Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 320 new cases, six deaths (media)
• “Kurti will not be certified to run for election” (media)
• CEC: 47 candidates for MP have had problems with law (media)
• Kurti urges members of Diaspora to register to vote (media)
• In a video address, Haradinaj appeals for unity between political parties (media)
• Thaci, Veseli and others register to vote (Epoka e Re/RTK)
• Srpska Lista facing little opposition in upcoming elections (Prishtina Insight)
• NATO: A stable Kosovo is crucial for stability in the region and our security (Klan)
• UNICEF delivers 1,344 vaccine carriers for regular immunization programme (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Petkovic requests reaction of international community to Haradinaj’s statement (Radio KIM)
• RFE: Belgrade’s support is election trump card of Serbian List
• Djuric: Attendance at Biden’s inauguration for benefit of Serbia (RTS)
• Andjelkovic: Albanians in illusion that Biden would take anti-Serbian approach (Kosovo-online)
• PM Brnabic says Bahrain aid among biggest donations to Serbia (N1)
• Gracanica: Fewer newly infected with Covid-19 (Radio KIM)
• Office for KiM: Intrusion into the Health Center in Strpce, anti-civilization behaviour of Pristina (Kosovo Online)
• Strpce Health Center Director: The intrusion of inspectors and police was unnecessary, we did not and do not have a vaccine (Kosovo Online)
• Fatherland movement’s statement regarding vaccinations of Kosovo Serbs and others (Facebook)

Opinion:

• US approach to switch from quick-fix dealmaking to experience and cooperation (intellinews.com)

International:

• Up to 20 bln euros for Western Balkan private sector by 2027, says European Investment Bank (Reuters)
• Western Balkans and Ukraine urged to scrutinise coal subsidies (intellinews.com)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Serbia Becomes First European Nation To Use China's Sinopharm Vaccine (RFE)

   

Albanian Language Media 

  COVID-19: 320 new cases, six deaths (media)

320 new cases of COVID-19 and six deaths from the virus were recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 

269 persons have recovered from the virus during this time. 

“Kurti will not be certified to run for election” (media)

Several online media outlets report that the leader of the Vetevendosje Movement (VV) Albin Kurti will not be certified by the Central Election Commission to run in February parliamentary elections.

Klan Kosova quotes sources saying that apart from Kurti, VV's other two candidates - Albulena Haxhiu and Liburn Aliu - will also not be certified after being convicted for their role in releasing tear gas at the Assembly.

Haxhiu commented on the CEC announcement saying that the support for Kurti cannot be contested and that the citizens are rightfully outraged at what she said were intentional attempts to remove Kurti from the election ticket. "This is what happens in a captured state! These are the last attempts and kicks of those that captured the state and those that served it," she wrote on Facebook.

The CEC today announced that 47 candidates have been found to have had problems with the law, specifically regarding the article of the Law on General Elections which states that persons that have been found guilty for a criminal offense with a final court decision in the last three years cannot be candidates for MP. 

CEC: 47 candidates for MP have had problems with law (media)

The Central Election Commission said at a press conference today that relevant judicial institutions have conducted background checks on candidates running in February 14 elections and that 47 of them have had run-ins with the law.

"15 out of 28 political entities that have applied for certification have candidates that are not in accordance with Article 29 of the Law on General Elections, under "q", which stipulates that a candidate for MP cannot be someone who has been found guilty of a criminal offence by a final court decision in the past three years. After receiving these answers, the office for registration of political parties and certification will prepare the recommendation for approval or rejection of the certification of political entities and their candidates. These recommendations will be presented at the CEC meeting," said CEC spokesperson Valmir Elezi.

He said the CEC will make a decision on the eligibility of candidates by 22 January. "In case a political entity or candidate is not certified, they can appeal to the Election Complaints and Appeals Panel. The issue can go as far as the Supreme Court if the party is not pleased with the ECAP ruling. The period of complaints and decisions is set to conclude by 31 January," Elezi explained. 

