Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani meets with Barduani, discuss latest security developments (media)
• Court: Serbian List doesn’t mention “Pristina Assembly” in its complaint (Koha)
• Gervalla and Fajon discuss driver’s license recognition (media)
• Citaku slams Krasniqi’s remarks against a Supreme Court judge (media)
• Croatia guarantees national security actions after espionage case in Kosovo (AP)
• Plenkovic: Serbia is on the brink of civil war (Telegrafi)
• Whitaker: Closely following situation in Republika Srpska and Serbia (Express)

Serbian Language Media:

• Djuric with Somali Colleague: Necessary to respect the UN Charter, without creating dangerous precedents (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)
• Elek: Unity of the Serbian people key in the upcoming fight for rights and survival (RTS, media)
• In what ways does the Gracanica ethnic structure change before the local elections? (Danas)
• Why is the Municipality of Gracanica hiding decisions on the demolition of illegal buildings? (Caglavica Media Center, KiM radio, Alternativna, Newsmax Balkans)
• KP at Brnjak ABL took away and tore up the flag of the Serbian singing society (KiM radio, RTS, Blic, NMagazin, Beta)
• Thousands march in memory of Novi Sad Railway Station victims (N1)
• Riot police, Gendarmerie attack protesters in Novi Sad; Police denies (N1)

Opinion:

• Serbia’s government remains committed to survival and to dialogue by baton (EWB) 

International:

• Kosovo's c-bank intl reserves rise 9% y/y in July (SeeNews)
• Remittances to Kosovo up 3.6% y/y in Jan-July (SeeNews)
• Net FDI inflow to Kosovo grows 5% y/y in H1 (SeeNews)
• One step forward, two steps back in Kosovo's deadlocked parliament (intellinews.com)
• How the Balkan underworld turned West Africa into a cocaine hub (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani meets with Barduani, discuss latest security developments (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani held a working dinner last night with the KFOR Commander, Major General Enrico Barduani, with whom she discussed the latest security developments in Kosovo. “In the continuation of regular meetings with the KFOR Commander, as well as on the eve of the conclusion of his mandate, President Osmani expressed her gratitude for his and KFOR soldiers’ continued engagements to maintain peace and security in Kosovo in cooperation with the security institutions in Kosovo. She reiterated the importance of continuing close cooperation between our security institutions and KFOR, as a guarantee for the stability and security of all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,” a press release issued by Osmani’s office notes.

Court: Serbian List doesn’t mention “Pristina Assembly” in its complaint (Koha)

The Constitutional Court said today that the Serbian List, in its complaint about the post of Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, did not use the term “Pristina Assembly” as it had done in a public statement on Saturday. The court also said that it is reviewing the complaint. “The request submitted by representatives of the Serbian List on August 30, 2025, is being processed by the Court. In the submitted request there is no term ‘Pristina Assembly’,” the court said.

The Serbian List said on Saturday that it had filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court against the separate vote on the election of deputy speakers of the Assembly that come from the non-majority communities, during the constitutive session. In its public statement, the Serbian List referred to the sessions as held in the “Pristina Assembly”. 

Gervalla and Fajon discuss driver’s license recognition (media)

At the Bled Strategic Forum, Kosovo’s caretaker Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla met with Slovenia’s Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation. The talks focused on deepening economic ties and facilitating business connections. A key topic was the pending recognition of Kosovo driver’s licenses in Slovenia, which would ease the daily lives of the Kosovo diaspora. Gervalla thanked Slovenia for its consistent support in Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic integration, calling the country a strategic partner and ally.

Citaku slams Krasniqi’s remarks against a Supreme Court judge (media)

Senior member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and MP, Vlora Citaku, reacted in a Facebook post against remarks made by Alban Krasniqi, a Vetevendosje representative in the Central Election Commission, against a judge of the Supreme Court over the certification of the Serbian List for the upcoming October local elections. “Alban, at least as a member of the CEC, you should be careful how you speak and whom you address. Hatred without facts is no longer a political discourse, but a call for trouble. We all know: Kosovo’s freedom was brought by the KLA and the political maturity of leaders at the time, together with the support of our international friends, and not by your insults. The position and wages you receive today as a result of that alliance, and not of another ‘merit’. To make matters worse, public pressure and intimidation against Kosovo’s judges, using names and last names, is humiliating and equals to calls for violence,” Citaku argued.

