LOCAL PRESS

 

Dacic: Serbia committed to cooperation in Black Sea region (Tanjug)

 

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said today that our country is ready to support any initiative aimed at enhancing cooperation among countries of the Black Sea region, gathered in the BSEC. At the 41^st meeting of the Council of Ministers of the member states of the Organization for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, held in Athens, Dacic pointed out that this organization has great potential, both in the economic sphere and in terms of improving overall cooperation among the members. Serbia is committed to devoting more time to improving concrete and tangible cooperation among the Member States, with continuous efforts to reform and optimize labor, Dacic said, adding that energy, trade, tourism and transport are of particular interest to our country and that is why we pay the greatest attention to these topics.

With regard to the financing of specific projects, he emphasized that Serbia does not regret spending funds if they are aimed at something that all members would benefit from. In this regard, we do not diminish the importance of the Project Development Fund, however, we are not ready to invest in potential projects with a lump sum and we do not support the financing of this fund from the already overburdened regular budget of the Organization. Dacic said that regional cooperation is one of Serbia's most important foreign policy priorities, both with neighboring countries and in the wider sense, within the Black Sea region.

 

Dacic: Serbia respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity (Politika)

 

Serbia respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity by the very fact that none of the officials from the executive authorities had meeting with the Crimea’s delegations, Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic told Politika on the occasion of the note sent by Kiev to Belgrade. Asked how he comments Kiev’s criticism that Belgrade is allegedly violating UN Resolution 68 “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine”, Dacic says these are usual demarches that we are receiving all the time, reiterating that no one from the executive authority participated in that. He asks why doesn’t the leader of the Dveri Movement Bosko Obradovic, who received that delegation, react on this occasion.

 

Serbia, B&H sign agreement on Belgrade-Sarajevo motorway (Tanjug/RTS)

 

Serbian Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic signed today an agreement with Deputy Minister of Telecommunications and Transport of Bosnia-Herzegovina (B&H) Sasa Dalipagic between the Serbian government and the B&H Council of Ministers on cooperation in the implementation of the Belgrade-Sarajevo motorway project.

Mihajlovic underlined that this document will contribute to the speed and efficiency of construction of the motorway to B&H, and added that works on the Sremska Raca-Kuzmin section are proceeding according to the agreed plan and dynamics. According to Brnabic, the said agreement will allow us to continue the works and issue a building permit for the construction of the entire bridge over the Sava River, noting that there will be one border crossing on the bridge, which will enable faster flow of people and goods. Dalipagic explained that the agreement refers to the construction of two sections of the motorway, one is Tuzla-Brcko-Bijeljina-border with Serbia, and the other Sarajevo-Pale-Visegrad-border with Serbia and further to Belgrade. B&H Ambassador to Serbia Aida Smajic said that this motorway is an indicator that our bilateral relations are going upwards and that European integration is our strategic goal because we will be even more ready to become full EU members by connecting the region even more, she concluded.

 

Jeremic: Illusion ends, election boycott only option (Beta)

 

The leader of the People’s Party and the Chairman of the Alliance for Serbia (SzS) Vuk Jeremic said late on Thursday that tonight, the illusion ended, Beta reported. He addressed reporters after SzS leaders met the Euro-parliamentarians who tried to mediate between the ruling and opposition parties in implementing some changes that would enable a free and fair vote, and persuade the opposition to take part. Jeremic said there was no dilemma about SzS decision to boycott the elections. We’ll continue to fight for the change of elections’ rules. He added that the Euro-parliamentarians understood the message. “As far as SzS is concerned this was the last meeting in this phase of the struggle for free and fair elections,” Jeremic said. He added that Friday’s meeting with other political parties which take part in the dialogue will be a formal attempt to end a political crisis. Jeremic thanked the European partners for trying but added there were no results. “Only one man decides whether elections will be fair, and that’s Aleksandar Vucic,” he said. Jeremic reiterated the opposition’s demand for the postponement of elections.

Besides Jeremic, all other SzS leaders attended the meeting with Euro-parliamentarians.

