UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, October 5, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

EP: EU-U.S. cooperation in the Balkans more than necessary (RFE)
MCC: It is up to partner countries to select projects (Kosovapress)
Serb sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing 13 civilians during war (media)
Panel calls for more cooperation between KSC and KP for temporary release (BpD/Koha)
COVID-19: Two deaths, 38 new cases (media)

Serbian Language Media:

36 cases of Covid-19 in Serbian communities (KiM radio)
Kurz: Slovenia summit extremely important (Tanjug)
Office for KiM: Verdict to Stanisic points out Serbs are tried based on ethnicity, not the law (Kosovo-online)
RSF wants EU-Western Balkans summit to discuss support for journalists (N1)
Church in Jagnjenica village, Zubin Potok, burglarized (Radio kontakt plus)
Twenty-one years after the ouster of Serbia’s strongman – what has changed? (N1)
Serbian FM says EU should value Belgrade’s results more (N1)

Opinion:

“Whether a new crisis will occur depends on outcome of local elections in Kosovo” (Danas)
Don’t close the door on the Western Balkans (politico.eu)

International:

Biden tells EC commission chief international tax system must be fair (Reuters)
Contractor on Albania Power Line Paid Millions to Offshore Consultancy (Balkan Insight)
Olivér Várhelyi: Europe’s under-fire gatekeeper (politico.eu)

Albanian Language Media

EP: EU-U.S. cooperation in the Balkans more than necessary (RFE)

European Parliament members discussed Tuesday a report focusing on the future of relations between the European Union and the United States, Radio Free Europe reports.

Although there were many calls for the EU to build its own capacities in the field of security and defence to reduce dependency from the U.S., an increased cooperation between the EU and the U.S. in a number of fields, including the Western Balkans, was also argued.

The report presented at the EP stated that the EU should cooperate more with the United States and rebuild strategic partnership with countries of the Eastern partnership and the Western Balkans so as to enable the building of democratic and multiethnic societies, "resistant to local and foreign authoritarian forces."

The report said the EU has a crucial role in the process of normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, "I strongly believe that only by strengthening the Trans-Atlantic partnership can we strengthen the world's multilateral order and face common challenges," said rapporteur on the future of EU-US relations Tonino Picula.

MCC: It is up to partner countries to select projects (Kosovapress)

The debate on the gas pipeline project dominated Kosovo's political scene in recent weeks, Kosovapress reports, adding that the Kosovo government said it needed more information about the project which it says has to do with the construction of the gas pipeline infrastructure, while the opposition accused the Government of having rejected the project put forth by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) for investing in the introduction of the U.S. gas in Kosovo.

MCC officials told Kosovapress that it is up to the partner countries to select projects. "The core of the MCC model is country's ownership, meaning that partner countries lead in the selection, development and implementation of grant projects. Improving the scope of potential compact investments is a positive step towards the finalization and signing of the MCC-Kosovo Agreement. MCC looks forward to continuing its partnership with the Government of Kosovo as we work to reduce poverty and encourage sustainable and inclusive economic growth,” said Marc Rockwell, deputy director of communications.

Serb sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing 13 civilians during war (media)

The Basic Court in Prishtina sentenced Goran Stanisic to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty of killing 13 civilians in the village of Sllovi in the municipality of Lipjan during the war in Kosovo. The verdict was announced by the presiding judge today.

According to the indictment filed by the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo, the accused Goran Stanisic, as a member of the reserve police force of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia, in April 1999, during the war in Kosovo, in opposition with the rules of international humanitarian law, during a large-scale and systematic attack by Serbian paramilitary and police forces against the Albanian civilian population in the villages of Slovi and Tërbovc, in cooperation with other members of this unit, had participated in the expulsion of the Albanian civilian population and in committing murders and other illegal acts.

Panel calls for more cooperation between KSC and KP for temporary release (BpD/Koha)

The Court of Appeals Panel at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers has ruled in regards to the appeals from the defence of Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi against the decisions of the pre-trial judge in reviewing extension of their detention period.