Croatia guarantees national security actions after espionage case in Kosovo (AP)

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic met today with the head of Croatia’s Army Security and Intelligence Agency Ivan Turkalj, to discuss the process of investigations against a Croatian army pilot who was arrested together with his Serb partner from Kosovo on charges of spying for Serbia. “The Army Security and Intelligence Agency, in cooperation with the Office of the State Prosecutor of the Republic of Croatia and other competent institutions, is undertaking all necessary actions to protect state interests and national security,” Plenkovic said in a post on X.

The news website notes that the District Court in Split on August 28 ordered a one-month detention measure for the army pilot and his partner from Mitrovica North. The pilot, who served with NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, is suspected of sharing confidential information with his partner and she then conveyed them to the Serbian List, the biggest political party of Kosovo Serbs who is also supported by Belgrade. Croatian media reported that the pilot is also suspected of telling his partner about the movement of Serbs in the north of Kosovo and the movement of KFOR troops during tensions in late 2022 and until mid-2025. Both are also suspected of exchanging information about the transport of a Serb former member of Kosovo Police who was accused of attacking the premises of the Municipal Election Commission in Mitrovica North in December 2022.

Plenkovic: Serbia is on the brink of civil war (Telegrafi)

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic expressed skepticism about the enlargement of the European Union until 2030 saying that North Macedonia is blocked, Serbia is on the brink of civil war and Bosnia and Herzegovina is under the constant threat of division. At the 20th edition of the Bled Conference, Plenkovic attended the panel “The Bled Promise: Dream or Reality”, together with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, Montenegrin Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos.

Plenkovic said the enlargement, which he strongly supports, has won a new momentum after the start of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, but that he is not so sure that it is an advantage among EU member states. He said he is skeptical if the bigger member states will accept smaller states with a “modest” contribution to the European budget and with equal voting rights. He called for realism saying that enlargement will not happen until the criteria are met and without a favorable political moment. “Currently, North Macedonia is blocked, Serbia has seen unrest and major protests for two years and on the brink of civil war, and Bosnia and Herzegovina where Milorad Dodik constantly threatens with the secession of Republika Srpska,” he argued.

Plenkovic later explained his statement about “civil war” in a meeting with reporters saying that his goal was to give the audience “which doesn’t follow all the details” of the situation in Serbia “a small idea how everything stands, especially in the last couple of months”. “Don’t think that I am supporting such a scenario, I am simply explaining it,” he said.

Whitaker: Closely following situation in Republika Srpska and Serbia (Express)

U.S. Ambassador to NATO, Matthew G. Whitaker, said that the United States are closely following developments in Serbia and the Republika Srpska, saying that the main priority is to prevent any scenario that risks turning into a regional conflict. “We are very closely monitoring everything that is happening in the Republika Sprska and also in Serbia. We are currently focused for the situation not to turn into a potential regional conflict,” he said in one of the panels of the Bled Strategic Forum.

Whitaker also said that maintaining stability in the Western Balkans is an important objective not only for the United States but also for European Union in NATO. 

Serbian Language Media 

Djuric with Somali Colleague: Necessary to respect the UN Charter, without creating dangerous precedents (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)

Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric spoke yesterday with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Somalia, Abdisalam Abdi Ali, thanking him for the African country’s support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, while at the same time emphasizing that Serbia fully respects the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Somalia.

Both sides highlighted the necessity of respecting international law and the principles of the UN Charter, without creating dangerous precedents, the Serbian MFA said in a statement.

Djuric informed his counterpart in particular about the situation in Kosovo, its exceptional importance for the Serbian people not only in a territorial sense, but also in historical, statehood, religious, economic, and political terms, as well as the geopolitical consequences in international relations.

“Serbia pursues an independent foreign policy, which is also based on the principles of military neutrality. This implies nurturing relations and cooperation with all relevant geopolitical, military, and economic partners worldwide,” emphasized Djuric, adding that pursuing such a policy in the current circumstances on the international stage is not easy, but it is the only correct path and in Serbia’s best interest.

At the meeting, issues of bilateral interest were discussed, as well as current geopolitical topics.

Djuric underlined Serbia’s pride of its traditionally good relations and decades-long friendship with Somalia and added that it was firmly committed to the further development and deepening of overall relations with that African country—in the fields of economy, agriculture, construction, education, as well as within international multilateral forums.

