Albania
President Meta called the impeachment probe committee illegal, the new petroleum fiscal law imposes limits on tax deductions, and the ex-chief prosecutor received two years in prison for corruption. Meta refused to appear before the parliamentary committee discussing the reasons for his impeachment. The Law could discourage future investments amid the government’s goal to benefit from the Trans Adriatic Pipeline and an LNG import terminal that ExxonMobil and Excelerate could potentially develop. Adriatik Llalla gave false information on his illegal assets exceeding 8 million euros ($10 million).
Bosnia-Herzegovina
The military exercise “Quick Response 21” was successfully held at the Manjaca military training ground near Banja Luka, the Republika Srpska launched construction of a 125MW hydropower plant, and some 250 migrants moved from squats to Lipa camp. A part of NATO’s “Defender of Europe 21” military maneuvers, the exercise involved 500 domestic and 700 American soldiers. The Buk Bijela dam and plant near Foca will be part of three hydropower plants on the river Drina, worth around 550 million euros ($680 million). The squats around the city of Bihac are expected to become all empty as the migrants leave for Lipa.
Croatia
President Milanovic discussed the region’s problems at Brdo-Briuni Forum, the government is likely to buy 12 used French Rafale fighter jets, and a leftist-green group is set to win the race for mayor of Zagreb. Milanovic asserted that the Brdo-Briuni process is hardly likely to help solve the bilateral problems of the Western Balkans. The potential purchase worth a billion euros would include planes, training, and weapons. Tomislav Tomasevic accumulated around 48% support while his “We Can!” coalition won the most seats in the capital city’s assembly.
Kosovo
Police seized 24 million euros ($29 million) of cocaine in a meat shipment, OSCE expects adjacent land to be registered as Decan Monastery property, and Prime Minister Kurti expressed readiness for membership in UNESCO. Police seized 400 kilograms (882 pounds) of cocaine and arrested seven people in cooperation with Italian and Albanian authorities. Kurti asked the UNESCO executives that the four monuments of the “World Heritage List” – the Monastery of Decan, the Patriarchate of Peja, the Monastery of Gracanica, and St. Friday’s Church in Prizren – be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger taken by the World Heritage Committee in 2006.
Montenegro
Celebration of the 15th anniversary of independence, President Djukanovic rejected changes to Prosecution Law, and offshore oil exploration commenced. Prime Minister Krivokapic said that the government would stay civic, aiming to achieve the EU motto of unity in diversity. Djukanovic said that he would not sign the changes to the Law governing prosecution appointments earlier adopted by parliament. Environmentalists and anti-corruption activists expressed their concern about the exploration’s effect on ecology and tourism, following the project’s non-transparency.
North Macedonia
Prime Minister Zaev warns about rising Euroscepticism, the government expels a Russian diplomat, and the Council of Europe (CoE) alerts on endemic corruption in prisons. Zaev said that a failure to start EU integration talks would open more space for Russian and China’s influence on the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry regards the move as an unfriendly act and is considering retaliatory steps. A CoE report raised particular concern about the “inhumane and degrading conditions” and the police brutality used for the “purpose of extracting a confession.”
Serbia
President Vucic on the border issue with Kosovo at Brdo-Briuni Forum, Russian troops participated in a joint exercise, and the European Investment Bank (EIB) has lent 25 million euros ($30 million) for a gas link with Bulgaria. Vucic has proposed that only the borders recognized by the United Nations be declared as fixed, as this intergovernmental organization has not recognized Kosovo’s territorial integrity. The Russian, Serbian special operations forces’ tactical groups, practiced preparing for accomplishing counter-terror tasks. EIB has signed an agreement to provide a loan to construct the 109 km Nis-Dimitrovgrad pipeline.