LOCAL PRESS

Vulin: There is no stability without resolving national issue of Serbs (RTS/Tanjug)

Addressing the round table dubbed “Political-Security and Defense Aspects of the Kosovo-Metohija problem”, held within the internal dialogue on Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin underlined that the issue of Kosovo and Metohija cannot be resolved without resolving the national issue of the Serbs in the Balkans. The Serb nation has not resolved its national issue following two centuries of persistent struggle. The civil war that broke up the former Yugoslavia left the Serb people divided, broken, in states that it has not chosen, in states that consider it to be a disruptive factor,” said Vulin. “Thus, the conclusion follows that the civil war in the region of former Yugoslavia had a common factor – a conflict with the Serbs. Even in places where there were no organized Serbs, and where a conflict with the Serbs was unimaginable,” said Vulin.

He underlines that Serbia’s treatment of the region, i.e. neighbors must equal to their treatment of the Serb community that lives on their territories.

Vulin points out that the new reality is that the Albanian nation, after Macedonia, as expected, joins NATO quickly, will live in a secure space, and will have political significance in all states it lives, as well on the relationship when it comes to the Serbs and Serbia. There is no essential difference between Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and the territory that we know as Kosovo and Metohija. Precisely because of this, the process of creating a Greater Albanian needs to be stopped,” he said. Vulin says the key question that we need to answer is how to stop the Greater Albania, so statements on arriving in Nis should not be considered unimportant, since this message has never been condemned by any Albanian political representative in all states of the region. “That is why the processing of stopping the Greater Albania must begin in the region of Kosovo and Metohija,” said Vulin. He says that a permanent and certain demarcation between the Serbs and Albanians must be established in Kosovo and Metohija, but that the delimitation process cannot end without everything being fulfilled, agreed and completed, and this implies that the Brussels agreement must be implemented completely, as well as the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities and everything else. Serbia cannot afford to give way to space, either political or economic, to allow for Greater Albania to be created on its borders, and for its borders to be determined by others. We are not looking for a solution with Pristina, but with Tirana. The Albanian factor in the Balkans is not random, broken, it is united, specific with very clear ideas and directions,” he said, adding that the so-called Greater Albania is the essential source of instability in the Balkans. The conflict with the Albanian nation is not the only conflict and the only nation with which we could talk about the position of our nation and the future. If the Kosovo conflict is not good for the future of both the Albanians and Serbs, then other frozen conflicts are also not the least good for us and the neighbors in the Balkans. Kosovo and Metohija very often seems as the only important issue in the national sense, but this is not the case,” said Vulin.

He rejected the criticism that the Serbian Army doesn’t have the right to join the internal dialogue, saying that the Army is one of the most respected parts of our society, and that it has the right and obligation to say what it thinks, certainly more than some NGOs that think their very existence is sufficient for them to be able to say what they think.

Vulin assessed Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s initiative to discuss Kosovo and Metohija as an act of political and personal courage.

Spain not giving up from excluding Kosovo from EC Strategy (Politika)

If one is to judge according to the parts of the final version of the EC Enlargement Strategy for Western Balkans that have leaked into the public, one day ahead of its publishing, Brussels has not managed to convince Madrid to change its stand that Kosovo cannot be part of this process.

This was also confirmed for Politika at the Spanish Embassy in Belgrade. “Spain remains with the stand that Kosovo cannot be part of the EU Enlargement Strategy for Western Balkans,” states the Embassy, and to the question whether this means that the strategy will be adopted along with Madrid’s opposition, it responds that Spain is not taking part in the adoption of the strategy. They say this is the document of the EC that it will publish today, after which a debate will follow.

More efficient implementation of activities related to Chapter 24 (Tanjug)

Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic spoke with Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Sem Fabrizi about the activities on the implementation of obligations envisaged by Chapter 24. The two officials spoke about defining the next steps that will allow for more efficient implementation of activities related to the Action plan for Chapter 24 – Justice, Freedom, Security. Ambassador Fabrizi praised the progress in implementing the activities in the process of European integration of the Republic of Serbia, and expressed his readiness to provide support for the realization of the remaining activities, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior.

Vulin meets with French Ambassador (Tanjug)

Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin and new French Ambassador to Serbia Frederic Mondoloni met on Monday to discuss the cooperation between their countries and possibilities for improvement of defense cooperation. “As part of implementation of the Agreement on Strategic Partnership between the two countries, there is room for further improvement of defense cooperation and peacekeeping in UN and EU missions. Serbia remains committed to military neutrality, developing relations with all interested parties in line with its national interests and foreign policy priorities,” a Defense Ministry statement quoted Vulin as saying.

