LOCAL PRESS

 

Office for Kosovo and Metohija condemns usurpation of Serbian property (RTS)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija has condemned the usurpation of Serbian property and the illegal tender for the sale of agricultural land downtown Gracanica, the arable land in some villages and the hotel on Mt Brezovica, which is owned by the Serbian Retirement and Disability Insurance Fund. The Kosovo Agency for Privatization decided to issue a tender on its own, without informing Serbian state institutions although the property is owned by Serbia, the announcement reads. Despite investigations into acts of office abuse of Agency employees, the requests of Kosovo Serb representatives for the termination of all the privatization and liquidation processes in areas with a Serb majority, the Agency continues with activities breaching basic human rights. The Office calls on international representatives in the province to compel Pristina institutions to stop seizing Serbian property. We expect the issue of Serbian property to be resolved in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the Office emphasizes.

 

Serbs can enter Kosovo government with 15 mandates (Politika)

The Serbs had 13 mandates in the previous Kosovo Assembly, and their intention is to win between five and ten mandates at the early parliamentary elections on 8 June, along with the ten guaranteed mandates for the Serb community. Optimism is based on the fact that “the Serbs, for the first time both those north and south of the Ibar River, will try to enter the Kosovo Assembly,” as Gracanica Mayor Branimir Stojanovic described the election situation. “With Belgrade’s strong support, this time we are counting on the votes of 130,000 Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and at least part of the 300,000 displaced who left the province under force about 30 or 50 years ago,” says Stojanovic. Apart from the fact that more votes will make the Serb community a more desirable partner in the executive power, the question is how much can the Serbs, as a national minority, have influence in the Kosovo Assembly and political life that is tailored according to the Kosovo laws. Namely, after supervised independence expired, the Kosovo constitution abolished in 2012 the ten reserved seats envisaged for the Serb community, leaving the ten guaranteed. These elections will be held without these seats, even though the Serb MPs boycotted sessions a month before the dissolving of the assembly, because they were not receiving an answer to the question on reserved seats in the next assembly. Over the absence of their votes, the law on Kosovo armed forces was not passed. Namely, according to the current Kosovo constitution, this is a law that requires the support of two-thirds of the MPs in the assembly and two-thirds of the votes of minority MPs in order to be passed. From past experience, it turned out that apart from the number of MPs in the Kosovo Assembly, a crucial fact is whether they are resisting pressure of Albanian parties and whether they will be united, as otherwise they will be an easy target in political games. This will be important in the next assembly because the debate on amendments to the constitution is ahead, while there is also indication that they will work on limiting as much as possible the veto of the two-third majority of minority communities. The Chair of the Serbian parliament Committee for Kosovo and Metohija Milovan Drecun says that it will be important how many votes the Serbs will receive, because with 15 mandates it will become a desirable partner to any Albanian party for the formation of the future government. “You can have influence in the executive power if you are united by passing decisions that are to the benefit of the Serbs or that prevent the passing of unilateral decisions that can be harmful,” said Drecun.

 

Petrovic: Amendments to statutes most probably approved (Tanjug)

Kosovo Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government Slobodan Petrovic told Tanjug that the Ministry will most likely approve the amendments to the statutes of the Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo. Members of northern Kosovo municipal councils held meetings on Thursday to adopt technical corrections of the statutes of Leposavic, Zubin Potok and Zvecan, and amendments to the municipal statute of northern Kosovska Mitrovica. Amendments to the municipal statute were adopted at the request of the Kosovo Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government headed by Slobodan Petrovic as the leader of the Independent Liberal Party (SLS). This was a way to avoid the calling of new early municipal elections in the northern Kosovo municipalities. The adoption of the statute is the condition for the constitution of Serb municipalities in northern Kosovo and Metohija, and the constitution of the Union of Serb Municipalities also depends on this on grounds of the Brussels agreement on the normalization of the Belgrade-Pristina relations.