 

Russian gas to Serbia via Bulgaria in May next year (FoNet)

 

Russian Ambassador to Bulgaria Anatoly Makarov said on Thursday the Bulgarian Prime Minister Bojko Borisov promised him the gas from Russia would start running to Serbia via ‘Turkish Stream’ on 31 May 2020, FoNet reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently criticized Bulgaria for delaying the contraction of its part of the ‘Turkish Stream.’ Borisov said his country respected the European Union’s rules and invited Putin to Bulgaria to see for himself. On Thursday, Makarov said he asked Borisov directly: “When the gas from Bulgaria will continue to Serbia? And he said on 31 May. All right then. I’ll inform Moscow.”

 

REGIONAL PRESS

 

Izetbegovic and  Covic discuss formation of Federation of B&H government, changes to Election Law and issue of Mostar, no agreement reached (N1)

 

Delegations of SDA and HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), led by party leaders Bakir Izetbegovic and Dragan Covic, respectively, held a meeting in Sarajevo on Thursday in order to discuss the process of formation of the Federation of B&H Government, changes to the B&H Election Law and the issue of Mostar. However, they failed to reach an agreement on these issues. Izetbegovic stated that SDA and HDZ B&H have been unable to find solutions for years due to disagreements. Nevertheless, they keep the situation in the Federation of B&H stable, Izetbegovic said. He assessed that such “difficult issues” require 10 or 20 meetings before concrete results are achieved. “SDA deems that the Federation of B&H Government should be formed immediately, together with the B&H Council of Ministers. However, HDZ B&H disagrees,” Izetbegovic was quoted as saying. “Local elections are about to be held in around 10 months, while general elections will be held in almost three years. In our opinion, this should be separated but we failed to reach an agreement. I think the international community should certainly participate here, because it has participated very well when it comes to the problem of Mostar that we are facing right now,” Izetbegovic said. Covic stated that the B&H Election Law was the main topic of the meeting. He added that he believes the elections will be held in Mostar as soon as the local elections are held next year. “I am still moderately optimistic that we can reach an agreement about all of this. When it comes to the Presidency, the Constitution precisely defines the constituent peoples and three representatives of these constituent peoples – the Croat, the Bosniak and the Serb member of the Presidency. The minimum we can accept as part of our agreement is for Croats to be able to elect their legitimate representative,” Covic said, adding that decisions of the B&H Constitutional Court (CC) or the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg do not have to be endangered in this way. He added that the meeting was not organized with the ambition to reach a final agreement, but it is important to continue the talks.

 

Bosnia's international administrator: Support for Bonn Powers increasing (BHRT)

 

The international community is increasingly in favor of certain changes being imposed in B&H, High Representative Valentin Inzko said on Thursday, adding that his office is working on a law banning genocide denial. “Some things which are not tolerable anymore are taking place,” he said, adding that the climate in the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), a body made up of foreign ambassadors and heads of international organizations overseeing the peace process in Bosnia, is changing. Inzko said that more and more countries are in favor of him using the Bonn Powers - a special set of powers which allow High Representatives to impose laws and fire officials, among other things. “I never had support for using the Bonn powers to this extent before,” Inzko told BHRT. He said that this support indicates how frustrated the international community is with Bosnia, adding that there was still no concrete decision on how the powers would be used. He hinted at the possibility that something may be done regarding the rule of law in the country and that the international community could influence changes in B&H’s judiciary.

“Something in that direction can be expected in the new year. For the international community, we must be united, and we are united on that issue both on implementation and on urgency. Some things need to happen urgently, especially when it comes to the judiciary,” he said.

Inzko pointed out that 75 percent of B&H’s citizens are not satisfied with the state of the judiciary and that this is one of the reasons why people keep leaving the country. The Office of the High Representative is currently working on a law on banning genocide denial which could be imposed if the parliament does not adopt it, he said. “I will wait a couple of weeks. In the meantime, my people in the legal department are working on some elements of that law on banning genocide denial. I think that this is a cultural, moral and ethical imperative and if this would be done, Bosnia and Herzegovina would then be as other countries which punish those who deny the Holocaust,” Inzko said, stressing that the Parliament must adopt such a law, especially in the year when the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide is being marked.

