LOCAL PRESS

Rakic: Vucic wants peaceful protests regardless of Pristina’s further actions (B92/Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic asked at Thursday’s meeting of representatives of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija to hold only peaceful, democratic and non-violent protests. The president wants this to be the case, regardless of the further moves of Pristina, Serb List leader Goran Rakic.  “We met President Vucic with the fear and concern that the Serb people face in Kosovo and Metohija. We also informed the president that we resigned two days ago as mayors and we heard the president asking for peaceful, non-violent and democratic protests from us, regardless of to everything that Pristina has done against the Serb people in Kosovo,” Rakic told reporters after the meeting in the Serbian Presidency building in Belgrade. He pointed out that Pristina’s taxes are not aimed against Serbia, as some say they are trying to present them and deceive the public, but directly against the survival of the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija. “We also invite citizens to continue with peaceful, democratic and non-violent protests,” Rakic said. Outgoing Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Dalibor Jevtic said that the situation is getting worse day by day, especially for Serbs south of the Ibar River. Those who are silent about these decisions and measures, support the expulsion of Serbs from Kosovo. Instead of announcements on Twitter, we expect concrete measures, primarily from the EU, because it has the mechanisms to directly force Pristina to change the decision on taxes, through the SAA and in other ways, added Jevtic. Serb List MP Miljana Nikolic said that there is a humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo and Metohija, noting that with taxes, they attacked the right to freedom, our dignity. The basic foodstuffs are in question today, electricity and gas will be questionable tomorrow, and we ask if they would deprive us of air too, Nikolic said.

Jevtic: Pristina conducts a policy of populism (RTS)

Outgoing Kosovo Minister Dalibor Jevtic told the RTS morning news that communication with the Albanians will continue the moment they abolish the decision on taxes for goods from Serbia proper. “They are conducting a policy of populism, and those who are flying on it high can only fall low,” he says. When it comes to the announced session with the request of uniting south and north Kosovska Mitrovica, Jevtic says it is obvious that the mayor of southern Mitrovica wishes that there are no Serbs in the entire town. “There is fear of having new elections. Due to such situation, we are more and more sinking into problems. The reaction of the international community is very important,” said Jevtic.

Ljajic: Solution only with political pressure from international community (TV Pink/RTV)

Serbian Trade Minister Rasim Ljajic has stated that the problem that was created by Pristina’s introduction of taxes on goods from Serbia proper can be resolved only with political pressure and resolute reaction from the international community. He says that it is logical that, following such measures by Pristina, the price of goods in stores in Kosovo and Metohija will increase, but that Serbia will do everything for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to be supplied with basic foodstuffs. “Nobody in the world bans trade. Here at issue are not taxes, this is suspension of trade between Serbia proper and Kosovo,” Ljajic told TV Pink, pointing to the fact that an even greater scandal is that Pristina on the one side increases taxes for goods from Serbia proper while on the other side it abolishes taxes for goods from Albania. “These are not taxes, this is ban of trade. Nobody can believe that this can occur in the XX century, that you introduce such taxes to a country with which you are not at war. This is a political decision, it has nothing to do with trade, logic, economy. It can be withdrawn in a political way,” says Ljajic. He reminds that now there are two obstacles to goods from Serbia proper, one is the 100 percent tax, and the other is the customs declaration since Pristina now insists on “Republic of Kosovo” being written on the declaration. Ljajic says that not a single problem linked to outside customs barriers has been resolved within the CEFTA, because the procedure lasts a long time, and that such disputes are resolved bilaterally. “This situation threatens to grow into a catastrophe, we do not have time for procedures,” says Ljajic, recalling that the trade exchange between Serbia proper and Kosovo and Metohija has been twice as big than with Macedonia and Albania together.

Chepurin: Haradinaj’s text a caricature (Novosti)

Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Chepurin harshly condemned claims presented by Ramush Haradinaj in The Washington Post. “Claims presented by Ramush Haradinaj in The Washington Post are in form a caricature, and an absurd in content. I would point out that international law is on the side of your country,” Chepurin told Novosti. “Serbia is supported not only by Russia, but also by an increasing number of states. This is testified by the fact that many countries have given up the previous decisions on recognizing independence of Kosovo. This was also demonstrated by the outcome of the voting in several international organizations, including Interpol,” said Chepurin.