 

Paunovic: Serbia respects its obligations (Tanjug)

Director of the Serbian government’s Human and Minority Rights Office Suzana Paunovic presented before the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights a periodical report on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on Friday. The delegation spoke before the Committee about measures that Serbia has undertaken in the implementation of strategic documents and legislation in the areas to the Covenant deals with, the Office of Human and Minority Rights of Serbia said in a release on Thursday. Paunovic said that legislative activity in Serbia was very intense in the period under consideration, assuring the Committee that Serbia respects the obligations it assumed when it ratified the Covenant in July 1971. “A large number of laws were adopted and a large number of conventions that contribute to improving the human rights situation were ratified and we are quite focused on their full implementation. In this process, we are practically harmonizing our legal system with EU standards,” said Paunovic. She said Serbia is aware of the challenges and remains consistent in its efforts to fulfill international obligations and standards, especially in the sphere of economic, social and cultural rights, something that involves active cooperation with international bodies dealing with these issues. Most of the questions raised by the Committee concerned the economic position of the most vulnerable social groups in Serbia, judicial reform, fight against corruption, status and position of independent regulatory bodies, minority rights, social housing, legally invisible persons and facilities for people with disabilities. The delegation of the Republic of Serbia also comprised officials of the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Culture and Information.

 

Nine emigrants from Syria and two Kosovo Albanians arrested in northern Kosovo (Beta)

Nine emigrants from Syria and two Kosovo Albanians suspected of illegally transporting the emigrants have been arrested in northern Kosovo. The emigrants were found on Wednesday, during an operation conducted after gold worth some 90,000 Euros was taken from a jewelry shop in Kosovska Mitrovica.

 

Economic recommendations of EU for Serbia (Radio Serbia)

Serbia needs a strong fiscal consolidation, accompanied by the additional measures of reducing the budgetary deficit in this and following years. That was one of the main economic recommendations of the EU to Serbia, presented at the press briefing in Belgrade by head of the sector for European integrations with the EU delegation in Serbia Freek Janmaat. The economic measures suggested by the EU are to a high degree similar to those announced by the Serbian Government. The fiscal consolidation and improved management of public finances should be supported by the reforms in the public sector and pension system. It entails the making and standardization of the wage categories for state employees, as well as the measures for the sustainably employing in the public sector. Also recommended is the limitation of the possibilities for premature retirement and the gradual extension of the age limit for retirement among women. It is important to pass necessary laws and complete the process of restructuring in the public companies, it is reminded from the EU, adding that the efficiency of all forms of state assistance ought to be analyzed, while taking steps to reduce the state subsidies. It is necessary to enhance the management, especially in the enterprises that are owned by the state and generate losses, Janmaat said. Some of the other recommendations are the increased flexibility of the labor market and extending the period in which an employee can be held temporarily, increasing the severance pay with the years of service with the current employer, simplified structure and calculation of wages and compensations. At issue are the suggestions that have recently been adopted by the Economic-Financial Council of the EU, and agreed upon by Minister of Finance Lazar Krstic and National Bank governor Jorgovanka Tabakovic. As Janmaat explained, these recommendations are not binding, but they are founded on the experience of the EU states, with the goal to help the candidate countries in preparing for the membership, while avoiding the problems that some of the EU members are facing these days.

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Inzko tells Security Council that the job in B&H is not yet finished (Fena/Srna)

Addressing the UN Security Council in New York, the High Representative to B&H Valentin Inzko stressed that the job in B&H is not yet finished and called the international community to support the values and principles of peace, co-existence, mutual respect and inviolability of sovereign states. Members of the privileged political elite in B&H are still putting their personal interests before those of the country and its citizens, Inzko said. Despite significant exports growth, the economic situation remained very difficult, while an average B&H citizen was still struggling to meet the basic needs, Inzko stressed. The pace of passing new laws at the level of state institutions was far from being satisfactory for the country’s needs, considering that more laws had been rejected than adopted in the past six months, he said.

 

Churkin: Russia will not accept unilateral approach to B&H situation (Beta)

The Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitalii Churkin has stated that Russia will not accept the unilateral and biased approach to the situation in B&H. Churkin criticized the report of the UN High Representative in B&H Valentin Inzko, as an attempt to blame the Bosnian Serbs for the latest political unrests in the country. Churkin stressed that Inzko’s report underestimates the negative influence of the disagreement between the Muslims and Croats in the Federation B&H where the rights of the Bosnian Croats, guaranteed by the Dayton Accord, continue to be violated. “We don’t accept such a unilateral and biased approach,” said Churkin. He said that Inzko also ignores the situation in the areas inhabited by the Muslims, where large protests were held last February. Churkin confronted Inzko at the UN Security Council session over his attempts, as he put it, to shift the blame on the Republika Srpska and Bosnian Croats. The Russian representative said that the potential of the mechanism of the HR has been exhausted and called on for the launching of an internal dialogue among all sides towards resolving problems faced by the country. “The task of the HR is to encourage such a dialogue, searching for a joint solution, instead of directing towards the EU and trans-Atlantic agenda,” said Churkin.

