LOCAL PRESS

Direct conflict? Vucic: We will have a worse world war than it was (B92, Tanjug)

President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, addressed the public about all the most current topics.

"As the war in Ukraine gained momentum, so the political and economic situation in the world is becoming more and more complicated, especially having in mind that Russia's forces are on the rise and that they are getting stronger. And all those who said that the war would be different, it is clear today that they are wrong, it brings different circumstances related to the economic situation in Europe and Serbia. That situation is more serious than the one we see," he said. Vucic once again referred to the events in Ukraine. "If peace is not established around Donbass when it is over - we will have a worse world war than it was," he emphasized.

The President said that the situation was serious, and that in talks with the representatives of the EU and the countries of the region, they would find a solution for autumn and winter.

Vucic also referred to the events from Brussels. "It was not an easy position for me in Brussels. 16 presidents in Brussels said that we should align with the sanctions against Russia. Whoever thinks that it is easy to hear, listen - no. That is our job, but we should not go to the other extreme and think that we can find a replacement for EU markets or better partners and a better political path", he said.

Asked by journalists whether it was fair that Ukraine and Moldova were granted candidate status, President Vucic said that Serbia received a cluster from the EU in December, and that it was not fair to expect that we would now get a date on negotiations with the EU. "For example, we have come a long way from North Macedonia and Albania. I hope that we can make progress in December and open a new cluster. Macron's initiative on the European political community should be considered accordingly. The idea is that as soon as we open clusters we can get more money, but also to participate in building the political system of that community", he pointed out. He also said that he does not offer to solve problems that do not concern him and Serbia, and that it was important for us to be heard in Brussels, and that we have a lot to do. "And I have to say that in this critique and everything, they chose the words and the way they did it. Because I know how angry many of them are with us. Many EU countries are in a direct war against Russia. They are sending howitzers, planes, S "300 to Ukraine, and how do you think they will treat us. They are not in our shoes as we are not in theirs, and that is why our position is extremely difficult. Will it be easier? Well, it won't," he said.

He added that he clearly said in Brussels that he would not blacken anyone else from the region, and that he would not participate in the games of certain factors. "That is why the Open Balkans is so important, and that is why I supported our brothers and friends, who had high expectations, and those expectations were not met. First of all, I mean the Macedonians who were waiting for the approval of the Bulgarian parliament," the president said.

Vucic reiterated that certain EU countries are in a direct war against Russia, and that the Balkans were not a big topic at this year's summit. "The great news was Ukraine. As a devil's advocate, I had one question that I will not repeat publicly. A question that is very difficult to answer when it comes to Moldova and Ukraine, especially Ukraine. We have been told for decades that they do not need a new Cyprus in Europe. And now you see that they can get three Cypriots, four Cypriots, which tells you that politics has always been dominant and crucial, Viktor Orban said that in economic terms, Serbia and Montenegro are much more ready to be part of the EU. But who cares for that", he said.

Answer to Albin Kurti

Vucic also spoke about the provocative statements of Albin Kurti, who reiterated that he was seeking mutual recognition, and that he would recognize Serbia. "We have been told for decades, and we had a negotiating framework, and now Kurti is asking for that to be changed by force. Listen, he will recognize Serbia. If it wasn't funny, it would be sad, and this way a man must smile. We really need his recognition, no one in the world recognizes us", said Vucic.

Vucic: 16 EU members asked that Serbia impose sanctions against Russia at summit (Beta)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on June 26 that 16 of the EU's 27 members directly or indirectly spoke of the necessity for Serbia to join sanctions against Russia at a summit of EU and Western Balkan leaders, but noted that this did not mean that Belgrade should abandon its European path. Addressing the public from the Serbian presidency, Vucic said "we should not go to the other extreme" due to the pressure that he had faced at the recent summit to impose sanctions against Russia. "I see that there is a great hysteria against the EU in the country, but we shouldn't think that we can have better partners than those in the EU or that we could have another political path. Do not forget that the money we have, we have thanks to a huge number of investments, most of which from the EU, and the support that we have from the Union," Vucic said. He noted that he was saying this, "Because you have to have a rational approach in politics, and at least sometimes a pragmatic voice that takes into account Serbia's interests." "We have 300,000 people working in foreign companies, 500,000 indirectly. Most of those, at least two thirds, are companies from the EU. Although they don't want to hear how important it is to us to decide for ourselves about sanctions, or how important the Chinese and Russians are to us, we are continuing our European path," Vucic said.

EU conclusions on Western Balkans: EU membership perspective without tangible progress (Beta)

The European Council has expressed full commitment to the EU membership perspective of the Western Balkans and has called for the acceleration of the accession process – this was one of the conclusions that the Council passed at a summit in Brussels on June 23-24, but it did not recognize a single country's tangible progress on the path to the EU. In its closing remarks on the Western Balkans, the European Council called for “a swift resolution of the last remaining issues” between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, so that North Macedonia’s accession negotiations “can be opened without delay.” The Council also reaffirmed “the urgency of making tangible progress in resolving outstanding bilateral and regional disputes, particularly the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo.”

As for Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), the European Council welcomed a political agreement reached on June 12, 2022 in Brussels as necessary for the stability and full functioning of the country. The Council called on all political leaders in B&H to swiftly implement the commitments laid down in the agreement, and urgently finalize constitutional and electoral reform, which will allow the country to advance decisively on its European path, in line with the opinion of the Commission. At the same time, the Council underlined the importance of reforms, notably in the area of rule of law and in particular those related to the independence and functioning of the judiciary and the fight against corruption. It also called on its partners to guarantee the rights and equal treatment of persons belonging to minorities.

Democratic party leader: Brussels apparently not insisting on democracy, but alignment with foreign policy (Blic)

Democratic Party president Zoran Lutovac said on June 26 that it appeared that Brussels considered Serbia's alignment with its foreign policy more important than there being "no democracy" in the country. "It is clear from the European Commission' report that Brussels is aware that there is no rule of law, freedom of the press, or free and fair elections in Serbia. But that is only noted and nothing is being done. To them it is more important that there is stability in Serbia over democracy," Lutovac told the Blic newspaper. He added that it appeared that Brussels did not consider it important for Serbia to align its internal policy with European values, but only its foreign policy. Speaking about the Open Balkans initiative, Lutovac described it as "a Balkan bill of goods project" and said it was like seeking a back door when "you're not able to integrate into the EU."

Vucic and Karen Donfried discuss bilateral relations, EU accession (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke on the phone with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried on June 24, on bilateral relations, Serbia’s EU accession and the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. The focus of the conference call, in which the State Department’s special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, and U.S. ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill participated in, was mostly on bilateral ties, especially economic relations, as well as opportunities for cooperation in the energy sector, the Office of the President of Serbia reported. Donfried was quoted as saying that she strongly supported the region’s economic links as part of the Open Balkans initiative and agreed with the Serbian president that it was a good example of regional cooperation and aspirations towards achieving goals of mutual interest.

Vucic on Serbia's membership in the EU: Everything depends on the geopolitical situation (RTS)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated that it was seen in Brussels that, when the geopolitical interest of the EU is in question, the status of a candidate can be obtained and when nothing has been done in terms of preparation for membership.

When asked if he agreed with Minister Jadranka Joksimovic that Serbia could be a member of the EU in five to seven years, Aleksandar Vucic said that he was a realist, but that the minister knew the relations in the Union well. "It depends on the political and geopolitical situation. It was now clear that you can get candidate status if you did nothing in terms of preparation, when it is in the EU's geopolitical interest, and those who did much more like Northern Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) got nothing ", Vucic explained. He added that he is not as optimistic as the minister, and that he relies most on his own strength. "We must continue our European path. We must rely on our strength the most. We have shown that with our work, surviving and remaining on the European path, preserving traditional friendships, we can change the country beyond recognition," Vucic said.

We made a smart move and returned the gold to the country

Vucic said that Serbia made a smart move, because it returned the gold reserves to the country, and that it would continue with the purchase of gold. "Serbia bought a lot of gold. I don't believe that we will have the strength to continue with big purchases this year, but we will definitely buy something," said Vucic, answering the question whether Serbia is still the leader in the region in terms of gold reserves and how much they are important given the growing global crisis.

