Albania
Albgaz signed a cooperation agreement with the Spanish Energy Company Enagas, Prime Minister Rama promised a salary raise for teachers, and the country ranked 74th among 128 countries by the Basel index against money laundering. Deputy Prime Minister Balluka said the agreement would boost energy stability via the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline. The universities would decide on professors’ salaries rase independently. The score is the highest in the region, despite a decrease of two points.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Opposition candidate Trivic accused SNSD’s leader Dodik of election theft, Zeljko Komsic was reelected as the Croat Presidency member, and the Social Democratic Party leader Denis Becirovic is a new Bosniak Presidency member. Trivic stated, “Election theft, I will not recognize the voting results!” Borjana Kristo won majority votes in Croats-dominated cantons, while Komsic won more votes overall. SNSD’s candidate Zeljka Cvijanovic is the new Serb Presidency member.
Croatia
Prime Minister Plenkovic participated in the first New European Political Community meeting in Prague, foreign direct net investments reached 812 million euros ($794 million) in the second quarter, and President Milanovic said he would support the Croats self-governance in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Plenkovic voted for a new sanctions packet against Russia’s adoption, also affecting Serbia’s access to Russian oil. Milanovic noted, “As long as it is possible that someone else elects the Croat Presidency member, that is called a fraud.”
Kosovo
Customs at Durres Port became operational, Minister of Health Rifat Latifi resigned, and European Commission (EC) recommended abolishing the visa regime. Finance Minister Rifat Latifi stated, “There are about 1,040 Kosovo companies that use the Port of Durres and these capacities every year to clear their goods, and from today they will not only have the facilities that the two governments have agreed on with each other.” The EC’s document stated, “Kosovo continued to consolidate progress in critical areas identified in the liberalization roadmap. Consequently, the basis for the Commission’s 2018 recommendation to exempt Kosovo nationals from the short-stay visa requirement remains fully valid.”
Montenegro
Prime Minister Abazovic dismissed the National Security Agency Acting Director Sava Kendera, met the EU envoy Lajcak, and described Serbian President Vucic’s influence in the country as overstated. Kendera is suspected of involvement in the ongoing tobacco smuggling affair. Abazovic reiterated the need for electing new judges of the Constitutional Court. He also stated, “I think that his influence is overemphasized, I think that Montenegro is a sovereign decision-maker and that there are political entities that are close to him and that are his favorites, and we will not get rid of that.”
North Macedonia
Prime Minister Kovacevski met the VMRO-DPMNE leader Mickoski, the VMRO-DPMNE deputy Mile Lefkov accused Kovacevski of nepotism, and the free trade exchange agreement with Ukraine was annexed. The two leaders met to achieve national unity in a time of crisis. Lefkov stated that, eight months after Kovacevski became Prime Minister, the company he founded started a 54 million euros factory in TIRZ Tetovo. Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated, “The agreement will contribute to the reduction of prices for goods produced in North Macedonia, which are raw materials for processing enterprises. This is the main advantage for the Ukrainian industry.”
Serbia
President Vucic met Austrian Chancellor Nehammer and President Orban to discuss illegal migrations, condemned Croatia’s initiative to stop Russian oil export to Serbia, and denied Serbian involvement in the oil firm espionage in Romania. Consequently, Police Forces prevented 200 migrants from entering Hungary and seized money and weapons from the group. Vucic said it would take 24 months to build a new oil connector to Hungary. He also stated that neither the state nor its citizens are involved in the alleged leaks of confidential data about Romania’s natural resources from the Romanian branch of the Serbia-based energy company NIS Petrol.