Kurti urges members of Diaspora to register to vote (media)

Leader of the Vetevendosje Movement (VV) Albin Kurti has called on the members of the Kosovo Diaspora to vote in February 14 elections.

In a video message outlining the steps that need to be followed to register to vote, Kurti said: "Little time is left until the long-awaited change. Please follow carefully the instructions of the Central Election Commission because your vote is important."

Kurti said there is extraordinary interest on the part of the Diaspora members to vote in upcoming elections which he stressed is a right guaranteed and protected by the Constitution of Kosovo. "I urge you to use this fundamental right which makes you an inseparable part of decision-making processes in the political scene and in election of people's representatives in institutions." 

"Together we are stronger and closer to the referendum," Kurti said.

In a video address, Haradinaj appeals for unity between political parties (media)

Leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the party's candidate for president, Ramush Haradinaj, shared a video address to the people of Kosovo ahead of early parliamentary elections. 

He said that this year Kosovo must not only work in addressing the consequences of the pandemic, the economic recovery, but also in strengthening Kosovo's security, education, health, rule of law. "We, the political forces, must be united in facing all these consequences, and all these challenges that await Kosovo. I know that we all dream that Kosovo not only strengthens the country's army and security but also joins NATO. We will realize our dream together. It is also our dream to join the European family, be a member of the EU. We will work in this direction for Kosovo to join the EU and the UN, so there is a great deal of work ahead of us."

Haradinaj noted that he is aware that many are disappointed with Kosovo politics but that he is seeking trust to become the future president in order to be Kosovo's guardian. "Let the 14 February be a new start for Kosovo," he declared. 

Thaci, Veseli and others register to vote (Epoka e Re/RTK)

Former president of Kosovo Hashim Thaci, former leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Kadri Veseli, former Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi and former MP Rexhep Selimi who are in detention at the Hague after being charged by the Specialist Chambers of war crimes are reported to have applied to register to vote for upcoming elections in Kosovo. 

Epoka e Re quoted sources saying that other detainees - Hysni Gucati, Nasim Haradinaj, Salih Mustafa - have also applied for registration and that the procedure is being finalised. 

Srpska Lista facing little opposition in upcoming elections (Prishtina Insight)

Three weeks ahead of Kosovo’s parliamentary election on February 14, opposition parties competing with the Belgrade-backed Srpska Lista for the 10 seats representing Kosovo Serbs at the Assembly are not optimistic.

Nenad Rasic, who was leader of the Sloboda coalition in the previous parliamentary elections in October 2019, tells Prishtina Insight that there is no chance of free and fair elections, likening the votes for Kosovo Serb seats to elections in North Korea.

“Kosovo institutions are not capable of providing conditions for normal elections. That’s it,” he says, adding that he has made numerous complaints about intimidation and threats to the Kosovo police and prosecution but with very few results.

In its report on the October 2019 elections, the EU’s observer mission stated that opposition parties in Serb-majority areas were “unable to mount effective campaigns due in part to intimidation of candidates, their families and voters in general.” 

Rasic tells Prishtina Insight that any campaigning this year will be done very discreetly, with the majority being conducted through telephone messaging as even door-to-door campaigning is deemed too risky.

Srpska Lista won all 10 seats in 2019, and seems likely to repeat the feat in February, facing even less opposition this time around. In 2019, the Sloboda coalition and two other parties ran against Srpska Lista, while in 2021 only two citizens’ initiatives are competing, fielding a total of just eight candidates. 

One candidate, Rada Trajkovic who is part of Gradanska Inicijativa Za slobodu, pravdu i opstanak (Citizens’ Initiative for Freedom, Justice and Survival), tells Prishtina Insight that she expects another strong showing for Srpska Lista as voters are likely to “succumb to pressures” including “intimidation and vote buying.”

