LOCAL PRESS 

Serbia marks Armistice Day (Beta/RTS/Tanjug/RTV) 

Serbia marked Armistice Day on Wednesday as a holiday with state institutions and schools closed for the day. The end of the fighting in World War I has been marked as a state holiday in Serbia since 2012. Prior to the pandemic, the first class of the day was a history lesson about the Great War, a tradition started in 2005. To mark the anniversary, Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic and Labor, Employment, Veterans’ and Social Affairs Minister Darija Kisic Tepavcevic laid wreaths on the monument to the soldiers who defended Belgrade in that war. Serbians wear badges with a green and black ribbon around a purple flower (Ramonda Nathalie or Nathalie’s Ramonda found in Serbia and North Macedonia and named after Queen Natalija Obrenovic) which is considered to be a symbol of the Serbian army’s struggle in the Great War.

Deserving citizens, institutions decorated on occasion of Armistice Day(Tanjug/RTS/B92) 

On the occasion of marking Armistice Day in the First World War, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic awarded decorations to the deserving citizens and institutions. In view of the current situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the names of decorated citizens were read, and they will receive the medals personally once the epidemiological situation allows so. The reading of the names of the decorated citizens was attended by Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and one of the decorated citizens, epidemiologist Predrag Kon. Vucic wished a happy Armistice Day to the citizens of Serbia and said that on this day great Serbian tragedies, as well as glorious victories are being observed. The President added that today is an opportunity to express gratitude to those who gave everything they had for their homeland, but also to those who are doing everything today to save the lives of citizens.

Brnabic signs declaration on joint market (RTS/Tanjug) 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic said at the online summit of the Western Balkans in Sofia that Serbia wants to accelerate the EU integration process and also strongly supports the accession to the EU and our neighbors, especially North Macedonia and Albania, because it is extremely important for the prosperity and stability of the entire region. Speaking at a meeting held within the Berlin Process, Brnabic spoke about the serious economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and expressed a desire to expand the connection of the Green Corridor outside the Western Balkans, expanding the reach and potential towards neighboring EU member states and the wider EU. According to her, that would be an important step in the economic recovery and stronger economic harmonization of the Western Balkans and the EU.

She expressed readiness to join the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), an EU initiative to simplify bank transfers, estimating that this would result in a reduction in the cost of regional payments and serve as a good mechanism for post-COVID recovery. Brnabic reiterated Serbia's commitment to implementing all five pillars of the Green Agenda, in line with the regional socio-economic reality, and asked EU partners to consider ways to access additional funding to implement the agenda, which will be very challenging and expensive. Brnabic, on behalf of Serbia, signed the Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, as well as the Declaration of the Leaders of the Western Balkans on the Common Regional Market. In addition to numerous European leaders, the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria and North Macedonia Boyko Borisov and Zoran Zaev participated in the Summit, as co-organizers, as well as German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Borrell: Preparation for EU (Beta) 

In his address to the summit, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borrell welcomed the Declaration on creating the Western Balkans common market, describing it as a way to unleash economic potential and make the region capable of joining the EU. Borrell said the EU's engagement with the Western Balkans region was and has remained strong because "the Western Balkans are in the heart of Europe and its future is in the EU."

He added the Western Balkans' integration into the EU, along with improving prosperity, justice and security, had been in the common interest of the Union and the region. Later on Tuesday, Sem Fabrizi, the Head of the EU Delegation in Serbia, welcomed the adoption of the Declaration on Western Balkans common market, adding it took the region closed to the bloc.

Varhelyi says guarantees to help Serbia, Pastor says EU attitude unfair (FoNet) 

European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said on Tuesday that guarantees would be raised with the help of the EU guarantees instrument for the Western Balkans which would help companies in Serbia. “The guarantees will be secured through local banks and available finances will be increased,” he told the online Third Regional Business Forum in the Vojvodina Chamber of Commerce. He added that this will help develop startups and innovative companies. Speaking at the same online gathering, Vojvodina Assembly speaker Istvan Pastor said that the EU’s attitude towards Serbia during the coronavirus pandemic was unfair. “We expected at least more significant moral support from the EU but that did not come unfortunately. I can allow myself the luxury of saying that the EU attitude towards Serbia was absolutely unfair. If nothing else, one or two more chapters could have been opened as a kind of moral support,” he said.

