LOCAL PRESS 

Patriarch Irinej passes away (RTS) 

Serbian Patriarch Irinej passed away on 20 November 2020, at 7:07 am. Serbian Patriarch Irinej was the 45th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church. A three-day mourning period will be declared in Serbia due to the death of Patriarch Irinej, the Serbian government has decided. “At today’s session, the Serbian government made a decision to declare three-day mourning in the Republic of Serbia, from today, 20 November, to Sunday, 22 November, on the occasion of the death of His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Irinej,” the government said in a statement.

Brnabic sends condolences over death of Patriarch Irinej (RTS/Tanjug) 

Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic sent a telegram of condolences to the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Holy Synod on the occasion of the death of Serbian Patriarch Irinej. “A man who was a symbol of the spiritual unity and harmony of the Serbian people, who was always with the people and the believers in the most difficult moments, has left us. He will remain in our minds and hearts as a patriarch of deep faith and a great confessor of Orthodoxy, a great fighter for state and national interests and a guardian of the Christian faith and tradition. In the days to come, I hope that together we will find the strength and faith to continue to fight hard for a better tomorrow for our country,” Brnabic stated in the telegram.

Serbian government: Albanian citizens allowed to enter Serbia with ID card (Tanjug/RTS/RTV) 

At Thursday’s session, the Serbian government adopted a decision which enables Albanian citizens to enter the territory of Serbia without a travel document, with a valid biometric ID card. This decision is the result of a signed interstate agreement between the two countries, which will facilitate the flow of people, goods and capital and additionally provide an opportunity for the development of good neighborly relations between the countries of the Western Balkans.

The implementation of this decision creates additional preconditions for further development of economic, scientific, educational, sports and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

Varhelyi tells MEPs Western Balkans are a priority (N1) 

European Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi told the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) on Thursday that the Western Balkans are a priority for the European Commission. He said that last week’s summit in Sofia showed that the future of the whole region lies in the EU and that “it is in our strategic interest to bring the region into the EU as fast as possible”. According to him, Serbia has a key role to play in that regard. “Not only is the EU Serbia’s most important trade partner, covering around 65% of total trade, with very good dynamics of growth - the EU is also by far the biggest provider of financial assistance to Serbia and also the biggest investor. And Serbia has a clear EU accession perspective, with 16 negotiating chapters opened and two provisionally closed. I believe that Serbia has a unique responsibility in demonstrating that this region is forging ahead on its European path,” he said. The Commissioner said that he finds it very encouraging that the new Serbian government put the reforms linked to EU accession and the continuation of the EU facilitated dialogue with Kosovo as number one and two priorities, next to the fight against the pandemic. “I have confidence that the new government will move ahead decisively on these priorities and will reinvigorate its accession process with the EU,” he added. “The Commission is fully committed to supporting Serbia on this path,” Varhelyi said. “The Economic and Investment Plan will support the longer-term socio-economic recovery of the region and its economic convergence with the EU. For Serbia, this means better road and rail connections. This will help Serbia to fully exploit its strategic location in Europe and generate more growth and jobs. The plan also includes a huge environmental program, which will benefit people in numerous Serbian cities, increasing their quality of life very directly,” he said. Varhelyi warned that boosting investment and economic growth in the Western Balkans will only be possible with a firm commitment and implementation of fundamental reforms. “On the economy and on Serbia’s alignment with EU legislation, we have seen overall positive developments. Before the crisis, Serbia was performing strongly in economic growth terms. It seems that in Serbia the pandemic affected the economy the least in the region, thanks to the government’s comprehensive financial package for the private sector that has helped mitigate to a large extent the negative effects. Of course we have a decline in productivity and employment, but the country is coping better than the rest of the region with those challenges,” the Commissioner said. He said that the reforms will require a genuine dialogue across the political spectrum and expressed the hope that the government will move forward with reforms quickly.

Lajcak: EU does not agree with the philosophy that whatever the two sides agree should be accepted (VoA/N1/RTS/RTV) 

EU special representative for the Kosovo dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said that both Belgrade and Pristina know that they need the dialogue, adding that he is optimistic about its outcome.