The panel has endorsed one element of the defence's appeal and sent this to the pre-trial judge for further assessment on whether the measures proposed by the defendants or any other requirement that the judge identifies as necessary can reduce the identified risks and can be effectively implemented by the Kosovo Police, Betimi per Drejtesi reported.

The panel said that the pre-trial judge's conclusion that the reply from the Kosovo Police was not sufficiently satisfactory, should then have enquired with the Police Director to obtain the detailed response he found was lacking.

"The Panel recalls that conducting such an enquiry would fall within the discretionary powers the Pre-Trial Judge is vested with pursuant to Article 39(13) of the Law with regard to detention related matters, depending on the circumstances of the case.124 The Panel also notes that the Pre-Trial Judge did not provide reasons for not ordering the Police Director to provide a detailed response despite acknowledging the need for it."

The panel found that the pre-trial judge erred in not doing so, as this information would have put him in a position to assess whether the Kosovo Police can effectively enforce these measures and that more precise information of this kind would give the judge a more complete and solid factual basis to assess the feasibility of such conditions, without anticipating the outcome of the final determination on these matters.

COVID-19: Two deaths, 38 new cases (media)

Two deaths from COVID-19 and 38 new cases with the virus have been confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 185 persons recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 1,895 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

36 cases of Covid-19 in Serbian communities (KiM radio)

Crisis Staff of the Municipality of Kosovska Mitrovica announced today that out of a total of 84 tested persons in Serbian communities in Kosovo, 36 people became ill with coronavirus, reported KiM radio.

New cases by municipalities: Leposavic - 14, Zubin Potok - 8, North Mitrovica - 6, Zvecan, Kosovska Kamenica and Strpce 2 each, Gracanica and Gnjilane 1 each.

Currently, there are 235 active cases in Serbian communities in Kosovo.

Kurz: Slovenia summit extremely important (Tanjug)

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says a credible perspective of EU accession must be offered to the Western Balkans in order to maintain stability and security in Europe.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Kurz will be attending an informal Council of the EU meeting at Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, with the Western Balkans to be one of the main topics of the event.

In a statement to Tanjug, Kurz welcomed Slovenian PM Janez Jansa's decision to organise a separate summit on the Western Balkans.

Slovenia holds the rotating EU presidency.

"I consider it to be extremely important that EU heads of state and government discuss the Western Balkans together with their colleagues from the region. We support Slovenia in that regard," Kurz said.

"We must continue to offer a credible accession perspective to the region and provide massive support to their reform efforts," Kurz underscored.

On the other hand, the EU must deliver on its promises, he said.

"That is extremely important because it is a way of looking after security and stability in Europe. If we leave a vacuum in the Balkans, other states, such as Turkey and China, will fill it," Kurz warned.

See at: https://bit.ly/3BfSFmy

Office for KiM: Verdict to Stanisic points out Serbs are tried based on ethnicity, not the law (Kosovo-online)

Pristina judiciary has continued the practice of imposing draconic punishments on Serbs without irrefutable and unequivocal evidence or substantiated witness statements, indicating that they are being tried on the basis of ethnicity and not on the basis of law and justice, Office for Kosovo and Metohija said in reaction to the Basic Court in Pristina decision to sentence Goran Stanisic to 20 years in prison, Kosovo-online portal reports.

The Office further said Stanisic was convicted without solid and clear evidence, and based on contradictory testimonies of the witnesses for, as the Office added, alleged war crimes in the villages of Slovinje and Trbovce near Lipljan in April 1999.

It also said a number of process rights have been violated during the trial, given the fact Stanisic was sentenced to 20 years in prison, a punishment that didn’t exist in the Criminal Code at the time when the criminal act was committed. It argued Stanisic had unfavorable treatment during the trial, as no witness or relative of the victims said he was the perpetrator following the crimes, but changed their testimonies 20 years later.

“At the same time, the court refused to confront the witnesses with their earlier and contradictory statements made in 1999, 2000, 2005 and 2006, in which Stanisic was not mentioned at all", the Office said in a statement.

It added that a defense lawyer will file an appeal to the Court of Appellate in Pristina regarding the verdict.

RSF wants EU-Western Balkans summit to discuss support for journalists (N1)

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called organizers and participants in the coming European Union – Western Balkans summit to make support for investigative journalism a priority in their discussions.