 

INTERNATIONAL PRESS

 

Flood-Hit Serbia Seeks Aid From Russia, EU in Record Rain (Bloomberg, by Gordana Filipovic and Misha Savic, 15 May 2014)

Serbia declared a state of emergency and asked Russia, the European Union and Slovenia to send humanitarian and technical assistance after three days of record rainfall triggered floods that have killed five people.

Rising rivers forced hundreds from their homes and blocked traffic on the main roads to neighbors Montenegro and Macedonia. Power outages hit thousands of homes and utility Elektroprivreda Srbije JP said it may have to import electricity after flooding forced it to halt work at the open-pit coal mines that feed Serbia’s biggest thermal plants.

Hydro-electric dams switched to emergency mode as water levels on the Danube and the Drina rivers swelled, leading to controlled overflows at the country’s biggest facility Djerdap, the utility said. In western Serbia, the Drina river was swollen by record water volumes, and the country’s government urged citizens to listen to rescuers and evacuate.

“You can’t fight nature,” Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told a meeting of the crisis committee, according to state TV broadcaster RTS. “If you don’t listen to the rescuers, you risk your own life and and theirs.”

The government closed schools and asked the nation’s Commodity Reserve Agency to send 1,000 tons of corn to feed cattle in affected areas, mainly in western Serbia, toward Bosnia, which was also suffering from heavy floods. Bosnian army units evacuated people in the Maglaj area, where several bridges were under water, according to newspaper Dnevni avaz.

Rain over the next two days will beat any previous record, the Serbian weather service said. Belgrade, the capital, saw 108 liters of rain per square meter over 24 hours, Sanja Babic, the weather forecaster at the Serbian Hydro-meteorological Service, said by phone today.

It was the most in a single day “since the mid-19th century,” when measurements started, she said, and compared to a monthly record of 169 liters. Rainfall this month has so far reached 144 liters, she said.

 

The Serbia privatization challenge (August Free Press, 15 May 2014)

A political earthquake shook Serbia on March 16, 2014. The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) of Alexander Vucic took 48.6% of the popular vote in general elections and secured 63% of the seats in Parliament. For the first time in the post-Milosevic era, Serbia’s Prime Minister will have a strong mandate to govern.

A number of factors contributed to this seismic shift. Chief among them was public disenchantment with the venality and malfeasance of the country’s ruling class, which historically has placed self-interest ahead of the public good. Vucic’s rivals self-destructed through internal divisions and rivalries. Vucic himself ran a superb campaign. In the two years leading up to March’s election, Vucic skillfully exploited his position as Deputy Prime Minister in charge of corruption. He won widespread public acclaim with the December 2012 arrest of Serbia’s richest man, Miroslav Miskovic, on charges of abuse of power and tax evasion. Miskovic’s personal fortune is estimated at $1 billion. The conglomerate he founded, Delta Holdings, operates through 76 different subsidiaries and has 9,000 employees, making it Serbia’s largest private sector employer. By prosecuting Miskovic, Vucic proved himself to be a charismatic populist leader with an ambitious yet credible reform program.

But can he deliver? One of every four Serbians is unemployed. The public sector accounts for 30% of Serbia’s work force, a total of 720,000. According to the World Bank, state-owned enterprises (SOE) represent 11% of Serbia’s formal employment. Total direct state support for SOE’s was 2.5% of GDP in 2010-2011. In addition the stocks of guaranteed debt and arrears are estimated at 12% of GDP. GDP growth is an anemic 1.3%. Serbia ranks 101st out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s 2013-14 Global Competitiveness Index.