Speaking at an online conference organized by the Johns Hopkins University, Lajcak said that Kosovo and Serbia have shown commitment to the process. “When there was no dialogue there was instability. Now when the two sides are talking an impression was created that things are under control. The dialogue cannot be avoided. The two sides want a European future and know that the only way is through dialogue,” he said. Lajcak said that three sides will decide on a solution for Kosovo. “I am in constant contact with everyone, including the EU member states who have a say in this. We do not want losers and winners because we want everyone to be a winner,” he added. “The EU does not agree with the philosophy that whatever the two sides agree should be accepted. We are the guardians of European values and the solution should bring the two sides closer together and be acceptable to the EU,” he said. According to Lajcak, an exchange of territory is no longer being discussed following warnings that it could open Pandora’s box.

REGIONAL PRESS 

 

B&H Presidency adopts harmonized, joint statement on DPA (FTV)

The Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) Presidency held a session in Sarajevo on Thursday and adopted the harmonized, joint statement on the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA). Addressing a press conference, Chairman of the B&H Presidency Sefik Dzaferovic said that the statement refers to building B&H in peace time, stability of its integration processes, mutual respect, understanding with special emphasis on the future generations. FTV noted that the joint statement coming ahead of marking the 25th anniversary of the DPA shows that members of the Presidency solved all problems related to terminology and the statement itself has quite a moderate tone and it mentions coexistence and reconciliation of all peoples and citizens in B&H. The statement also paid tribute to all innocent victims of the past war in B&H and according to the reporter, this means that the B&H Presidency avoided all the terms and phrases that member of the B&H Presidency Milorad Dodik did not want to be mentioned like aggression and genocide. Dzaferovic also confirmed that members of the B&H Presidency will have a conversation with US Acting Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker via a video link on Friday and confirmed the visit of European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell to B&H on Friday on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the DPA. Thursday was the last day of chairmanship of Dzaferovic and as of Friday, member of the B&H Presidency Dodik will take over the chairmanship for the next eight months.

EU High Representative Borrell to visit B&H (Hayat)

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell will visit B&H on Friday and Saturday. He will meet members of the B&H Presidency and Chairman of the B&H Council of Minister (CoM). The plan was for Borrell to address members of the Collegium of the B&H parliament and heads of party caucuses as well, however this will not happen due to the request of SNSD and HDZ B&H for representatives of the opposition not to be present at the address. Borrell will visit B&H to mark the 25th anniversary of signing the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) which will be on 21 November. He will discuss stability, politics and projects of EU member countries and those integrating into the EU.  SDA stated on Thursday that SNSD rejected the proposal according to which Borrell would meet members of the B&H Parliament Collegium and its leadership, deeming that this represent an anti-European activity. Borrell’s speech on the topic ‘From Dayton to Brussels’ was planned for Saturday at 11 a.m. in front of the representatives of the media, the Joint Collegium of both Houses of the B&H parliament and the heads of party caucuses in the B&H House of Representatives (B&H HoR). However, SNSD opposed the idea. “Because the European Commission (EC), the EC Representative Office in Sarajevo, decided that they will dictate the pace and that we will perform some obligations, and that of course does not work,” explains B&H HoR speaker Nebojsa Radmanovic (SNSD). Members of HDZ B&H did not comment this matter publicly. On the other hand, member of the Joint Collegium, Denis Zvizdic (SDA) reacted to this and said on his Twitter account: “At the session of the Joint Collegium of the B&H parliament, SNSD, in its defeatist style, was against the proposal that Josep Borrell, as Vice President of the European Commission and Head of the EU Diplomacy, addresses members of the Collegium and heads of the caucuses of both Houses of the B&H parliament. Another anti-European act of SNSD”.