He also pointed out that a smart move was made, because the gold reserves were withdrawn into the country. "Did you see what they did to the Russians? All the money, 300 billion, was stolen from them in one day, who knows what will come to anyone's mind in the world," Vucic said, adding that Serbia should not worry, because the gold has been returned to the country and is under our control. He also pointed out that gold and foreign exchange reserves continue to grow. "If you are not fiscally stable, you cannot give 15,000 dinars for 200,000 people, increase salaries and pensions, minimum wages," Vucic pointed out. He reiterated his fears of what the coming winter will bring because, he says, he is afraid that the end of the war will not come soon. "It is our job to keep peace for ourselves and our country and to get through and survive, and for our economy to progress, that we continue working and building," said Vucic.

I expect a good visit from Abazovic, I believe in better relations

Aleksandar Vucic stated that he expects a good visit of the Montenegrin Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic to Serbia, expressing his belief that it is possible to build better relations than before. "We expect a good visit, we will discuss all important topics with Dritan Abazovic," said Vucic.

Lavrov: EU is anti-Russian alliance which forces other countries to join its foreign policy measures, Serbia is protecting its independence by refusing to do so (Vecernje Novosti)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the EU has turned into an anti-Russian alliance insisting on other countries joining its decisions aimed against Moscow. He underlined that EU leaders threaten EU candidates or membership aspirants and tell them that they have no other choice but to support all EU foreign policy measures, including the measures against Russia. Lavrov noted that this is exactly how EU officials treat Serbia. He underlined that Serbia is an EU membership candidate, but it does not wish to lose its independence and join decisions which are directly opposite to Serbia’s national interests – in this case good relations with Russia.

Thursday’s EU-Western Balkan meeting showed that ‘Open Balkan’ initiative is more stable than EU, it exposed confusion and chaos of EU enlargement policy (Vecernje Novosti)

The daily writes that the three-hour long EU-Western Balkan meeting on Thursday exposed all the confusion of EU’s enlargement policy. Instead of a clear enlargement strategy, the EU demonstrated total chaos, and rules of EU integration which in force for decades are no longer valid. Ukraine and Moldova were allowed to jump the queue, and Western Balkan countries only got a tap on their shoulder, despite the achieved results. Following the meeting, the EU leader cancelled their announced press conference. However, leaders of Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania did not react by complaining, but with a concrete plan. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, North Macedonian Prime Minister Dimitri Kovaceviski and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama addressed media to convey their joint message – the region remains dedicated to the European future, but it will not be its hostage and it will not wait forever for EU decisions. Instead, the regional countries will turn to each other and work together to make the region more stable and prosperous.

According to the daily, the three leaders sent the message that the ‘Open Balkan’ initiative is more stable than the EU. At the same time, some EU and Balkan officials have been repeatedly warning that the Ukrainian crisis could spill over to the region, and they label Serbia as the main negative factor. However, in reality nothing like this is happening, the region is getting united and countries are working together. Serbia and Albania are aware that their EU membership is in the distant future, and they are therefore willing to accept other forms of cooperation with the EU, such as the French President Manuel Macron’s idea to establish a geopolitical community of EU and Western Balkan states. Even some EU officials voice their discontent with the results of the Thursday’s meeting, warning that the EU should not be pushing away the Western Balkan countries.

EU envoy for Pristina-Belgrade dialogue Miroslav Lajcak warned that the EU should not apply double standards to different countries. Austrian Minister for EU Karoline Erdstadler warned that there is a real threat of escalation in the region and that the EU must keep its focus on the region. Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that it will soon be difficult to speak about EU security without integrating the Western Balkans into to Union.

Analyst Srdjan Graovac stated that the EU-Western Balkan meeting was a great defeat for the EU. In his opinion, the EU granted Ukraine the status of EU candidate in order to satisfy its own consciousness and cover up the fact that the EU cannot really help Ukraine. At the same time, the EU spalled Western Balkan countries in the face, showing that all their efforts were for nothing. In his opinion, the EU must urgently get its act together and come up with a solution for Western Balkans.

Latest rejection of Western Balkans was hard to swallow because gates were open for ‘Eastern partners’ (Politika)

Politika daily reads that judging by reactions of politicians and analysts from the region regarding outcome of the four-hour long EU-Western Balkans Summit, their reactions could be summed up in a sentence – all right, we will wait for December. According to the daily, although the Western Balkans is used to ‘cold hearts’ in Brussels, the latest rejection of the Western Balkans Six was hard to swallow because at the same time, the gates were open for ‘the Eastern partners’. Daily also carried President of the Center for Foreign Policy (from Serbia) Suzana Grubjesic, who said the region got nothing and was not offered anything. Grubjesic further stated she hopes this is the last time something like this happens and that the counties could get the ‘famous’ acceleration at the end of the year, which would be the only right thing to do after all these years.

Mihailo Jovanovic: I was returned from Jarinje without explanation (RTS)

The director of the Office for IT and e-Government, Mihailo Jovanovic, announced that he was banned from crossing the administrative crossing of Jarinje today, despite the pre-approved entry and all followed procedures, and the visit is planned due to the opening of two IT centers.

"I have just been returned from the administrative crossing of Jarinje, without any explanation," Mihailo Jovanovic stated in a written statement. He also pointed out that his visit had nothing to do with politics and that they wanted to put into operation the newly equipped multifunctional IT centers in the north and south of Kosovo and Metohija - in Kosovska Mitrovica and Gracanica. "I can't help but wonder who is bothered by digital youth education centers, which would be at the service of all citizens? What is the danger of services like eBaby and other eGovernment services?" Jovanovic asked.

Lajcak is coming to visit Pristina (RTS)

The European Union Special Representative for the Dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, will be in Kosovo and Metohija from today until June 29, the EU headquarters in Pristina announced. Miroslav Lajcak will meet with the Prime Minister of the Provisional Institutions of Pristina, Albin Kurti, the leaders of the main opposition parties and the representatives of the international community in Pristina. The statement also states that Lajcak plans to visit Prizren and the north of the province during his stay in Kosovo and Metohija. Miroslav Lajcak's address to the media is scheduled for Wednesday, June 29. Details will be announced on Tuesday, June 28.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dodik: Some EU leaders observe B&H as a colony and not as a partner (FTV)

According to FTV, some in Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) believe that the EU does not want B&H. In this regard, FTV reported that leader of SNSD and member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik said that this is not anything new from the West. Dodik stated that some EU leaders observe B&H as a colony and not as a partner which is why the country did not get the status of EU candidate, and that Republika Srpska did not and will not be a colony.

Dodik stated on Saturday that Berlin prevented B&H from getting the status of EU candidate, and that then German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that B&H can trust Germany. Germany, the Netherlands and France were against B&H getting the status at the EU-Balkans Summit in Brussels. Scholz said Germany would continue to support the countries of the Western Balkans in their efforts to join the European Union. “These six countries - North Macedonia, B&H, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Kosovo - can trust Germany”, the German Chancellor said. “We heard all sorts of things in the previous days. Germany prevented B&H's candidate status by voting against, and now we hear German Chancellor Scholz that B&H can trust Germany. God help us”, Dodik wrote on Twitter.

Dodik said on Sunday that the EU path in B&H is pointless at this moment. Commenting the decision of the EU leadership to grant the status of the EU candidate country status to Ukraine and Moldavia, Dodik stressed that if the EU does not stop with setting some illusory demands, there is no need for B&H to work on this path. Dodik also stated that his commitment is that B&H moves towards the EU, adding that trust to the EU has been decreasing. Dodik said that the EU path of BiH is becoming pointless after the last week’s EU summit in Brussels. He assessed that this process needs to be redefined and put into realistic frameworks.

Dodik on Saturday commented on statements of Head of the EU Delegation (EUD) to B&H Johann Sattler, who said that important laws on the path to the EU were blocked by HDZ B&H and SNSD while they were advocating the EU path at the same time. Dodik was quoted as saying: “Who cares how he sees the glass, and whether he sees it at all? We have clearly seen the other day that candidate status is not an issue of fulfilling conditions but pure politics of decisions by those who make them”. In a statement for Srna news agency, Dodik said that by criticizing SNSD and HDZ B&H, Sattler showed that years he spent in B&H did not enable him to understand the situation in B&H. Dodik stated that a few days ago Sattler went to N1 to justify decision not to grant status of EU candidate country to B&H before political Sarajevo.