Elek: Unity of the Serbian people key in the upcoming fight for rights and survival (RTS, media)

The president of the Serbian List (SL), Zlatan Elek, told RTS today that the political and legal fight for the survival of Serbs in Kosovo will continue regardless of pressures and threats. He stressed that the upcoming local elections on October 12 are of crucial importance for the Serbian community and that it is necessary to preserve unity.

Elek recalled that the SL candidate in Zubin Potok was already the target of an attack when an explosive device was thrown at his house.

"All this is accompanied by Albin Kurti's systematic attempts to collapse the Serbian List and prevent our participation in the elections. We are fighting for the rights of the Serbian people even more strongly and courageously," the president of the SL told RTS.

According to Elek, the official campaign begins on September 13, but, as he said, Kurti has been campaigning for four years.

"He is building his political rating on violence against Serbs - we are denied the rights to work, freedom of movement and speech, to use the Cyrillic script, to property and to basic security. This is not a political campaign, but everyday persecution," Elek emphasized.

Unity as a prerequisite for survival

Speaking of possible obstructions during the elections, Elek assessed that there will certainly be some, but that Serbs must not be discouraged.

"These are crucial, if not the most important elections for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Especially for those in the north who have been suffering from police torture, political persecution, and economic pressures for years. That is why it is necessary for us to be united and harmonious, because only in this way can we change our everyday lives and get our representatives," said the president of the SL.

He emphasized that the greatest support for them in the campaign will be the Serbian people.

"Our people are our greatest strength and energy. The support of the international community would be important to us, but we know that only with unity can we achieve fair elections. Our only support is our people and our state of Serbia," said Elek.

Referring to yesterday's incident when the Kosovo police detained two Serbian minors for their T-shirts' slogan, Elek assessed that this was a case of systemic violence.

"This is not a coincidence. This is the best proof that the persecution of Serbs is being conducted systematically, with the participation of almost all institutions in Pristina," concluded the president of the Serbian List, Zlatan Elek, in an interview with RTS.

In what ways does the Gracanica ethnic structure change before the local elections? (Danas)

The expectations of the Serbian community from the local elections in Kosovo are higher than before because this time there will be no boycott. However, in all majority Serbian areas, there are still ways in which Pristina tries to influence the outcome of the elections. Such is currently the case with Gracanica, where various methods are being used to change the ethnic structure, reported Danas. 

Preparations for local elections in Kosovo are taking a long time, a large number of parties have been verified, and an unexpected coalition of all major Albanian parties (Self-Determination, Democratic Alliance of Kosovo, Democratic Party of Kosovo and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo) has appeared in Gracanica, which will participate in the elections as the Albanian Alliance.

The fact that the authorities in Pristina paid special attention to areas with a Serbian majority is shown by the various methods used to change the ethnic structure of those municipalities.

Thus, in Gracanica, a number of practices stand out, the consequences of which are an increase in the number of Albanians in areas where Serbs are the majority.

One of the most obvious is the construction of residential complexes and entire settlements where Albanians mostly buy the apartments. Although Serbs are not prohibited from buying these apartments, in a large number of cases these buildings are built on properties that were bought from Serbs.

On the other hand, in addition to the will of Pristina, the construction of these settlements requires the issuance of a building permit from the municipality in which they are being built, and in the case of Gracanica, a Serbian mayor is currently in power, which shows that the buildings are being built with their consent.

What the locals point out is that a good part of those apartments are empty even though they were bought, which also contributes to the change in the ethnic structure of Gracanica, even though these people do not live there.

In addition to the construction of new residential complexes, allegations appeared in the public about the change of residence of Albanian population by the Central Election Commission (CEC), without the knowledge of those citizens. 

Also, a certain number of Serbs living south of Ibar were not enumerated in the last census, which opens new questions such as whether they are registered in the electoral register.

However, the non-enumeration of the Serbian population in Gracanica was not the decision of the Serbs to boycott, but largely the non-appearance of enumerators at their addresses, which is why last week a large number of Serbs took advantage of the additional deadline to register for the census.

Director of RTV KiM Isak Vorgucic told Danas that the latest information and activities of the CEC are news for the residents of Gracanica, adding that it has been clear to everyone on the ground for years that the ethnic structure of that municipality is changing.

Speaking about possible ways for the Serbs to oppose such moves by the authorities in Pristina, Vorgucic told Danas that now it is too late to oppose anything.

