Albania
President Meta refused to decree the new budget, Prime Minister Rama called on Serbia to recognize Kosovo, and new candidates for the national broadcaster were revealed. Meta pointed to the budget planning- and implementation-related issues. Rama pointed out to Serbia-Kosovo dispute as one of the significant problems for lasting regional peace. The proposed candidates are Moza Haxhiaj, Laureta Roshi, Enkelejd Joti, and Iris Luarsi.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Almost half of the country’s youth willing to emigrate, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced sanctions against the Republika Srpska officials working on unilateral withdrawal from the state institutions, and the Armed Forces of Bosnia-Herzegovina received training equipment donation from the United Kingdom. The United Nations Population Fund survey interviewing 5,000 young people found that nearly half (47%) thought about emigrating, with almost a quarter (24%) considering leaving permanently. The equipment included automated targets for live shooting, an urban combat training mobile village, and intelligent video surveillance.
Croatia
President Milanovic met Pope Francis at the Vatican, Prime Minister Plenkovic visited Kosovo, and the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Croatia in a 2017 migrant pushback case. Milanovic agreed with the Pope that vaccination is an “Act of Love for Oneself,” Plenkovic expressed his support for Kosovo’s integrity and promised help with EU integration and visa liberalization. Madina Hussiny of Afghanistan was killed by a train on the border with Serbia.
Kosovo
Opposition candidate Perparim Rama the new Prishtina’s mayor, US Senate confirmed Jeffrey Hovenier as the new US Ambassador to Kosovo, and an ISIS-supporting activist arrested in Italy. The ruling Vetevendosje party won four of the 12 municipalities. Hovenier is an expert in Kosovo-Serbia relations. Italy’s General Investigations and Special Operations Division and Europol had arrested a 19-year-old Italian Kosovar woman, Bleona Tafallari, actively recruiting others to the cause.
Montenegro
Deputy Prime Minister Abazovic stated he still believes in reaching an agreement with the Democratic Front (DF), Social Democratic Party’s leader Rasko Konjevic announced a no-confidence motion on the Government, and Democratic People’s Party leader Milan Knezevic announced DF’s last offer to resolve the political and institutional crisis. Abazovic said that he had no talks about the concept of a minority government with Djukanovic’s Democratic Party of Socialists. Konjevic stated that he believes “the government will ‘fall’ in the Assembly under the procedure provided for in the Constitution of Montenegro.” Knezevic accused Abazovic of considering the model of minority support of the Government.
North Macedonia
Prime Minister Zaev is about to resign as SDSM’s leader, Deputy Minister of Finance Dimitar Kovachevski likely to become the new prime minister, and the country is fully militarily integrated into NATO. Zaev would allow his successor to form a new government. The Albanian Alternative formation leader, Afrim Gashi, is likely to join Kovachevski’s new Government. Defense Minister Sekerinska stated that the “test period” for her country’s membership in the alliance ended.
Serbia
President Vucic on new gas agreement with Russia, the Socialist Party of Serbia’s leader Ivica Dacic announced Vucic as a joint candidate for Serbia’s President, and the Party of Freedom and Justice leader Dragan Djilas on the talks of the opposition on possible joint participation in the elections. Vucic aims to sign a ten-year contract to deliver 3 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. Djilas stated that if the opposition decides to participate in the election, they would include non-partisan personalities on the list.