Dacic: Nobody supports Ugljanin’s policy anymore (Novosti)

In reaction to the statement by the President of the Bosniak National Council Sulejman Ugljanin that the Serbian state is genocidal, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic assesses that at issue are stands that have no weight: “Ugljanin’s policy doesn’t’ have the support of anyone in the country, in the world anymore. These are absolutely unacceptable and incorrect claims,” Dacic told Novosti.

REGIONAL PRESS

Harsh reactions to Izetbegovic’s interview for HRT (RTRS/TV1/ATV)

As a guest of HRT1, Bosniak member of the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency Bakir Izetbegovic resented his colleague Dragan Covic for saying during the recent meeting with leader of European People’s Party (EPP) Joseph Daul that the biggest problem in B&H is Bosniak right-wing whose goal is to create an Islamic republic. “Someone spread such stories in Brussels, stupidity and nonsense, that we aspire to form an Islamic state in B&H which is something that should undermine our position. And then, unfortunately, Mr. Covic repeated that in front of Daul,” Izetbegovic said. Representatives of the EPP did not want to comment on this, stressing that they do not comment on discussions that were led behind closed doors.

Meanwhile, many in B&H commented Izetbegovic’s statement. Representative of the Civic Alliance (GS) Emir Suljagic said that he warned Izetbegovic back in 2014 or 2015 that this is the true face of Dragan Covic. DF representative Zeljko Komsic said that just like there will be no secession or different territorial organization of B&H without a decision of the B&H Parliament, there will also not be an Islamic state in B&H. Croat delegate in the B&H House of Peoples (HoP) Mario Karamatic stressed that Covic only repeated what EU officials in Brussels already said and what presidents of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Croatia said. In the interview Izetbegovic warned Croats in B&H that they cannot get a third entity without war and conflict. Head of HDZ B&H Caucus in the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Nikola Lovrinovic said that Izetbegovic is sending such worrying and clumsy messages that he is bringing the situation to a boiling point. “But, he should not think that we got scared,” Lovrinovic underlined.

Meanwhile, no one from the international community reacted to Izetbegovic’s statements.

Dodik and Covic held informal meeting to discuss political situation (RTRS)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik and Chairman of B&H Presidency Dragan Covic held an informal meeting in Banja Luka on Monday. Dodik and Covic discussed the current political situation in B&H. According to unofficial information, main topics of the informal meeting were amendments to the B&H Election Law, but also Covic’s recent visit to Brussels and his meeting with European Commission (EC) President Jean-Claude Juncker.

IC to organize meeting of domestic politicians and experts on changes to Law on Elections to B&H (EuroBlic)

EuroBlic daily learned that representatives of the EU and US Embassy to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) are expected to organize a meeting of domestic politicians and experts in the next ten days in Sarajevo so that they can discuss changes to the Constitution and Law on Elections of B&H. Sources noted that representatives of the international community in B&H believe that a solution for changes to the Law on Elections of B&H should be found in February so that B&H would not face problems related to formation of authorities in the Federation of B&H after October elections. Sources also noted that the announced visit of President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker to B&H at the end of February should be interpreted in this context. B&H Presidency member and HDZ B&H leader Dragan Covic too said upon his return from Brussels that foreigners might organize the meeting in the next ten days. MP Predrag Kozul (HDZ B&H) said that HDZ BiH has two more back up proposals on changes to the Law on Elections of B&H which might be presented after the meeting organized by the international community and after Juncker’s visit to B&H. Deputy Speaker of B&H House of Representatives (HoR) Mladen Bosic (SDS) said that he was not informed about the said meeting and he added that some politicians are deliberately spreading groundless optimism, having in mind proposals of Bosniaks and Croats are completely opposite to one another. Bosic assessed that there are no real preconditions to find compromise and he added that “they actually show that a political crisis is suitable for them in this pre-election time because they will homogenize their voters on this basis”. MP Momcilo Novakovic (NDP) noted that there is confusion with regard to who will organize what and who will participate in talks on changes to the Law on Elections of B&H. Novakovic added that it is especially worrying that some very important things are discussed behind closed door and noted: “I think there are lobbyist groups among foreigners which are trying to make sure a solution is found. However, it is obvious that there are differences in opinions within the international community, so there are several initiatives”. Chair of SNSD Caucus in B&H HoR Stasa Kosarac said that the Constitution of B&H cannot be changed without participation of political parties from Republika Srpska (RS) and he said that he regrets the fact foreigners failed to realize that their every pressure in past has failed.