Cvijanovic: EU does not want to see the reality, their decisions are disincentive (ATV)

Republika Srpska (RS) President Zeljka Cvijanovic said on Friday that not granting Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) the status of an EU candidate is wrong and disincentive, and even frivolous, bearing in mind that Ukraine received the status without fulfilling any conditions, and stressed that such an approach speaks more about the EU. “You cannot set 14 super difficult conditions for B&H, expect progress to be made, and then just give someone else the status of candidate without any fulfilment of the conditions, expecting that someone will meet that (criteria) in the years to come”, Cvijanovic told the reporters. She emphasized that hope is given to Ukraine, and currently no one can predict what the situation in that country will look like in the future, and it is not given to the countries of the Western Balkans that have been fulfilling the conditions from various documents for years. “Granting status, and destroying the whole concept of the previous conditions that have been in force for years, is unfair and inappropriate and sends a negative image to the countries of the Western Balkans. I think the EU has the wrong approach, they think things like this will have a stimulating effect on someone here, and it basically has a disincentive effect. I think that will make us think about whether it is something fair that we are trying to get into”, Cvijanovic assessed. She said that she always advocates the process of European integration, because it is good for the citizens of B&H and for Europe, but that it is obvious that the EU does not want to see or realize what the reality is in this situation. Cvijanovic said that B&H is constantly somewhere in the corner, but not only through the fault of someone who should have fulfilled the conditions, but also through the fault of those who set the conditions. "If they wanted, they could have divided it into a set of different conditions, they could have helped us move forward. They obviously did not want to because their goal is to reorganize the Constitution of the country," Cvijanovic underlined.

Dzaferovic, Komsic comment on B&H not getting status of EU candidate (N1)

N1 carries that the lack of support for Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) to obtain EU candidate status has provoked strong and numerous reactions. N1 stressed that everyone is again interpreting conclusions of the European Council differently. Namely, while some believe that B&H did not deserve to receive the EU candidate status, others see positive things in everything. B&H Presidency Chairman Sefik Dzaferovic said: "I would send a message to the vast majority in B&H that wants candidate status immediately and as fast European path as possible and encourage them and in that way discourage the forces that voted against those laws in the state House of Peoples (HoP) and you know which forces I am referring to." Croat member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic directly accused SNSD and HDZ B&H of blocking reform laws and noted that they should be penalized for it. Dzaferovic said: “If there is a country in the world to be granted the candidate status due to geo-strategic and geo-political reasons, that is B&H. I have nothing against Ukraine, on the contrary. I welcome the decision both for Ukraine and Moldova. I wish them all the best, but I cannot but notice that not enough attention was paid to geo-strategic and geo-political reasons in relation to B&H”.

HNS welcomes European Council’s conclusions, Covic blames politicians in Sarajevo (AJB)

The Croat People’s Assembly (HNS) welcomed conclusions of the European Council, which highlighted changes to the Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Election Law and limited constitutional reforms as key for the progress of B&H towards the EU. President of HNS B&H Dragan Covic said that finally a message was sent and everyone in B&H needs to understand it. He said that this applies primarily to representatives of policies of unitarism from Sarajevo and nationalists who try to blame someone for the lack of functioning in B&H. He said that they are the ones who are slowing down the positive processes in B&H and because of them B&H has not received the EU candidate status for seven years. According to Covic, the EU is testing B&H and the country must meet the test in the autumn. Covic said that the upcoming elections are crucial and this will define further EU path for B&H.

The representatives of the HNS reacted triumphantly to the European Council’s conclusion not to grant the EU candidate status to B&H, and for them, the most important part of the conclusion is the one referring to the B&H Election Law. “The European Council calls on all political leaders in B&H to swiftly implement the commitments set out in the agreement and urgently finalize the constitutional and electoral reform, which will allow the country to advance decisively on its European path, in line with the opinion of the Commission”, reads the conclusion by the European Council.

Addressing the media Covic said: “We have finally received a message that should be understood by all, especially by leaders of Unitarian policies from Sarajevo, nationalists who always try to blame someone for B&H not functioning, so that they understand they are the ones who prevent all positive processes in B&H, that they understand we were not granted the candidate status because of them”.

SBB leader Radoncic: European Council decision represents red card for leaders of SNSD, SDA and HDZ, but also yellow card for voters (Dnevni avaz)

SBB leader Fahrudin Radoncic stated that the decision of the European Council to deny the EU candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) was expected. “Disappointment in EU’s credibility is great. We should not hide or minimize it. Because of the war horrors they endured and the honest dedication to the European values, the citizens of B&H deserved it a long time ago. However, the three ruling dynasties did not, and the EU leaders obviously refused to reward the devastators of B&H right ahead of the election”, said Radoncic. He added that all citizens have to thing well on this ahead of the October 2 election. He urged citizens to vote. “Historical changes will not be brought by the constantly concerned and mildly indolent foreigners, but B&H citizens alone. The EU decision represents a red card for (SNSD leader) Milorad Dodik, (SDA leader) Bakir Izetbegovic and (HDZ B&H leader) Dragan Covic, but also a yellow card for the voters in our country”, said Radoncic.

Other reactions to failure to grant EU candidate status to B&H (N1)

N1 carries that the lack of support for Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) to obtain EU candidate status has provoked strong and numerous reactions. N1 stressed that everyone is again interpreting conclusions of the European Council differently. Representatives of Our Party (NS) and SBB B&H believe that in addition to HDZ B&H and SNSD, SDA is also responsible because it gave HDZ B&H and SNSD mechanisms in the B&H HoP to block laws. Representatives of SDP B&H underlined that candidate status would be an award for all those who did not do anything for the European path of B&H. President of SDS Mirko Sarovic said that someone wanted B&H to receive the EU candidate status for nothing and to brag that they made it happen afterwards. He stressed that even if someone determined that B&H was in front of Ukraine and Moldova on this path, the current authorities did nothing to achieve this. Commenting on the issue, member of the Joint Commission on European Integration of the B&H Parliament Branislav Borenovic said: “The biggest culprit for the stalemate on B&H’s European path is the ruling coalition that has all the mechanisms, that essentially has the support from the opposition in relation to European laws, to be adopted. We adopted them in the (B&H) House of Representatives. At a special session, with the support of predominantly opposition political parties, we adopted the Law on the HJPC, the Law on Conflict of Interests, and the Law on Public Procurement (…). However, those three laws were stopped in the (BiH) House of Peoples, where SNSD and HDZ have dominant majority”. Member of the Joint Commission on European Integration of the B&H Parliament Sasa Magazinovic said: “The (B&H) House of Peoples, presided by Mr. (Nikola) Spiric, (Dragan) Covic and (Bakir) Izetbegovic refused to adopt those laws, and instead, they adopted a statement that we want the candidate status without any conditions. Therefore, everything is clear”. Deputy Speaker of the B&H House of Representatives Denis Zvizdic argued that SNSD and HDZ B&H are the main culprits for this situation due to, among other things, anti-European orientation. Head of the SNSD Caucus in the B&H HoR Snjezana Novakovic-Bursac said failure to grant the status of candidate to B&H confirms that the enlargement has very little to do with meeting the criteria, instead it is about political projections. According to her, Moldova would be a special case, which would be on the lowest if it were to be compared in terms of economic and social situation with potential candidates. Leader of United Srpska Nenad Stevandic said the EU granted the status to Ukraine and Moldova because of geopolitical reasons. Stevandic stated that B&H should remain neutral and that it is completely clear that one cannot join the EU through blackmails.

IC Officials on B&H not getting status of EU Candidate (BHT1, N1)

The European Council is prepared to grant status of the EU candidate country to Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H), but prior to this B&H needs to conduct reforms in area of judiciary and combat against corruption as well as constitutional and electoral reform, said President of the European Council Charles Michel. Michel said that there was true wish in case of B&H to bring new energy in the process with this country. Commenting on the fact that the EC was urged to submit a report to the European Council without any delay about implementation of the 14 key priorities, Michel stated that they are ready to decide about the status of the candidate bearing in mind conclusions from the report of the EC.