Selakovic: Serbia to intensify political dialogue with the UK (Tanjug) 

Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic talked on the phone on Tuesday with Minister for European Neighborhood and the Americas at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Wendy Morton. In an open conversation on a number of topics important for the bilateral relations between Serbia and the United Kingdom, Selakovic invited Minister Morton to visit Belgrade by the end of this year. He said that Serbia is interested in intensifying political dialogue and exchanging high-level visits, so that bilateral relations between the two countries would be as good as possible, and cooperation in all fields of common interest would be improved in the spirit of friendship and mutual trust. Selakovic pointed out that there are great untapped potentials for the improvement of economic relations, growth of trade exchange and investments of the United Kingdom in Serbia, stated the announcement of the Serbian Foreign Ministry.

Dacic: Budget to be rebalanced because government wants to help citizens and businesses (TV Prva/Beta) 

Serbian parliament speaker Ivica Dacic has said that the parliament session beginning on Tuesday, which will have just one item on the agenda - a budget rebalance proposal, would last double the usual time, i.e. the MPs would debate it for 10 rather than the usual five hours.

"This is the second budget rebalance this year, primarily because of the pandemic, because of all the consequences the pandemic has left on our society and thereby on our financial system, i.e. to enable the government to react and help both citizens and businesses," Dacic told TV Prva. A budget rebalance, as he put it, gives Serbia a chance to this year continue to maintain its excellent economic results despite the pandemic. "Serbia will most likely pass, according to all indicators and forecasts, with the smallest decrease in production, i.e. gross domestic product, and with good foundations for achieving high growth rates in the coming years, which could over the next two years cumulatively bring growth of as much as 10 percent," he said. This is preparation for the 2021 budget, which will be on the agenda next month, Dacic added.

GRECO report: Serbia again “globally unsatisfactory”, calls for publication of report (N1) 

The Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) called on the Serbian authorities to allow the publication of the second report from the Fourth Evaluation Round as soon as possible, in which the level of compliance with the recommendations of this Council of Europe body was assessed as “globally unsatisfactory”. On the official GRECO website, the report on Serbia has the status of “confidential” and is not available to the public. In order for it to become public, it is necessary for the Serbian government to allow its publication. The same invitation as to Serbia was sent to Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Lithuania, Slovakia and Turkey, and the decision was made at the 86th plenary session of GRECO, which sat from 26 to 29 October 2020 in Strasbourg. We recall that the Fourth Evaluation Round refers to the prevention of corruption in relation to MPs, judges and prosecutors, and that two compliance reports have been published so far. The first evaluation report published in March 2018 also concluded that Serbia’s compliance was “globally unsatisfactory” because none of the 13 GRECO recommendations was fully implemented. The next report, Interim Compliance Report published in April 2019 said that none of the recommendations had been fully implemented, but that the number of partly implemented recommendations had grown from seven to 10, which was then enough for GRECO to no longer consider Serbia’s compliance “globally unsatisfactory.” The successful implementation of the reform of the Serbian Constitution in the area of ​​the judiciary, which is currently at a standstill, will have a great impact on fulfilling GRECO’s recommendations, given that several recommendations concern ensuring the independence of judges and prosecutors. GRECO is a body set up by the Council of Europe (CoE) to monitor member state compliance with CoE anti-corruption standards.