"If earlier it was obvious that the municipality was taking the wrong steps by issuing construction permits, now the municipality, it seems, is not even asked about it," said Vorgucic. 

He emphasizes that the problem also exists with the Albanian population, because the CEC changes residence without the knowledge of Albanian residents.

"Considering the percentages of support for certain parties, I think it is more important for the Albanians to win a political majority in the municipalities they lead, than to weaken that support in favor of winning the ethnic majority in the Serbian municipality," claimed Vorgucic. 

When asked if there is any legal basis for addressing the Kosovo institutions, or for seeking a reaction from international factors, Vorgucic said: 

"The law does not prohibit moving within Kosovo on ethnic grounds, and it also suits them. The international community, especially the countries that have recognized independence, have certainly not been interested in Kosovo's internal issues lately," explains Vorgucic. 

When asked about the possible consequences of the change in the ethnic structure and thus the results of the elections, our interlocutor points out that the Albanian mayor certainly cannot win these elections.

"Serbs who were not registered in the last census, not because of the boycott that did not exist in the south, but because of the inability and obstruction of Pristina to prevent Serbs from being registered, can still vote," says Vorgucic. 

However, he adds that this does not mean that in the future it is possible for Albanians to take over the majority in that municipality.

"That in itself would not necessarily represent anything bad, if we didn't have the current example of the northern municipalities and the general tendency that nationalism is the predominant policy of the ruling Self-Determination of Albin Kurti," concludes the interlocutor of Danas.

Why is the Municipality of Gracanica hiding decisions on the demolition of illegal buildings? (Caglavica Media Center, KiM radio, Alternativna, Newsmax Balkans)

Even after three weeks, the Municipality of Gracanica did not deliver to the Caglavica Media Center the decision on the demolition of illegally built buildings, which was made by the municipal Inspection Department in the period from October 2021 to August 12, 2025, reported Alternativna. 

In accordance with the Law on Access to Public Documents, the Media Center sent on 12.08.2025 a request to Nebojsa Cirkovic, the officer for information of public importance of the Municipality of Gracanica, asking for all the solutions of the municipal construction inspection for the mentioned period.

However, Cirkovic did not even respond within the deadline stipulated by law. Therefore, the Media Center forwarded the request to the Information and Privacy Agency, which is responsible, among other things, for monitoring and implementing the Law on Access to Public Documents in Kosovo.

The numbers say – 46 solutions, not a single demolition

According to the data of the Inspection Department of the Municipality of Gracanica, which were published in the publication "Chronicle of Success", and which the Media Center Caglavica received as a gift from the Municipality of Gracanica on July 30, 2025, it  stated that the construction inspection issued 46 decisions for the demolition of buildings in the period from October 2021 to September 2024. However, according to the information from the "report", no building was demolished.

In addition to demolition decisions, in the same period, the construction inspection made 56 decisions to suspend construction works, followed by 42 decisions for fines, 30 for legalization, seven appeals against decisions and initiated 14 court cases.

Also, the inspection imposed 48 fines of 500 euros each, while the report states that eight "enforcement procedures" were conducted, but without data on the amounts of the fines.

KP at Brnjak ABL took away and tore up the flag of the Serbian singing society (KiM radio, RTS, Blic, NMagazin, Beta)

At the Brnjak crossing near Zubin Potok, the police took away the flag of the Serbian Association of Women of Central Kosovo and the singing group "Kosovka" from Batuse near Kosovo Polje, tore it up and threw it into a container, reported KiM radio, citing RTS. 

On the flag was written "Kosovo women", Batuse, Kosovo and Metohija, with a photo of the members of the group, and it was used for representation when participating in gatherings of cultural creativity.

The founder of the association, Danijela Simonovic Mitic, told RTS that at three o'clock after midnight, an Albanian police officer noticed an allegedly disputed flag among other equipment in the van they were traveling in and ordered it to be taken out of the vehicle.

"He ordered me to get out of the vehicle with the flag. They also threw out other pieces of equipment, mostly wardrobe, they were looking for some other item to confiscate," said Simonovic Mitic, indicating that the police officers communicated exclusively in the Albanian language.

They told her that the flag was allegedly provocative and inciting intolerance.

"They scared us, because we don't know how we are going to continue, how we are going to present ourselves, how to protect the Serbian tradition of the central part of Kosovo, how to move, whether they will continue to confiscate equipment that values culture and tradition," asks Simonovic Mitic, who reported the case to the police inspectorate in Ajvalija near Pristina.

