new results in the next few weeks. He also expressed his concern over the violence and intimidation by the Kosovo opposition, stating it was absolutely unacceptable. The representative of France said the agreement with the Dutch government on the establishment of a war crimes court in The Hague should be ratified as soon as possible, saying it would be a clear demonstration of the commitment of Kosovo to establish the rule of law.

The representative of China said that his country supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, and, as did the ambassadors of Uruguay, Venezuela and Egypt, stressed that Resolution 1244 remains the legal basis for resolving all issues related to Kosovo.

Uruguay maintained its position of not recognizing Kosovo, while the representative of Angola also expressed support for Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Dialogue has no alternative, said the representative of Spain, who expressed concern over the violence and problems in the political life of Kosovo. He pointed out that agreements from the Brussels facilitated dialogue should be implemented without delay, which includes the one on the ZSO.

The representative of Ukraine expressed concern about the internal political situation in Kosovo, vandalism, threats and violence, warning that political tensions adversely affect any progress in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. He noted the lack of effort of Kosovo institutions in establishing the ZSO and urged Pristina to redouble its efforts in implementing what was agreed, noting that peace, stability and the promotion of respect for human rights, and the establishment of the ZSO should be UNMIK’s priorities.

The representative of Japan welcomed the election of Hashim Thaçi as president as a significant step towards democracy and said that Belgrade and Pristina should continue the dialogue and normalization of relations in the spirit of tolerance and mutual interest.

Vučić , ambassadors of Quint and EU discuss Serbia’s future (Tanjug/Beta)

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić met with the ambassadors of the Quint countries and the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia to discuss the future of the country on Monday. Vučić said on his Twitter account that he and the ambassadors discussed “Serbia’s future, political and economic reforms and rule of the law”. The Prime Minister spoke with the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Ambassador Michael Davenport, German Ambassador Axel Dittmann, Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Manzo, French Ambassador Kristin Moro, British Ambassador Denis Keefe and U.S. Ambassador Kyle Scott.

Stefanović meets Chinese Public Security Minister (Beta)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojša Stefanović and Chinese Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun, decided in Beijing, that it was necessary to develop cooperation between the two states’ police departments in the struggle against international terrorism and all forms of crimes, the Serbian Interior Ministry reported.The Ministry also said that Stefanović and Guo Schengkun discussed additional police cooperation to prevent and monitor radicalization on the Internet, to improve the two states’ information and communication technologies and strengthen their forensic capacity. “Serbia is paying special attention to preventing any form of extremism in the early stage, trying to prevent the radicalization of youth, too. Amendments to the national legislation introduced two new criminal acts – participation in a war or an armed conflict in a foreign state, and the organization of participation in a war outside of the Serbian national borders,” Stefanović explained.

Rašković Ivić: EU treats Kosovo as a state (RTS/Tanjug)

The leader of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) Sanda Rašković Ivić has reiterated today on the occasion of the visit of EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn to Pristina that her party has been claiming for years that the Serbian authorities are accomplices in the process of Serbia’s territorial disintegration, which is, as she put it, conceived and implemented by the U.S. and EU, and once again requested that a referendum be held on continuing the EU integration. She opines that Hahn went to Pristina on the occasion of the international Agreement on Stabilization and Association signed between Kosovo and the EU and the session of the Stabilization and Association Parliamentary Committee. The DSS leader assesses that the EU continues with this document to “treat the so-called state of Kosovo completely as an independent state, its integration into the EU completely separate from Serbia”, but this introduces a completely new stand – “for the first time, an EU document classifies the Serbs as a national minority in Kosovo”. At the same time, with the proposed Declaration, the Stabilization and Accession Parliamentary Committee sends a message in item three to Serbia and “member states that haven’t formally recognized Kosovo” that “recognizing Kosovo by these states would help its integration into the EU, step-up stability in the region and alleviate normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo”, says Raskovic Ivic, noting that the authorities in Serbia owes the people in Serbia the truth and referendum on continuing EU integration.