UK Ambassador Field: DPA can be changed as it was not set in stone (Dnevni list)

Dnevni list carried a blog penned by UK Ambassador to B&H Matthew Field, which is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) and which opens by the Ambassador saying that the very name of Dayton evokes both peace and division. Ambassador Field writes: “How do we mark this moment? The agreement reached on that distant air-force base has had a profound impact on the shaping of B&H. It ended a terrible war, something that seemed out of reach at the time. It formed the Constitution. It confirmed the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of B&H. It began 25 years of peace. And peace can never be taken for granted. Dayton is still invoked by politicians in B&H on a near daily basis. Sometimes as the root cause of problems faced today. Sometimes as an ‘original’ blueprint, which should be returned to. Sometimes in terms of a ‘spirit’ against which the current institutions fall short, even if the institutions are themselves defined in that Dayton Constitution. How then to look at Dayton, and even more importantly, where do we go from here? Firstly, the legacy. Whichever accounts of the negotiations at Dayton one reads, the imperfections are clear to see. More than the basis of a modern and inclusive country, the agreement tried to broker the interests of politically and ethnically defined opponents, through power sharing and vetoes, checks and balances. It prioritizes collective over individual rights, and a complicated administrative arrangement that divides responsibilities rather than considering practical function. Research has demonstrated that peace agreements which include women in talks are far more sustainable and successful – they were notable by their absence in Ohio. But criticism that the agreement failed to anticipate these problems is also unfair, and not only because of the complete absence of trust amongst still warring sides. Even at the time, it was never meant to be an end state. It provided the conditions for ending the fighting, yes. And for beginning the process of rebuilding the country. Lord Paddy Ashdown perhaps expressed this best, in his inaugural speech as High Representative, when he said: Dayton is vital. Without it there would be no peace. But Dayton is the floor, not the ceiling. It is the foundation for the state we are trying to construct. And like all foundations, it must be built on”.

Dodik: RS will not perish to save something that does not want to be saved (Glas Srpske)

On the occasion of 25th anniversary of Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA), B&H Presidency member and SNSD leader Milorad Dodik wrote an op-ed arguing that probably the biggest problem with DPA lies in the fact that many people saw it as a temporary solution. According to him, they see DPA as an agreement that ended the war, but they are not aware that it is an agreement that established a new political system in B&H. Because of that sense of temporary character of DPA, Bosniaks – with the help of international officials embodied by the High Representative – have been doing everything to abolish or at least change the DPA in their favor. Dodik underlined that it seems like the past 25 years have been spent in striving of one side to change the Agreement, and striving of the other side to implement it. As a result, B&H wasted years. “All absurd of implementation of DPA are collected in the mandate of the High Representative who, according to the Agreement, has the competences of interpreter. In reality, that role has been used to impose solutions, punish political opinion, discriminate against individuals by taking away their basic human rights,” Dodik emphasized. According to him, instead of being a union of two entities, B&H has become a feudal property of unelected international officials who took on the role of legislative and executive authorities as they pleased, and thus undermined the sovereignty of B&H. He underlined that the High Representative has been creating unconstitutional solutions for the past 25 years. “We witnessed the peak of that anti-constitutional activity in formation of the Court and Prosecutor’s Office of B&H, judiciary institutions which were not envisioned in the Constitution of B&H, i.e. the Agreement,” Dodik wrote. He underlined that the Constitutional Court of B&H made the situation worse by declaring this act constitutional, and sending the message to citizens that they live in an occupied state deprived of all rights. According to Dodik, this was a turning point in political developments of B&H because it became clear that law and justice are suspended in B&H. “The DPA has bene changed in the past 25 years with one goal: to achieve war goals of Bosniaks, i.e. to centralize B&H, which has been wrapped in the wrapping paper of efficiency and integration, as if there are no highly decentralized and efficient countries in the world. The whole time, the victim of that ‘efficiency’ has been Republika Srpska (RS) which has been deprived of its powers to a great extent, while the other part of B&H still has not accepted the fact called the RS,” Dodik argued. According to him, all the centralization attempts only resulted in a great number of state agencies which do not bring any concrete benefits to the citizens. He argued that implementation of DPA could have been free, but instead it cost billions. According to Dodik, B&H is still facing the same mistrust that existing at the beginning of negotiations on DPA. He underlined that only B&H described in the letter of DPA can survive. “Anything that would represent new violence against rights that RS inherited from this agreement would inevitably lead to dissolution of B&H. International experiment should end, the High Representative should withdraw, and the future of B&H should be left in the hands of legally elected representatives of constituent peoples. Departure of the High Representative from B&H would increase the negotiating capacity of all, because nobody would be able to count on help from the outside anymore. The longer it uses the crutch, which is in this case the High Representative, the less change B&H has to ever start walking on its own,” Dodik argued.