REGIONAL PRESS 

 

Berlin Process 2020: Western Balkans leaders sign plan for formation of common market (Hayat)

The Berlin Process 2020 Sofia Summit took place in Sofia, Bulgaria on Tuesday. Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Minister of Foreign Affairs Bisera Turkovic attended the summit via video link to represent B&H. The B&H delegation received a last-minute approval of the B&H Council of Ministers (CoM) and B&H Presidency to attend the summit. Turkovic stated on that B&H supports the EU market and the region work steadily towards the EU integration. Leaders of the Western Balkans signed the plan for the formation of a common market, which has been called ‘Mini-Schengen’. The obligations of the countries will be to expand their markets, recognize products and services of the neighboring countries they have not before, to enable the freedom of movement for students, researchers, professors and individuals travelling the region. The costs of regional payments need to be lowered, while a regional innovation ecosystem which will support the digital transformation needs to be supported as well. The Western Balkans are required to use 5G network by the end of 2025 and to establish free roaming, as well as cheaper roaming between the region and the EU. On behalf of B&H, Turkovic signed all the documents that enable B&H to join the new, common regional market and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. “Our entire region accepts standards of the common market of the EU and speeds up its path to the EU. We are stronger together”. Prime Minister of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev said that they agreed that it is necessary to invest more to move further on the path of the EU integration and to improve economic cooperation. He stressed that only an integrated and connected region is capable of moving towards the EU. Zaev assessed that the region entered a new phase of cooperation and has taken over control over many initiatives. The common action plan discussed digitalization, innovation, investments, joint markets and industry. The formation of the regional market will be done parallel to the integration into the EU and its joint market. These are obligations agreed upon in the plan, signed by representatives of six countries of the Western Balkans. German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that the formation of the common market for the region is significant and it sends an encouraging message to the others. She added that this is important for both people and companies. Merkel said that the goal of the Berlin Process is the calming down of historical tension. Merkel said that a decision on the ‘Mini-Schengen’ is an important message in this era that is uncertain for the economy. She said: “This is an important crossroad for countries of the region to get closer and to strengthen mutual cooperation. It is important to say that this is a conference organized by an EU member state and a country that aspires to become one. You must not forget that you must coexist together. I call on everyone to come to the conference of the Berlin Process in Berlin next year if the circumstances allow it”. The Summit was held under the joint chairmanship of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of the North Macedonia. Bulgarian Prime Minister (PM) Boyko Borissov reminded that two years ago, all leaders of the EU – along with leaders of the countries of the region – offered the perspective for the Western Balkans and that the new EUR nine billion of the European financial assistance will offer big infrastructural possibilities to the region. Borisov said: “What we fantasized about like railway and road connection is happening today. I am happy that they harmonized the views to sign the Sofia declaration with the Green Agenda. The EU member states have a plan to reach zero emission rate by 2050. It is good that the Western Balkan countries will also be on this road, even before joining the EU”. Attending the Summit, Oliver Varhelyi, Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, said that the commitment of the regional leaders to develop a common regional market and implement a green and digital transition is crucial for bringing the region closer to the EU. He reminded to the Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans which aims to mobilize up to EUR 9 billion of EU grants to speed up the region's socio-economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and to accelerate its economic convergence with the EU. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said: “Western Balkans is the heart of Europe and their future is in the EU. That is why our engagement in the region has been and remained strong. We have a shared interest in integrating the Western Balkans and to enhance their prosperity, justice and security.” This is a message that everyone seems to be aware of in the EU and the region except B&H, added the reporter.

CEFTA on summit in Sofia: We will directly lead main activities related to trade sector (O kanal)

The Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) stated on Tuesday that – when it comes to the summit in Sofia - they will directly lead the main activities related to the regional trade sector but also in other sectors that are covered by this plan. According to the CEFTA, the activities will be implemented along with the Regional Cooperation Council, the Transport Community and other partners.

SDA’s Osmanovic calls on OHR to implement sanctions against Dodik immediately, SNSD’s Novakovic Bursac accuses SDA of using dictatorship methods to shape political relations (Dnevni avaz)

