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LOCAL PRESS

Vulin: Elections in Kosovska Mitrovica to be held as soon as possible (RTS)

Serbian Minister without Portfolio in charge of Kosovo and Metohija Aleksandar Vulin has stated that repeated mayoral elections in northern Kosovska Mitrovica will certainly take place. Without specifying the date, Vulin stressed that it is important for the election process to be completed as soon as possible in order to move forward with the constitution of the Union of Serb Municipalities. Asked by a journalist which candidate Belgrade will support in the coming elections, Vulin replied that he does not want to interfere with the decisions of the Serbian (Srpska) list. “The Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are politically mature, which they proved in these elections, so there is no reason for me to decide on this matter. They will choose the person they trust the most,” said Vulin. In view of the prospect and announcements of early parliamentary elections in Serbia, Vulin stressed that in that case the Kosovo Serbs will unquestionably be given an opportunity to go to the polls. “If Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic calls the elections on 29 January, as the media speculate, the Movement of Socialists (PS) will remain a loyal coalition partner to the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS),” said Vulin, who is also PS leader.

Stefanovic slates Belgrade assembly elections for 16 March (Beta)

Serbian parliament speaker Nebojsa Stefanovic has slated elections for the Belgrade city assembly and the local elections in Negotin and Pecinci for 16 March. Stefanovic told reporters that he has decided that electoral activities should begin on 29 January, meaning the electoral campaign will last 45 days. The elections will be held in 17 Belgrade municipalities at 1,175 polling stations. In the previous elections in the Serbian capital, held on 6 May 2012, 1,576,795 had the right of vote. Eligible voters will vote for 110 assembly members, one of whom will subsequently be elected mayor of Belgrade.”I wish everyone success in the upcoming campaign - I would like it to be fair and everyone to demonstrate tolerance and mutual respect. I would like the residents of Belgrade, Negotin and Pecinci to get honest and responsible authorities who will fight for them and for the exercise of their rights, rather than for office holders,” Stefanovic said.

REGIONAL PRESS

Constitutional Court unblocks B&H Federation (Fena)

With the decision of the B&H Federal Court that the dismissed B&H Federation Finance Minister Ante Krajina may perform his duties until a final decision is made by the Court, the financial blockade of the B&H Federation and its bankruptcy have been avoided. This hints at a solution to the crisis that in the past few days has shaken the Federation. Krajina said that this is not a temporary decision of a day or two, but rather will be in force indefinitely, or until the final decision by the Court. “I already signed an additional Letter of Intent on receiving this, I completed seven signatures,” said Krajina. He recalled that after the statements on his dismissal he said he could not figure out its purpose. “I did not take this personally… My stance is still that it wasn’t directed at Ante Krajina personally. Formally, the reasons are execution of the budget, and in the context of everything that was done there is no great correlation. I wasn’t pleased that I became a case in an unnecessary situation. But I am pleased that a solution was found and that life can normalize,” said Krajina.

Nimetz not to report to EP Committee on Foreign Affairs (Vecer)

UN Special Representative for the name dispute between Greece and the FYROM Matthew Nimetz will not be heard at the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Vecer writes. The press service of the committee refuted the information announced by Greek newspaper Kathimerini that Nimetz had been invited to inform the MEPs of the negotiations.
The press service stated Matthew Nimetz had not been invited to do so.

62.4% of Macedonian citizens do not support name change (Utrinski Vesnik)

An increase in the number of Macedonian citizens who do not support a change to the country’s name has been registered, the results from a public opinion survey conducted by the Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation and the Institute for Democracy ”Societas Civilis” show, Utrinski Vesnik writes. The results were presented at an event attended by Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki. 62.4% of Macedonian citizens do not back a change to the country’s name. In 2010 this number was 48.4%. A majority of the citizens – 62.7% would vote against the name proposal of Upper Republic of Macedonia yet more people would accept it if this were to be done when Macedonia joined the EU. 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

Fitch Downgrades Serbia Ratings to B+ (Wall Street Journal, by Anjani Trivedi, 17 January 2014)

Fitch Ratings downgraded Serbia's long-term foreign and local currency issuer default ratings Friday to B+ from BB-, as the country's public finances continue to crumble amid slow growth.

The ratings firm said it expects Serbia's public debt to grow to 70% of its gross domestic product over the next year from 63% currently, significantly higher than other similarly rated countries. "Real GDP grew 2.3% in 2013, largely driven by an increase in automotive exports and a productive agricultural season," Fitch said in a release.

The country's average economic growth is expected to be below 2% for the next two years, the firm said.

Yields on the country's five-year dollar denominated debt fell to 4.8% as of Jan. 15 from 5.5% at beginning of the year, according to Thomson Reuters Eikon.