Thousands march in memory of Novi Sad Railway Station victims (N1)

Thousands of people gathered at the invitation of high school students in cities and towns across Serbia for peaceful memorial marches on the 10-month anniversary of the Novi Sad Railway Station tragedy which claimed 16 lives, reported N1.

Monday’s protest marches were unusually silent without the whistles, slogans and chants characteristic of the anti-government protests over the past few months.

In Novi Sad, a column of thousands marched through the center of the northern Serbian city ending up at the city’s main railway station where they stood in silence in memory of the victims.

The biggest crowd gathered in Belgrade, marching from a square where the Serbian authorities erected a huge statue of a medieval Serbian king near the Belgrade Waterfront project. That gathering was under the slogan We Are All Under the Canopy.

The column in Belgrade marched past the Caciland (pronounced Chatzeeland) tent camp set up by regime supporters in the park outside the Serbian Presidency building and the street in front of parliament. Unusually, the police cordon separating the regime supporters and the marchers were not in riot gear and the march past that area was peaceful. Earlier in the day, groups of young men gathered in Caciland with music blaring but as night fell the tent camp went dark as usual with little movement and sound.

Earlier in the day, students in the southern city of Nis sat in a central square holding white roses and papers with the names of the 16 victims. They rose one by one after each minute passed.

In other cities later in the day, Student speakers read out the names of the 16 victims and carried white roses in their memory.

Memorial gatherings were also staged in Vrsac in the northeast of the country, Pancevo outside Belgrade, Kragujevac in central Serbia, Aleksinac in the southern Cacak in the east among other places.

Riot police, Gendarmerie attack protesters in Novi Sad; Police denies (N1)

Riot police and Gendarmerie troopers attacked a group of protesters in front of the Novi Sad University School of Physical Education after a peaceful memorial march on Monday night.

The protesters came to the school inside the Novi Sad University Campus grounds to stand in front of the entrance facing a cordon of riot police. The police were deployed there early on Monday morning after Dean Patrik Drid forced his way into the building through a broken window before dawn. Drid threw out student protesters who have been in the building for weeks and called in the police.

An N1 reporter said that the police attacked the peaceful protesters without cause on Monday night. Her words were confirmed by a local journalist who witnessed the incident. Multiple video posts on social media showed police and Gendarmerie troopers wielding batons rushing at the protesters to force them away from the school.

Several other witnesses said the attack was sudden and was not provoked by the protesters.

Police deny assaulting protesters in Novi Sad

The Novi Sad Police Department claimed that its officers in riot gear acted within the boundaries of the law when they “intervened” against a group of protesters on the city’s University Campus on Monday night.

A press release by the Internal Affairs Ministry (MUP) claimed that the officers in the cordon were verbally abused, adding that the crowd was warned to disperse twice before the police intervention. It also claimed that fireworks and smoke bombs were thrown at the officers along with stones and bricks injuring one officer. Witnesses said flashbangs were thrown by the police.

Opinion

Serbia’s government remains committed to survival and to dialogue by baton (EWB) 

By  N. T. Štiplija, Founder and Editor in Chief, European Western Balkans. Executive Director, Centre for Contemporary Politics

President Vučić now speaks the language of “dialogue” in the Financial Times and The Guardian. At home, that dialogue is carried out with batons, party thugs, and the quiet dismissal of those who dare to dissent.

President Vučić has recently assured international audiences that his government is committed to dialogue, transparency, and restraint. His campaign of letters to the world’s leading newspapers followed a series of critical reports and editorials in major international outlets, a reminder that this sudden urge for “dialogue” began only once global scrutiny intensified.

The reality on the ground tells a very different story.

Dialogue has been consistently replaced by batons, tear gas, arbitrary arrests and the dismantling of independent institutions. The authorities speak of “restraint”, yet more than a hundred citizens, including students, have been beaten, some gravely injured, for exercising their right to protest. They speak of “transparency”, yet media pluralism has been strangled, independent regulators captured, and corruption probes derailed. They speak of “compromise”, yet every concession has been cosmetic and carefully staged for international consumption.

It is telling that Mr Vučić frames the protests as the work of extremists and vandals, terms he and his loyal media more bluntly translate as “blockaders” and even “terrorists”. In fact, the protests began after the Novi Sad tragedy, with students and young people demanding nothing more radical than accountability, transparency, democracy, and a government that treats them as citizens, not subjects. To brand them as violent agitators is not only a smear, it is an insult to every person who stood, at least 16 minutes for 16 victims, peacefully in the streets.