Bosić: An organized campaign against opposition in Republika Srpska conducted from Serbia (N1)

Representatives of the opposition from the Republika Srpska (RS) held a press conference in Belgrade. The leader of the Serb Democratic Party (SDS) Mladen Bosić has stated that the purpose of today’s press conference is to summarize the situation following the 14 May events in Banja Luka. “The reason is an incredible amount of lies and misinformation that was launched from Belgrade and the Belgrade media. The entire situation seems as a democratic process since there were no conflicts, but it is totally undemocratic. We, the opposition, scheduled the protests so everything passes peacefully. Dodik immediately came out with the thesis that he would organize a counter meeting at the same location at the same time. This implied an open threat with conflicts, and the goal was for the opposition not to hold the protest,” said Bosić. He says that they wish to depict the opposition in the RS “as somebody who wishes to destabilize the RS, while the peak was the launching of forged documents on alleged financing of the opposition by the NGO founded by Soros. “Everything seemed as an organized campaign that is being conducted from Serbia not to hold protests in Banja Luka. Our goal was never to create unrest, but this misinformation led to the situation becoming unbearable, while somebody perhaps wished for bloodshed and conflicts.” Bosić points out that he doesn’t know who is behind the dirty campaign and rising of tensions, but believes that Serbian institutions could have some information. “We will try to acquire this information. In order to protect our integrity, we have decided to launch proceedings before the judiciary that will show who stands behind such rigging, lies and who wished to destabilize the state-of-affairs in the RS.” Bosić said he didn’t expect this from respectable media in Serbia.

REGIONAL PRESS

Fraternal peoples by religion and history (Srna)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik and Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, His Grace Chrysostomos II, emphasized in Nicosia that the peoples of RS and Cyprus are fraternal by religion and history. The Office of the President of RS has announced that a significant position of the church, as an important institution in both Cyprus and RS, was highlighted at the meeting. Dodik and Archbishop Chrysostomos II also exchanged views on global issues such as the increasingly strong and aggressive influence of Turkey in our region. RS President Milorad Dodik started yesterday a two-day visit to Cyprus, during which he met with President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, and a group of Cypriot businessmen from pharmaceutical, industrial and mining fields.

FB&H government continues with the promotion of the Reform Agenda (Klix)

The government of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) has authorized the Federation Prime Minister Fadil Novalic to confirm the participation in the second phase of the campaign for public information, which will be implemented in order to promote the Reform Agenda, was announced by the Federation government. The Prime Minister of the Federation, relevant ministers and advisers will participate in this campaign from 10 May to 1 September, 2016. The government approved the amendment of the Ordinance on the establishment and work of audit teams for Control and Revision Team for Coordination on the proposal of the Federal Ministry for Veterans and Disabled Veterans of War. With the amendment, performance inspection of legality, which is responsible for the audit teams, will be more efficient and faster. The number of audit teams to control will also be increased from the current seven to ten. The government accepted the assessment of the Administrative Commission, and pursuant to Article 265, paragraph (3), in conjunction with Article 261, paragraph (1) of the Law on Administrative Procedure, confirmed the decision of the Ministry of Justice of the Federation and the Administrative Commission to protect legality in this area and adopted the decision on the declaration of nullity on registration of the Independent Trade union of primary education and upbringing of the FB&H for the Federation Ministry of Justice of the Federation.

Puhalo comments on protests in RS (Klix)

Social psychologist Srdjan Puhalo from Banja Luka commented on protests in Banja Luka. Puhalo said that no one knows what will happen after this, i.e. whether it will be the end or the protests will continue. “Although many were afraid, everything went all right. It is quite clear that Republika Srpska (RS) is undisputed, but that the antagonism between the government and the opposition is becoming bigger and bigger. It was not possible to hear anything new at the meeting, the government emphasized their statements, and opposition, besides patriotism, also mentioned crime, corruption, nepotism and difficult economic situation,” said Puhalo. When asked who profited since both the opposition and the government emphasized the satisfaction and success of meetings, Puhalo said he was not sure because “we have not heard anything new.” “We have not heard anything new, nor have I seen enthusiasm at both sides to continue with the fight. I do not know how the messages of protest will interpret among the citizens of the RS,” said Puhalo.