He criticized Bosniak politicians who reject the very idea of adhering to the letter of DPA as an attack on the state, and who keep saying that the RS cannot exist without B&H. Dodik underlined that the RS remains dedicated to implementation of the original letter of DPA and not its spirit. He emphasized that the RS will not suffer to save something which obviously nobody wants to save. He also added that the RS was created on 9 January 1992 and that it is thus older than DPA. The RS is also a signatory of DP and its annexes. According to Dodik, it is impossible to explain how something that was created by an agreement can be a signatory of that same agreement. Dodik argued that it is necessary to start a dialogue based on clear relations and facts. “Maybe through such dialogue we can come to the conclusion that the right measure for coexistence in this area is defined by the Agreement to which everybody is referring but not at the same time, and not to the same parts of it. And maybe the Federation of B&H will realize that temporary solutions last longest,” Dodik concluded.

Clark: We always knew that DPA was not perfect, but it was the best we could do at the time (Al Jazeera Balkans)

Retired general of the US Army and member of Richard Holbrook’s team in the Dayton negotiations Wesley Clark, asked to comment on functioning of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) at present, said: “We always knew that it was not perfect, but it was the best we could do at the time. The important thing was to stop the killing, and that mostly got accomplished”. He added that if Holbrook were here today, he would probably be satisfied. Asked if there was room to achieve more at the time and what the negotiators were like, Clark said that the negotiations were very difficult and almost failed “to the end, by 0800hrs the last day, we were ready to call it a failure’’ but the compromise on the issue of Brcko was achieved. Clark added that it was decided Brcko would not be the part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) nor Republika Srpska (RS), but the decision regarding it would be made later. Clark noted that B&H President Alija Izetbegovic did not want to give up on the territory that would later become the RS, saying that his country was being taken away. Clark said that the Kosovo issue was brought up on several occasions, but Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic did not want to discuss it. He noted that agreements like DPA have to meet interests of all sides, but in this case “in the end no one was satisfied’’. Asked in what context the Kosovo issue was brought up and what the proposal regarding Kosovo was, Clark said that he and Holbrook talked to Milosevic, and Milosevic was told that former US President George Bush warned Milosevic in 1992 that violence against ethnic Albanians had to stop, or there would be severe consequences. “President Milosevic was very defensive about it, saying that it was an internal matter and it cannot be discussed,” said Clark. Asked to what extend Russia was involved in the negotiations in Dayton and how much it could influence the signing of the DPA, Clark said the problem with Kosovo was that Albanians were not present. Clark added that Milosevic distrusted and disliked Albanians and that was one of the issues that could not be discussed. Clark noted that the DPA was signed because “President Milosevic knew that he achieved as much as he could with the units of the RS Armed Forces, and he could see that international opinion was turning against him and Bosnian forces were getting stronger and that it was only a matter of time the situation would be turned around”. Clark added that Milosevic wanted to lock in what he had achieved and to avoid economic sanctions. Asked if it is possible to have the Dayton II and without international assistance, Clark said: “I do not see that is being very likely”. Clark said that the international community is always involved in the Western Balkans and B&H, whether through assistance or not, and at the beginning of negotiations Milosevic was asked if the peace proposal should be brought to him or (Momcilo) Krajisnik, and Milosevic said it had to be brought to him, noting that “you must think of Serbs in Bosnia as country’s cousins”. Clark added that when reminded that the proposal was a matter of another country Milosevic’s response was that the will of the Serb people will not be defied. Clark said that the international community has been present since the very beginning and Russia is much more present compared to the 1990s, actively engaged regarding the issue of the Western Balkans. He repeated that without the international community it is not possible to revise the DPA, unless “all the members, the FB&H and the RS sit down among themselves to agree and that is unlikely given the disturbance and difficulties in the last 20 years’’. Clark noted that if the problems had been easy to resolve it would have been done so far, and the international engagement will be necessary if the DPA is to be revised. Asked about the engagement of the new US administration with regard to the Western Balkans, particularly with regard to Kosovo and B&H, Clark said the people in the new administration have much deeper and historical connections to the region, many of whom were diplomats in the Western Balkans, compared to the current administration. He added that the engagement will be grater, but the US needs to focus on other issues, i.e. relation with Russia, China, European allies, the issues in the Eastern Mediterranean, etc. He noted that he is certain the Western Balkans will be one of the topics and expressed hope there will be no more conflicts as in the 1990s “We do not want another war in Europe, it is not the right way to make decisions on resolutions of the issues”. Asked what the world has learned from the war in B&H and the Dayton negotiations, i.e. adopted solutions, Clark said that in his view the world has learned a lot and that the importance of engaging early has been learned, and to have international perspective and assistance in political disagreements that may lead to conflicts “it is important that the international community is involved before they escalate’’. Clark added that after the conflicts in the Western Balkans, the International Crisis Group (ICG) was established, as well as the responsibility of the United Nations (UN), and the idea of international criminal tribunals has strengthened after the war in B&H “but, everything depends on everything else”. He concluded that US President-elect Joe Biden will be much more engaged internationally, but all need to maintain the peace.