“RSF calls for support for investigative journalism to be a leading topic at the summit that the EU’s Slovenian presidency is organising with the Western Balkans, where journalists who investigate major stories such as corruption and the Covid-19 pandemic are threatened by a lack of judicial independence and must compete with disinformation,” a press release said adding that the issue is not on the agenda of the October 6 summit.

It warned that the countries of the Western Balkans – Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – have not made any significant progress as regards freedom of the media. “All of them saw their scores worsen in RSF’s 2021 World Press Freedom Index except Bosnia, which registered a very small improvement,” it said.

“Press freedom should not be a taboo subject at the EU-Balkans summit,” it quoted Pavol Szalai, the head of RSF’s EU/Balkans desk, as saying. “Support for investigative and professional journalism in the Balkans is an essential remedy to help the region combat two of its leading problems – corruption and the Covid-19 pandemic. The EU should undoubtedly be more ambitious in its use of the seduction it exerts over the Western Balkans in order to enable the region’s citizens to have access to more reliable news and information,” he said.

RSF warned that violence against journalists enjoys a disturbing level of impunity in the Western Balkans, adding that disinformation flourishes in the region including in mainstream media and singled out the tabloid press which passes on COVID-19 conspiracy theories about the pandemic. It said that independent media which are critical of the authorities and whose reporting is reliable are often discriminated against and targeted. It said that Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa often attacks journalists while his government, the organiser of this EU-Balkans summit, has arbitrarily suspended funding for the national news agency STA.

See at: https://bit.ly/2Yj67qS

Church in Jagnjenica village, Zubin Potok, burglarized (Radio kontakt plus)

Serbian Orthodox Church in the village of Jagnjenica, Zubin Potok municipality was broken into and burglarized, Kosovo police said, Radio kontakt plus reports.

The police were informed that in the night between 3 and 4 October, unknown persons forcibly entered the church and stole the money. It is not known what amount of money was stolen, while the investigation is ongoing.

Twenty-one years after the ouster of Serbia’s strongman – what has changed? (N1)

When in 2000, Serbia's strongman Slobodan Milosevic was ousted after unsuccessful election fraud, most people believed in a brighter future, but 21 years on, the country seems to be sliding back into the time before that historic change, N1 writes today.

Hundreds of thousands risked their lives on October 5, 2000, flooding Belgrade from all parts of the country, determined to fight against the regime to prove the opposition presidential candidate for the then Yugoslavia Vojislav Kostunica won over unchallenged ruler Milosevic, the leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS).

Opinion

“Whether a new crisis will occur depends on outcome of local elections in Kosovo” (Danas)

Like all previous crises, the last one was obviously characterized by the outlines of what could be called a controlled crisis, Danas daily writes today in relation to the last crisis in northern Kosovo.

With only a few incidents that could not provoke wider-scale conflict, the thirteen days of blockade of administrative crossings passed quite peacefully. However, it was obvious that this crisis was created intentionally, which is supported by the fact it was generated during the period of rapidly declining popularity of Albin Kurti’s government from one side, but also during the peak of the pandemic crisis in Serbia on the other side - Igor Markovic from Mitrovica North based NGO Aktiv told Danas daily.

According to Markovic’s opinion in line with established Balkan practice, and in particular when it comes to the Kosovo crisis, under the wave of accumulated problems in the areas of domestic politics or economy, one resorts to nationalist narratives and causes an artificial crisis.

“If Belgrade and Pristina really cared about freedom of the movement, they would start intensive talks on continuing the arrangement to use “KS” license plates before September 14 this year, when their time-limited use has expired. Therefore, it was clear that certain sort of localized and controlled tensions goes in favor of the both, Belgrade and Pristina’s political elites, all for the purpose of rising the rating ahead of the local elections in Kosovo (…), Markovic said.

Asked what would happen when the deal made in Brussels, after six months expires and whether a new criss could be expected, Markovic responded it very much depends on the outcome of the local elections in Kosovo and the constellation of the political powers following elections. Markovic further said given that the political system in Kosovo is of a fragile nature and prone to frequent changes of coalitions and governing majority, he would personally not be surprised if the Self-determination Movement makes a clear victory at the local level to have a compromised solution regarding the freedom of the movement. Should the opposite scenario occur, Markovic said one could expect a new wave of political crisis in Kosovo and resorting to raising tensions with Belgarde as an efficient way to divert attention from crucial problems affecting Kosovo.