Trajkovic, who has twice previously served as an MP, believes that Kosovo Serbs are unable to vote freely due to a financial dependence on public institutions under the power of Srpska Lista. 

“All of us are aware that the majority of Serbs in Kosovo are still financially dependent on Belgrade, and Srpska Lista fully controls the institutions that employ these people,” she says. “There is absolutely no space for political freedom, as Kosovo Serbs are blackmailed and their very survival is dependent on their vote for Srpska Lista.” 

Trajkovic adds that Srpska Lista’s control over public employment has now extended, encompassing both Kosovar and parallel Serbian institutions. “Srpska Lista has also taken control of the local institutions that are part of the Kosovo system, so we now have a situation in which Kosovo Serbs cannot escape Srpska Lista’s influence over their lives, even if they gain employment in Kosovo institutions.”

At the 2019 elections, the Independent Liberal Party, SLS, received more votes than any other Kosovo Serb opposition party. However, the SLS has not registered to compete in this year’s elections. Prishtina Insight contacted Slobodan Petrovic, SLS leader and former deputy Prime Minister, to enquire as to why but received no response.

Both Trajkovic and Rasic believe that another Srpska Lista whitewash in February is all but inevitable. “As long as Vucic’s repressive regime is in power, the democratic prospect for Kosovo Serbs will remain bleak,” Trajkovic says. “Only a change of government in Belgrade would bring back democracy to our community.”

Prishtina Insight contacted Srpska Lista leader Goran Rakic to discuss the oppositions’ allegations of intimidation, but received no response.

See at: https://bit.ly/36ePrST NATO: A stable Kosovo is crucial for stability in the region and our security (Klan)

Commander of NATO Joint Force Command Naples, Admiral Robert P. Burke said that a stable Kosovo is crucial for the stability of the region and beyond.

"The Alliance also continues to support dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, facilitated by the EU, as the only way for a long-term solution of the issue," Burke told Klan Kosova.

He said that in recent years, a great deal of progress has been achieved in Kosovo but that some challenges still remain including: "the influence of organised crime, illegal economic activities, and the damaging rhetoric on ethnic basis." Burke said that unemployment is also a concern, particularly in light of the pandemic outbreak but said that KFOR is fully aware of these factors and monitors them closely. 

"There are absolutely no indications that the current security situation will change for the worse. In any case, we remain vigilant."

Admiral Burke, who took the position as Commander of NATO Joint Force Command Naples in July of 2020, visited recently Pristina, Sarajevo and Belgrade. He said the aim of the trip was to present himself and his team and also meet NATO officials in the region to explore advancing cooperation.

UNICEF delivers 1,344 vaccine carriers for regular immunization programme (media)

UNICEF in partnership with the British Embassy in Kosovo and the Luxembourg Government donated 1,344 vaccine carriers for regular immunization which will contribute to strengthening the vaccination programme in Kosovo. 

The vaccine carries are part of UNICEF’s support to strengthen the cold chain infrastructure in Kosovo. "Thanks to the carriers, mobile teams of health workers will be able to provide targeted immunization services for communities and children who are the hardest to reach, such as children from rural areas, children from non-majority communities, and those children living with disabilities or further away from health centers," UNICEF said in a press release.   

It added that the carriers will also be used by front line health workers as part of Covid-19 vaccine deployment in Kosovo, where around 4,500 people are planned to be vaccinated during the first phase and 360,000 people during the second phase. Kosovo Institute of Public Health and 191 health institutions at regional and local level will receive the vaccine carriers.

   

Serbian Language Media

  Petkovic requests reaction of international community to Haradinaj’s statement (Radio KIM)

“Neither Brussels nor Washington, nor any other center of power must remain silent on the rattling of weapons and the threats of creating an artificial and ethnically cleansed creation, dangerous for peace and stability in an entire Balkans”, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said following the statements of Ramush Haradinaj on referendum and unification of Kosovo with Albania, Radio KIM reports.   