Government adopts Proposal to amend Constitution (Beta)

The government adopted at Thursday’s session a proposal to change the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia, which refers to courts and public prosecutors. In order to improve the organization of judicial authorities and the positions of public prosecutors, the government proposed amendments to the provision of Article 4 of the Constitution, Articles 142-165, and consequently, the provisions of Article 99 of the Constitution (competence of the parliament), Article 105 (decision-making of the parliament) and the provisions of Article 172 of the Constitution (election and appointment of judges of the Constitutional Court). Changes in the provisions adopted by the government aim to improve the efficiency of the judiciary, which will be implemented through faster resolution of cases and reduction of their number. The changes will strengthen the independence and integrity of judges, but also increase the level of responsibility in this area. Changing the Constitution in the part of the judiciary is a necessary step in further strengthening of the rule of law and harmonization with European legal norms and standards. The government of Serbia established opinions on the amendments of the deputies to the parliament.

Montenegrin opposition MP taken from parliament to prison (Beta/Tanjug)

Early on Friday, after the session of the Montenegrin parliament, the police arrested opposition Democratic Front MP Nebojsa Medojevic and took him to the Spuz prison, near Podgorica. Medojevic was jailed on the order of the president of the Higher Court Boris Savic, because he has been for several months refusing to give a statement in a case against him. The opposition politician and his colleague from the Democratic Front (DF) Milan Knezevic have for months refused to give information about a judge who allegedly offered to, in exchange for 10,000 Euros, annul a 2015 verdict concerning an attack on a policeman. Medojevic can be freed if he makes a statement, or he could be held in prison until further notice, the Montenegrin police announced on Friday. Milan Knezevic held an unscheduled news conference at one o’clock past midnight to say he would not surrender to the police, and would remain in the parliament with fellow DF members. Another MP and one of DF leaders Andrija Mandic assessed last night that Montenegro was on the brink of civil war. Earlier, the parliament voted 46 to 15 to annul the decisions of the so-called Podgorica parliament held in 1918, which resulted in the joining of the Kingdom of Montenegro and the Kingdom of Serbia into a single state. 61 deputies took part in the multi-hour debate. The resolution that was passed had been put on the agenda by the ruling DPS party.

Montenegrin parliament annuls parliamentary decision from 1918 to unite with Kingdom of Serbia (Beta)

The Montenegrin parliament nullified early on Friday the 1918 decision to join Serbia after the Great War, describing the move as an annexation by Belgrade and a treason to the then Kingdom of Montenegro, Beta reported. The Great National Assembly of the Serb people in Montenegro, commonly known as the Podgorica Assembly, an ad hoc gathering, voted in November 1918 to unite with the Kingdom of Serbia. The current Montenegrin parliament started on Thursday a debate based on the motion for the abolishment of the decision signed by 42 out of 81 deputies who said that “before, during and after the Great War, Montenegro was a sovereign and internationally recognized country, defined by the 1905 Constitution, while the Podgorica Assembly was not its legal institution nor its decision was based on freely expressed will of Montenegrin people.” The issue caused heated arguments which lasted until early hours on Friday and almost ended in a fight between the ruling coalition and opposition deputies after an exchange of insults.

REGIONAL PRESS

Kosovo’s decision on 100% taxes for products from Serbia and B&H stipulates that bills should include term Republic of Kosovo (TV1)

The Kosovo Government has passed a new decision regarding the recent measure on increase of customs duty for goods imported from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), according to which the delivery lists for goods have to include the name ‘Republic of Kosovo’. This was confirmed on Thursday by representatives of the Kosovo Customs, who reminded that there were cases recorded at the beginning of application of the measure of 100 percent-increase of customs duty, in which customs offices were accepting the goods with delivery lists containing the name of Kosovo or some of its cities. Representatives of the Kosovo Customs stressed that this will not be possible any longer. Spokesperson for the Kosovo Customs Office Adriatik Stavileci confirmed on Thursday that Kosovo’s new decision on 100% taxes for products from Serbia and B&H stipulates that the bills should include the term “Republic of Kosovo”, explaining that the decision does not apply to the goods in transit. Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj stated this measure will remain in force “as long as it needs for Serbia to recognize Kosovo”.