Head of SDA Caucus in B&H House of Representatives (B&H HoR) Adil Osmanovic stated that there is no reason why OHR should wait for six months to start implementing sanctions against SNSD leader and B&H Presidency member Milorad Dodik. According to Osmanovic, the only right reaction would be to implement sanctions immediately and show a determined attitude. He believes that this would send a clear message not only to Dodik, but also to all others who want to undermine the Dayton Peace Agreement and B&H’s EU and NATO integration. Osmanovic said that Dodik has not shown any intention of changing rhetoric after the sanctions were announced. “Nobody will miss Dodik, not even the ones who support him now. They will gladly take his place and act in a smarter and more responsible way,” said Osmanovic. Reacting to Osmanovic’s statement, Head of SNSD Caucus in B&H HoR Snjezana Novakovic Bursac stated that she cannot believe that there are still people who are asking foreigners to help them. According to her, stances of Adilovic and others who share his opinion are not helping B&H become a mature state. “We need to accept everything that was chosen by people democratically. Everything that some people advocate is a reflection of their weakness and desire to shape political relations in B&H in line with their own wishes, using dictatorship means which are completely inappropriate for the 21st century” said Novakovic Bursac. According to her, SDA is the leader of Bosniak bloc of political parties and it represents the most populous people in B&H, but it is not prepared to accept the political reality and to work on building better relations with other peoples. “Instead, they constantly call for interventions which are unthinkable in democratic societies,” she concluded.

Analyst Davidovic, professor Solaja unsure whether threats with sanctions against Dodik would have support of EU member states (EuroBlic)

The daily noted that public in B&H has been arguing for days on whether the European Union will impose sanctions against Serb member of the Presidency of B&H Milorad Dodik unless the plate with the name of Radovan Karadzic is removed from the dormitory in Pale or this were merely threats made in vain by High Representative Valentin Inzko. Whilst some think this is just an attempt to intimidate Dodik, others claim that Inzko’s threats may be realized and cause political consequences that would affect not only Dodik but also the Republika Srpska (RS) and B&H as well. The daily reminded that many politicians from the ruling coalition in the RS stated that Inzko’s time has passed and that these are “threats made in vain”. On the other hand, political analysts presented somewhat more cautious reactions and warned that Inzko’s threats should not be taken lightly. Senior Researcher and Program Coordinator of the Center for Applied European Studies and former Ambassador of B&H to the EU Igor Davidovic stated that if EU member countries decide to impose sanctions against Dodik, then this will surely not be because the plate with Karadzic’s name on it. “There is an entire history of reasons because of which someone might want to impose sanctions against Dodik if they are unable to cause other kind of damage to him and weaken his political influence. Therefore, sanctions will not be imposed because of the plate, it will only serve as the cause for something like that”, Davidovic claimed and warned that imposing of sanctions against someone who is at the helm of a state cannot be good, as it would limit the person’s ability to travel and carry out activities in international and diplomatic context. Davidovic added that this would cause damage both to Dodik and B&H, but most of all to the RS: “This is in a way a warning to politicians that such sanctions are possible as an introduction to what may be even stronger and more radical measures”. Asked whether Inzko has the support of the EU for something like that, Davidovic replied by saying that he is certain that Inzko did not present such warnings before “getting a green light from individual key and relevant factors within the EU” and he added that, in case all EU countries supported Inzko’s request, then this would mean “Dodik is in a serious trouble”. However, Davidovic reminded that this was not the first time Inzko threatened Dodik and noted that their “conflict intensifies each time reports are presented before the UN Security Council”. “It is hard to say whether Inzko has the intention to rehabilitate the role of the High Representative and reactivate the will of foreign factors which would approve the Bonn powers to be used again. The role of the OHR and of the High Representative greatly faded away over past several years and it no longer has the same power as it used to have”, Davidovic said and concluded that valid reasons in support to Dodik’s insisting on shutting down of OHR can be found. Professor of international law at the University of Banja Luka. Milos Solaja said that Inzko may have discussed possible imposing of sanctions against Dodik with individual representatives of EU member states but he wondered who would support his stance. Solaja argued that sanctions cannot be imposed in a selective manner and warned that if Dodik were to be punished over the plate with Karadzic’s name on it, then who should be held responsible for schools and streets in the Federation of B&H that were named after World War II war criminals. “Inzko is an irrelevant figure in European politics. He is no longer important in B&H either. Just take a look at the coronavirus situation. The OHR is mentioned nowhere, as if it does not even exist. If there weren’t for the report to the UN Security Council, nobody would even mention the High Representative anymore. Therefore, mechanisms for B&H to function on its own are being gradually created”, Solaja claimed and concluded that Inzko’s threats are only Inzko’s attempt to impose himself as an important political figure, i.e. in this way he is trying to regain the position he lost.