Asked whether the pressure from the American side in Brussels was crucial to reach an agreement on licence plates, he answered it was not crucial, however it was definitely significant.

“The inability of Brussels to mediate the crises in Belgrade-Pristina relations in an adequate and timely manner is obvious. Brussels' calls for de-escalation, a popular word during the crisis, have never borne fruit. The crisis was resolved exclusively at the moment when the representatives of Pristina and Belgrade were, in slang terms, "dragged" to Brussels, and the pressure from the Washington side contributed to that”, Markovic concluded.

Don’t close the door on the Western Balkans (politico.eu)

By Catherine Ashton, Misha Glenny, Mark Medish, Alexander Rondos and Ivan Vejvoda

The EU must reaffirm its commitments to the region or risk a divided Europe.

The European Union is signaling a watershed reversal of its enlargement policy, as reports out of Brussels suggest that EU leaders no longer support an assured path to membership for Western Balkans countries.

By hesitating on the Balkans, the EU is inviting those who do not share its norms and values onto its frontiers and its cultural and geographic space. This would be a reversal of commitments long given, and on which Western Balkans countries have relied. It would also be a strategic mistake.

The bloody Balkan wars of the 1990s, triggered by the collapse of Yugoslavia, were a stark reminder of the perils of nationalism and tribalism. The plight of tens of thousands of refugees, together with images like those of a demolished Sarajevo — the home of the 1984 Winter Olympics not long before — helped galvanize political will in Europe, clearing pathways to EU membership for these countries. The U.S. was a strong partner in this concerted Western engagement.

With the end of the Cold War, the door had opened for the historic integration of Central and Eastern European nations into the common European economic and political project. So, in 2004, 10 countries joined the EU. These included the Visegrád Four, made up of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the three Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and Slovenia. They were joined three years later by Bulgaria and Romania, and by Croatia in 2013.

See more at:https://politi.co/3iydQcd

International

Biden tells EC commission chief the international tax system must be fair (Reuters)

U.S. President Joe Biden, in a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, emphasized the importance of “leveling the playing field in the international tax system,” the White House said in a statement.

The United States is looking for G20 countries to reach a political agreement on a global minimum corporate tax deal at a summit at the end of the month.

In his call with von der Leyen, Biden also expressed his “strong support” for continuing the European Union accession process for countries in the Western Balkans, the statement said.

EU and Balkan leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss future membership for six Balkan countries: Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia.

A summit declaration will restate the EU’s guarantee of future membership to the six countries, two EU officials said on Monday.

Wealthy northern EU countries fear a repeat of the rushed accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007 and the poorly managed migration of eastern European workers to Britain that turned many Britons against the EU.

Contractor on Albania Power Line Paid Millions to Offshore Consultancy (Balkan Insight)

Bosnian engineering giant Energoinvest, which built the electricity interconnection line between Albania and Kosovo, paid millions of euros to a small UAE-based consultancy headed by an Albanian businessman with political connections, documents show.

In January this year, as heavy snow whipped across mountainous northern Albania, high winds and ice pockets toppled electricity pylons and disrupted transmission along a 400-kilovolt power line connecting dams on the river Drin in Albania with neighbouring Kosovo.

See more at:https://bit.ly/3uIuH0P

Olivér Várhelyi: Europe’s under-fire gatekeeper (politico.eu)

Hungarian enlargement commissioner favors Serbia’s EU bid and plays down democracy concerns, according to officials and internal documents.

As EU leaders prepare to meet their Western Balkan counterparts on Wednesday, they might want to ask the European Commission’s point man for an impartial view of the region’s efforts to meet democratic standards and one day join the bloc.

Then again, they might not.

According to more than a dozen officials from multiple institutions and an analysis of internal documents, European Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi has overseen a push to play down concerns about the rule of law and human rights in candidates for EU membership.

See more at:https://politi.co/3oHc8c2