Head of EU Delegation to B&H and EU Special Representative in B&H, Ambassador Johann Sattler, speaking about the meeting of EU and Western Balkan leaders held on Thursday, as well as the subsequent session of the European Council, stated that two important things happened – firstly, the EU leaders decided to grant the EU candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova, as well as conditional status to Georgia; and secondly, the EU leaders once again confirmed the EU perspective of the Western Balkan states. Sattler noted that the decision on Ukraine and Moldova is very important, because Ukraine is fighting for its own survival, but also for freedom of all European countries. At the same time, the EU leaders confirmed that the EU is open to all countries than manage to meet the requirements, especially in terms of the rule of law, and live in accordance with the European values. Sattler emphasized the importance of the fact that the EU leaders held a meeting with the Western Balkan leaders to discuss all issues and take into consideration the future perspectives of the region and all security implications. He noted that such discussions are sometimes not easy, as there are a lot of disagreements, and sometimes there is also a lack of understanding also on the EU side. Sattler emphasized that the EU leaders feel that the reform processes in the region are too slow.

Commenting the conclusions of the European Council, Sattler said: “I see the glass half full. I think these conclusions show for the first time since B&H’s application for membership that the European Council is willing to grant B&H the status of candidate. Yes, it is still necessary to do some things on B&H side in order to make it happen”. He explained that the EU is not insisting on all 14 Key Priorities defined by the European Commission’s Opinion. However, he added, there is a critical mass of essential and crucial reforms which must be implemented, such as the adoption of legislation in the field of the rule of law, as well as Law on High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, Law on Prevention of Conflict of Interest and Law on Public Procurement. Sattler underlined that B&H must demonstrate its seriousness regarding reforms, and it must do so fast. He reminded that the European Commission will soon need to inform the Council about B&H’s progress again, which means that there is very little time left to adopt some of the essential laws. He noted that the general election is approaching, but it does not mean that the institutions cannot continue doing their job. Sattler called on B&H officials to do their part of the job before the October election in order to implement the necessary reforms. “The message of the 27 EU leaders is clear, the EU is willing to grant BiH the status of candidate, but you must do your part of the job”, said Sattler.

Asked if the EU is being too strict with B&H and setting too difficult demands, Sattler said that each country is assessed based on its results, and there must be principles established. He noted that if a country is progressing faster, it would not be fair not to acknowledge that progress. B&H is progressing very slowly, and there has been very little progress in the past years, Sattler emphasized. He reminded that 2021 was wasted because of different blockades, and the first part of 2022 was wasted as well. However, he underlined, the European Council sent a clear message to B&H citizens – we want you to be with us, we want to give BiH the perspective of EU membership.

Asked if the failure to grant B&H the status of EU candidate could have negative implications in the context of the war in Ukraine, Sattler said that the whole world changed with the Russian invasion. However, he reminded, the EU immediately reacted by increasing the number of EUFOR troops, which is an indicator showing that the EU takes the situation seriously and that it is carefully monitoring its development. Sattler said that there have been interference and dissemination of disinformation by Russia. Also, he underlined, threats issued by Russian representatives in case that BiH decides to move closer to the EU or NATO are completely unacceptable. “B&H is a sovereign state and it must be able to make decisions without any external influence”, said Sattler. In his opinion, granting B&H the status of EU candidate would not change the situation much, because B&H still has a very clear EU perspective, but integration is a process. He reiterated that this process is taking too long and B&H is very slow with implementation of necessary reforms. However, said Sattler, there is no doubt about the final goal, which is the EU membership, and it is very clear in which direction the Western Balkan region is headed. He noted that the EU integration is a unifying factor which enjoys wide support of citizens who understand that the EU has the best offer for B&H and the region.

Sattler admitted that there have been some problems on the EU side as well, and that the EU did not keep its promises to North Macedonia and Albania. However, he underlined, progress achieved by these two countries will send a positive message to the rest of the region too. Speaking about the reasons why B&H failed to achieve meaningful progress on the path to EU, Sattler said that it is no secret that the achievements of the current ruling coalition are modest, and that in fact not much has been achieved in the past years. However, he underlined, the EU wants to encourage B&H too. He reminded that the Law on Public Procurement was adopted by both Houses of B&H Parliament albeit in different versions, and is currently in the process of harmonization. According to Sattler, this process can be completed within ten days.

Asked to comment the fact that many blame SNSD and HDZ B&H for this situation, Sattler said: “You have to look at government distribution first, who is in charge in the B&H Council of Ministers, who has majority in the Parliament. We should seek all answers there. These parties did vote against very important laws in the past months, and I have been very clear and very vocal about that”. He reminded that SNSD and HDZ B&H voted against important laws while at the same time they demanded acceleration of the EU integration process, and noted that this does not make any sense.

Asked when B&H will have another opportunity to make progress on the EU path and which countries can help, Sattler noted that the EU leaders paid a lot of attention to the Western Balkan region on Thursday, and they spent several hours discussing B&H, both at the EU-Western Balkans meeting and at the session of the European Council. He reminded that Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Germany, France and states of the Visegrad group were very actively participating in the discussions. In his opinion, this is a very positive development and it showed that there is an understanding in the EU that the region must have a clear EU perspective or otherwise, the EU will pay the price. He noted that this gives a lot of hope for the upcoming period, but it is also necessary to demonstrate results.

Asked to comment the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron for establishing of the geopolitical European community, Sattler said that this initiative is a result of the developments in Ukraine and the understanding that there are countries in the EU neighborhood which share the European values. He noted that the initiative is at a very early stage and it is difficult to comment any details. However, he repeatedly emphasized, Macron’s initiative does not represent a replacement for full EU membership. Sattler underlined that the enlargement process has been the most successful EU policy in the past 30 years which allowed the Union to grow from six to 27 member states. He admitted that the EU has some internal problems which need to be resolved. However, he added, this does not mean that the enlargement needs to be paused, since the EU internal reform and EU enlargement can take place at the same time.

Asked to send a message to B&H citizens who may see growing scepticism towards the EU after the latest developments, Sattler said that the scepticism is not growing. On the contrary, he noted, all recent survey shows that support for EU integration process is increasing even in the RS. “This is very telling. When the economic and security situation is getting complicated, people seek a safe haven, and that is the EU”, he noted. He reminded that the European Council is willing to grant B&H the status of EU candidate. However, Sattler concluded, B&H needs to demonstrate action in the next months and show that it is moving forward.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that Germany will resume to support the Western Balkans countries in their effort to join the EU. Scholz said that all the six Western Balkan countries can rely on Germany supporting them in order to speed up progress on the European path. Scholz stated that Germany will continue supporting the Western Balkan countries in their efforts to join the EU. He underlined that North Macedonia, B&H, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Kosovo can trust Germany.

Austria was the one to propose granting the candidate status to B&H, and after the conclusions, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer said: “We succeeded to put focus on B&H, although Ukraine was the dominant topic at the today’s meeting in Brussels. For three and a half hours we talked about B&H’s next steps. If the progress is made soon, B&H may be granted the candidate status this year”. Nehammer said that for Austria, it was important to offer a perspective for B&H. Nehammer stated: “It was again in focus of discussion, the Commission was asked to speed up the process with the aim to help on the road of this country towards the status of the candidate. This will bring results already this year.”

Regional leaders who advocated for B&H to receive EU candidate status on Thursday did not express disappointment over the outcome of the first day of the EU summit in Brussels. They announced that by the end of October, the European Commission will be discussing the readiness of B&H for further steps. Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said that his support of the EU candidate status for B&H was not premature and assessed that important progress was made on this topic. He said that a long discussion was held and B&H was dragged out of the oblivion of the EU. Golob said that a framework schedule was created for when the situation in B&H will be discussed again by the EU. He stressed that further progress depends on B&H authorities. Golob stated he is not disappointed, being of view an important step was made by “drawing B&H out of Europe’s oblivion”. “It is quite possible that B&H will be granted the candidate status by the end of this year, but that does not depend on Slovenia, or the EC, but on authorities in B&H”, Golob was quoted as saying. The reporter notes that, unlike Golob, Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon did not hide her disappointment, warning that the EU lost its credibility in the Western Balkans countries, and that these countries are becoming “a place of geopolitical fight”. The reporter comments that Fajon is right, i.e. B&H is the place of geopolitical fight, and the EU is observing it silently and frigidly, just like in 1992. Fajon recently said that all Western Balkans countries are so close and yet it seems so far from the EU that for them, the EU lost its credibility. In her opinion, the countries again become focus of the geopolitical struggle and the only question is how long the fight will last and how it will end.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that the West should understand that it will soon be difficult to talk about security in Europe without the integration of the countries of the Western Balkans.

