Albania
The Government hired US-based Jones International to improve its cybersecurity after the recent data leak, former Prime Minister Berisha accused Prime Minister Rama of being under Serbian President Vucic’s control, and the state lost nine International Court Cases worth 388 million euros ($442 million) thus far. The company’s head is retired General and former White House National Security Adviser James Logan Jones. One of the four ongoing cases is with “Dondi & Kubota,” where the state faces a potential loss of 90 million euros.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Serbs celebrated the outlawed Republika Srpska Day, the Association “Nanicevi Buzimljani” marked the 29th anniversary of the military action “Lightning 93” against the Republika Srpska Army, and EU about to postpone disbursement of second Covid-19 related macro-financial assistance to the country. Special Police Force members shouted out “For Cross, For Glory” during the celebration. The Association members shouted out “Takbir” and “Allahu Akbar” during the event marking. The second assistance of 125 million euros ($142 million) was supposed to arrive this month.
Croatia
Last year’s population census shows a nearly 10% population drop in 10 years, 2022 inflation growth forecast revised up to 3.5%, and unemployment drops for a ninth consecutive month. Preliminary results of the 2021 census show that the country lost 400,000 people due to emigration and a low fertility rate. Finance Minister Zdravko Maric stated that inflation had accelerated in recent months, triggering the Government’s decision to revise its projection to 3.5%, up from the 2.5% increase forecast earlier. The Croatian Employment Service reported that at the end of December 2021, 125,715 people were registered, which is 34,130 or 21.4% fewer job seekers than in December 2020.
Kosovo
The Government banned the Serbian vote on constitutional changes on its soil, some 70,000 citizens applied for EU residence, and Police confiscated more than 300 Bitcoin mining machines. Kosovo’s top authorities stated that the Serbs could cast ballots only via mail or at a liaison office without organizing the poll in Serb-dominated areas, as previously were the case. In December 2021, over 56,000 citizens applied for a visa in Germany, 6000 in Croatia, and thousands in Slovenia and other European countries. The action disrupted crypto miners’ monthly income of some 2,000 euros ($2,270), about five times the country’s average monthly income.
Montenegro
Leader of the URA Civic Movement Abazovic said that the departure of the head of the Democratic Party of Socialists Djukanovic would significantly facilitate communication and relations between the parties, the jobless rate rose to 24.7% in December 2021, and World Bank (WB) raised the country’s 2022 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) forecast to 5.6%. Abazovic stated that people “with the virus of the 1990s” should slowly retire from politics. WB raised its previous forecast of a 4.5% economic expansion.
North Macedonia
PM-designate Kovacevski intends to meet with the opposition VMRO-DPMNE’s leader Mickoski, the Special Representative in the negotiations with Bulgaria Vlado Buckovski released from his duty, and former Foreign Minister Dimitrov accused Kovacevski of his readiness to accept Bulgarian demands. The meeting that would take place after the new Government’s election would be about the political situation and solutions to new laws. Kovacevski stated that Dimitrov’s statement comes as “a matter of expressed personal dissatisfaction with the end of his participation in the Government.”
Serbia
President Vucic stated that the country would not join NATO, 300km of railway reconstruction scheduled for 2022, and France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union released a Joint Statement on January 16 Referendum. Expanding on his statement, Vucic said that Serbia “only purchase defensive weapons, not offensive ones.” The Western Partners “welcome Serbia’s January 16 national referendum on constitutional changes as a key step to strengthen the independence of the judiciary and to enhance the transparency and effectiveness of the country’s rule of law institutions.”