 

SDA to Serbian Def. Minister: Truth about war crimes in Bosnia cannot be denied (N1)

 

“The truth about the crimes committed in Bosnia during the war cannot be denied and recent statements by Serbia’s Defense Minister, Aleksandar Vulin, about Sarajevo only show his hatred toward the Bosnian capital,” the main Bosniak Party (SDA) in the country said in Thursday statement. Vulin commented on a decision by Canton Sarajevo to declare Nobel Prize winner Peter Handke, a vocal supporter of late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic, persona non- grata. Handke has been accused of, among other things, denying that a genocide took place in Srebrenica in 1995. “Handke will not lose anything by not getting a chance to see what a Jamahiriya (a term used as an insult in the region to describe an Islamic society) looks like in the Balkans, but Sarajevo will lose out on a lot because it will not meet a courageous and wise man” Vulin said on Wednesday. “The statements by Serbia’s Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin on Sarajevo are an expression of his powerlessness,” SDA said its statement the next day, adding that the facts established by international courts - in this case, the war crimes committed in Bosnia during the war - cannot be denied. “Vulin, who was a servant to Slobodan Milosevic and Mira Markovic, obviously regrets that the aggressors did not manage to conquer Sarajevo. (Radovan) Karadzic’s and (Ratko) Mladic’s army has, with support from Serbia, committed systematic terror against Sarajevo’s citizens, killing children and civilians for years,” the party said. “Vulin’s wish for terror to be committed again against this city is obviously hiding behind his hatred toward Sarajevo, but he must know he will never have the chance for that again. They will never catch Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sarajevo unprepared again,” the SDA statement concluded.

 

Duty handover at NATO HQ Sarajevo, new commander wishes to resume partnership (N1)

 

Brigadier General William J. Edwards took over the duty of NATO HQ Sarajevo Commander on Thursday in a ceremony at the Army Hall in Sarajevo. The newly appointed commander said NATO's goal in Bosnia was to resume the partnership towards a safe and stable environment. The duty was handed over by now outgoing Brigadier General Marti J. Bissell. Speaking at the ceremony, Commander of the Allied Joint Force Command Naples James Foggo said the Alliance was permanently devoted to B&H, recalling that this dates back to the first deployment of 60,000 multi-national troops to B&H in December 1995. The mission has since then been focused on the implementation of military aspects of the Dayton Peace Agreement, a treaty which ended the 1992-95 Bosnian war. “NATO HQ Sarajevo was crucial in providing support to the reform of defense and security sectors,” Foggo was quoted as saying. “NATO HQ Sarajevo has been helping B&H for the past 15 years to create a better future and will continue doing so in the future – we are devoted to stable, safe Bosnia and Herzegovina, today and tomorrow.”

“I would like to thank everyone for the welcome. I look forward to building our mutual relations and hope to establish and have an open dialogue with all of you. And, I promise to show the very same devotion that General Bissell and you in B&H showed,” the new commander was quoted as saying. He added: “There is a saying: 'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together'. As Admiral Foggo emphasized, NATO HQ Sarajevo has been providing support to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the past 15 years. It is our goal to continue the partnership in order to secure a safer and more stable state of B&H. I expect your help in that.” Outgoing NATO HQ commander, Bissell, said this term was an opportunity for her to learn a lot about B&H and the region. In order to move on, B&H has to get rid of the past, she said. “Every country in the world faced conflict and loss of people. NATO was established with one reason, to secure peace, promote cooperation and protect freedom. Not to promote conflict but to prevent it,” she said, adding: “Accession to NATO is a matter of choice and not a request. A country is the one deciding on that, and NATO respects the sovereignty of every country and its right to decide on its future. Now as I'm leaving B&H, I believe more and more that every citizen of B&H wants the same – peace, prosperity, freedom of choice, freedom to vote and live in the country where their family will be safe and protected.”