Picula appointed as new rapporteur for EU's enlargement strategy: It is necessary for EU to help B&H obtain candidate status as soon as possible (FTV)

The reporter comments that the winds “that are trying to carry Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H)” towards the European Union (EU) are becoming stronger. FTV reports that Croatian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Tonino Picula has been appointed a Rapporteur for the new EU enlargement strategy. The reporter notes that MEPs are tasked with developing a new EU enlargement strategy that will be adopted by the European Parliament, after which the proposal will be referred to the European Council, the European Commission (EC), and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. “The enlargement is the most effective EU foreign policy instrument, and is important for Croatia, because as long as we do not have other EU members on our borders, we will not be able to make full use of the benefits of our membership. It is necessary that the EU helps B&H to get the candidate status as soon as possible, and to encourage acceleration of the accession process with Montenegro as the most advanced candidate”, Picula was quoted as saying. Picula noted that enlargement is especially important today in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in order to give Ukraine and Moldova the prospect of prospective membership, but also to give the enlargement policy itself the necessary new impetus and momentum.

B&H HoR set to discuss on Monday changes to Law on Elections; Covic will again lose (Hayat)

Hayat reported that we may soon witness the last attempt of leader of HDZ Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Dragan Covic to get the Law on Elections of B&H the way he wants at the upcoming session of the B&H House of Representatives (HoR) scheduled for Monday. The HoR is set to discuss changes to the law that were recently adopted in the B&H House of Peoples (HoP). Analysts assessed that changes bring solutions from the 16th and not from the 21st century while Hayat argued that judging by statements of MPs, Covic will again lose. SD representative in the B&H HoR Enver Bijedic noted that the B&H HoP adopted the changes to the law with help from HDZ B&H’s loyal partner and that is SNSD, arguing that the law is discriminating for Croats because a Croat from Grude is more valuable than a Croat from Travnik. Professor of the constitutional law and DF representative in the B&H HoR Zlatan Begic argued that the European Convention on Human Rights and not Covic’s wishes are binding for B&H. In his opinion, the law undermines the minimum of democracy that is present in B&H and instead of B&H moving into direction of harmonization of its constitutional order with the European documents and standards, the law actually takes B&H into an even worse apartheid. SDP B&H representative in the B&H HoR Sasa Magazinovic called the changes to the Law on Elections of B&H non-civilizational solution, arguing that no one can allow this level of political irresponsibility to oneself. Magazinovic argued that he sees no option for adoption of this law. SDA representative in the B&H HoR Alma Colo said that SDA opposes the changes to the law as it is not in line with the European Commission (EC)’s Opinion, the European Convention on Human Rights and the priorities from the EC’s Opinion.

Croatia

Milanovic and Plenkovic enter verbal conflict over failure of EU leaders to give candidate status to B&H (HRT1)

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic were involved in another disagreement over the role of Croatia in the failure to grant Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) the status of EU candidate during Thursday’s EU summit. Milanovic assessed this as political tragedy and called Plenkovic a traitor. He added that this is not the last act of this tragedy and that Plenkovic embarrasses Croatia. Milanovic stressed that it is cynical to explain people who are suffering that they are being helped. Plenkovic stated that Milanovic is not helping Croats in B&H with his political activities, reminding that Milanovic joined the political campaign of current Croat member of the B&H Presidency Zeljko Komsic several years ago, back then when it was already known that Croats were not voting for him. Milanovic commented on High Representative Christian Schmidt, saying that he intervenes using Bonn Powers whenever he can and he intervened in the system of financing elections in B&H. Plenkovic assessed that Milanovic attacks Croatian, B&H and foreign officials and is harming Croatia politically. He said that the results of these activities are so big that they will need an excavator to remove all the political garbage caused by Milanovic. Milanovic criticized Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Goran Grlic Radman after he said that B&H is a dysfunctional country. Milanovic assessed Grlic-Radman as someone who is brainwashed by Plenkovic and stupid. Plenkovic said that Grlic-Radman said accurate things and several months ago B&H was in a serious political blockade. He rejected all accusations of Milanovic, saying that the Croatian Government engages fully to help B&H. Milanovic said that he is dying of shame because Ukraine received EU candidate status, while B&H did not. Milanovic assessed this as a Croatian political tragedy, as well as a cynical underestimation of people. Milanovic said that Schmidt is “illegal” in B&H, and that he is an “extended hand of very murky and strange circles in B&H” which have “problematic” authorizations. Milanovic also commented the fact that the Office of the High Representative (OHR) complained to the Croatian Embassy in Sarajevo due to the Croatian President’s statements about Schmidt. Milanovic told reporters that the Croatian Embassy did not take these complaints seriously, as this is a man “that is illegally in B&H” and which has the audacity to even react to the things stated by President Milanovic. Milanovic said Schmidt is unwilling to use his Bonn Powers for imposing the B&H Election Law changes. Milanovic says Schmidt reacts only when he sees fit, and when someone “whispers in his ear” and tells him what to do next in B&H. Milanovic said that what the European Council adopted Thursday is such rude cynicism "which Plenkovic even brags about." "We read what is written inside. When will B&H get candidate status? When it fulfils everything that it will never fulfil because that simply does not suit some in B&H," Milanovic said. Plenkovic, on the other hand, said that he is convinced that the Croatian citizens know who is harming Croatia on the international scene, who is harming Croats in B&H and who is harming Croatian interests. "It is Milanovic and the Government is not only cleaning the garbage that he leaves behind, but is also doing good for Croatia," Plenkovic emphasized.

EU leaders endorse Croatia's entry into Euro Area (Hina)

The European Council on Friday endorsed Croatia's entry into the euro area on 1 January next year. "Today, at the European Council, Croatia received support from the highest political level for membership in the euro area. On 1 January we will achieve the Croatian government's strategic goal of joining the euro area. The benefits of membership will be felt by Croatian citizens and the economy, which will be even more resilient to crises," Prime Minister Andrej Plenovic said on Friday on his Twitter account. "The euro is the monetary expression of our shared destiny and has been part of our European dream. Now the dream comes true for Croatia," European Council President Charles Michel tweeted.

EU leaders supported the recommendation on Croatia's entry into the euro area on Friday. This is the second-last step in the decision-making process. The last step will be the adoption of three legislative proposals on Croatia's entry, which will take place at a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council on 12 July, and from 1 January next year the euro will be the official currency in Croatia.

Croatia will be the 20th member of the euro area. It will be the first enlargement of the euro area since 2015 when Lithuania joined.

Together with Slovenia, Croatia is the country that spent the least time in the euro waiting room, the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, the minimum two years, while Lithuania, for example, spent 11 years and Latvia nine years in the ERM II.

When first introduced in 1999, the euro was the so-called book currency, and the euro area consisted of 11 of the then 15 EU member states. Greece joined in 2001, just a year before the euro was physically introduced, followed by Slovenia in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, Slovakia in 2009, Estonia in 2011, Latvia in 2014 and Lithuania in 2015. By adopting the euro as its legal tender, Croatia joins the Eurosystem, which consists of the European Central Bank and the central banks of the euro area member states, and the Governor of the Croatian National Bank joins the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. The Minister of Finance participates in Eurogroup meetings and the Prime Minister in eurozone summits. Croatia also automatically becomes a member of the banking union, the banking supervision and resolution system.

Zelenskyy thanks Croatia for helping with its experience in defense of country (Hina)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy individually thanked each leader of the EU member states for granting his country candidate status, including Croatia's Prime Minister for "helping with the experience of defending freedom," Ukrainian media reported on Friday.
"Croatia is with us. Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for your help with the experience we are using to protect our freedom,” Zelenskyy said on Thursday after Ukraine was granted EU candidate status, according to the Ukrainian Kyiv Post.