 

Plenkovic hopes for compromise between Bulgaria and North Macedonia (Hina)

Addressing an EU enlargement summit in Sofia on Tuesday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic reiterated that Croatia will support Western Balkan countries on their journey towards the European Union. The heads of six Western Balkan countries and EU representatives met in Sofia on Tuesday to discuss EU enlargement as part of the Berlin Process, which is being jointly chaired by North Macedonia and Bulgaria. According to the European Commission, the Western Balkan countries could adopt their action plans on a common regional market at the summit. Plenkovic expressed Croatia's "sincere ambition" to help countries in the region to implement reforms and come closer to EU membership. He thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for placing great importance on the issue of enlargement during Germany's presidency of the EU, just like Croatia did during its presidency in the first half of this year. Plenkovic said that he hopes that leaders in North Macedonia and Bulgaria will reach a compromise over a dispute relating to national identity. Sofia had earlier announced that it could veto the start of EU negotiations with North Macedonia if Skopje did not admit that its identity and language are of Bulgarian origin and if it did not stop claiming that a "Macedonian" minority exists in Bulgaria. That has presented a new obstacle for Skopje after it conceded to adding "North" to the country's name ending a decades-long dispute with Greece which unblocked its pathway to the EU and NATO. North Macedonia joined NATO earlier this year.

Inquiry launched into EC over Croatian police's treatment of migrants (Hina)

The European Ombudsman has said that she has launched an inquiry at the request of Amnesty International into the European Commission's response to the Croatian border police's treatment of illegal migrants and the EC's failure to establish a supervisory mechanism. The inquiry focuses on what the EC is doing to make sure Croatian authorities respect basic human rights in their border protection operations, the Ombudsman said in a press release. The Human rights watchdog Amnesty International (AI) and media outlets have been expressing concern for some time about violations of human rights in the treatment of migrants on the Croatian border, allegations which the Croatian authorities have resolutely dismissed. According to the ombudsman's statement, Croatia should establish a supervisory mechanism in the context of European funds it has been receiving for border operations to make sure its work on protecting its border is in line with basic EU rights and laws. AI doubts there exists such a mechanism and claims that the EC has not confirmed that Croatian authorities have established such a mechanism or investigated how the allocated funds were spent. The EC gave Croatia money for the supervisory mechanism in 2018, envisaging participation in it by civil society organizations and the country's public ombudsman. Members of the European Parliament from the European Green Party, who sit on the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs have said this year that there is no such mechanism because there is no access to the green border, border police or their documents. The Guardian reported in June that the EC had concealed from members of the European Parliament that the Croatian government did not spend the money allocated for the supervision of border police. The EC has until 31 January 2021 to answer a number of questions by the European Ombudsman on the supervisory mechanism and ways the EU's exective authority has determined that it has actually been established. The EC will also have to say how it guarantees that basic human rights are respected on the Croatian border. AI has welcomed the launching of the inquiry. "Over the years, Amnesty and other organizations have documented numerous violations, including beatings and torture of migrants and asylum-seekers by Croatian police, whose salaries may have been paid for by EU funds," AI's European institutions director Eve Geddie said. She described the launching of the inquiry "a significant first step" towards addressing allegations of human rights violations. "By continuing to fund border operations and giving a green light for Croatia's accession to the Schengen area, the commission abdicated its responsibilities to monitor how EU assistance is used and sent a dangerous signal that blatant human rights violations can continue with no questions asked," AI said.