The US Embassy to B&H issued a press statement saying that both the Embassy and its partners from the international community are constantly calling domestic political leaders to work together in order to adopt necessary changes to the Law on Elections of B&H. The US Embassy said that there is nothing secret about such contacts.

Spokesperson for the EU Delegation to B&H Jamila Milovic-Halilovic stated that all institutions in B&H and elected officials have the responsibility to make sure elections can be held without disturbances and that institutions are established in a timely fashion. Milovic-Halilovic noted that proposals must respect rule of law and must bring B&H closer to European standards.

Wigemark informs Zvizdic about content of new EU Enlargement Strategy for Western Balkans (BHT1)

Head of EU Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Lars-Gunnar Wigemark met with B&H Council of Ministers Chairman Denis Zvizdic in Sarajevo on Monday, on which occasion Wigemark informed Zvizdic about the content of the new EU Enlargement Strategy for Western Balkans. He underlined that the Strategy shows EU’s strong commitment to enlargement in Western Balkan countries. According to Wigemark, the Action Plan and different measures and projects will strengthen the countries in integration process and the project will include strengthening of rule of law, security and migration policy, support to economic and social development, infrastructural and energy projects, digital development as well as reconciliation and improvement of neighborly relations in the region.

Wigemark: European path needs to be one of key (Fena)

Speaking for Fena, Head of the EU Delegation to B&H Lars- Gunnar Wigemark expressed hope that upcoming election campaign in B&H will take in consideration the issue that all political leaders agree on- which is progress on the European path. He noted that this should be one of key topics of the election campaign, being that EU membership is one of the issues that majority of B&H citizens want. Wigemark noted that it is completely justified to discuss this issue during the campaign, so that voters can pose questions to parties and their leaders about the ways in which they plan to achieve the progress on this path. “Progress on the European path is the issue much wider than the elections, this is a generation issue that will determine future for youth and future generations in B&H”, said Wigemark, adding that it is no secret that youth is pondering whether to stay or to leave B&H. He noted that he discussed this issue with large number of people, during his visits all over B&H and while many declared to stay in B&H, they underlined issue of EU integration as the key issue. Therefore, Wigemark advises citizens to pose questions, adding that he hopes that politicians will provide somewhat wider answers, than are the ones they are currently focused on, which are “traditional” ethnic and national issues, which are not as relevant. Reminding of the joint statement about dedication of B&H politicians to reforms, Wigemark underlined importance of reforms, and most notably of the rule of law and independent judiciary, which are the issues that the EU underlined as well. “This is not some future goal, which is not within the reach, but something that needs to be done immediately”, said Wigemark, adding that it is necessary to stop with politicization of judiciary. Ambassador added that same principles apply to reform of the public administration, which needs to be efficient, impartial and professional. As for the general process of reforms in B&H, Wigemark said that results of major part of reforms will be visible in following year or two, adding that certain improvements are already visible in certain branches of economy. “However, this is still not enough for creating of new jobs, said Wigemark. Ambassador also underlined the problem of the corruption, which prevents favorable business environment, which would result in increase of investments.

Reminding of the talks between EC President Jean- Claude Juncker with Chairman of B&H Presidency, when Juncker noted that B&H has to continue with reforms, most notably referring to social and economic reforms and justice reform, Wigemark noted that B&H made a significant progress on the EU path, in past two-three years, stressing that it is now necessary to complete the activities on EC’s Questionnaire. Ambassador deems that all these things come in the right time for B&H, even though certain time in the past year, has been lost to “bickering” among the politicians, and they all should be held responsible for that. Wigemark stressed that 2018 will be important not only for B&H, but entire Balkans, reminding that the EC will present the EU Enlargement Strategy, adding that this will now be one of the priorities for the EU. Wigemark stressed that EU will now open huge debate and discussion on its future, being that EU countries will also have to undergo changes if the EU will receive new members. Ambassador noted that even though it may not be the best case scenario that all this is happening in election year, he noted that this can be a test for political parties and their leaders to see if they can truly maintain EU path as priority.

Stier doesn’t have high expectations for Vucic visit (HRT)

Following the Croatian President’s invitation to her Serbian counterpart to visit Zagreb in a bid to normalize relations, politicians have voiced varying opinions as to what they expect from the meeting. The President’s invitation has been applauded by Brussels. Speaking for Croatian Radio on Monday, former foreign minister Davor Ivo Stier (HDZ) says that Croatia shouldn’t expect too much from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s visit to Zagreb on February 12th and 13th.

