Weekly Brief

Albania
Prime Minister Rama about filling a genocide lawsuit against Serbia in front of Kosovo, President Meta impeached, and an Indian money laundering suspect incorporated a company. Rama said it would not be up to official Tirana to decide whether to file the lawsuit and that Kosovo should first consult its allies and partners in this respect. Deepak Barot, an executive from the Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company (SEEMCO), incorporated Halcon Oil & Gas Limited.

Bosnia-Herzegovina
Serb Army Commander Ratko Mladic lost the Srebrenica genocide appeal in front of the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, the country reaches 94.5% of the population online, and the Presidency Chairman Dodik willing to move the Republika Srpska Day celebration. While the verdict is seen as a political one for Serbs, Bosniaks regret the verdict has not include crimes committed in Foca, Kotor Varos, Prijedor, Sanski Most, and Vlasenica. Dodik supports the idea that the constitutionally challenged day, instead of January 9th, is celebrated on February 15th, when Serbia celebrates its Statehood Day.

Croatia
Council of Europe (CoE) on persistent discrimination against Serbs and Roma, oil and gas company INA/MOL to take full ownership of OMV Slovenia, and Interior Minister Bozinovic on the clear link between the country’s Schengen membership and EU security. The CoE’s opinion notes an increase in hate crime, “incidents of hate speech in the media and in political discourse,” and a “surge” in “radical nationalism” with “an overall negative impact on the enjoyment of minority rights, particularly in heavily affected post-conflict areas.” Bozinovic said that Europe’s security is not the sum of the security capacities of member states but that it is a result of cooperation, interoperability, and solidarity.

Kosovo
President Osmani on the issue of missing persons, Council of EU extends mandate of EULEX to June 2023, and Prime Minister Kurti proposed free trade agreement for the region. Osmani said that missing persons would be of “extreme importance” during the upcoming dialogue between Kurti and Serbian President Vucic on June 15th. Kurti proposed advancing regional integration and supporting each country’s path towards full membership in the European Union.

Montenegro
CoE on growing ethnic divide, Air Montenegro about to launch Tivat-Istanbul flights on July 17th, and Supreme State Prosecutor Ivica Stankovic steps down after law changes. CoE has warned that divisions between ethnic communities are deepening, calling on authorities to pay special attention to the prevention of hate speech in consultations on the new Media Law and ensure that the law addresses the problem of online hate speech. Stankovic is about to retire and open the way for judiciary reforms initiated by the ruling majority in parliament.

North Macedonia
Prime Minister Zaev met French President Macron in Paris, Russia expelled an envoy from Moscow in a tit-for-tat move, and the government is about to revoke concessions for small hydropower plants. Zaev said that the country is ready for a bilateral dialogue with Bulgaria, where Macedonian language and identity issues cannot be negotiated. The government will revoke concessions for most small hydropower plants due to substantiated complaints by environmentalists and citizens.

Serbia
National Assembly Speaker Dacic on constitutional changes, government resumes talks for acquiring SSJ-100 aircraft from Russia, and opposition to Rio Tinto’s Jadar lithium project gains momentum. Dacic said a referendum on constitutional changes might occur in autumn, before the parliamentary election and the parliament dissolution. The acquisition of the aircraft was discussed on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum between Industry Minister Denis Manturov, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov, and Nenad Popovic, Serbian minister without portfolio in charge of innovation. President Vucic said the country might decide the fate of Rio Tinto’s lithium project in a referendum.