Addressing these structural weaknesses will be Vucic’s top priority. His government has endorsed IMF findings that reducing the state’s footprint in the economy is needed in order to provide impetus to investment, sustainable private sector growth and create jobs. High on the agenda is privatizing state-owned enterprises, cutting public wages and reforming labor laws.

Yet skeptics point to the politically-charged case of Miroslav Miskovic as a warning sign that the Prime Minister’s populist anti-corruption campaign may have succeeded in getting him votes, but could also prove his undoing. It calls into question the government’s commitment to support for the private sector and raises serious doubts about transparency and independence of the judiciary. One of the principal charges against Miskovic is “abuse of power,” a matter more in the purview of the board of directors than the State Prosecutor. The court set his bail at $16 million – terms that are without precedent and contrary to any prevailing regulation.

If Serbia’s privatization program is to succeed, two requirements have to be met. First, the economy must provide jobs for the thousands made redundant. Second, significant private sector investment is required. Politically-motivated prosecutions preclude both. The Miskovic witch-hunt is a cautionary tale for any risk-averse investor and a death-knell for Serbia’s struggling economy. If Serbia’s leading capitalist and the most powerful engine of private sector growth can find himself subjected to legally suspect proceedings on specious charges, then what signal does that send to other, less well-established entrepreneurs? Several leading American corporations are considering strategic investments in Serbia, including joint venture opportunities with Delta Holdings. The group is an ideal partner for Americans seeking a foothold in the Balkans. Its agribusiness, real estate, distribution and insurance subsidiaries are strong performers with an established and rapidly growing market presence. For now, however, U.S. investors are staying away from Serbia, They are dissuaded by the Miskovic prosecution — what it says about government attitudes toward the private sector and how it reflects negatively on the rule of law.

Serbia certainly has the potential for economic success and its new government has put together a team that inspires international confidence. Without a clear and unmistakable signal, however, that it will depart from the traditional practice of attacking political enemies and placing near-term partisan expediency ahead of the broader long-term social good, Serbia’s prospects for economic recovery are dim indeed.

Adam Ereli is a former State Department Deputy Spokesman and former Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain

 

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s ‘spiteful, tit-for-tat politics’ hurting citizens, Security Council told (UN News Centre, 15 May 2014)

Ahead of the ‘hotly contested’ elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a senior United Nations official today warned the Security Council that the country is politically heading in the wrong direction and that politicians might try to raise inter-ethnic tensions to divert attention from real problems.

“I am increasingly concerned that the country is in danger of falling into a vicious downward cycle of spiteful tit-for-tat politics that it will be difficult to emerge from,” Valentin Inzko, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, told the 15-member Council at a meeting on the situation in the country.

“The same old mistake – putting the interests of a privileged class before those of the country and its citizens – continues to be made,” he observed.

Ever since the April package of constitutional changes was narrowly rejected in 2006, it has set the country on a downward trajectory, said the High Representative: “Eight years is a long time for a country to be going the wrong way.”

Stressing that the political fighting has led to work just for a chosen few while ignoring the average citizen who is scaling mounting economic and social problems and rampant corruption, Mr. Inzko highlighted large scale protests throughout the country in February.

He called these a “wake up call” for local politicians and the international community, and added that “the country could not continue to go on this way indefinitely without serious consequences.”

On the other hand, peaceful protests continued thereafter, representing a “positive step forward to strengthen Bosnia and Herzegovina’s democracy” despite the mixed response from politicians.

In this context, the country is scheduled to hold general elections on 12 October in what will be “the most hotly contested elections since the Daytona/Paris Peace Agreement,” Mr. Inzko said referring to the framework which ended three years of interethnic civil strife.

In particular, he expressed concern that in the coming months, the ongoing controversy over residence and voting rights could lead to disputes on the ground, particularly in municipalities across Republika Srpska.

“This is a scenario that all involved must do everything within their power to avoid. It is especially important that no one is discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity or because they are a returnee,” he stressed to the Council.

What Bosnia and Herzegovina badly needs to see in the forthcoming election campaign is a “frank, robust and action-oriented public debate” on how the incoming government plans to address rampant corruption, exceedingly high unemployment, and the lack of progress on Euro-Atlantic integration.

“We need to hear more about plans to reform the economy and create jobs, which is in the vital interest of all citizens of the country regardless of ethnic group,” Mr. Inzko said.