Stier said that it is important to establish dialogue but that no one should expect the strained relations between the two countries to be resolved overnight. He applauded President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic‘s initiative, saying that it is important to define the terms of how to resolve open issues. Stier also noted that Belgrade continues to grow ever more aggressive in its rhetoric in recent years, continuing with its propaganda campaign in which it repeatedly tries to connect the Croatian people with the fascist ideology of World War Two. The former foreign minister further said that the current policy coming from Belgrade is one of open interference in the internal affairs of other countries from the former Yugoslavia, instead of resolving the issues within its own recent history, specifically the regime of Slobodan Milosevis and the wars and suffering that ensued in the 1990’s. Stier made it clear that one of the key issues that needed to be resolved was that of those still listed as missing from the Serbian aggression. He also said that the rights of the Croatian national minority in Serbia needed to be respected as agreed to in a bilateral agreement between the two countries. This includes guaranteed political representation for Croats in Serbia, a right Serbs in Croatia have enjoyed for almost two decades.

Croats in Serbia complain about identity issues (Hina)

The Vojvodina government will support the initiative to repeal a document dating from 1945 under which Bunjevci identified themselves as Croats, after the proposal was put forward to the province’s parliament in 2016 by the leadership of a portion of the Bunjevci community who reject their Croatian origins. Ethnic Croats in Vojvodina province, which is part of Serbia, see this as a continuation of the policy of interference by the Serbian authorities in the identity-related issues of the Croatian community in Vojvodina. Support for the initiative has been announced by the head of the provincial government, Igor Mirović of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, in talks with the Bunjevci National Council (BNV), the body that represents those Bunjevci who do not consider themselves Croats. After World War II, the Communist authorities in Vojvodina issued a proclamation on 14 May 1945 under which the Bunjevci and Sokci were to formally identify themselves as Croats. The present initiative seeks to have that document declared an act of forced assimilation violating human rights. BNV president Suzana Kujundzic Ostojic said that the 1945 proclamation had “disastrous consequences” for the Bunjevci, as a result of which their community shrank from 100,000 in 1918 to about 16,000 today. “This initiative is not directed against anyone. We only demand a democratic right to identify ourselves as Bunjevci and we believe that all other ethnic groups should have the same right” said Kujundzic Ostojic. The leader of the Democratic Alliance of Croats in Vojvodina (DSHV), Tomislav Zigmanov, noted that such claims were being made by a beneficiary of aid from Croatian organizations in the 1990s. This comes from a person who received a scholarship from the Antun Gustav Matos Fund, established by the DSHV, Zigmanov said. The 16,000 Bunjevci who deny their Croatian origins live in the north of the Backa region. They are represented by the Bunjevci National Council, whose leaders are close to the Serbian Progressive Party of President Aleksandar Vucic. The remaining majority of the Bunjevci, including the leadership of the Vojvodina Croats, formally identify themselves as Bunjevci Croats. In the 2011 census, nearly 58,000 people in Serbia identified themselves as Croats.

Local elections: Layout of mandates in Berane and Ulcinj (RTCG)

Local elections were held in Berane and Ulcinj. According to preliminary results, the DPS-SD-BS coalition in Berane won 17 seats, while the coalition “Healthy Berane” won 14 seats. Democratic Montenegro received four mandates. The leader of the DPS-SD-BS coalition in Berane Bogdan Fatic said that this alliance needed 75 to 80 votes for absolute power.

“Our list won the most votes and the DPS showed that it is the largest party in Berane. We had 7,850 votes, or 1,600 votes more than “Healthy Berane” coalition and 6,000 votes more than the Democrats,” Fatic told reporters at the DPS headquarters. He added that his coalition won 17 seats, ‘’Healthy Berane’’ 14, and the Democrats four mandates. “Citizens of Berane made their choice. We did not get absolute power, we needed 75-80 votes more for that. But such is the layout of mandates, we lost it by a very small number of votes. Well, we’ll see if the other two lists will form the government in the next period,” said Fatic. The holder of the list of ‘’Healthy Berane’’ coalition Dragoslav Scekic said that the opposition showed in the local elections that it deserved the trust of citizens. “The citizens of Berane have shown that they will lose honor regardless of the pressure of DPS. Whenever the DPS participates in the election process, irregularities are expected, but I hope that international factors will recognize everything that happened on this day and in the previous period and we will come to a decision on how to conduct the electoral process before the presidential election, “said Scekic.

The leader of the Democrats Aleksa Becic announced that, on the basis of 100% of the processed electorate, the DPS, BS and SD coalition won 45.7% or 17 seats, the coalition “Healthy Berane” 37.6% or 14 seats, and Democrats less than 11% or 4 seats. “This is a big blow to the DPS and its president because you know how many resources he pulled in the past few months. Berane was not important to them because of the local elections. For them, Berane was strategically interesting because of the upcoming processes, presidential elections, local elections in Podgorica and 11 municipalities,” Becic pointed out.