Addressing EU leaders on Thursday, Zelenskyy said they had made one of the most important decisions for Ukraine in its 30 years of independence. "However, I believe that this decision is not only for Ukraine. "This is the biggest step towards strengthening Europe that could be taken right now, in our time and in such difficult conditions, when the Russian war is testing our ability to preserve freedom and unity," Zelensky said.

The leaders of the EU member states made a historic decision in Brussels on Thursday and granted candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova and promised a European perspective to Georgia. Ukraine and Moldova received candidate status in the shortest possible time until now. Ukraine submitted a request on 28 February this year, four days after the Russian invasion, and a few days later the same was done by Georgia and Moldova. As early as 7 March, the European Council asked the European Commission to draw up an opinion on these requests. The EC did so on 17 June.

Croatia, for example, applied for membership on 21 February 2003, and two months later the Council asked the Commission to issue an opinion. One year later, in April 2004, the Commission issued its opinion for Croatia, and its candidate status was granted in June 2004. Croatia joined the EU in mid-2013.

The government in Montenegro has been rocking dangerously, everything is revolving around the Serbian Orthodox Church again (Jutarnji list)

Less than a hundred days have passed since the formation of the minority Montenegrin government, and it could already fall, writes the Croatian Jutarnji list. The stumbling block is again the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC), ie the signing of the Fundamental Agreement between Montenegro and the SOC on mutual rights and obligations. The relationship between the Serbian Orthodox Church and Montenegro has already led to a political crisis and the departure from power, after 30 years, of the pro-Montenegrin DPS party of President Milo Djukanovic, so it is already speculated that it could (indirectly) be the end of Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic. Namely, as Jutarnji list writes, the ministers in the Government fiercely "quarrelled" over that agreement, which was not signed by the former Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic, and so far, the SOC has not declared itself on the Agreement, ie it has not been agreed yet.

The pro-Serbian Socialist People's Party is asking to sign it as soon as possible, and the Montenegrin SDP, on the other hand, is asking for a similar agreement to be signed with the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, which the Serbian Orthodox Church does not recognize.

The SNP says that agreements should be signed with "canonical churches", while the SDP says that the agreement should not be rushed because the government's agreement with the SPC should not be a more important priority than the "path to the EU", because it would make the idea of a minority government completely meaningless. Therefore, it is increasingly said in Podgorica that there could be early elections in September.

Montenegro

The Fundamental Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church shakes the foundations of the Government of Montenegro (RSE)

The last two sessions of the Montenegrin Government were marked by disputes between ministers regarding the announcement of the formation of a government working group that should negotiate with religious communities on relations with the state. Ministers from different political parties are arguing over whether the state should sign an agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) or its dioceses in Montenegro, what the name of the future agreement will be and what its content will be, and whether it will be negotiated with the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC).

Commenting on the Government's intention to reach an agreement with religious communities, the Metropolitan's legal representative, lawyer Dalibor Kavaric said that the issue of the Fundamental Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church is legal, not political:

"There is no place for politics here, but it is exclusively a professional issue of regulating relations between the state of Montenegro and the Serbian Orthodox Church, which should follow the highest possible standards and not the programs and agendas of political parties from which individual members of the Government come."

The President of the Association of Lawyers of Montenegro, Branislav Radulovic, assessed that it is very good that everything has returned to a natural, legal procedure: "Until now, we did not know who was negotiating, we had different versions of the texts (of the Fundamental Agreement) that appeared in the media, and that showed a high degree of state frivolity. The procedure will make it possible to eliminate all unknowns and especially pronounced populism."

What is the conflict between the ministers?

The most vocal advocate of signing the Fundamental Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church are the ministers from the pro-Serbian Socialist People's Party (SNP), led by Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Jokovic. For Jokovic and his party, the Fundamental Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church is the main reason why the SNP is part of the Government: "What kind of agreement it will be depends on the Serbian Orthodox Church." If it is acceptable for the Serbian Orthodox Church, it is also acceptable to us. We are not interested in who will oppose some decisions", Jokovic was categorical.

Because of that statement, the spokesman of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), Milos Nikolic, asked for Jokovic's exclusion from the process of deciding on the Fundamental Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church because "Jokovic defends the interests of the Serbian church, not the Government."

On the other hand, Foreign Minister Ranko Krivokapic and Defense Minister Rasko Konjevic, from the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP), believe that the government cannot sign an agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church because it is not registered in Montenegro as a legal entity. "The Serbian Orthodox Church is not registered in Montenegro. You are negotiating with four dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church and I support that, they are registered in Montenegro and I hope that you will reach an agreement with them", said Krivokapic on Friday (June 23rd) at the Government session at which the information on forming a working group was adopted, for negotiations on the regulation of relations between religious communities and the state of Montenegro.

As the dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, the Dioceses of Budva and Niksic, Milesevo and Zahumlje and Herzegovina operate.

Radulovic proposes the Croatian model

The legal representative of the Metropolitanate, lawyer Dalibor Kavaric, expects that within the Fundamental Agreement of the state of Montenegro with the Serbian Orthodox Church, all domestic and international regulations in the field of freedom of religion will be respected. "I expect that all these standards will be integrated in this obligation act with the Serbian Orthodox Church, ie with its dioceses, but through a contracting party that would be the Serbian Orthodox Church as a legal entity," states Kavaric.

Branislav Radulovic from the Association of Lawyers, however, points out that four dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church have the status of a legal entity and that the state can only sign a contract with them: "Four dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church are registered in Montenegro and have the status of a legal entity, and as such they should conclude a contract. I will remind you that the situation was absolutely identical when Metropolitan Jovan of Zagreb and Ljubljana concluded an agreement with the Government of Croatia." Radulovic points out that the most logical thing would be for Metropolitan Joanikije to conclude an agreement with Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic on regulating the relations between the Serbian Orthodox Church and the state of Montenegro "if the contracting parties agree and harmonize".

Fundamental Agreement/contract” or just “contract”?

Disputes among ministers also exist over the name of that future agreement. For supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, the name should be "Fundamental Agreement", and political opponents of the Serbian Orthodox Church should be "Agreement".

Dragutin Papovic, a DPS MP who supports the minority government, believes that the Serbian Orthodox Church cannot sign the Fundamental Agreement with the state of Montenegro because it is not a subject of international law and does not have the status of a state church. In the author's text forwarded to the media, Papovic pointed out that only the Holy See (the Pope and the Roman Curia) has the right to such a contract, since the Holy See has a special status in international public law, and at the same time governs the Vatican.

Branislav Radulovic also believes that the agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church cannot be called "fundamental". He also cites the example of the Holy See, which represents the Vatican state with which the state of Montenegro signed the Fundamental Agreement: "This was a Fundamental Agreement between the two countries (Montenegro and the Vatican). In all other cases, as it has already been done for the Jewish and Islamic communities, so with the dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, an Agreement on the regulation of relations should be concluded."

In the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, however, they interpret the term "fundamental" differently. Lawyer Kavaric says that the exclusive binding of the Fundamental Agreement to agreements between states has no basis in law or in domestic and international court practice: “The term Fundamental essentially means basic or fundamental and absolutely does not have to be tied to states. A contract can be fundamental even if it is signed between private legal entities and the term itself means that it is comprehensive, thorough and detailed.”

Ministers from the SDP, as well as DPS officials who support the current government of Dritan Abazovic, treat the Serbian Orthodox Church as a religious community of another state, calling it the "Church of Serbia". This narrative provokes a sharp reaction from the supporters of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The CPC sends a request for negotiations with the state

The head of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church (CPC), Metropolitan Mihailo, announced for "Pobjeda" on June 24 that he would send a letter to Prime Minister Abazovic next week for negotiations with the government team on concluding an agreement on regulating relations between the state and the CPC. The agreement with the CPC, which is unrecognized by other Orthodox churches, as well as the Ecumenical Patriarchate, is supported by the DPS and SDP. However, the President of the Parliament of Montenegro, Danijela Djurovic from the pro-Serbian SNP, stated that she expects to sign an agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church soon, but not with the CPC: "We expect contracts to be signed with canonical churches. From that side, the signing of the agreement with the Montenegrin Orthodox Church is very questionable", said the President of the Parliament for the Television of Montenegro.