EP passes Resolution on Serbia jointly with amendment on recognition of Srebrenica genocide as condition for country’s EU accession (TV1)

The European Parliament (EP) passed the Resolution on Serbia during the debate held in Brussels on Wednesday evening. The document, prepared by EP Rapporteur for Serbia David McAllister, was passed with 503 votes in favor, 85 against, while 47 MEPs abstained from voting. The resolution stresses key issues on the path of Serbia’s accession to the EU, including normalization of relations with Kosovo and the Srebrenica genocide. According to an amendment passed within the resolution, the condition for Serbia to access the EU is to recognize the genocide in Srebrenica. “The EP regrets the reiterated denial of the genocide in Srebrenica by some Serbian officials and reminds them that full cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and its successor – the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals (MICT) also implies fully accepting and implementing its rulings and decisions”, the resolution reads. The document also stresses that the recognition of the Srebrenica genocide is a fundamental step on Serbia’s path towards joining the EU. The above-mentioned amendment was proposed by MEP Igor Soltes. Soltes explained that this fundamental step does not represent a precondition, but rather that it means the need to invest efforts into reaching common understanding on the events from the past. Soltes pointed out that, according to the European practice of respect of international laws, the ICTY’s verdicts must not be ignored. In addition, the EP expressed concern over certain Serbian politicians’ statements that bring the territorial integrity of B&H in question, and condemned any form of nationalist rhetoric that aims towards encouraging B&H’s disintegration. Reporter reminded that the EP’s reports are not binding and cannot dictate the conditions for EU accession, but – on the other hand – they determine the tone of negotiations in the coming period and have influence on stances of other European institutions like the European Commission (EC). Reporter added that the report on B&H is expected to be included into the procedure in the EP in mid-January, after the EP’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) votes on it in early December. Croatian MEP Ruza Tomasic, reminded that Serbia also denies war crimes committed in Croatia. “Current authorities in Serbia use impermissible methods to cover up crimes committed in Croatia and B&H,” said Tomasic.

Bosniak member of B&H Presidency Dzaferovic welcomes EP’s report on Serbia (N1)

Members of the European Parliament (EP) adopted on Thursday in Brussels a 2018 Report on Serbia’s Progress. Amongst other things, it was stated in the Report that Serbia’s recognition of the Srebrenica genocide is a crucial step on the country’s path towards EU membership. Bosniak member of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic welcomed EP’s decision to adopt the amendment to this Report, proposed by Slovenian MEP Igor Soltes, that refers to Serbia’s constant denial of Srebrenica genocide. Dzaferovic said it is vital that the amendment stressed that recognizing the Srebrenica genocide is a crucial step on Serbia’s EU path. “When the denial of court determined facts and glorifying of genocide and other crimes stops, then the main precondition for restoring peace and building trust in the region, as well as in B&H, will be met,” underlined Dzaferovic.

Still no decision either from B&H CEC or B&H CC on manner of formation of Federation of B&H HoP (BHT1)