The DPS announced that the party was the winner of the local elections in Berane and Ulcinj, with a convincingly highest number of votes in both municipalities. “In Berane, our coalition “Berane wins” won 7.856 votes, 1.621 votes more than the “Healthy Berane” coalition, which won 6235 votes and 6034 votes more than the third-placed Democratic League, which won 1822 votes. In Ulcnj, DPS won 2918 votes and thus achieved the planned result, preserving nine seats in the local parliament,” said the party.

According to preliminary results of CEMI, based on 100 percent of the votes counted, the most of the mandates went to DPS and Forca – nine mandates. They are followed by a Democratic Alliance with seven mandates, followed by SD and DUA with three mandates and URA with two mandates. The Bosniak party, Democrats, SDP and SNP-DF did not win any mandate.

Djukanovic and Becic enter the presidential race? (CDM)

No more calculations. DPS and opposition must announce the names of their presidential candidates. Although it was speculated that the DPS would nominate Milica Pejanovic Djurisic, after opposition’s victory in Berane, it is more likely that DPS leader Milo Djukanovic will join the race for the head of the state. According to the latest research, the largest number of citizens supports him – 39.7%. The question is whether the Democrats leader Aleksa Becic would confront him, based on a good result of the party in the Berane elections (it won four councilor seats, appearing in the elections in the city for the first time). According to the survey, 30.1% of citizens support Becic. Becic has already said he has the courage to confront Djukanovic in the presidential election. However, he also said he was ready to support a potential common opposition candidate, but also indicated that he was not afraid of entering this election race himself. Now the ball is in opposition’s court. Civic opposition will meet soon (maybe even today) to try to agree on a common candidate. They do not have much time to calculate. They have already talked about a joint presidential candidate, but there was no deal. Now, they can’t escape making the final decision. But even if the civic opposition agrees to support Becic, Democratic Front will also have a say in the matter. DF, which does not get along with the Democrats very well, claims to support only a non-partisan figure as a candidate, will have to decide whether it will be in favor of Becic’s candidacy. According to previous developments, the answer is NO. However, the outcome of the local elections in Berane and the announcement that DF, SNP as part of the Zdravo Berane coalition will form the local administration with the Democrats can change the situation. If the war within the opposition continues, and the opposition have several candidates at the presidential elections (as they have repeatedly said), then they will have no chance against DPS candidate.

Government calls for dignified settlement of open issues with Greece (MIA)

Macedonia’s government is committed to building confidence with Greece’s government in favor of dignified settlement of the open issues between the two European neighbors, cabinet officials told MIA regarding the protest in Athens. “We believe the majority of citizens in both Greece and Macedonia wish for good-neighborly relations, which lead to friendship, stability and economic prosperity of the entire region” the officials say. Macedonia’s government, they say, champions the positions that contribute to advancing the cooperation between the two countries.

Bildt: “Heavy” EU states need to get involved in resolving the name dispute (Meta)

“It will require some heavy lifting by heavy EU states and institutions to get a Macedonia name compromise, but without one the EU Balkan strategy risks collapse” said the Co-Chair of the European Council for Foreign Relations and former Swedish Foreign Minister, Carl Bildt regarding the protests in Athens.

All amendments for the Law on Languages have now been translated (MIA)

No date has been set yet for the Parliament debate on the 35,569 amendments to the Law on the Use of Languages. The law extends the official use of Albanian over the entire country, and it was passed on February 11. A week later, however, the President vetoed it and sent it back to Parliament, which was followed by an unprecedented number of amendments submitted by the opposition. Parliament speaker Talat Xhaferi‘s cabinet told reporters that the amendments had been translated and that they were presently being processed and categorized, but the date for their debate was yet to be decided. They were put on the agenda of parliament’s 32nd session as item number 8, which had to be skipped as technical conditions for the debate had not been met. This session’s agenda includes changes to the travel expenses of MPs and the Law on Mineral Resources in an expedited procedure, as well as other financial plans, decisions, and reports.

Xhaferi held a regular coordination meeting Monday morning, but no new plenary sessions, or extensions of existing ones, were scheduled. One of the explanations for this was the absence of many MPs, who are currently away on business or attending seminaries abroad.

Macedonia and Russia agree to advance business cooperation (MIA)

Ways to improve economic and trade cooperation between Macedonia and Russia were agreed Monday by the countries’ ministries of agriculture. Macedonian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Ljupco Nikolovski met with his Russian counterpart Aleksandr Tkachov as part of his three-day visit to Russia, the Ministry said in a press release.