In response to the statement of the Speaker of the Parliament, the member of the ruling SDP, Draginja Vuksanovic Stankovic, said on Twitter that the rights of the CPC are not in question.

Regarding the controversy over whether an agreement should be signed with the CPC, Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said that the Government has an identical approach to all religious communities registered with the Ministry of Justice. "I saw the intention of the CPC, they are welcome," Abazovic said.

Abazovic: The agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church will be fast, we can make good use of the Open Balkans (Analitika)

Montenegro can no longer return to the old way, and the Fundamental Agreement with the Serbian Orthodox Church will be signed quickly, said Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic. "We had some differences compared to the text prepared by the previous government, I think everything is as it should be now," he added. He hopes the issue will be resolved to the delight of both sides. "Personally, I think we will get into a situation where we will put the issue ad act very soon, to the joy of both parties. Both the state and the Serbian Orthodox Church. And that is something that is really big", said Abazovic. He said the Open Balkans was "something we can make good use of". "I do not see that this initiative contradicts the EU policy, and it has the strong support of the US administration," Abazovic stressed, adding that he has a "positive attitude" about the Open Balkans. Montenegro reflects the power of reaching agreement and building bridges, which practically didn’t exist in the previous period, said Prime Minister, Dritan Abazovic, adding that the future political relations depend on numerous factors. Ahead of his visit to Belgrade he said he believed we’d never had a greater political stability. “If you ask me whether some problems may occur in the next period – yes, they may happen. But if you ask me whether Montenegro can return to the previous state of play – the answer is no.”

On Open Balkan(s), the Prime Minister says he’s optimistic and thinks of it positively. According to him, all countries of the region need any kind of regional cooperation. He sees Open Balkan(s) as something that can be used in a nice way if everyone approaches it with clear intentions and contribute to it. “I don’t think it’s in defiance of the EU policy.”

PM Abazovic also adds he comes to Serbia with best intentions and messages, wishing to improve relations with Serbia to a higher level. "What my beliefs and what my meetings with President Aleksandar Vucic, which have already taken place in Davos and Ohrid, have shown, are that the other side will absolutely have the same good will as the Montenegrin one. We are going to Belgrade with one wish to refresh our relations", he added.

He also spoke about the position of Serbs in Montenegro. "It is not difficult to be a Serb in Montenegro as much as some wants to present it. It is difficult to be a Montenegrin, an Albanian, anything, because the economic conditions are as they are," he pointed out.

Open Balkan a step backwards, debate needed in Parliament (Pobjeda)

In an interview for Pobjeda, deputy leader of Democratic Montenegro and MP of that party, Dragan Krapovic, says that the Open Balkan regional initiative is a step backwards for the state and unnecessary waste of energy in the process of European integration. He adds that a debate on the issue should be opened in Parliament, including the necessary ratification for potential membership.

“I would not say that only (Serbian President Aleksandar) Vucic is behind the Open Balkan initiative, but also (Albanian President Edi) Rama, as well as the leadership of North Macedonia. Unfortunately, the current geopolitical circumstances are such that globally the world is at a turning point, which is especially true of the European Union, because the biggest war conflict and the biggest crisis since World War II is happening on European soil”, Krapovic explains.

“The aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine leaves more and more consequences every day, a whole range of negative consequences to be more precise, on the economy and political events in the world, and especially on the territory of Europe. All of this can be reflected in the enlargement process in one of two ways, which is currently the subject of a very lively debate”, he adds. “Namely, it may happen that the enlargement process completely stagnates and dies, which would be a catastrophe for the states and societies of the Western Balkans. But this situation can also be a chance for Montenegro, because it is possible that the EU understands the current situation as an incentive to continue the enlargement process, and even to accelerate it by force of circumstances”, Krapovic points out.

If the Government decides to take out a mortgage of the ‘Serbian World’, it’ll end up like the one of Krivokapic (Pobjeda)

From Montenegro’s perspective, ‘Open Balkans’ and the ‘Serbian World’ are synonyms, that is, mean the same. We oppose ‘Open Balkans’ for the same reasons we oppose the ‘Serbian World’. If this government decides to take out a mortgage of the ‘Serbian World’, then it can’t hope for a different response than the one we gave to Zdravko Krivokapic’s government, the Vice President of the Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and MP, Jevto Erakovic, says in an interview for Pobjeda daily.

Mr Erakovic points out that hiding the content of the agreement with the Serbian church arises suspicions that there may come to undermining of the constitutionality and lawfulness, as well as the principle of equality through favouritism or discrimination against the religious communities. He notes that the Montenegrin Orthodox Church must have equal rights and position compared to all other religious communities, adding that it’s in the interest of Montenegro to have agreements with all religious organisations.

On last year’s Cetinje events and the fact that an initiative for the parliamentary inquiry was launched, he says: “The position of the DPS is clear – we expect the inquiry, we’ll do anything for it to happen. We must know what exactly happened. Was it “just” about ignorance and malice, or it was a high treason”?

Reinke: We back Open Balkans without footnotes, aligned with EU principles (MINA)

The United States backs the Open Balkan initiative on one condition – that all countries of the region are fully and equally in it and that it’s fully aligned with the EU principles, the US Ambassador to Montenegro, Judy Rising Reinke, has said. In an interview for Voice of America (VoA), she said that there’s a set of conditions which must be met for the US to back this initiative. “Open Balkans must be completely and equally open for all six countries of the Western Balkans.” The Ambassador also adds that no footnote references or special requirements will be considered. According to her, this would give the Western Balkan countries the chance to build up their economies, set up norms and regulatory principles for free movement of people, goods and funds, and prepare them better on their road to the EU.

Djelosaj: The Open Balkans put an end to the mutual recognition of Serbia and Kosovo (RTCG)

Montenegro must not be inferior when it comes to the Open Balkans initiative, but as a member of NATO, although a small country, it must be among the main actors in the project, said the president of the Albanian Alternative, Nik Djelosaj. He also says that he does not understand the inferiority of certain political structures in Montenegro, while he considers the fear of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic devastating. "It's below the level. Everyone should be offered a chance to change. We are a member of NATO. We should not be afraid of anyone. We should open up for cooperation with everyone, and especially with our neighbours," Djelosaj wrote on Twitter. As he said, the backbone of the Open Balkans will be Montenegro, Albania and Northern Macedonia - three NATO member states, with great support from the United States.

"Kosovo, as the youngest state, will also be part of the Open Balkans. That is, along with Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, a total of six countries. "The Open Balkans is a joint project of our most important international partners, and I am personally educated not only politically, to align myself with American values, without exceptions," said Djelosaj.
According to him, the open Balkans puts the end to the mutual recognition of Serbia and Kosovo and closes, as he said, "the most important open issue between the countries of the Western Balkans."

He believes that we cannot reach the European Union (EU) if we do not open up to our neighbours. "Let's look to the future, not the past. We should take responsibility, not make everything a national theme. We want economic development and cooperation. Who wants to stay in the nineties - good luck to them. I certainly do not want that and I will not", said Djeljosaj.

Picula is writing recommendations for a new enlargement strategy: The EU to encourage the acceleration of Montenegro's accession process (CDM)

The European Parliament has appointed Tonino Picula as rapporteur for the European Union's new enlargement strategy. The Croatian MP from the Socialists and Democrats is the head of the Working Group for the Western Balkans, co-rapporteur for the IPA III financial mechanism, rapporteur for Montenegro, and coordinator of his parliamentary group for foreign affairs, among other duties.

Picula's task will be to formulate a proposal for a new enlargement strategy, which should then be adopted by the European Parliament and then sent to the European Council, the European Commission and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

"The draft report entrusted to me by my colleagues clearly emphasizes the value of enlargement policy as a strategic investment in Europe's security and prosperity, and that it has already greatly contributed to the establishment of peace in war-torn areas. Also, the initial draft report recognizes a fact that I have been talking about for a long time and that I have been insisting on all along, and that is that enlargement is the most effective instrument of EU foreign policy and one of the most successful policies of the Union and that it remains a strategic investment in stability and prosperity on the European continent. It is also important for Croatia, because as long as we do not have other EU members on all our borders, we will not be able to fully use all the possibilities of our membership", Picula pointed out during the appointment.