RS becomes member of European Commerce Registers’ Forum (Srna)

Application by the Agency for Intermediary, IT and Financial Services of Republika Srpska (APIF) for participation in the European Commerce Registers’ Forum (ECRF) was accepted at the conference organized by this organization and Corporate Registers Forum (CRF) from 09-13 May 2016 in Cardiff, United Kingdom. Thereby, APIF has become the 32nd European organization which takes part in the work of this body. At the conference, RS was represented by the Ministry of Economic Relations and Regional Cooperation of the RS and APIF. The purpose of establishing and participating in the European Commerce Registers’ Forum is to promote cooperation and exchange of information and experiences among European organizations dealing with commerce registers. Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro are already present, and Slovenia joined this year. As a reminder, the European Union has adopted directives governing exchange of information between commercial registers of individual countries. While implementing a business registration reform, the RS also established a unified register of business entities of the Republika Srpska and thereby created conditions for participation in such organizations.

Members of B&H Presidency host President of Croatian Parliament (Fena)

Chairman of the B&H Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic and Presidency member Dragan Covic hosted the President of the Croatian parliament, academician Zeljko Reiner. In the delegation of the Croatian Parliament were also the President of the Caucus of delegates of HDZ Ivan Suker and President of the Board for Croats outside Croatia Bozo Ljubic. Members of the B&H Presidency thanked the academician Reiner for the arrival of the high delegation of the Croatian parliament, especially because B&H was selected as the host of the first official visit as the president of the Croatian parliament. It was highlighted that the two countries have good and friendly bilateral relations, as well as cooperation at regional level and in the process of EU integration. Reiner reiterated the strong support from the Republic of Croatia for the processes of EU and Euro-Atlantic integration of B&H. In this context, hope was expressed that the Agreement on European Partnership will be signed soon, which should be followed by a joint session of the B&H Council of Ministers and the government of Croatia. The session will provide an opportunity for consideration of modalities for solving the open issues. Both sides stressed the significance of the implementation of infrastructural and energy projects, such as the Adriatic-Ionian Highway, the Adriatic-Ionian gas pipeline, as well as the bridges across the Sava River in Svilaj and Gradiska. An important priority in bilateral relations of the two countries is still the intensification of economic cooperation, as well as further development of cooperation in the field of tourism and agriculture. It was also talked about the necessity of finding appropriate solution for the disposal of radioactive waste in the Municipality of Trgovska gora – Dvor, in accordance with the regulations of Espoo convention, as well as for the Refinery Brod in terms of environmental protection. On behalf of the B&H Presidency member Mladen Ivanic, the meeting was attended by the advisor Diana Cekic.

Pandov: Elections will serve as referendum for Macedonia (Telegraf.mk)

The 5 June elections will serve as a referendum statement for the citizens that the Macedonian state belongs only to them and not to foreign embassies, Aleksandar Pandov, political analyst and member of the Civil Movement for Defense of Macedonia (GDOM) told Telegraf.mk. The turnout needs to be as massive as possible so the citizens would show they are in fact ruling the country, he added.  Pandov stressed the elections have to take place although they will not have a competitor’s aspect because only the VMRO-DPMNE-led coalition will take part in the ballot. “The elections are necessary and they have to take place, and they will not be mere elections. I see them much more as a referendum for Macedonia as a unitary state, as the country of Macedonian citizens where the Constitution and the laws rule, or they are against all of that. Although the results of these elections will not have a productive meaning, it is necessary all citizens to cast ballots. I expect all international factors to monitor the elections,” Pandov said. The prospect of holding the early parliamentary elections on 5 June was confirmed by the statement of VMRO-DPMNE leader Nikola Gruevski who said there was no constitutional possibility to change the decision on dissolving the Assembly. But Gruevski said for the first time that after the new parliamentary composition will be set, he and his party are ready to run at another elections in order to ‘give the citizens the right to choose’.

Dr. Srgjan Kerim: Cooperation with Parliaments is crucial for United Nations (Telegraf.mk)

Boosting cooperation and exchange of experiences, viewpoints and ideas for further development will be the focus of Dr. Srgjan Kerim’s agenda, candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations. The nine candidates for this position answered questions asked by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. All candidates were asked three identical questions, on which they gave short and concise answers. We include the complete set of questions, as well as Dr. Srgjan Kerim’s answers below.

IPU: Agenda 2030 will be successful if members of parliament are involved in the development of their national action plans, in monitoring implementation, and in aligning budgets and legislation with the Agenda. As United Nations Secretary-General, will you advocate for parliamentary engagement in the implementation of the new 2030 Agenda and attendant SDGs among Member States?