 

Djukanovic: Stable, economically and democratically developed WB is a geopolitical imperative (CdM)

Speaking at the Western Balkans Summit within the Berlin Process in Sofia, President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic told that the Berlin Process plays irreplaceable role in strengthening regional cooperation and connecting the countries of the region with the EU on their path to integration. According to him, over six years of its existence, the Berlin Process has consistently preserved the basic message – the European perspectives of the WB countries, and added that a stable, economically and democratically developed WB represents a geopolitical imperative. “Regional cooperation unquestionably brings positive results and accelerates the development of our economies and societies as a whole. It gains the greatest value when it contributes to the realization of our strategic goal – full EU membership. We see the deepening of economic cooperation, through the continuation of the Multi-Annual Action Plan, as a new shift of our economies towards the EU single market. And it’s a great step forward, for which both administrations and the economy have to be ready” President Djukanovic pointed out. The Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, he added, is a proof of commitment to the Region and a roadmap for strategic decisions, primarily in the area of sustainable development. “The economies of the WB countries will recover and develop faster only by increasing investment, encouraging entrepreneurship and removing as many barriers that burden business. Everything else will only intensify the effects of the crisis and lead to a new slowdown,” he noted. The President also underlines that there is no better guarantee for the long-term preservation of peace than the accelerated social development of all countries in the region. “The Berlin Process has proved to be the best framework for dynamizing cooperation in order to progress and meet the criteria for full EU integration.” He emphasizes that Montenegro is resolutely carrying out reforms, building an open European society, i.e. a society of democracy and the rule of law. “Comprehensive reforms and meeting all criteria for full EU membership remain the top priority,” the President concluded.

 

If Bulgaria blocks Macedonia, it will be a shared failure, Zaev’s office tells the press (Republika)

If Bulgaria blocks Macedonia, it will be a shared failure, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev’s office tells the press. After all major participants remained strangely silent over the dispute between Macedonia and Bulgaria during the Sofia summit, the Macedonian government briefed the press, telling them that it will continue to work with Bulgaria on finding a solution. Meanwhile, the summit was marked by just one broad statement from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, joining through a video link, that the two countries need to cooperate with each other, and Bulgarian Prime Minister Borisov’s refusal to mention the opening of EU accession talks for Macedonia during his joint press conference with Zaev. Success of the Berlin process gives positive momentum to encourage the process. That is complemented with the heightened engagement of the German presidency. After our meetings in Sofia we remain dedicated to finding a solution. That is important for North Macedonia and for Bulgaria. They want a solution and so do we. We work together as good neighbors dedicated to our shared European future. If not, we will have shared failure, government sources said in their briefing. Zaev and Borisov were planning to co-host a major regional summit with the participation of key European countries as a show of trust and willingness to cooperate. But, as Bulgarian requests began to multiply in the run up to the summit, it turned into a crisis meeting, meant to save what can be saved from Macedonia’s EU bid, which Bulgaria is now officially blocking. Bulgaria demands a long list of concessions from Macedonia on issues of history and national identity, that will clearly burden the entire accession process, if it begins at all.

Mucunski: Bulgaria claims it supports us, but in reality, is blocks us (Republika)

As an opposition party, we are kept out of the talks with Bulgaria and don’t have the full information. Clearly the situation is absurd, Bulgaria says that it supports us, but in reality, it blocks us, said VMRO-DPMNE official Timco Mucunski on the inconclusive outcome of the summit in Sofia. Mucunski pointed out to what he called “insulting” position of Bulgaria, to insist that the only right reading of history is its own, and contrasted it to the position of German Chancellor Merkel, who inserted herself as an interlocutor, and asks that history is seen as something that can lead toward the future. “If we do get to a veto, it would be a highly irresponsible step toward the Republic of Macedonia, as it will damage our strategic interest to become an EU member state. It will also have negative implications to the region and will reduce the credibility of the EU,” Mucunski said.

 

Albanian-American Civic League pleased and ecstatic that Joe Biden won (ADN)