Minister Nikolovski said the Macedonian government would continue to support Macedonian companies in promoting produces and other related products in Russia by supporting their participation in one of Moscow’s largest fairs, such as Prodexpo and WorldFood. Russian Minister Tkachov urged Macedonia to keep promoting and presenting new products, for which Russian consumers had shown interest. Export of Macedonian produces to Russia has marked a rise over the years. Macedonia to Russia exported produces estimated at EUR 30.2 million in 2017. As part of his visit, Minister Nikolovski visited the Prodexpo fair, where six Macedonian companies are taking part. In October 2017, the government appointed Nikolovski as co-chair of the inter-government Macedonian-Russian commission for economic and scientific cooperation.

Opposition to protest every month-dates (ADN)

Opposition will not make a step back on its statement: protests until government’s dismissal.

In fact ADN learned that the opposition parties are planning to realize a protest a month against the governance. Sources within the blue headquarters informed that democrats are discussing to protest even in February. They are discussing for the date 20, the same date when the Albanians pulled down the dictator, Enver Hoxha statue. Meanwhile the other date is expected to be on March 22, the date when Democratic Party celebrates the 22 anniversary of its victory on 1992.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

Strategy for the Western Balkans: EU sets out new flagship initiatives and support for the reform-driven region (European Commission – Press release, 6 February 2018)

Strasbourg – The Commission adopted today a strategy for ‘A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans’. As President Juncker announced in his 2017 State of the Union address, the Commission adopted today a strategy for ‘A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans’, confirming the European future of the region as a geostrategic investment in a stable, strong and united Europe based on common values. It spells out the priorities and areas of joint reinforced cooperation, addressing the specific challenges the Western Balkans face, in particular the need for fundamental reforms and good neighbourly relations. A credible enlargement perspective requires sustained efforts and irreversible reforms. Progress along the European path is an objective and merit-based process which depends on the concrete results achieved by each individual country. Today, the European Commission announced six flagship initiatives – specific actions that the EU will take over the next years to support the transformation efforts of the Western Balkans in areas of mutual interest. These range from initiatives to strengthen the rule of law, reinforced cooperation on security and migration through joint investigating teams and the European Border and coast guard, expanding the EU Energy Union to the Western Balkans or lowering roaming charges and rolling out broadband in the region. The Strategy also underlines the need for the EU to be prepared to welcome new members once they have met the criteria.

The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker stated: ”Investing in the stability and prosperity of the Western Balkans means investing in the security and future of our Union. Although there will be no further enlargements under this mandate, today the European Commission is charting the European path ahead for the Western Balkans. With strong political will, real and sustained reforms, and definitive solutions to disputes with neighbours, the Western Balkans can move forward on their respective European paths. Whether this is achieved will depend on their objective merits. The European Commission will be rigorous but it will also be fair. I will travel to each of the countries of the Western Balkans at the end of this month with a clear message: keep reforming and we will keep supporting your European future.”

High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini commented: “The Western Balkans are part of Europe: we share the same history, the same geography, the same cultural heritage and the same opportunities and challenges today and in the future. We have a common interest in working more and more closely together to guarantee to our people economic and social development, and security. This strategy shows the path that we have ahead of us: for all our six partners to overcome once and for all the past, for all of us together to make the process of the Western Balkans towards the European Union irreversible and keep reuniting the Continent. This Strategy gives all of us a shared, clear, unequivocal, credible and concrete perspective for each and every one of our six partners’ EU integration. The next months will be not only intense but also crucial to make sure that this historic and unique opportunity is seized.” Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn stressed: “Today we confirm that the door of our Union is open for the Western Balkans which is already an enclave surrounded by the EU, and that our offer is sincere. With the new approach, underpinned by concrete measures, we are strengthening the enlargement process which requires credible efforts and reforms in return in particular to strengthen the rule of law. We have to work for the benefit of the citizens.”

Focus on convincing reforms and reconciliation

In order to meet the EU membership criteria and in their own interest, the Western Balkans need to implement comprehensive reforms in crucial areas. The rule of law, fundamental rights and governance must be strengthened significantly. Judicial reforms, the fight against corruption and organised crime, and public administration reform need to deliver real results and the functioning of democratic institutions need to be seriously enhanced. Economic reforms must be pursued with vigour so that structural weaknesses, low competitiveness and high unemployment rates are addressed. All countries must unequivocally commit, in both word and deed, to overcome the legacy of the past, by achieving reconciliation and solving open issues, in particular border disputes, well before accession to the European Union. There needs to be a comprehensive, legally-binding normalisation agreement between Serbia and Kosovo so that they can advance on their respective European paths.