US will return focus on constitutional changes in B&H (Dnevni avaz)

Well-informed, unnamed source from the US told the daily that following couple of weeks will be crucial for the way in which newly elected US President Joe Biden will implement his plan for the Balkans i.e. for B&H. It is expected for Biden to appoint his team, which will determine dynamics of strengthened engagement of the new administration. According to the daily’s source, it is evident already that issue of B&H will be handled by senior levels of the Administration and while this may not be the White House, it is certain that significant officials of the State Department will be dealing with this.  The daily stressed that for his entire career, Biden has been dealing with B&H and according to daily’s information some of the most prominent diplomats have assisted Biden in formulating and establishing of the most important stances presented in Biden’s earlier plans. According to the daily, these diplomats are proven friends of B&H, Ambassadors Thomas Miller and John Menzies, who are both now part of the private sector, but their opinions are highly valued by Biden’s team. However, daily’s sources noted that there is no space for unrealistic expectations and stated that currently the persons, closest to the post of the US State secretary is Tony Blinken, who was a senior official in Obama Administration. If this turns out to be true, the source said, we can expect that issue of B&H will be handled by Assistant State Secretary, which may be better than during the Trump Administration, but nonetheless confirms that B&H will not be the top priority.

Daily further learns that Biden’s team is currently discussing how to move the things in B&H from the standstill and they all agree that it is necessary to appoint the new High Representative as soon as possible. This person, would be expected to be the last High Representative and to implement reforms which will set B&H on the no-return path towards EU and NATO membership. Part of daily’s sources argues that B&H can hope for the same engagement of the US as in time of Obama Administration, when Hilary Clinton was the State Secretary and daily reminded that at the time, Clinton, via James Steinberg led the so called ‘Bitmir Talks’ on reforms. On behalf of the EU, these talks were attended by Carl Bildt and they should have resulted in constitutional changes, but they failed. The source noted that Biden’s team wants to assist B&H’s European path and many in this team appreciate the fact that Bosniaks voted for Biden. However, this source argues that it is necessary to assist Biden to push the issues concerning B&H to the highest levels of the US Congress.  The daily’s source noted that there are some of the names mentioned as the possible new High Representative and there is a possibility that this post will be offered to Canada, which demonstrates interest in the Balkans. The source said that Biden’s relation with Russia will determine power in which the US will return to the Balkans. Many things, the source noted, will depend of EU’s stance, which is currently sending good signals toward Biden. Also, the good news is that the name of Nicholas Burns is mentioned as part of future members of Biden’s team.