“Not only the 2030 Agenda but also climate change, financing for development, human rights, migration, poverty and the fight against terrorism, extremism and all forms of violence, represent issues where I would count on close cooperation with parliamentarians across the globe, if elected as UN Secretary General. While I was President of the 62nd Session of the UN General Assembly, I worked closely with the parliamentarians and stressed how the Inter-Parliamentary Union – a Permanent Observer of the General Assembly – has played a key role in fostering closer cooperation between the United Nations and national parliaments,” Dr. Kerim answered.

IPU: Numerous UN General Assembly resolutions and UN Secretary-General reports recommend a strong relationship between the United Nations and national parliaments, as well as with the IPU. As UN Secretary-General, what specific actions would you take to strengthen these relationships at the global and national levels to more effectively serve the people?

“If elected UN Secretary General, I would address parliaments on crucial and substantial issues pertaining to the UN Agenda; carry out extensive consultations with parliamentarians on national, regional and global level during the preparation of important UN policy measures; cooperate with IPU and exchange views, as part and parcel, in this process of involving stakeholders in the implementation of vital issues and policies,” Dr. Kerim said.

IPU: As representatives of the people, parliamentarians want to ensure a more democratic selection process for the UN Secretary-General. What role do you think parliamentarians, through the IPU, the world organization of parliaments, play in this process?

“We are all aware that the United Nations is an intergovernmental organization whose activities and functioning are based on the UN Charter. This also applies when it comes to the role of the Secretary General (Chapter XV, Article 97). Transparency as well as regional rotation and gender equality are important dimensions of the selection process. As far as the role of the IPU is concerned, as a candidate I have visited many Member States in various regions and have consulted, exchanged views, and addressed parliaments and parliamentarians regarding my program,” Dr. Kerim said.

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Mitov: Western Balkans Should be Treated as EU Members (euinside, by Adelina Marini, 17 May 2016)

Zagreb

Enlargement needs a change and a serious one at that. This opinion united in Zagreb the foreign ministers of Bulgaria and Croatia. The Bulgarian Minister Daniel Mitov was far bolder in his vision, while his Croatian counterpart was more concentrated on sending messages to certain neighbouring states. The two met in the capital of Croatia in the beginning of May, but spoke about enlargement separately. Miro Kovač spoke at a round table, at which it was discussed what the new EU foreign and security policy should look like, while Daniel Mitov spoke to a wide audience in the EU’s house in Zagreb during his two-day visit, and later clarified some of his positions in an interview for  euinside.

Croatia and Bulgaria want more Europe and more Union.

Enlargement is still important, regardless of the fact that the European project might have lost its attractiveness to some, said Miro Kovač in the end of April. He did not mention him explicitly, but he meant Serbian PM Aleksandar Vučić, who recently announced that the European Union no longer had the same attractiveness as before. The Croatian top diplomat expressed hope that most Europeans wish for more Europe in the Union and more union in Europe. “Croatia is among those who aspire to more not less Europe”, he said. His young Bulgarian colleague Daniel Mitov also admits that the European project might have lost a bit of its attractiveness, but named “cliché” the talk about a coming disintegration. He thinks that the EU is faced with several problems simultaneously – the flip side of globalisation, which brings with it more integration, new security measures, renewed political and social instability. In addition, there come the effects of incomplete integration in the area of the common currency, or in the area of freedom, security, and justice. Daniel Mitov believes that similar to the crisis in the eurozone, which walked out of it stronger, the refugee crisis will accelerate integration in other areas as well. To an audience more interested in what was happening in Macedonia, Serbia, and the future of enlargement, the Bulgarian foreign minister spoke of more political integration. Later in an interview for euinside he explained that the EU had lived very comfortably for several decades. “Liberal democracies had decided that it is somehow natural for the liberal democratic agenda to prevail and even force authoritarian regimes to bend and gradually start liberalising their economies and their social architecture. The problem, however, is that authoritarianisms reciprocated, and since the EU and democracies in general stopped making history – if you stop making history, someone else starts to make it in your stead – and at the moment the EU has a problem exactly with this”. According to Daniel Mitov, the inability of 28 democracies to answer the challenges is the main reason for the feeling of doubt and the not-so-large attractiveness and strength. To do this more integration is necessary. “And we need to start with things like Frontex, Europol, common asylum policies, change of the Dublin Regulation” he lists the areas in which there are specific proposals on, and on some of them work has already began. “The EU can function much better only if it is much more politically integrated”, concluded the minister.