 

Forty four polling stations to be set up in B&H for Croatia's presidential vote (Hina)

 

Croatian nationals living in B&H will be able to cast their ballots at the 22 December presidential election at forty four polling stations in B&H, the Croatian Embassy in Sarajevo said on Thursday. The polling stations will be set up on the compounds of the embassy and consulates. The highest number of polling stations, nineteen, will be set up on the compounds of the consulate-general in Mostar. As many as 10 polling stations will be opened in Vitez, central B&H, where the Croatian consulate will again serve as a polling place. In the capital city of Sarajevo, Croatians will be able to cast their ballots at six polling stations. In the southwestern town of Livno, there will be four and in the north-eastern city of Tuzla three polling stations for the Croatian presidential vote. In Banja Luka, two polling stations will be set up. Croatian citizens with permanent residence in B&H are eligible to cast their ballots at those places. Also, Croatians with permanent residence in Croatia, who happen to be in B&H on the election day, are eligible to vote in B&H, provided they have the necessary documents enabling them to vote outside of the place of their permanent residence.

 

Radulovic: EU keeps the door wide open to Montenegro (Dnevne novine)

 

EU Member States, nine of them, have put forward new proposals for the enlargement methodology which will be adopted by the European Commission by the end of January next year. These new methodologies are much more favorable than those offered by France.

Radio Free Europe had insight into the non-paper signed by Austria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Slovenia. “The EU has to be able to integrate new members without weakening its internal coherence. However, internal reform of the EU shouldn’t be a prerequisite for enlargement. Our doors are open” reads the document. The document highlights that consolidated approach to accession should be upgraded to the existing consensus on enlargement, on the grounds of full-fledged EU membership as an ultimate goal.

Momcilo Radulovic, from the European Movement of Montenegro, says that the most fact for us is that this non-paper doesn’t envisage EU reform first and then enlargement. Rather, these processes should take place simultaneously. “This unofficial document, which is an excellent counterweight to Macron’s non-paper, lays out several benefits for Montenegro. The enlargement process can go on is the most important of all,” says Radulovic. He points out that long and difficult negotiations among EU Member States lie ahead, as there are two non-papers now. However, everything’s unofficial, until we get the first working EC document. “Until then, we can’t tell for sure what our European path will be like and what methodology it will use,” said Radulovic.

 

Zaev says he will stick with his Albanian language law (Republika)

 

Outgoing Prime Minister Zoran Zaev announced that he will not respect the opinion of the Venice Commission, which found serious defects in the Law on the Languages. Zaev’s coalition with ethnic Albanian parties such as DUI relies on the law, which turns Macedonia into a fully bilingual country, with the Albanian used as an official language along with the Macedonian across the entire country. “I’m a person who always speaks openly and honestly and in these circumstances the experts, the lawyers, I’m an economist, they tell me of ways in which we can implement the recommendations of the Venice Commission and if it is implemented through the institutions of the system there is no need for a legal option. This is what I would do,” Zaev said.

The Venice Commission objected to the way in which the law was adopted, without a proper debate in Parliament or in the public. It left to the Macedonian Constitutional Court to decide on whether the law violates the article which limits the use of minority languages to municipalities where the minority constitutes at least 20 percent of the population – a clause that is clearly broken in Zaev’s law. The Commission found that the law would grind down the Macedonian judiciary to a halt, with its excessive right to use the Albanian language, objected to the fact that other minority languages are supposed to be part of the law, but are not regulated in it, and called the proposals to have bilingual currency and uniforms – outside of the European standards.

The opposition VMRO-DPMNE party proposed that amendments are made to bring the law back in line with the Constitution, but given that early elections are coming and Zaev’s SDSM party is dependent on both Albanian voters and coalition partners, it’s unlikely that the Government will accept this proposal.

 

Ahmeti: We used Venice Commission to reduce tensions and prejudices among Macedonians (Republika)

 

DUI leader Ali Ahmeti said y that the Law on the Use of Languages was sent to the Venice Commission for an opinion only to reduce the then current tensions that arose among Macedonians. According to the leader of the government’s coalition partner, the legal solution was then agreed and no one had problems with it, i.e. there was no need to evaluate it. At the time when the language law was discussed, our international friends gave us the opinion that it is good to send the law to the Venice Commission in order to reduce the tensions and prejudices among Macedonians, Ahmeti said.