B&H politicians comment 25th anniversary of DPA (Nezavisne novine)

The 25th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement (DPA) will be marked on Saturday. On that occasion, RS parliament speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic stated that the RS is often accused of not respecting DPA, but it is in fact Bosniak politicians from the FB&H who are often disrespecting it. He underlined that the Constitution, i.e. DPA has often been violated by the High Representatives and international officials. SNSD’s Igor Zunic stated that DPA ended the war and that is its major benefit. According to him, Bosniak politicians will do everything to change DPA and centralize B&H because DPA represents their defeat. SDA’s Safet Softic stated that the main purpose of DPA was to end the war, but apart from ending the war, B&H did not gain much from it. According to him, DPA underlined the existence and functioning of B&H in many segments. According to him, revision of DPA is necessary. He believes that with the help of the international community, and especially USA, it is possible to come up with a solution which would result in a more efficient state.  HDZ B&H’s Marinko Cavara stated that 25 years after its signing, DPA is still far away from full implementation. According to him it is high time that everybody who is wishing for a different solution understands that progress and well-being of all is the main priority, and that rejecting agreements which have brought peace can only bring new problems. HDZ B&H’s Barisa Colak stated that it would be possible to amend DPA if there was enough political will and a two-third majority in B&H Parliament willing to vote for changes. According to Colak, the main problem lies in the fact that many provisions of DPA have never been implemented. He also argued that international interventionism created a lot of problems, and mentioned the examples of amendments to entity constitutions imposed by the High Representative. According to Colak, the High Representative often uses statements which can be heard from the so-called “political Sarajevo” which is also a problem.

Inzko: Agreement on construction of hydroelectric power plant can be signed only with the state (Dnevni avaz)

High Representative Valentin Inzko commented the agreement signed by Serbia and RS concerning the construction of three hydroelectric power plants on Drina River, which comprehends the implementation of the project ‘Upper Drina’. Inzko stated that he welcomes the investments, but underlined that such agreement can be signed only with the state, not with the entities. “Such agreement can be signed only by the state and something like this demands agreement of B&H,” said Inzko.

B&H CEC processes 96.05 percent of ballots for assemblies in RS, FB&H and Brcko District, passes conclusions on election process in Travnik, election irregularities in Doboj, Srebrenica (RTRS/BHT1)

The B&H Central Election Commission (CEC) confirmed that it processed 96.05 percent of ballots for election of municipal and city assemblies in the RS, municipal and city assemblies in the FB&H and for the Brcko District Assembly. 94.83 percent of the ballots are valid, while the remaining 5.17 percent are invalid. BHT1 reported that the CEC held an emergency session in Sarajevo on Thursday. The CEC passed a conclusion according to which final results of the local elections in Travnik need to be confirmed and it should be announced after the appeal period that the mandate of the Head of Travnik Municipality cannot be assigned due to the death of SDA’s candidate Mirsad Peco, after which early elections should be called. The CEC rejected the proposal of B&H CEC member Vlado Rogic (HDZ B&H) to assign the mandate of the Head of Travnik Municipality to HDZ B&H’s candidate Goran Pejakovic, who was ranked the second. B&H CEC also decided to launch a procedure to investigate violation of rules of the election process at polling stations in Doboj, as well as to check regularity of the elections in Srebrenica.

 

Grlic Radman informs EU Foreign Affairs Council about situation in B&H and need to reform B&H Election Law (HRT1)

The EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) held a video conference on Thursday. The EU foreign affairs ministers discussed multilateralism, terrorist attacks in France and Austria, but also the US presidential elections. Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic Radman informed his European colleagues about the situation in B&H and the recently held local elections in B&H. "I reiterated that it is necessary to look to the future, to the parliamentary elections in 2022 and that precisely for the sake of achieving functionality and political stability of B&H, it is necessary to launch as soon as possible the process of amending the Election Law. I urged my colleagues - ministers of the EU member states - for us as the EU to increase attention towards the situation in B&H," Grlic Radman underlined.