Petkovic also said “any failure to react to such dangerous intentions, could be interpreted as a silent approval”.

“That is why it was necessary for the EU to clearly and unambiguously take a stance on such actions from Pristina”, Petkovic said in a statement.

He added that however, latest threats on creating a “Great Albania” were similar to those on introducing 100 percent tariffs on goods from central Serbia.

“We resisted back then, and we shall resist all future threats and blackmailing, since the peace is a priority to us”, Petkovic noted.   

RFE: Belgrade’s support is election trump card of Serbian List

In addition to Serbian List, two other political entities from the Serbian community will try to win a seat in the Assembly of Kosovo in the February parliamentary elections.

Serbian List registered 20 candidates for the snap parliamentary elections on February 14, Civic Initiative “For Freedom, Justice and Survival” registered three candidates and Serbian Democratic Union five candidates.

Civic Initiative “For Freedom, Justice and Survival” is led by Milan Dabic from Gracanica near Pristina, and this initiative is supported by the Progressive Democratic Party (PDS) of Nenad Rasic. In addition to Dabic, there are two other candidates on the list, namely Rada Trajkovic and Cvetko Veljkovic, who briefly held the position of the Head of the Office for Communities in the government of Albin Kurti.

In a statement to Radio Free Europe (RFE), leader of Progressive Democratic Party Nenad Rasic explained that he did not run personally because “there are young people who can do a lot”.

He explained that another reason why he’s not running was “a legal case” which was being conducted against him, and that is why he did not want to “desecrate the election process”.

In April last year, the Special Prosecutor’s Office of Kosovo filed an indictment against 19 people, including Nenad Rasic, for abusing their official position during the privatization of public companies in 2013. At that time, Rasic was the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare in the Kosovo Government.

Rasic opined that Serbs in Kosovo could only change something by participating in the elections, and added that “the people are tired of being manipulated”. ”Serbs at this moment do not have adequate representatives in the institutions, and it is shown every day”, Rasic said. 

Serbian Democratic Union will be led by Slavisa Petkovic. He decided to re-engage politically so that Serbs in Kosovo would have more options to vote for. “We will try to stop this oppression of the Serbian List as well”, Petkovic told RFE.

However, he did not expect an equal fight because “the Serbian List has the logistics of the Government of Serbia”.

RFE pointed out that this time as well, only the Serbian List has the support of the official Belgrade.

During the submission of the SL list of candidates to the Central Election Commission in Pristina on January 15, the President of Serbian List, Goran Rakic said that the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, was behind that political entity.

“Behind the Serbian List are the results, and what is most important is that President Aleksandar Vucic stands behind the Serbian List, as well as the Serbian people. I am deeply convinced, that is, I know the Serbian List will win all ten mandates this time as well”, Rakic ​​said.

Meanwhile, the Party of Kosovo Serbs (PKS) of Aleksandar Jablanovic has decided not to participate in the upcoming elections. It was said in their press release that the Central Election Commission did not provide free and democratic conditions for conducting the elections in Serb-majority areas.

Ognjen Gogic, a political analyst of NGO Aktiv, which seeks to ensure the participation of citizens in the decision-making process at the local and central level in Kosovo, opined that there has been no political pluralism within the Serbian community for some time.

“A monopoly of Serbian List has been established, primarily because of Belgrade’s support. It is, to some extent, Belgrade’s policy to put all Serbs under one umbrella represented by the Serbian List. Breaking of all other political parties was done systematically, they were portrayed as disloyal and so on”, Gogic told RFE.

He added that in this pre-election campaign, the Serbian List probably “will not be hostile to others, so there will be no bad blood among Serbs”, but he emphasizes that there was no equality among political entities participating in the elections.

Djuric: Attendance at Biden’s inauguration for benefit of Serbia (RTS)

Serbian Ambassador to the US, Marko Djuric who would attend inauguration of new President of the US, Joseph Biden said he would use this, but also any other opportunity to make contacts with people from the political, economic or cultural elites of the country, for the benefit of Serbia, RTS reports.