 

Dimitrov pleads with Bulgaria to show greatness in the language dispute (Republika)

 

Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov pleaded with Bulgaria not to allow the deterioration of relations with Macedonia, as result of the move by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences to deny the uniqueness of the Macedonian language. Dimitrov lists a brief history of how the Macedonian language was acknowledged as separate and unique in Yugoslavia, and in the United Nations in the 1970-ies, as well as by international linguistic experts. “The historic process which we began with neighboring Bulgaria leads to closeness and friendship, and should bring down our fears and prejudices while ensuring mutual acceptance of the period of shared and intertwined history that brings the Macedonian and the Bulgarian people closer, but also of the modern-day fact that the Macedonian people speaks the Macedonian language. For this process to succeed, both sides need to have wisdom, be delicate, great in their understanding and respect the worries and the dignity of the other. It is easy to tear down, it is difficult to build up,” Dimitrov says.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES

 

New tensions between Belgrade and Pristina due to representation of 1999 events in Racak (The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, briefing by spokesperson Maria Zakharova, 12 December 2019)

 

We resolutely condemn the Kosovo court’s verdict of deputy Ivan Todosijevic from the Serbian List for his words that the Racak events in January 1999 were falsified (the village of Racak is located in Serbia, Kosovo Autonomous Region). We believe this decision to be further proof of anti-Serbian repression, methodically applied by the Kosovo authorities. According to Pristina’s version, Serbian security forces allegedly massacred Kosovo Albanians there, when in fact it was a cynical provocation used by the West to initiate NATO’s aggression against Yugoslavia.

It is known that the investigation carried out by a group of international experts did not result in an unambiguous conclusion. Originally there were numerous inconsistencies, while abundant evidence showed that a clash between security officers and local militants took place in the village. Now the Kosovo Albanian authorities use this story to promote their own version of events that took place in the region in the late 1990s and forced its separation from Serbia. At the same time Pristina tries to settle grievances with its political opponents among the local Serbs, which is a manifestation of a struggle and an outbreak of a real war against those who think differently.

 

Ukraine's MFA concerned over Crimean occupation administration envoys' visit to Serbia (UNIAN, 12 December 2019)

 

Ukraine qualifies the visit as Russia's attempt to legitimize the illegal occupation of Crimea.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has expressed its deep concern about the recent visit of representatives of the occupation administration in Crimea to Belgrade and their participation in official events. In particular, the delegation from Russian-occupied Crimea met with deputies of the Serbian parliament during their visit to Belgrade on December 4-7. The envoys of the so-called "Crimean authorities" also took part in a conference titled "The Belgrade Dialogue: for Constructive Relations with Russia and the Recognition of the Crimean People's Will," the Ukrainian ministry said in a statement on December 11. Ukraine sees this as an unfriendly act that violates the provisions of UN General Assembly resolution 68/262 of March 27, 2014, titled "Territorial Integrity of Ukraine" and qualified as Russia's attempt to legitimize the illegal occupation of Crimea, the ministry added. In this regard, Charge d'Affaires of the Republic of Serbia in Ukraine Svetlana Kosutic was invited by Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on December 11 to express protest over said actions.

 

French connections: How to revitalise the EU enlargement process (European Council on Foreign Relations, Commentary by Vessela Tcherneva,11 December 2019)

 

The new French EU enlargement reform proposal is a reasonable attempt to overcome the debate about Macron’s recent veto.