 

China calls for balanced, prudent approach to Bosnia (Xinhua, 16 May 2014)  

UNITED NATIONS, May 15 -- China here on Thursday called on the international community to take a "balanced and prudent" approach towards the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Wang Min, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, made the call while addressing an open meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Eastern European country.

"The issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina is highly complex and sensitive," Wang told the 15-nation Council.

"The international community should take a balanced and prudent approach with regard to the issue of Bosnia and Herzegovina, fully respect the ownership and independence of its people, and play a positive role in promoting the unity and cooperation among all ethnic groups in the country," he said.

In his speech, Wang welcomed the positive progress made by Bosnia and Herzegovina in promoting national reconciliation and economic development, as well as in building the rule of law.

"Meanwhile, we have also noted that Bosnia and Herzegovina still faces difficulties and challenges in attaining stability and development in the country, which requires continuous support and assistance from the international community," he said.

The Chinese envoy stressed that his country respects the independence, sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

China also respects the choice made by Bosnia and Herzegovina people regarding their country's future and supports the harmonious coexistence of all ethnic groups and their joint efforts for common development, Wang said.

"We hope that people of all ethnic groups in the country will focus on the welfare and long-term interests of the country, take effective measures to build mutual political confidence, promote national reconciliation, consolidate the achievements made in the political process and actively settle differences through dialogue and comprehensively implement the Dayton Peace Agreement, in order to bring about greater progress in all areas," he said.

"China is willing to work with the international community and continue to make its due contribution to achieving lasting peace, stability and development in Bosnia and Herzegovina," Wang added.

 

Bosnia to hold elections October (dpa, 15 May 2014)

Belgrade - Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold national and regional elections on October 12, election authorities said Thursday.

Some 3.2 million voters are registered to cast ballots for Bosnia‘s tripartite presidency and parliament.

The vote will also be held for the country‘s two ethnic entities, the Serb Republic and the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina, which is mostly populated by Muslims and Croats.

As the federal Yugoslavia fell apart, war erupted in 1995 between Serbs on one and Muslims and Croats on the other side.

Fighting ended after 40 months, with a US-brokered peace agreement in late 1995.

The deal stopped fighting, but also partitioned the country along ethnic lines and established a complicated, massive administration that is today the main obstacle to Bosnia‘s progress.

Each of the three main ethnic groups has the right to veto virtually any legislation, which has stalled reforms for years.

 

Macedonian MPs Relish Costly New Facilities (BIRN, by Sinisa Jakov Marusic, 16 May 2014)

While the opposition remains outside parliament, contesting April's election results, the building has been fitted out with a gym and baths to keep MPs in shape.

A gym and relaxation area for MPs complete with baths will soon be put to good use, the speaker of the Macedonian parliament, Trajko Veljanoski, said on Thursday, leading a tour of parliament's new leisure facilities.

The revamp of the parliament building was launched in 2010 at a planned cost of 11 million euro.

But the total cost may prove to be much larger due to additional contracts signed since then.

The revamp includes a additional floor for MPs' offices, three glass domes over the building, the refurbishment of the interior and a rejuvenated facade. Veljanoski said all the work would be done by the end of the year.

Veljanoski justified the costly revamp of parliament, in one of Europe's poorest countries, by noting the need for more space. After 50 years of almost no investment, parliament badly needed a makeover, he said, not least because some MPs were forced to share offices.

The new leisure facilities are a far cry from what the average Macedonian can afford. The average monthly salary is just over 300 euro and both the unemployment and poverty rates, according to UN standards, exceed 30 per cent.

Extra space is also the least of the problems facing the Macedonian assembly right now as almost the entire opposition are boycotting sessions, in protest over the recent elections.

Since the April general and presidential elections the opposition, led by the Social Democratic Party, SDSM, has refused to take up seats, insisting the polls were fraudulent.

They accuse Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his centre-right VMRO DPMNE party of subverting democracy and have demanded a formation of a caretaker government that would carry out new elections.

This is unlikely to happen as Gruevski has already proclaimed victory, insisting that elections have never been more democratic.

Parliament is now operating with only 88 of the 123 MPs, all but seven coming from the ruling parties.