Djuric also said priorities of Serbia in Washington include political rapprochement and advancing the dialogue at a high political level, as frequent contacts with the American state leadership as possible, mutual visits of officials, MPs, artists, public figures, in order to be as close as possible, better understand one other and avoid misunderstandings from the past.

Djuric added he was officially accredited in the US and the Serbian Embassy there works at its full capacities now.

Asked if implementation of the Washington Agreement would be among priorities in his agenda at the meetings with US officials, Djuric said “Serbia would continue fulfilling its obligations from that agreement, but expects nothing less from others – to diligently and responsibly fulfill their obligations. I would like to say they do so, however I am afraid that was not always the case”, he said.

Djuric recalled that Serbia and the US would mark 140 anniversary since establishment of diplomatic relations which, as he said, is an opportunity to get closer and recall our cooperation and unity, above all from the two World Wars.  

Andjelkovic: Albanians in illusion that Biden would take anti-Serbian approach (Kosovo-online)

New administration in Washington to a great extent would continue Donald Trump’s policy towards the Balkans and try to make the most out of the scopes of the Washington agreement, political analyst Dragan Andjelkovic told Kosovo-online portal.

He also said the statement of a future US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that he supports some of the actions of a former president Donald Trump, including the Belgrade-Pristina agreement in Washington “was expected”.

“America has the way too many problems on its own, being it internally, or when it comes to its positioning towards some major issues such as relations with the EU, China and Russia. These are all too big problems for it to deal with us”, Andjelkovic added.   

He recalled Serbs at certain moments “believed” Trump would fully give up on the previous American policy and turn the things in favor of the Serbs.

“And it happened Trump became much favourable to us, because he was not against us, but still far away from taking our side. It is the same with Albanians now “believing” that Biden would fully give up on Trump’s policy and resort to the old anti-Serbian approach before Trump. Biden would likely show some more sympathy to the Albanians, but he is far from not respecting the legacy of Trump and his administration when it comes to the Balkans and will try building the US policy on some more balanced grounds”, he said.

According to Andjelkovic Americans are aware the international scene has changed significantly and that Russia and China were getting stronger.

“Serbia managed to position itself well, to have good relations with those powers and yet diminished animosity the West had towards it. Under such circumstances Americans know it well; if they would go strongly against Serbia they would cause a contra effect. Serbia would turn to Russia and China. One should not expect they would act aggressively towards us, but rather try to use the most out of the scopes of the Washington agreement”, Andjelkovic said.

PM Brnabic says Bahrain aid among biggest donations to Serbia (N1)

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said the aid shipment from Bahrain that arrived in Belgrade on Wednesday was among the biggest donations Serbia had received since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, N1 reports.

“This is one of the biggest individual donations to Serbia during the fight against corona”, Brnabic told the media at Belgrade airport after the Air Serbia aircraft with the aid shipment landed. She added this was the fifth shipment of aid from Bahrain since President Aleksandar Vucic spoke to King Hamad last November. “Serbia was offered all aid and support in the fight against corona”, she said.

Media reported the shipment includes 20 ventilators.

Brnabic also thanked Air Serbia, saying that all the aid from across the world would not have reached Serbian hospitals as quickly without the airline.

See at: https://bit.ly/3p1IwDO Gracanica: Fewer newly infected with Covid-19 (Radio KIM)

Three new cases of Covid-19 infection have been registered in the territory of Gracanica municipality over the last five days, while 13 persons are hospitalized, Crisis Committee of this municipality announced, Radio KIM reports.

According to the Gracanica Crisis Committee over the last couple of days a declining trend in the number of newly infected has been observed, however, there is still a risk of this number getting higher.

“That is why it is still necessary for all of us to act responsibly and adhere to all protective measures as this is the only way to prevent a new increase in the number of infected people”, Crisis Committee said.