Repression, however, is not only visible. It is also silent. University professors and teachers, and others employed in the public sector, who support their students face disciplinary action, loss of contracts, or dismissal. Parapolice units, other unitits with no legal mandate, party-organised thugs, some of them even previously convicted to years in prison for violent crimes, now appear on the streets, spreading fear and eroding the rule of law. 

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/4zakaeby

International

Kosovo's c-bank intl reserves rise 9% y/y in July (SeeNews)

Kosovo's central bank said on Monday it held international assets of 1.46 billion euro ($1.71 billion) at the end of July, up from 1.35 billion euro a year earlier.

International reserves also rose on a monthly comparison basis, by 3.6%, the central bank said in a data release.

Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) decreased to 144.5 million euro at the end of July, from 153.3 million euro. Kosovo's reserve position with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) fell to 23.8 million euro, from 24.7 million euro a year earlier.

Remittances to Kosovo up 3.6% y/y in Jan-July (SeeNews)

Foreign remittances to Kosovo rose to 781 million euro ($915 million) in the first seven months of the year, compared to 754 million euro in the same period of last year, the central bank said on Monday, quoting preliminary data.

In July alone, foreign remittances to Kosovo fell 10% to 23.4 million euro, the central bank said in a monthly data release.

On a monthly comparison basis, foreign remittances to Kosovo increased from 19.6 million euro in June.

In 2024, foreign remittances to Kosovo rose 1.1% to 1.35 billion euro.

Net FDI inflow to Kosovo grows 5% y/y in H1 (SeeNews)

The net inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Kosovo amounted to 441 million euro ($517.5 million) in the first half of 2025, an increase from 419 million euro in the same period of last year, the central bank said on Monday.

With 118.8 million euro, Germany-based investors were the main contributors to FDI to Kosovo in the period under review, followed by Switzerland-based investors with 114.8 million euro, the central bank said in a monthly data release.

By sector, real estate attracted the biggest volume of investment by non-residents, 336.15 million euro.

In June alone, foreign direct investment into Kosovo rose 14% year-on-year to 76.4 million euro.

One step forward, two steps back in Kosovo's deadlocked parliament (intellinews.com)

Since February’s general election in Kosovo, political infighting and procedural deadlocks have left the country’s institutions half-paralysed, while citizens watch as their government struggles to function.

From the stalled election of the parliament speaker and deputy speakers to clashes over constitutional rules, the drama unfolding in Pristina is not just about who ends up in power, but also about the future of a country still haunted by its past.

Kosovo has been stuck in a political stalemate since April 15, when the first constituent session of the parliament after the general elections ended without results. Since then, sessions have been called almost every two days, more than 50 in total, but with little to no progress.

Only on August 26 did the assembly finally manage to elect a speaker — Dimal Basha — yet even then, one of the five deputy speaker posts, reserved for a representative of the Serbian community, remained vacant. This failure has pushed the assembly into yet another deadlock.

The election of Basha, a member of the biggest party in parliament, Vetevendosje, took place under the pressure of a Constitutional Court deadline, which gave the assembly 30 days to complete its leadership structure. The court warned that prolonged obstruction could undermine the legitimacy of the institution.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/khhx53fu

How the Balkan underworld turned West Africa into a cocaine hub (Balkan Insight)

Europe must wake up to the threat of an emerging cocaine hub in West Africa, built by Western Balkan crime gangs.

At first glance, the developing ports of West Africa and the criminal underworld of the Western Balkans appear worlds apart. However, a closer look inside a container holding cocoa husks – one of West Africa’s primary exports – reveals a different cargo: cocaine.

Since 2019, criminal groups originating from the Western Balkans have increasingly turned to West Africa as a key transit route for cocaine trafficking. What began as a sporadic trafficking point, such as in 2014 when cocaine was shipped via small boats from northeast Brazil to Cape Verde, has evolved into a cocaine hub for Europe and beyond. This ongoing shift has largely gone unnoticed.

A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime, GI-TOC, to which I contributed, reveals that Slavic and Albanian-speaking groups, traditionally based at key points in the cocaine supply chain [South America and Europe], are now extending their reach to target the vulnerable coastlines of West Africa.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/mrxbfmyz