Fitch said the country's failure to manage its public debt and "a recurrence of exchange rate pressures leading to a fall in reserves and a sharp rise in debt levels and the interest burden" are risk factors that could trigger a further downgrade.

The country is also bracing for elections in the first half of the year, which are likely to stall structural reforms, Fitch said, although the firm added it "expects that a government would be formed relatively quickly."

Serbia downgrade may fuel calls for election (Reuters, by Aleksandar Vasovic, 17 January 2014)

Serbia's Finance Ministry said on Friday it would insist on the implementation and broadening of economic reforms, responding to a ratings downgrade by Fitch that will feed into calls by some in the government for a snap parliamentary election.

The agency said it had cut Serbia's long-term local and foreign currency ratings from BB- to B+ with stable outlook, citing a rise in the country's consolidated budget deficit to 7.1 percent of output and delays to much-needed reforms.

The downgrade, nudging Serbian debt deeper into the speculative category, comes with the largest party in the ruling coalition, the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), within days of a decision on whether to force an early election in March.

With the SNS riding high in opinion polls, some party officials say they need a new, stronger mandate to pursue painful economic reforms and a high-profile graft campaign. The last election was in May 2012.

Responding to the Fitch report, the Finance Ministry said in a statement: "The ministry will insist on the diligent implementation and broadening of reforms to lower the fiscal deficit and public debt and to secure growth."

The ministry is led by 29-year-old Lazar Krstic, an SNS appointee who has advocated an overhaul of Serbia's bloated public sector and pension system.

But legislation proposed by the Economy and Finance Ministries has been held up, with resistance from unions and, some SNS officials argue, from the co-ruling Socialists of Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and his Pensioner Party allies.

The government's 2014 budget ducked the harshest measures, fuelling speculation that the SNS has an eye on an early election and then a budget revision to help secure a new precautionary loan deal with the International Monetary Fund.

Announcing the downgrade, Fitch wrote: "Policy credibility continues to be affected by delays in fiscal consolidation and a weak track record of structural reforms."

The government, it said, "has yet to demonstrate the political resolve necessary to implement unpopular structural reforms".

It noted that an election in March would offer the government "new legitimacy" to implement unpopular structural reforms that may drive up unemployment currently at 20.1 percent, according to the state Statistics Office.

Serbia is targeting 1 percent economic growth in 2014, following an expected 2 percent in 2013.

Timothy Ash, head of emerging markets research at Standard Bank, said the downgrade may explain a surprise decision by the Serbian central bank on Thursday to keep its benchmark interest on hold at 9.5 percent, halting a run of cuts.

"The silver lining on this now is that this should focus politicians' minds over the need for deep and meaningful reform, and I still think the SNS will go to the polls in March, which will see a ramping up of reform momentum in the second half of the year," Ash said.

The Serbian daily Politika, citing multiple government sources, reported on Thursday that a parliamentary election would be called at end-January for March 16. SNS officials say they will decide on Jan. 25 whether to go to the polls. (Editing by Matt Robinson and Alison Williams)

EU Delegation in Bosnia welcomes FBiH Constitutional Court decision on FinMin case (Balkans.com, 17 January 2014)

Commenting on today's decision of the FBiH Constitutional Court, EUSR/EUD Spokesperson Andy McGuffie said:
"We welcome the decisive action of the FBiH Constitutional Court in applying a temporary measure in the case of the Minister of Finance of the FBiH. This is important for the functionality of the FBiH and supports good governance. It prioritises stability and the needs of citizens, and avoids uncertainty until such time as the Constitutional Court makes a final determination on the matter. It is right that institutions of the FBiH have taken the lead role in handling this issue.
"In the long term this episode underlines the need for amendment and clarification of the relevant legislation  - the law on budget execution and the law on ministerial appointments - so this situation is not repeated. It is unacceptable that citizens especially those in vulnerable categories were put in this position."

Turkish Deputy PM in Bosnia to open Izetbegovic memorial house (World Bulletin, 16 January 2014)

Isler will attend the opening of the Izetbegovic house and two other sites renovated by TIKA.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Emrullah Isler arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday to attend the opening of three projects financed by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

TIKA recently renovated the house of Bosnia's first president, Alija Izetbegovic, a clinic in the town of Visoko, and the Karagoz Bey School in Mostar.

TIKA Director General Serdar Cam and Izetbegovic's son, Bakir, will also attend the ceremony.

The clinic, near Sarajevo, will be opened later on Thursday and eventually serve around 15,000 people.

Isler will travel to Mostar on Friday to open the renovated Karagoz Bey School.