The Albanian-American Civic League (AACL) is pleased that the Democratic candidate Joe Biden won the presidential election, thus becoming the 46th president of the United States of America. In a press release, the Albanian lobby in America has expressed its conviction that the new US president will work to resolve the Albanian-Serbian issues. This organization has said that the Albanian-Americans played a key role in three electoral states, the most important ones, which also brought Biden a great triumph. "In three election battlefield states — Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — Albanian-Americans played a key role in electing Joe Biden. From the time Biden entered the presidential race in April 2019, the Albanian-American Civic League played a special role in reminding Albanian-Americans of Joe Biden's ongoing efforts to bring Slobodan Milosevic to the war crimes tribunal in "The Hague, to bring Kosovo independence, and to support freedom for all Albanians in Southeast Europe," said the Albanian-American Civic League. AACL had launched a support platform for Biden in the spring of 2019. Even its chairman, Joe DioGuardi joined the group of former Republican Congressmen in support of Biden. "All this time, we have been reminding Albanian-Americans that the Civic League has worked closely with Joe Biden to stop Milosevic's war in Bosnia and Croatia in 1991, as well as to respond to the Serbian summer 1998 offensive against Kosovo by "International support for the US / NATO bombing of Serbia in 1999. The Civic League continued to support Joe Biden in his position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee until he became Vice President of Barack Obama in 2006," Says AACL. Albanian-Americans have said that their relations with Biden have nothing to do with party affiliation. "Our work with Joe Biden is a result of the fact that he was close to the Albanian people everywhere and whenever we needed him. He played a prominent and impressive role in achieving Kosovo's independence, and we are confident that he, as President, will rebuild US close relations with the EU and NATO, and bring about Euro-Atlantic integration of Kosovo. "Finally, we are confident that President Joe Biden will work for the final resolution of the Albanian-Serbian conflict," concludes the AACL statement.

 

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES 

Sofia Summit Conclusions: Western Balkans Leaders remain dedicated to regional cooperation (EWB, 10 November 2020) 

SOFIA – EU and Western Balkan leaders emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and pledged their continuous support to different common initiatives to improve the regional potential for strengthening the economy and good neighborly relations, reads the final version of the Chair’s conclusions. The document also reflects on the common regional market initiative, as well as the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, digital transformation of the region, youth-related policies and other issues. “The Leaders commended the European Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans accompanied by a Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, which are intended to spur the long-term economic recovery of the region building on Green and Digital transition through a substantial investment package leading to sustained economic growth, implementation of reforms required to move forward on the EU path, and bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU Single Market”, the document reads. The Leaders of the Western Balkans also agreed on the Declaration on Common Regional Market (CRM) – A catalyst for deeper regional economic integration and a stepping stone towards EU Single Market and they also adopted an Action Plan for the period 2021 – 2024, which is based on the EU four freedoms. The Guidelines for the Implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans is welcomed by the Western Balkan leaders, who also expressed their readiness to take measures and align with the relevant EU policies setting the flagship goal of achieving climate-neutrality by mid-century. “The Declaration aims at unlocking the economic potential of the green, low-carbon, and circular economy and at addressing and curbing the main drivers of climate change. By this Declaration, the Western Balkan Leaders recognized the importance of the regional cooperation and confirmed their determination to work towards improving the well-being of Western Balkan citizens through joining the EU’s efforts in fighting climate change”, it is stated in the conclusions. When it comes to the regional response to COVID19- related challenges, the leaders supported the decision of the Co-Chairs to organize a meeting with Ministers of Health. “They agreed that in the medium and long-term, regionally, and internationally coordinated policies and measures can faster facilitate socioeconomic recovery and help better prepare for the future risks and pandemics. The Leaders commended the EU solidarity with the region in fighting the pandemic, demonstrated by the unmatched support for the region totaling 3.3 billion Euros announced on 29 April”, the conclusions document reads. The Leaders also stressed the importance of young people for the prosperity of the whole region, and addressed the issue of brain drain and the necessity for greater involvement of young people in policymaking. “The Leaders welcome the introduction of the ‘Agenda for the Western Balkans on Innovation, Research, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport’ in the Commission Communication entitled ‘An Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans’. Progress in these sectors is essential for the European path of the Western Balkans and for the better regional cooperation in South East Europe”, it is stated. Concerning the future of the Berlin Process, the Chair’s conclusions reads that it remains an instrument aiming at regional cohesion, concurrently providing convergence with the EU single market, and that it is a meaningful accelerator of regional connectivity. Additionally, it states that the Leaders welcomed the invitation by Chancellor Merkel for a next Summit in Berlin in 2021.