Zagreb and Sofia together against/for Serbia

The Bulgarian foreign minister came to Zagreb in a very difficult moment in time for Croatia – when the country, besides being in a heavy internal political crisis, is also completely isolated in the Council of Ministers due to its unilateral decision to block the opening of chapter 23 of the negotiations with Serbia, which would have been one more diamond in the crown of Serbian PM Aleksandar Vučić, following his victory in another snap election. Croatia believes that Serbia has not yet earned the opening of the key chapter 23, which covers the judiciary and fundamental rights. Definitive to Zagreb’s decision was Belgrade’s refusal to send to The Hague Vojislav Šešelj so that he can hear the sentence of the tribunal against him for war crimes and genocide. Šešelj was later acquitted in absentia. Zagreb decided to bundle this issue with two more conditions – minority rights in Serbia and the controversial law for universal jurisdiction, which allows Serbia the persecution of war crimes, committed outside its territory as well. Just as Croatia’s isolation was threatening to bring bad consequences, Daniel Mitov lent a surprising helping shoulder by stating exactly from Zagreb, during the press conference with his Croatian host, that Croatian demands are fully justified and that Bulgaria also has expectations of Serbia. Later in an interview for this website Mr Mitov was not too sure if his words should be interpreted exactly as unconditional support. He did, however, underline that the opening of each chapter also opens issues that need clarification – whether with the neighbours or the entire EU. “It is quite legitimate that questions are placed forward, which are of a sort of problematic nature, or delicate nature, so that they get solved and a framework for long-term relations is created, which will not allow ever again for such issues to be brought up. And we all know how delicate the situation is after the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia and following the wars that were waged for years”, said the minister.

He pleaded that these issues are dealt with calmly, with no emotions, and in sync with all good practises, norms and values, on which the EU is founded. At the same time, he stressed once more that Bulgaria also had unsolved issues with Serbia. “There are legal provisions in Serbian legislation, which need to be implemented towards the Bulgarian national minority and we have been bringing up these issues all the time. This is why, I feel that within the negotiation process Bulgaria needs to put forward this issue too, as clearly as it has been articulated and brought up so far, but in the end of the day it needs to be regulated and solved, so that we never again need to place such type of relationships at the table”. Daniel Mitov called “a technicality” the question whether the issue with Serbia should be resolved by not opening chapter 23, or within the negotiations on this chapter. He said he sees no problem in solving these issues within the negotiation process itself. “It must be clear, however, that a concrete commitment to resolving these issues must be made. And I am certain that the Serbian side and our colleagues in Belgrade are aware of this and are clearly able and have the will to make every effort necessary, so that these issues are regulated. They are not so difficult to regulate. You just need to have the political will to do it”. It is not the first time that Bulgaria has rushed to help Croatia, which it has no open issues with. Sofia and Zagreb joined forces (once again vs. Serbia) for the recognition of Kosovo. At that time they were joined by Budapest. The three states recognised the new post-Yugoslav state in a joint declaration. History remembers other similar occasions when Bulgaria and Croatia joined forces against Serbia. Both, however, state that to them the accession of Serbia and the Western Balkans countries in general is a key priority. So far, Bulgaria is not going to veto the opening of any particular chapter of the negotiations with Serbia, but it is quite possible to do so if it has to. Besides Bulgaria, support for Croatia is already coming from other EU states, which is going to put an end to Croatian isolation on this issue. This will surely not be liked by the large players on the European scene, but it would be a mistake if Croatian conditions are viewed as a simply bilateral issue, for it is about a much wider context and even a civilisation orientation.