Macedonia Name Logjam 'is Reality', Minister Says (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 17 January 2014)

A survey, which shows Macedonians increasingly doubt whether the dispute with Greece will ever be solved, 'reflects reality', the Macedonian Foreign Minister told a round table in Skopje. Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki sounded a downbeat note at a round table on Macedonia’s relations with its neighbours, which focused on the bilateral dispute with Greece over its name.
“People feel that in the current situation there is no space for a solution [to the "name" dispute], which would open the doors to EU and NATO, and that perception reflects reality,” Poposki said.
The discussion, attended by former foreign ministers, diplomats and political analysts, was hosted by the Institute for Democracy “Societas Civilis”, a think-tank, and by the Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation, MCMS, an NGO.
According to a survey carried out by the two organizations in November-December 2013 and presented at the event, pessimism is growing about a likely solution to the dispute, as is resistance to any compromise with Greece that would require a change of name.
Although 54.6 per cent of respondents wanted a solution within one year, only 9.6 per cent expected this to happen in that period.
Almost 30 per cent of the respondents said a solution would never happen, well up on the 24 per cent who gave this answer in 2011.
Another 27 per cent said they expected a solution within five years while 21 per cent expected it in six to 10 years.
A large majority, 62 per cent, said they opposed any compromise involving a change to the country’s name.

By contrast, in 2011, only 45 per cent of the respondents gave that answer to the same question.
“While in 2011 there were certain hopes of a small window for a name solution… it is becoming apparent that in 2013 this window is closing,” the head of the survey, Saso Klekovski, from MCMS, told the debate.
Despite repeated recommendations by the European Commission, the EU has not started accession talks with Macedonia, nor has it been invited to join NATO, owing to the dispute with Greece over its name.
Greece insists that Macedonia’s name implies territorial claims to its own northern province, also called Macedonia.
In 2011, the International Court of Justice, the ICJ, declared that Greece had broken a UN agreement by blocking Macedonia's membership of NATO since 2008. However, Athens has ignored the ruling and has not changed course.
Antonio Milososki, a former Foreign Minister under Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, said that Macedonia should suspend its participation in the long-standing UN “name” talks. “They should resume only after Greece officially states its position regarding the applicability of the ICJ ruling, because meanwhile we are spending valuable energy without any results,” Milososki said.
Milsoski’s standpoint corresponds with that of President Gjorge Ivanov who, in his annual address last month, said that conditions were approaching for Macedonia to consider such a step.
Another participant in the round table, Stevo Pendarovski, a former advisor to presidents Boris Trakovski and Branko Crvenkovski, focused on the need to build a wider political consensus within Macedonia on the name issue.
“Having a majority [in parliament] does not give you the right to think that only you are entitled to discuss key issues,” Pendarovski said, accusing the government of leaving the other political parties in the dark regarding the issue.
“I would like to see us building consensus on key issues before we encounter bad things,” he added.
According to the survey, questions about Macedonia's identity remain “a red line” for most Macedonians when it comes to the name talks, Saso Klekovski told the debate.
Over 70 per cent of the respondents said they were against any kind of additional definition of Macedonia's identity and language.

A majority of 54 per cent of respondents said the core problem was Greece’s refusal to accept the existence of a Macedonian state, identity and language.
Political analyst Rizvan Sulejmani said that it was “disappointing” to see such a large percentage of people opposing a possible compromise solution.

He criticized the government for boosting nationalism with populist projects, such as the costly Classical makeover of Skopje, instead of working towards a solution of this key diplomatic dispute.
“This shows that something is definitely wrong and that we are slowly turning into a nation where rational thinking is discarded and where emotions and fears lead us,” he said.

Montenegro Papers Protest Against Media Attacks (BIRN, by Dusica Tomovic, 17 January 2014)

The Montenegrin daily newspapers Vijesti, Dan and Dnevne Novine published black pages on Friday, in protest over recent attacks on reporters, with the message 'Stop repression of journalists'.

Opposition newspapers in Montenegro published blank, black pages on Friday, in protest against attacks on their reporters that the authorities have failed to clear up.

"This is what your right to be informed looks like when those who are informing you are victims of repression. Stop the repression of journalists," a message on page three of the daily newspapers read.

The newspaper Dnevne novine printed the same protest message on page 12, while the Montenegrin edition of Blic published it on the second second page.

The only daily newspaper that did not publish the protest message at all was pro-government newspaper, Pobjeda.

The blank frontpage protest was the idea of the Media Syndicate of Montenegro, following a series of unsolved attacks on journalists and editors of Vijesti and Dan.

The protest note on a black background was also posted on web portals of Vijesti, Cafe del Montenegro and PCNEN.

Nikola Markovic, chairman of a government commission examining attacks on journalists, on Friday said he was not optimistic that further attacks could be prevented.

Markovic, who is also deputy editor of Dan, told Balkan Insight on Friday that the assaults would probably continue.

"Judging by the past response of the government to cases of violence against journalists I am afraid that the new attacks will be even more aggressive," Markovic said.