Since registration of the first case in Gracanica municipality up to date a total of 311 persons have been infected, Radio KIM recalled.  

Office for KiM: Intrusion into the Health Center in Strpce, anti-civilization behaviour of Pristina (Kosovo Online)

The inspection of the Pristina Ministry of Health, followed by members of the police, broke into the Health Center in Strpce today, which operates within the health system of the Republic of Serbia, looking for vaccines against Covid-19, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced, reported portal Kosovo Online. 

The statement reads that a search was carried out at the Vaccination Department, the Covid ambulance and the Surgery Department, which caused anxiety among the employees of the Health Center, reported the portal. 

Inspectors made a report stating that they did not find vaccines, and the director of the Health Center has been warned that possession of "illegally acquired vaccines" was a criminal offense.

"There is no administrative or political excuse to justify Pristina's inhuman behaviour, especially considering that this is not the first attempt to prevent adequate and timely protection and treatment of members of the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija. The Office for Kosovo and Metohija and the Republic of Serbia during the entire epidemic, took non-discriminatory measures in order to protect the health and life of people, without making any distinctions on national or religious grounds, and that is the only correct and civilized way to face the common threat," the statement said.

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija will inform the competent international instances about Pristina's anti-civilization actions through all available channels, because political interests and reasons cannot and must not be an obstacle to the realization of the basic human rights of Serbs in Kosovo, quoted portal Kosovo Online. 

"The Republic of Serbia is conducting a mass vaccination against Covid-19, and the right to the vaccine is already exercised by our citizens living in Kosovo and Metohija," the statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija reads.

Strpce Health Center Director: The intrusion of inspectors and police was unnecessary, we did not and do not have a vaccine (Kosovo Online)

The director of the Health Center in Strpce Dr. Sasa Krsticic told Kosovo Online portal that today's intrusion of the representatives of the Kosovo Ministry of Health and the Kosovo Police into that institution brought unrest among the employees, but also among the citizens of the Sirinicka parish.

He emphasized that the Health Center in Strpce does not and did not have a vaccine against coronavirus.  

"They searched the vaccination room, the surgery department and the Covid clinic. We reiterated that we do not have that vaccine, nor have we organized it so far, and we do not plan to organize vaccination against corona infection at the level of the Health Center. They said that they did not find anything, but they told us that any possession of that vaccine is a crime, because in their opinion that vaccine enters Kosovo illegally and that is why we must not possess it," said Krsticic.

According to him, the citizens of this part of Kosovo who want to be vaccinated, can do it on the territory of central Serbia, and it has not been decided yet whether it will be in Raska or Kursumlija.

"People have applied, there are people interested in receiving those vaccines, but they will only be able to do that on the territory of central Serbia," Dr. Krsticic repeated.

He reminds that the process of storing and storing the vaccine is very complicated and complex, and emphasizes that the Health Center in Strpce, as the primary health institution, does not have the conditions for that, reported portal Kosovo Online.

Fatherland movement’s statement regarding vaccinations of Kosovo Serbs and others (Facebook) 

On Wednesday, the People's Movement of Serbs from Kosovo Fatherland published a press release, commenting on the vaccination of Kosovo Serbs and others.   

Fatherland posted its statement on Facebook criticising the plan of the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, which in their view “shows the full extent of national treason”, since the residents of Kosovo would have to go twice to Central Serbia to be vaccinated. They opined that the cost of this undertaking would be very high, since in their estimation up to 100,000 people would have to be transported, including Kosovo Serbs, but also Gorani, Roma and some “K-Albanians that respect the state of Serbia”.   

“Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, knowing that their President was a liar, a thief, a traitor, also realized that he was a real coward. Just as he was not allowed to react and enable the arrival of the so-called Russian train to Kosovo and Metohija, just as he closed his eyes to the arrest of Marko Djuric, then Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, agreed to the introduction of 100% tariffs on goods from central Serbia, he must also obey Pristina not to have the vaccination of his citizens in their place of residence because it thereby violates the statehood of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo,” the Movement Fatherland stated inter alia. 