Enlargement for all, few for enlargement

Regarding enlargement in general, Croatia and Bulgaria think it should go on. They differ, however, in their accounts of it. Recently the Croatian top diplomat said that no one in the EU is excited about enlargement anymore, except for 1-2 Central European states. In one of his speeches lately he said that many countries from “what Rumsfeld used to call ‘old Europe” had no real interest in enlargement. To Croatia, however, this is a matter of national interest and it should be for Europe as well. So, Croatia will fight for enlargement and against enlargement fatigue, vowed the minister. Enlargement is what turned Europe into a continent of peace, democracy, respect for the rule of law and human rights and it is exactly why the EU was awarded the Nobel peace prize, said in a lecture for diplomats Miro Kovač in the end of April. Enlargement is a transforming force and this is best seen in countries of South Eastern Europe.  Enlargement is important to the security of the entire Union as well. “Our own stability and security depend on that of our immediate neighbours. Investment into their resilience through enlargement is an investment into our own resilience”, said Minister Kovač. Several days later, his Bulgarian colleague announced that South Eastern Europe urgently needed convergence and integration. “We must find new political impetus and new dynamic, even a new approach in our efforts to complete the process of European integration. We know the price of indecision and inaction in SEE. Those countries must not remain in a state of limbo, in a state of uncertainty and weakening linkages in Europe. We owe it to ourselves and the future generations”, said Daniel Mitov during his lecture in Zagreb. He feels the focus should be moved onto the development of interconnectivity between the economies and communities of the region. It is about transport, infrastructure, and energy connectivity. Besides, on several subjects, countries of the Western Balkans should already be treated as EU members. This means participating in decision-making that will affect them directly. The enlargement process should not be constricted to just opening and closing of chapters. Attention must be paid to the legacy of the past and foundations for the future must be laid, said Daniel Mitov, showing more collateral support for Croatian efforts towards Serbia. Answering a question about the situation in Macedonia, Daniel Mitov painted a worrying picture. According to him, what is happening in Macedonia has the potential of spilling over the entire region. “I’m afraid that we’re witnessing a situation in which we need to start thinking out of the box and the standard way of political leaders ‘let’s sit down, let’s talk, lets agree something’ is already somehow exhausted. This way of dealing in the conventional ways and approaches are already exhausted. I think we need here a different approach”, he said, but admitted to not heaving a ready recipe. One of his proposals is for the EU to be more engaged, being careful, however, not to be seen as an intruder. “We have two dangers here. One of them is the possible instability of a larger scale in the Western Balkans. We don’t need that. We need to be aware of the fact that any type of instability will be used by exactly countries and forces who do not belong to the EU space but are seeking to use any type of instability in the region to create more problematic situations. I think you know which country, which factor I’m referring to”, warned the Bulgarian foreign minister, having in mind Russia. Talking to euinside he disagreed with his Croatian colleague that no one was interested in enlargement anymore. “Yes, it is true that enlargement is not in the highest-priority part of the EU agenda at the moment, but by no means has it dropped out of the agenda. Unfortunately, at the moment, we have to respond to challenges which are very intense and require an immediate and rapid response, so somehow enlargement has been left a bit in the background of the agenda”. He also committed to continuously raising the question about enlargement at the European level. The EU continues to be attractive, he added and gave an example of public sentiments in Macedonia, where support is still huge. “The trouble is that there also has to be political will present in order to implement certain types of reforms, which will lead to transformation, because attractiveness is one thing, but there needs to be political will in order for the transformation to happen. Bulgaria has passed through that and we know how painful it was. Croatia too. So, this is also a large amount of work that needs to be done”, he concluded.

Rule of law not just in words

In his speeches Miro Kovač often speaks of how important rule of law is. He feels it is exactly the rule of law which lies at the core of European identity. “If our priority is making democracy and human rights the centre piece of our foreign policy, then we need to lead by example and refocus our action”, stated the Croatian top diplomat. Neither of the two ministers said it out loud, but the feeling was flowing in the air that the EU has quite more work on this issue internally, which could set real obstacles to the preaching of these values to candidate countries. On May 24, the EU General Affairs Council will have its regular (second in turn) dialogue on the state of rule of law in the EU. The extent of frankness among ministers will show whether they all feel it is in the foundation of the “European identity”, as Miro Kovač believes. Although Croatia with its new government is beginning to remind of a Polish scenario of undermining the rule of law, the situation in Bulgaria is the most complicated, for the country has for the past ten years been under a mechanism on exactly that area. This mechanism turned out to be a real obstacle to the country’s Schengen membership. Daniel Mitov paid special attention on this issue during his lecture in Zagreb, by saying that there is an “unacceptable way of linking” of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism and Schengen membership. At the moment, Bulgaria is trying to convince its EU partners that such a connection must not exist. Croatia is yet to receive its first assessment of its readiness for Schengen membership. Last year, Hungary and Slovenia questioned its readiness because of the way it dealt with refugees.