Neither the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) nor the Constitutional Court (CC) of B&H passed on Thursday the decisions pertaining to a solution for the manner of formation of the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP). The B&H CEC is expected to adopt a decision on the manner of distribution of mandates in the Federation of B&H HoP, while the B&H CC is yet to rule on the motion of HDZ B&H Vice-President Borjana Kristo, who requested assessment of constitutionality of part of the Federation of B&H Constitution related to election of delegates in the Federation of B&H HoP. BHT1 unofficially learns that the B&H CEC might pass its decision in the next 10 days, as well as that the B&H CEC was waiting to learn the outcome of the B&H CC’s session. In addition, the B&H CC held a preliminary discussion on Kristo’s motion back in March and it also requested from the Office of the High Representative (OHR) to provide its opinion on this motion in the capacity of the amicus curiae i.e. a friend of the court. The OHR issued a statement emphasizing the importance of timely formation of authorities, as well as that any solution for the Federation of B&H HoP must be in line with the Federation of B&H Constitution. The statement reads that this stance was also presented in the opinion that the OHR submitted to the B&H CC. According to BHT1, the EU sent a clear message that answer to B&H’s EU membership application and the candidate status will depend on formation of authorities and it called for forming the Federation of B&H HoP as soon as possible. Head of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H Lars-Gunnar Wigemark said that the matter of formation of the Federation of B&H HoP is not a matter for the IC, due to which the B&H CEC should pass a decision on it. Wigemark noted that the B&H CEC’s decision should be based on the legal and constitutional framework, adding that the OHR was clear that the 1991 census of population should be used in this regard. The Federation of B&H Statistics Institute concluded that the 1991 census should be applied to formation of the Federation of B&H HoP.

SDP B&H, DF and NS ready to negotiate with HDZ B&H on formation of authorities (Hayat)

SDP B&H leader Nermin Niksic, DF leader Zeljko Komsic and Our Party (NS) leader Predrag Kojovic held a meeting with SBB B&H leader Fahrudin Radoncic in Sarajevo on Thursday. After the meeting, the leaders announced that the BH Bloc is ready to talk about formation of authorities in the Federation of B&H with HDZ B&H too. Niksic voiced satisfaction with the meeting that he assessed as continuation of the fight for citizens of B&H. He confirmed that the B&H Bloc will talk with both SDA and HDZ B&H, adding that all options for negotiations are still open. When it comes to formation of new authorities at higher levels, it is first necessary to adopt certain laws including the Election Law of B&H, which would imply implementation of the ‘Sejdic-Finci vs. B&H’ ruling, introduction of electronic voting in the election process and sanctions against the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC), among other things, Niksic told reporters. Komsic explained that the BH Bloc does not have to be part of new authorities but it should also talk with the parties that do not share its political views. He stressed that the political situation should not be made even worse; instead, all options should be put on the table. Asked if three different majorities at the B&H, Federation of B&H and cantonal levels would be acceptable to the BH Bloc, Komsic said that it depends on those who are going to form new majorities. “I really cannot say precisely what will happen, how it will happen, how the authorities will be formed or when they will be formed. I can only answer questions about this story we are already making at the cantonal level of authority. We told everyone that we will stick to this story regardless of these talks and negotiations. The BH Bloc will have a very firm stance in this context,” Komsic told reporters. Kojovic explained that the meeting was focused on the situation at the B&H and Federation of B&H levels, i.e. for the BH Bloc to consider what kind of strategic position it has. He confirmed that the BH Bloc will also accept invitations of SDA and other parties. “I have always deemed that it is necessary to talk with political parties that have different views. Today, we had such meeting with SBB (B&H) leader Radoncic and we exchanged our views on key issues that could represent a basis for possible joint participation,” Kojovic told reporters. Radoncic noted that this is the first time that the BH Bloc invited SBB B&H for talks about possible partnership at the level of B&H. “HDZ B&H cannot be avoided in mathematical or political terms. That is our political reality,” Radoncic told reporters. The officials concluded that the B&H CEC will play a decisive role when it comes to formation of the ruling coalition, as soon as it finally decides how to fill the seats in the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP).

ZDC parliamentary majority formed without SDA and HDZ B&H (BHT1)