   

Opinion

  US approach to switch from quick-fix dealmaking to experience and cooperation (intellinews.com)

If the outgoing Trump administration sought to score points against the EU in the Western Balkans and ignored the complexities of Balkan politics in favour of winning a quick foreign policy triumph, his successor Joe Biden can be expected to do more or less the opposite. 

Biden’s much publicised history in the region goes back to the 1970s when he attended the funeral of politician and economist Edward Kardelj as part of a high-level US delegation, meeting afterwards with Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito. When Yugoslavia disintegrated in the 1990s, he pushed for the US to intervene first in Bosnia & Herzegovina and later in Kosovo. As Barack Obama’s vice president from 2008-2016, he took part in the peace process between Serbia and Kosovo. 

As he takes power on January 20, faced with the pandemic that has claimed almost 400,000 lives in the US, violent extremists within his country still seething at the election result, a much deteriorated relationship with major European powers and challenges from Russia and China, the Western Balkan region is unlikely to be high on Biden’s agenda. 

Yet the problems of the last few decades remain unresolved, and new disputes are surfacing. The conflict between Belgrade and Pristina is outstanding, stymying both countries’ progress towards EU accession. Tensions and a questioning of the Dayton Accord that ended the Bosnian wars of the 1990s have been growing in Bosnia, where Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of the country’s tripartite presidency, has repeatedly challenged the existence of the Bosnian state itself, calling for the secession of the Serb entity Republika Srpska. A new rift has opened up in the last few months as Bulgaria vetoed the start of accession talks for North Macedonia when fellow EU members refused to accept conditions Sofia wanted to set concerning the Macedonian language and identity.

See more at: https://bit.ly/2XWFhS7    

International

  Up to 20 bln euros for Western Balkan private sector by 2027, says European Investment Bank (Reuters)

The EU’s Western Balkan Guarantee Facility could secure up to 20 billion euros ($24 billion) for the private sector in the region by 2027, European Investment Bank Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova told Reuters.

“We know that SMEs (small and medium size enterprises) are backbone of the European economy, and that it accounts for 70% of the economy,” Pavlova said.

She said the Western Balkan facility would be operational by the end of the year.

Six countries in the region - Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia - all aim to join the European Union, and to make their economies competitive they need to reduce the state footprint in their economies.

See more at: https://reut.rs/3o2WFiJ Western Balkans and Ukraine urged to scrutinise coal subsidies (intellinews.com)

The Energy Community secretariat has sent letters to the national state aid authorities of Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine, encouraging the further assessment of measures related to their compatibility with the EU state aid acquis, it said on January 19.

Last December, the secretariat published a new study on coal subsidies in these six countries for the period 2018-2019. The study pinpointed the direct and hidden subsidies channelled to the coal sector in the contracting parties to the Energy Community Treaty.

It revealed that the five Western Balkan countries plus Ukraine provided more than €2bn in coal subsidies in the five-year period from 2015 to 2019. This included over €900mn in coal subsidies in 2018 and 2019. The study also noted that subsidies were often provided to unprofitable and inefficient thermal power plants and coal mines.

See more at: https://bit.ly/39K5sB0    

Humanitarian/Development

  Serbia Becomes First European Nation To Use China's Sinopharm Vaccine (RFE)

Serbia became the first European country to begin a mass inoculation campaign using China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, with health officials and hundreds of uniformed soldiers lining up to get their jabs in the capital, Belgrade.

"It is the only way to return to normal life," Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar said on January 19 as he became the first person to receive the vaccine in an event broadcast live on state television.

"These are all very safe vaccines," Loncar said from Belgrade’s virology institute.

Meanwhile, at an exhibition hall in the capital, hundreds of soldiers in camouflage uniforms bared their arms to receive their shots from dozens of nurses.

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