Across Europe, France’s obstruction of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania is widely seen as a step backwards. However, Paris does not dispute the accession perspective for the Western Balkans. President Emmanuel Macron’s intentions are best described as an attempt to begin a wider discussion about the accession process, its practicality, and its ability to produce tangible results. And rightly so. The European Union’s current enlargement policy is defective and is largely based on the mutual exchange of hypocrisy: the bloc pretends to enlarge and Western Balkans countries pretend to reform. Progress reports by the European Commission – to name just one example – are often seen in the region and beyond as supportive of Balkans strongmen. The perception is, to a great extent, a consequence of the Commission having lost most of its leverage due to endless delays and the hollowing-out of the enlargement process. This half-hearted support is, on its own, counterproductive to substantive reform because it favours box-ticking exercises. In some instances, the constant push for reform has thrown Western Balkans institutions into a state of chaos and overcomplexity. In the case of Albania, for example, the process of intensively vetting judges and prosecutors started under pressure from the EU but, by 2019, had left the country’s Supreme Court with only two judges, rendering it non-functional. To fix the problem of dysfunctional enlargement, the EU should make the process political and reversible. As Macron mentioned in his recent Economist interview, the EU has to remember that it is, most of all, a community rather than an ever-expanding market. Therefore, France opposes the current EU policy of “automaticity” and looks to replace it with a process that is responsive to member states’ often challenging domestic conditions (most EU voters are against further enlargement). However, this carries the risk of veto by neighbours – as Greece has demonstrated. Qualified majority voting may be the way forward on enlargement, as on other issues of strategic interest for the EU. Another type of politicisation should occur within candidate countries: their leaders should stop paying lip service to EU values while following authoritarians’ playbook. The EU should also avoid paying off countries such as Serbia to prevent them from signing free-trade agreements with the Eurasian Economic Union. Such behaviour is reminiscent of that of former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich, who, under pressure from Moscow in 2013, withdrew his country from the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area that formed part of its EU Association Agreement. If candidate countries want to have a credible chance at accession, they should not wait for the EU to exert pressure on them. (And the EU should show that it is prepared to apply pressure, if necessary.) With the so-called "non-paper" it recently released, France is now pushing for procedural changes and suggesting a seven-stage process to “converge towards European norms and standards”. The paper also includes a “reversibility” component, which allows Brussels to abandon membership talks if the government of a candidate country no longer meets EU standards. At the same time, the proposed principles could provide the EU with a chance to rethink the enlargement process – but also to win back the interest and support of countries in the Western Balkans. France’s new approach to the EU accession process is largely based on the so-called horizontal method: candidates would make reforms in various areas, gaining access to select EU programmes and gatherings along the way, before attaining full membership. The idea, which was articulated shortly before the publication of the non-paper by Milica Delevic and Tena Prelec, is to integrate the Western Balkans sector by sector, while keeping the current legal framework intact. For instance, there has already been progress in connectivity, in the form of energy and transport networks. With some effort and imagination, the parties could extend this concept to many other areas. The EU would support the adoption and implementation of the acquis communautaire in a particular sector with targeted financial assistance and would – once the candidate country met certain criteria – allow it to participate, perhaps with observer or associate status, in the work of the bloc’s relevant forums. The creation of a community occurs via exchanges in EU meetings, in which compulsory friendship relativises bilateral problems.

By reforming enlargement methodology in this way, the EU would also help address democratic backsliding and rule of law problems in Western Balkans countries. It would do so in three main ways. Firstly, the new approach would increase the cost of non-compliance, which is currently very low. Secondly, the implementation of standards in targeted sectors would enhance institutional capacity in the Western Balkans and the EU’s ability to induce and oversee rules-based behaviour. Finally, the incorporation of areas such as public procurement, state aid, and competition into sectoral integration would help tackle practices of state capture that the European Commission has identified as endemic in the region. The process of frontloading Chapters 23 (on the judiciary and fundamental rights) and 24 (on justice, freedom, and security) of the acquis would, for example, emphasise their importance. For the first time in many years, new options for the EU’s approach towards the Western Balkans are emerging. While the EU risks alienating countries in the region and inflaming nationalisms old and new, it has an opportunity to revise the enlargement process and increase its efficacy. The development of the current process into one that is more political and reversible should address both enlargement’s current deficiencies and the concerns it generates among member states. While all proposals for the revision of the enlargement methodology envisage an increase in funding, the EU needs to maintain control of any funds and take into the account absorption capacity of candidate countries. Finally, by opening accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania in March, the EU would create the political momentum needed to implement these plans.

The European Council on Foreign Relations does not take collective positions. This commentary, like all publications of the European Council on Foreign Relations, represents only the views of its authors.