Borrell’s op-ed: Future of B&H is in EU, we cannot change the past, but we can shape the future – together (Vecernji list)

Vecernji list carried an op-ed penned by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and EC Vice President Josep Borrell, who wrote that 25 years ago the Dayton Peace Accords (DPA) ended the bloodiest post WWII war in Europe that led to 100,000 dead and more than one million refugees. According to HR Borrell, looking back at the last 25 years, big progress has undoubtedly been achieved in building a stable and democratic B&H, adding that this is not end of the road and that a lot of work remains to be done in order to make sure all citizens of B&H can look towards a prosperous future based on a clear political perspective – EU integration. The EU HR further wrote that the history of B&H is a European history and that the future of the country and whole of Western Balkans is in the EU, underlining that the 25th anniversary of the DPA should trigger the political leadership and local institutions to carry out a transition from Dayton towards Brussels. The HR went on to say that the EC’s Opinion has set the authorities in B&H a clear plan of reforms that need to be implemented in order to achieve progress on the European path, including constitutional reforms. “We cannot change the past, but we can shape the future – together. The European integration is the only and most important goal, with some 80% support of citizens of B&H, about which political parties in B&H and wider public agree,” reads Borrell’s op-ed. He went on to say that young people are leaving B&H because there is no clear positive vision of the future, arguing that the process of European integration and corresponding reforms might not convince the young people to stay in B&H, but will help strengthen peace and prosperity. In addition to this, HR Borrell notes that B&H’s progress towards the EU must be followed by true reconciliation and that political stakeholders in B&H should follow example of how majority of people in B&H live, as good neighbors, colleagues and friends, actively promoting coexistence.

 

Varhelyi: The first official visit of Krivokapic will be a positive signal (Vijesti)

European Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi said that the first official visit of the future Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic would probably take place in Brussels and that it would be a positive signal for all EU members. He said that the new government in Podgorica hadn’t changed views referring to international duties of Montenegro. Varhelyi adds that proposed members of the new government “are young professionals, with little political experience”. He concludes that the EU will continue to support Montenegro on its integration path and in the recovery from the COVID-19 consequences. Speaking in front of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee, Varhelyi said that Montenegro was worst-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic of all countries in the region, due to great dependence on tourism.

Knezevic: New government will be voted on 2 December (Dnevne novine)

One of the leaders of DF, Milan Knezevic, has stated that new government will be voted on 2 December without doubt. “It’s not a secret that Nebojsa Medojevic was against Zdravko Krivokapic being holder of the list. He told Andrija Mandic and me. Regardless of the differences in views, we accepted Krivokapic,” Knezevic said. After the elections, DF went through a transformation, while Movement for Changes separated into a special parliamentary club. “I disagree with Medojević’s views regarding the church, but I think it’s on him to explain what he said. There’s no need for anxiety, we’ll see on 2 December who can be trusted and who can’t be trusted. We will vote for the government, we won’t allow anybody to point finger at us,” he said. The new government will be obliged to deal with crime and new minister and ministry of interior will be required to arrest all tycoons connected with DPS. “It’s not true we asked for any department. I have an entire email correspondence with prime minister-designate about that. Neither Andrija nor I asked for any department. I don’t understand why it would be a problem if Serbs are at the front of the so-called delicate departments. That’s discrimination worse than times of Milo Djukanovic,” Knezevic said.

 

State of crisis about to be declared (Republika)

The Macedonian government is expected to declare a state of crisis today, first such move since the legally somewhat different state of emergency declared during much of spring. The state of crisis allows using of privately owned resources, based on a contract or voluntarily, upon request of the government. All public institutions can also be marshalled by the government for various activities, as will be the army, which is expected to help with logistics and accommodation. The President is responsible for directing the military during the crisis. It’s not expected that a curfew will be declared automatically, but it remains an option. A Steering Committee will be formed to coordinate the government activities during the state of crisis, and it will include top Government ministers, representatives of the parliament, the office of the President and the opposition.