Six flagship initiatives to support the transformation of the Western Balkans

The EU is already the most important donor and investor in the region as well as political partner of the Western Balkans. The EU is also the Western Balkans’ largest trading partner with an annual total trade volume of €43 billion (2016). Today, the European Commission set out Six flagship initiatives that will further strengthen our cooperation in a number of areas and support the transformation process in the Western Balkans. These flagship initiatives target specific areas of common interest: rule of law, security and migration, socio-economic development, transport and energy connectivity, digital agenda, reconciliation and good neighbourly relations. Concrete actions in these areas are foreseen between 2018 and 2020. To deliver on the Western Balkans Strategy and support a seamless transition to membership, adequate funding is indispensable. The European Commission proposes to gradually increase funding under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) until 2020 in so far as reallocations within the existing envelope allow. In 2018 alone, €1.07 billion of pre-accession assistance for the Western Balkans is already foreseen, on top of almost €9 billion from the 2007-2017 period.

Next steps on the EU path

The EU’s enlargement policy must be part and parcel of the larger strategy to strengthen the Union by 2025 set out by President Juncker in his State of the Union speech of September 2017 and his Roadmap for a More United, Stronger and more Democratic Union. While the EU could become larger than 27 Members, the dynamics of moving forward on their respective EU paths for all Western Balkans is based on their own merits and at their own speed depending on the concrete results achieved. The Strategy explains the steps that need to be taken by Montenegro and Serbia to complete the accession process in a 2025 perspective; while others could catch up, Montenegro and Serbia are the only two countries with which accession talks are already under way. This perspective will ultimately depend on strong political will, the delivery of real and sustained reforms, and definitive solutions to disputes with neighbours. All Western Balkan countries have the chance to move forward on their respective European paths. The Commission assesses all the countries in a fair and objective manner on the basis of their own merits and at the speed at which they achieve progress. Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are making significant progress on their European path and the Commission is ready to prepare recommendations to open accession negotiations, on the basis of fulfilled conditions. The Commission will start preparing an Opinion on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s membership application following receipt of comprehensive and complete answers to its Questionnaire. With sustained effort and engagement, Bosnia and Herzegovina could become a candidate for accession. Kosovo has an opportunity for sustainable progress through implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement and to advance on its European path once objective circumstances allow.

Political commitment from the regions’ leaders

Much work lies ahead for the countries concerned to be in a position to meet the conditions and criteria for EU membership. The Strategy highlights that leaders in the region must leave no doubt as to their strategic orientation and commitment. It is them that ultimately must assume responsibility for making this historical opportunity a reality.

Preparing the EU to welcome new members

The EU itself needs to be ready for new members of the family – once they have met the conditions – including from an institutional and financial perspective. The Union must be stronger, more solid and more efficient before it can be bigger. To ensure effective decision-making, we need to make use of qualified majority voting in the Council in the policy areas where this is already foreseen. In addition, the European Commission will present possibilities to further enhance the use of qualified majority voting in the third quarter of 2018 – as announced by President Juncker in his 2017 State of the Union address. A more effective system is also needed to tackle systemic threats to or breaches of the rule of law in any EU Member State with a Commission initiative to be expected in October 2018.

Finally, special arrangements must be put in place to ensure that future Member States are not in a position to block the accession of other Western Balkans candidates.

Brussels’ new Balkan strategy: Tough love (Politico, by Florian Eder and Andrew Gray, 6 February 2018)

Get serious about cracking down on corruption and crime if you want to seize historic opportunity, EU tells would-be members.

You were expecting a welcome mat? Here’s a bucket of cold water instead.

The European Commission’s new strategy for the Western Balkans holds out the prospect that two countries from the region, Serbia and Montenegro, could “potentially” be ready to join the EU by 2025. It also offers increased support for the four other would-be members from the region that was engulfed by war and civil strife in the 1990s. The strategy aims to lay down a roadmap after Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker last September signaled a renewed openness toward EU enlargement in his State of the Union speech. The EU had previously cooled on taking in new members after a backlash in older member countries over increased immigration from poorer nations that had recently joined the bloc. Juncker and other EU leaders have taken a fresh interest in the Western Balkans partly because of concern about increased Russian, Chinese and Turkish influence there. The 2015 refugee crisis, in which hundreds of thousands of migrants made their way to Western Europe via the Western Balkan route, also highlighted the region’s importance to EU stability. “The Western Balkan countries now have a historic window of opportunity to firmly and unequivocally bind their future to the European Union. They will have to act with determination,” says the strategy, to be unveiled by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Johannes Hahn, the commissioner for enlargement.