And enlargement is especially important today in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in order to give Ukraine and Moldova the prospect of prospective membership, but also to give the enlargement policy itself the necessary new impetus and momentum. The process of enlargement of the European Union needs, in addition to new impetus and momentum, continuity, consistency, credibility and performance, the draft report states.

The progress and security of the entire European Union depends on its ability to defend democracy inside and outside its borders, Picula points out, as well as human rights and a multilateral order based on clear rules. "The Geopolitical Union, as announced at the beginning of this mandate by the President of the Commission, Acting Leyen, it was only in the geopolitically extremely demanding circumstances of the war on the Union's border that it gained its real weight. "It is necessary for the EU to maintain and strengthen its geostrategic importance and credibility, and that will be possible only if we become more integrated in the common foreign, security and defense policy, and when we establish more effective decision-making procedures," he pointed out.

Speaking about relations with potential new members, Picula points out that it is necessary for EU members to start fulfilling their obligations to candidates who meet the conditions set before them, to avoid using unresolved bilateral disputes for blackmail and blocking the candidate accession process, and to strategically more communicate the benefits of enlargement, both in the candidate countries and in their own countries.

In the draft report, Picula proposes to speed up the integration of countries that show strategic orientation and commitment to the reforms necessary for EU membership, as well as to finally set clearer, more transparent and consistent benchmarks, and to improve progress and provide ongoing political and technical support. throughout the accession process. Also, to strengthen solidarity and transitional political and economic incentives for accession countries, ensuring that the intermediate steps of integration do not replace but facilitate the ultimate goal of full EU membership.

The draft also pays special attention to our neighborhood, in line with Picula's strategic narrative of the importance of Croatia having other members of the Union at all borders, thus demanding that the achievements of the Western Balkan countries be recognized by opening accession talks with Albania and Northern Macedonia, they should also start by approving visa liberalization for Kosovo without delay. It is necessary, Picula concludes, for the EU to help Bosnia and Herzegovina obtain candidate status as soon as possible, as well as to encourage the acceleration of Montenegro's accession process as the most advanced candidate country.

North Macedonia

Osmani: French proposal not rejected, only the disputed part about Macedonia (TV21)

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Bujar Osmani pointed out that the French proposal was not rejected, but only the part that is disputable for Macedonia. The French proposal did not put the disputed element, the disputed issue in the document as a final solution. Which means that it is not a final proposal of the French presidency, so I cannot say that we did not accept the document. We did not accept the part that is disputable for us, says Osmani.

The truth hurts. Bujar Osmani is especially hurt, as well as Zoran Zaev and Dimitar Kovacevski. Yesterday I said that Bujar Osmani is working for Albania to start negotiations with the EU, and for Macedonia whatever happens. It hurts. But it is true, comments the vice president of VMRO-DPMNE, Aleksandar Nikoloski. Just like I said four years ago that he was working on Macedonia entering the same group with Albania, which was far behind us. They said what I was saying was “science fiction.” After a few months, that “science fiction” was realized and Macedonia did NOT GET a date for negotiations, but that is why it entered the same group with Albania. Also, even then, in 2018, I said that Macedonia with SDSM and DUI will not start negotiations. Now is 2022 and Macedonia IS NOT STARTING negotiations. The truth hurts but it must be told. Responsibility and resignations immediately because you humiliated Macedonia and left it at the bottom of Europe and the Balkans, said Nikoloski.

Osmani responded to accusations by Vice President of the opposition VMRO-DPMNE, Aleksandar Nikolovski, who told Sitel TV on Saturday it seemed to him that Osmani’s policy was more in the interest of Albania than Macedonia.

According to Osmani, such statements not only cross the red lines of decency, but “without a shred of responsibility, casually and voluntarily, attack the overall state position and the success of the entire political spectrum to unite around strategic issues.”

Virtually all citizens, whether Macedonians, Albanians, Roma, Turks, Serbs, Vlachs or Bosniaks, virtually all citizens are united in defense of the state interests and the national interests of our fellow Macedonians. One of the key foundations on which our strength rests in the negotiations with Bulgaria, but also in the representation of our positions in the EU and among the member states, is precisely the unity of the entire political, ethnic, cultural and social spectrum in the country.

I am aware that the struggle for political points is tough and unpleasant, we are all politicians and we are fighting to win the sympathy of our voters, but to allow yourself to attack and try to endanger the key state pillar on which solidarity rests in our positions, it speaks not only of irresponsibility, but of a kind of pathology in the essence of which lies a deep-rooted Albanophobia, said Osmani.

Osmani asks how greedy someone should be and not respect or love the state in order to attack its essential benefit – successful multiethnic unity in strategic interests.

The intention of these theses is clear, which, I hope, are not positions of VMRO-DPMNE. By attacking the Albanians as if they were enemies of this country, an attempt is made to create an ethnic gap on strategic issues, to create discord along ethnic lines, in order to weaken the position of the state and thus ensure a political advantage for the opposition. Our task is to show it, to point it out loud and clear, and thus to thwart them. I assure you that they will not succeed: we will preserve the national interests of our fellow Macedonians, we will preserve the Macedonian language and the uniqueness of the Macedonian culture and decency, and at the same time we will provide a European future for the country and all its citizens, says Osmani.

Albania

Rama: EU needs the Balkans as much as Balkans need EU (Radio Tirana)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said during a visit to Austria that the EU needs the Balkans as much as the Balkans need the EU. This is a perfect place for discussion, some of the stairs go up and some go down, we are in the middle. Some understand it well, some others need encouragement to understand it, today the EU needs the Balkans as much as the Balkans need the EU. On the other hand, I have to say that it is not a good idea to invite someone from the Balkans and leave them waiting in vain because it can really take a long time to hear his word, Rama said.

President Meta and Speaker Nikolla react on Bulgaria's decision to lift veto on North Macedonia (Radio Tirana)

The adoption of the draft law in the Bulgarian Parliament, which paves the way for the lifting of the veto of North Macedonia has been considered a positive signal by President Ilir Meta and Speaker Nikolla. President Ilir Meta said that this is a long-awaited news that paves the way for the start of membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia.

"Finally, the long-awaited news came from friendly Bulgaria, which has always been a staunch supporter of our membership process. The vote by the Bulgarian Parliament to lift the veto on North Macedonia paved the way for the start of membership negotiations for both countries. Waiting in anticipation of the next news from the European Council meeting, which is still ongoing", writes Meta.

The Speaker of the Albanian Parliament, Lindita Nikolla also welcomed the decision of the Bulgarian Parliament to lift the veto on North Macedonia. Nikolla says lifting the veto is a pro-European emancipatory act. According to her, the European Council already has an open path for the opening of negotiations with Albania.

PM Rama shares the album with the most important events of the week (Radio Tirana)

Prime Minister Edi Rama published on Sunday afternoon on social networks the photo album with moments from the activities of the week. Rama starts the photo album with the meeting of the 2 governments that took place on Monday in Pristina, where 19 important cooperation agreements were signed in the field of justice, education, agriculture, infrastructure, tourism and public security, between Albania and Kosovo.

Another moment of the photo album is the official visit to Tirana of the Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin. Marin was received by Prime Minister Edi Rama who noted that, "this is the first visit at this level, since we have diplomatic relations and it comes at a very complex moment for Europe, for NATO and for the whole community of democratic countries”.

Prime Minister Rama also shared photos from Brussels with the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovacevski before the European Union-Western Balkans Summit. The high-level conference with the Western Balkans was held a day before the EU Council session, which discussed the integration of countries in the region.

In a statement to the media before the start of the EU summit on the Western Balkans, Rama said that "we do not want our region to lag behind or take steps back." Rama also published the family photo from Brussels, as he said that "the EU could not release the hostages of Bulgaria".

The photo album continues with photos from the visit of Prime Minister Edi Rama in Austria, where he was received in a meeting by the Austrian Chancellor, Karl Nehammer. During his visit to Austria, Prime Minister Edi Rama was invited together with the Chancellor of Austria, Karl Nehammer, to the European Forum Wachau on the topic "Preserving the future of Europe and EU enlargement".