Translated by Stanimir Stoev

Abuse, illness and extortion await migrants in Balkans (The Irish Times, by Daniel McLaughlin, 16 May 2016)

Asylum seekers are being pushed into hands of smugglers, say human rights groups

Subotica

Amin Sharifi had spent 15 days in a “transit zone” on Hungary’s southern border before the country rejected his asylum request. He had been sent back into Serbia, where he now faced a night on the streets. The friend with whom he had travelled from Iran had, by inexplicable contrast, been allowed to cross into Hungary and seek asylum, so Sharifi (28) was now alone, as well as tired, hungry and wracked by a hacking cough. But he could only laugh at the suggestion that this might be the worst moment of his two-month voyage from Tehran towards the European Union. “From Turkey to Greece, we were in a rubber boat with 70 people. That was really dangerous,” Sharifi said. “And then we tried several times to cross from Greece to Macedonia, and police stopped us. “When 10 of us finally got through, our smuggler told us to hide there in the woods and wait for him to come back with food. “But he was arrested and we had to stay there, with hardly any food and water, for seven days. Then a car came to take us through Macedonia, but it was so full that I had to go in the trunk. That was also very bad.” Sharifi, who was a hospital administration worker in Iran, said it took another week to sneak into Serbia and several more days to reach the transit zone built into Hungary’s border fence, where he complained that Hungarian police had “used bad words and laughed at us, and called us terrorists”.

Documents

Now he sat at a deserted bus station in Subotica, 10 km from the border, holding Hungarian and Serbian documents which he could not understand but which seemed to indicate that the legal route into the EU was barred. “I cannot go back to Iran – people are not free there and we live in fear,” he said. “I will have to find another way to go on. But I am very tired, and have little money left.” After Balkan states tightened border controls in February, the main migrant route to the EU returned to the shadows, boosting business for people smugglers. That month, the EU’s police agency, Europol, called people smuggling the “fastest-growing criminal market in Europe” and warned that gangs could this year make double or triple the estimated €6 billion they earned from the practice in 2015 if the migration crisis continued to grow. While the number of migrants crossing from Turkey to Greece has now fallen sharply, thousands still reach Austria and Germany each month through the Balkans and Hungary, and many arrive with significant health problems caused by their punishing trek and alleged abuse by smugglers, police and border guards. “When Macedonian police caught us on the border, they hit us a lot,” said Ramez, from Iraq, who arrived at Subotica on a bus from Belgrade. “You should not treat animals like they treated us. They made us sit, and hit us with sticks. If we made a noise, they hit us again and laughed at us. We did not expect this in Europe. ” His claims could not be verified, but rights groups have accused Macedonian and Bulgarian security services of mistreating migrants.

Risks

They also warn that closed borders will lead people to pay more and take greater risks to reach the EU, potentially causing tragedies like the one last August when 71 asylum seekers were found dead in a truck abandoned on an Austrian motorway. This month, 69 migrants were found alive in a truck travelling through Macedonia, and Slovak customs officers shot and wounded a Syrian refugee when the car she was in allegedly failed to stop as it arrived from Hungary.

“The restrictions at the frontiers, without taking into consideration the individual circumstances, needs and vulnerabilities of all potential asylum seekers, is pushing people further into the hands of smugglers,” said Francois Tillette de Mautort, humanitarian affairs officer for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Serbia. “MSF teams bore witness to and treated the physical and mental health trauma sustained by violence. Those problems mostly occur in Macedonia and Bulgaria, but it includes as well violence from smugglers and mafia,” he added. “In Subotica, 78 per cent of medical consultations provided by MSF have been for conditions related to the tough journey . . . as well as difficulties created by border closures. The journey from southern to northwestern Europe remains extremely difficult, mainly due to the lack of assistance and regular violence.”

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