As part of the new push, Juncker is set to visit the Western Balkans for a week at the end of this month, starting in Skopje on February 25, an EU diplomat familiar with the plan said.

But it makes clear to politicians in all six countries — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia — that they will have to get much more serious about establishing the rule of law, cutting out corruption, cracking down on organized crime, settling bilateral disputes and undertaking a range of other democratic changes. “Joining the EU is far more than a technical process. It is a generational choice, based on fundamental values, which each country must embrace more actively, from their foreign and regional policies right down to what children are taught at school,” says the new strategy, obtained by POLITICO ahead of its approval by the Commission on Tuesday. As well as the renewed drive by the Commission to deepen ties with the region, Bulgaria has made the Western Balkans a priority as the current holder of the EU’s rotating presidency. Sofia will host a summit of EU and Western Balkan leaders in May. In a recent interview with POLITICO, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said such gatherings should become much more frequent — noting that the last EU-Western Balkans summit, in Thessaloniki, Greece, took place back in 2003. “Fifteen years is too long,” said Zaharieva, suggesting an interval of two years between summits in future.

Zaharieva acknowledged that putting the Western Balkans so high on the EU agenda carries the risk that the bloc’s standing in the region could suffer if citizens’ hopes of EU membership were not realized. At the 2003 summit, the EU offered “unequivocal support” to would-be members from the Western Balkans and told them their future was within the European Union. But 15 years later, only one of them — Croatia — has joined the bloc and it seems at least another seven years will pass before perhaps two more become members. “Of course there is such a kind of danger,” Zaharieva said. “That’s why we should not create expectations that we can’t fulfil.”

Zaharieva said more Western Balkan nations had not joined the EU because the bloc became embroiled in various emergencies — such as the eurozone and migration crises — and regional governments failed to undertake the necessary reforms. The new Commission strategy offers greater EU support to the region across a range of domains — from sending Europol advisers to boost security to making new investment commitments in areas from startups to transport infrastructure. In 2018, total EU investment in the region is foreseen at €1.07 billion — slightly more than what was spent on average in the past 10 years. But the strategy, titled “A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans,” does not hold back in describing the current state of the EU’s future would-be members, declaring that the levers of power in all six countries are often in the hands of criminal networks and political clans. “Today, the countries show clear elements of state capture, including links with organised crime and corruption at all levels of government and administration, as well as a strong entanglement of public and private interests,” the document reads. “None of the Western Balkans can currently be considered a functioning market economy,” it also flatly declares.

Bitter pills

Although Serbia and Montenegro have been identified as front-runners for membership by the Commission, the document says having them join by 2025 is “extremely ambitious.” It makes clear that leaders in Belgrade in particular will have to swallow some bitter pills on the road to Brussels. Serbia, it specifies, will have to conclude and implement a legally binding agreement on normalizing relations with Kosovo, the mainly ethnic Albanian territory that declared independence from Serbia 10 years ago, before it can join the EU. It also says would-be members must demonstrate “full alignment” with EU foreign policy — a none-too-coded signal that Belgrade could not continue to pursue such close relations with traditional ally Russia as it does at the moment. But the strategy also contains disappointment for Kosovo, which is not recognized by five EU members and is not specifically mentioned as a possible candidate for EU membership in the document. Serbia and Montenegro, on the other hand, have already begun membership negotiations and the Commission says it is ready to recommend accession talks for Albania and Macedonia too, if they meet certain conditions. Bosnia and Herzegovina “could” become a candidate for membership, the document says. Rattled by a long-running border dispute between EU members Slovenia and Croatia, the strategy says all such disagreements must now be resolved before countries can join the bloc. “The EU will not accept to import these disputes and instability they could entail,” the document says. “Definitive and binding solutions must be found and implemented before a country accedes.” The Commission also hopes the prospect of new arrivals will push current member countries to reform how they operate. “The EU itself needs to ensure that it will be ready institutionally to welcome new Member States once they have met the conditions set,” the text says, lobbying for an increased use of qualified majority voting in the Council — instead of making unanimous decisions, which give individual governments a veto. Liberal democracy activists in the Balkans have accused the EU of being too soft on regional leaders, whom they brand authoritarians with a questionable commitment to EU values. The new document does not engage in such mollycoddling and could be read as laying down the law to political leaders while encouraging activists and citizens to put pressure on them. “Governments must ensure more inclusive reform processes that bring all stakeholders and society at large on board. Most fundamentally, leaders in the region must leave no doubt as to their strategic orientation and commitment. It is they that ultimately must assume responsibility for making this historical opportunity a reality,” it says.