The inaugural session of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDC) Assembly continued on Thursday. On this occasion, the ZDC Assembly elected the Collegium, namely SBB B&H Ismet Sarajlic as the Assembly Speaker and Our Party’s (NS) Sanja Renic, as well as SDP B&H’s Mladen Simic as the Deputy Speakers. The newly-formed cantonal parliamentary majority in ZDC does not include representatives from the rank of SDA and HDZ B&H. Speaking about his future work as the ZDC Assembly Speaker, Sarajlic announced the intention to invest efforts into trying to maximally speed up the work on issues that are directly connected to improvement of living standards of citizens and position of this canton within the Federation of B&H. The ZDC Assembly’s inaugural session has been adjourned, and it is set to continue after the B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) passes a decision on distribution of mandates in the Federation of B&H House of Peoples (HoP). In addition, prior to the continuation of the ZDC Assembly’s inauguration session, the Croat Caucus in this assembly has been formed and DF’s Vlasta Kalas has been elected the Caucus Head. HDZ B&H’s representatives refused to attend the Croat Caucus’ session, assessing that this session included violation of the Rules of Procedure. HDZ B&H official Ivo Tadic warned the newly-formed parliamentary majority in the ZDC Assembly that they are not sending a good message to Croats in that canton and that they are disrespecting the voters’ will.

Dodik will request participation of B&H Armed Forces Third Regiment in parade on occasion of RS Day (Glas Srpske)

Representatives of the Committee for Marking of Republika Srpska (RS) Day told the daily that Serb member of B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik will request for Third Infantry Regiment (RS) of B&H Armed Forces to participate in the parade on Krajina Square in Banja Luka, on occasion of marking of January 9, the RS Day. Un unnamed member of the Committee told the daily that that during the first session of the Committee they agreed that the Third Regiment, which carries the heritage of the RS Army, will participate in the parade, or the Army will not participate at all. This source told the daily that the Serb Member of B&H Presidency does not want lining up only of the ceremonial unit of the Armed Forces, as was the case when this unit was lined up to honor former member of B&H Presidency Mladen Ivanic. Dodik insists on participation of the Third Regiment and if this is not possible, nobody from the B&H Armed Forces will participate in the ceremony. Deputy B&H Minister of Defense Boris Jerinic explained to the daily the procedure for engaging of B&H Armed Forces in certain parades or ceremonies. Jerinic explained that an order about engagement can be reached by B&H Presidency, but considering the animosity of other two members of B&H Presidency towards January 9 and the fact that they are bothered even by the RS flag, it is unlikely that such decision could be reached. He further explained that there is a possibility for B&H Defense Minister Marina Pendes to reach a decision and approves engagement of the Third Regiment, but noted that annual plans stipulate and approve engagement of the regiments for all manifestations, with exception of January 9, March 1 and November 25 and engagements on these dates require approval of B&H Presidency. Jerinic said that there is “gentlemen deal” within the Ministry, where all decisions pass through all three cabinets (minister and deputies) and if there is no consensus the decision goes through harmonization process.

War Crimes court acquits former Srebrenica commander Naser Oric again (N1)

B&H State Court acquitted on Friday wartime commander in Srebrenica, Naser Oric, and one of his aids of all war crimes charges after a years-long trial. The Court ruled on charges against Oric and Sabahudin Muhic for killing three Serbs near the villages of Zalazje, Lolici and Kunjorac in 1992. The Appeals Chamber ordered a retrial after the first-instance ruling in which the two were also acquitted. Oric’s lawyer, Lejla Covic, said his defence team expected such an outcome and is “absolutely satisfied.” The head of the Association of Women – Victims of War, Bakira Hasecic, also welcomed the ruling. “All of us, honest citizens, especially victims who have survived the war, are extremely satisfied with the ruling. The ruling is final, and cannot long,” Hasecic said.

In a puzzling statement, Croatian President denies trying to topple government (Hina)

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on Thursday most resolutely denied any possibility of her “alleged involvement in an alleged plan” to topple Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic‘s government and said that it would be a political coup against state institutions, particularly the institution of the President, Grabar-Kitarovic’s office said in a press release.