Zaev removed nine SDSM party local chiefs (Republika/IPortal)

A news site is reporting that Prime Minister Zoran Zaev dismissed nine heads of local branches of his SDSM party. The IPortal did not name the officials, but is reporting that this was done on the initiative of Deputy Prime Minister Ljupco Nikolovski, whose official duty is to “fight corruption”. According to comments from party officials, the reasons for the dismissal fall short of corruption, and include broad allegations such as “unsatisfactory commitment to the job” and “acting counter to social-democratic values”. Zaev’s party has faced dozens of corruption scandals, mostly originating from its head and his inner circle.

Artan Grubi named in an Albanian political dispute over the “Yellow house” organ harvesting investigation (Republika)

First Deputy Prime Minister Artan Grubi was called out during a political dispute in neighboring Albania. The Albanian ruling Socialist Party is accusing opposition leader Lulzim Basha of the Democrat Party of cooperating with the investigation into the alleged gruesome organ harvesting operation conducted by the UCK/KLA guerrilla group. The UCK operated mainly in Kosovo but used safe bases in northern Albania and to a lesser extent in Macedonia. In north Albania, the group allegedly conducted a facility (so-called “Yellow house”) for harvesting organs from war prisoners as one of its sources of illicit income. The Socialists allege that Basha, who worked as translator for international organizations that investigated the allegations, soiled the name of the UCK. The Democrats responded that Basha was never active in this investigation, but that Artan Grubi was. Grubi also had a career with international organizations, such as the Dutch Embassy in Macedonia, before becoming a nationalist activist and eventually a key confidant of DUI party leader Ali Ahmeti. Grubi is now de-facto co-Prime Minister alongside Zoran Zaev.

 

EU Council fails to agree over negotiating framework for Albania and North Macedonia (Tirana Times)

Albania and North Macedonia have stumbled again upon major impediments in their quest to go forth with the intergovernmental conferences which in turn would mark and the official start of EU membership talks. EU representatives failed to reach a consensus on Tuesday again on the framework of talks with both countries, mainly on account of the Bulgarian veto for North Macedonia. Stepping up the disagreement started a few weeks ago, Sofia is opposing the green light for Skopje, on accounts of disrespect for the alleged “Bulgarian origin” of the Macedonia language and identity. The two countries shave signed a Friendship Treaty in 2017 which now North Macedonia claims that the Bulgarian side is not abiding by. At the end of the meeting of ministers for European Affairs, the representative of the German presidency, Minister of State Michael Roth, reminded that since the spring of this year the two Balkan countries have been given the green light for membership talks but now we want to create concrete conditions for this to become possible. We would like this to happen during our presidency, which concludes at the end of December. It is unclear at this point whether de-coupling of the two countries shall occur. Roth said that “we have to distinguish between the bilateral conflicts, the points of friction that still exist between Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia on the one hand, and the EU as a whole, on the other. It is clear that we want to help find reasonable solutions, that we want to eliminate all obstacles so that intergovernmental conferences can take place, why not throughout our presidency. This is not the time for bilateral issues still unresolved to arise at the European level.” However, Albania is not without obstacles either. Out of 15 conditions set to be fulfilled prior to the IGC-s, key ones are still at large. The Constitutional Court is incomplete and the new media draft law has not been revised yet as per Venice Commission conditions, to mention just the short-term ones. The country is set to hold general elections in April of 2021 and therefore the timeline for appraisal of the readiness might be postponed until then. The free and fair conduct of the elections will be an ultimate political test, one that Albania has repeatedly failed in the last three decades. Germany is said to press on with talks and potentially try to broker an agreement until the end of the year. For the German Minister, the credibility of the EU itself is at stake. “We have to give signals of EU credibility, and give this signal to the Western Balkans. Albania and Northern Macedonia have made countless efforts to become part of the European family. It is a very long and difficult journey, but now we have to start concrete talks.”

Enlargement Commissioner Varhelyi, wrote on Twitter that “work must continue and it is important to reach an agreement on negotiating frameworks with Albania and Northern Macedonia as soon as possible, so that the Intergovernmental Conferences can be held this year.”