“Croatian President most resolutely denies any fabrication of her alleged involvement in the alleged attempts to topple the Andrej Plenkovic government. The President believes that that fabrications alone, based on statements that have not been verified by the relevant institutions, amounts to a direct political coup against Croatian state institutions and in particular against the institution of the President,” the press release said. Due to unverified information released in certain media outlets, President Grabar-Kitarovic on 26 October made a proposal to Prime Minister Plenkovic to convene the National Security Council “however, to this date, she has not received a reply to that proposal.” “Croatian President believes that it is impermissible that the relevant state institutions have failed to react to the release of information which is being the subject matter of a confidential investigation. Therefore, the President expects all the relevant bodies to inform the National Security Council about the activities undertaken to clear up this affair and to identify the masterminds and the objectives of that scandal, but without undermining the confidentiality of the investigation” the press release said. Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that he did not see the statement by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic as an attack on him, and announced that the National Security Council would be convened in December. “No, why would I see it as an attack? The only thing I can see as an attack is what happened a few months ago, that text messages are fabricated and attempts are made to confuse the public in Croatia and to implicate me in something that is on the other side of the law. That is an attack,” Plenkovic told the press after a meeting of the parliamentary group of his HDZ party. Plenkovic said that “phenomena” such as the fake text messages scandal should be investigated and cleared up by relevant authorities. “I don’t see anything new here because things like this happen in our political and media arena every week.” Asked to comment on the president’s claim that he had not responded to her invitation to call a National Security Council meeting, Plenkovic said that these meetings needed to be well prepared, and the Council needs to adopt a document concerning the work of the security services next year. He said that the National Security Council would convene some time in December, when the timing is deemed right. Asked if Grabar-Kitarovic should have temporarily suspended her national security adviser Vlado Galic until the scandal was discussed, Plenkovic said that this was for her to decide.

European Parliament votes in favor of Gruevski’s extradition from Hungary (Nezavisen vesnik)

MEPs adopted the two amendments that require Hungary to extradite Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to Macedonia. The Social Democrats and the Greens a few days ago made separate amendments on the subject, but it was feared that the amendment proposed by the Greens would not pass because of its harsher content. The amendment submitted by the Greens MEP Judith Sargentini, except for the extradition request, also states that Gruevski fled Macedonia with diplomatic assistance from Hungary to avoid prison terms and considers the move as interfering in the internal affairs of Macedonia, as well as a move to the judiciary and the rule of law in the country. “What Hungary is doing is interference in the judiciary of a country that it trying hard to become a member of the EU. This is not constructive,” said Sargentini. The social-democrats filed two amendments over Gruevski’s asylum and both were adopted. They highlight the fact that Nikola Gruevski received ‘a transparent judicial process’, but also his involvement in five other criminal investigations. The EP rejected all Greek amendments, including those that requested the deleting of word ‘Macedonian’ from the report, as well as the amendment over the incorporation of the low referendum turnout in the Macedonia Resolution. Furthermore, the MEPs also adopted the Greens amendments on environmental threat posed by certain infrastructure projects. The EP asks for suspension of the Mavrovo National Park project until the Strategic Environmental Assessment is complete, fully complying with the European legislation.

European Parliament call for opening accession talks with Macedonia in June 2019 (Nezavisen vesnik)

Excluding several extremist votes from Greece and Bulgaria, vast majority of MEPs at last night’s debate prior to voting on 2018 report on the Republic of Macedonia, called for opening EU accession negotiations in June, however reminding that the country must continue with the same pace of reforms. Ivo Vajgl, Macedonia Rapporteur in the European Parliament, as well as other MEPs, reminded that not only Macedonia, but also the European Union should hold to the promises in EU integration process. He greeted the Prespa Agreement called for it to be completed in the Macedonian Parliament, expressing beliefs that the EU accession talks will begin in June 2019. “This requires an inclusive democratic atmosphere, everyone needs to cooperate, the judicial system needs to be modernized, rule of law to be respected, space for free media to be created, journalists to be protected and effective fight against corruption and organised criminal to be conducted,” Vajgl said. EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn noted that the country has returned to the Euro-Atlantic path and welcomed the adopted constitutional changes, calling it a courageous move, which he expects will continue without any delay. Strengthening reform momentum is important in the interest of the citizens, Hahn said, reminding on endorsing three conditions set out in the EU Council conclusion in June – independent judiciary and fight against corruption, control over intelligence and security services and public administration reform. Reforms, which are necessary to fulfill to open accession negotiations, he added. Three MEPs from Romania, which is to take over EU Presidency as of Jan. 2019, strongly supported opening accession negotiations with Macedonia. “Macedonia is EU candidate country, which ensured highest level of compliance with the European rules,” Romanian MEP Victor Bostinaru said. Cristian Dan Preda from EPP called on Greece to show more understanding towards Macedonia, especially after sharp criticism of several Greek MEPs like Sofia Sakorafa, who stated that she would not support Vajgl’s report on Macedonia.

MEP Konstantinos Papadakis of the Communist Party of Greece said that Ivo Vajgl’s report was “a breach of the EU” and that it represented “succumbing to large capital for the interests of European monopolies.” Representative of the Austria EU Presidency Karoline Edtstadler reminded on remaining reforms that are necessary to open accession negotiations and urged on finding way to ensure continued work of the Special Prosecutor’s Office. Concerning granted asylum in Hungary to the ex-PM Nikola Gruevski, Vajgl said that the approved asylum represents “unacceptable interference’ by the Hungarian authorities. “I am concerned about Gruevski’s case, Hungary must return him immediately, Hungary is setting a dangerous precedent with this,” Romanian MEP Victor Bostinaru said. Cristian Dan Preda accused Hungary of becoming “a country for asylum of corrupt people” citing Romanian cases. “What Orbán did is not a support to Macedonia,” he added. Laszlo Tokes, Fidesz MEP, said that Hungary continues to support Western Balkans enlargement including Macedonia. “We reject the fact that the Socialists and Greens use Gruevski’s case for an ideological attack on Hungary,” Tokes said, referring to voting on amendments today. He said that Hungarian move is best understood in context to “migration activities and Soros lobbying.” “Granting asylum was in accordance with the legal procedure, and everyone agrees that additional efforts are needed to protect the judiciary from political interference, Tokes said.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

S&Ds: The Gruevski affair undermines credibility of EU enlargement policy (European Interest, 29 November 2018)

At the initiative of the Socialists and Democrats, the European Parliament called today on Hungary to extradite to Skopje Nikola Gruevski, the former Macedonian Prime Minister who fled to Hungary after being sentenced to prison in Skopje on corruption charges, and was granted asylum by the Hungarian government. For the S&D Group, it is the only possible way to proceed if the EU wants to remain credible towards countries aspiring to join. The EU cannot have one rule for them and another rule for us. The S&Ds amendment calling for the extradition of Mr Gruevski was adopted on the occasion of the vote on the progress reports on five Western Balkans countries. These reports on Serbia, Montenegro, FYR of Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania assess reforms and put forward recommendations for each country – with the rule of law, justice, media freedom and the fight against corruption being the main priorities. During the debate, the S&D MEPs emphasised again that EU enlargement is a powerful tool to stabilise and foster peace in Europe’s immediate neighbourhood. Therefore, we remain committed to the accession process of the Western Balkans countries. “What Hungary did in the case of Gruevski is a dangerous precedent. Never in the history of the EU has a member state organised such an extradition operation. This is a blow in the face of the EU. Each year, the EU adopts its recommendations asking countries aspiring to join our Union to respect a wide range of criteria. The fight against corruption and the respect for the rule of law are our most important demands. This is exactly what the Macedonian justice system did in the case of Mr Gruevski. The EU Enlargement Policy will not be credible if we cannot get our own house in order – Hungary should immediately extradite Mr Gruevski to Skopje. We cannot say there is one rule for them and another rule for us,” said S&D vice-president responsible for foreign affairs, Victor Boştinaru MEP. “The European Union has to keep its promises to our friends in the Western Balkans:  they should be a part of our EU family as soon as the accession criteria are met. We should ensure that the European elections do not slow down the reform process in the candidate countries nor fail their European aspirations. This means opening the accession negotiations with Albania and FYR of Macedonia, at the latest next year, in recognition of the efforts made by both countries, and granting visa liberalisation to Kosovo without undue delay. We also need more projects in the whole region of the Western Balkans with visible and tangible benefits for ordinary people,” added S&D foreign affairs spokesperson and the EP rapporteur on Albania, Knut Fleckenstein MEP.