Albania
Opposition demands revote in nine of twelve districts, some 200,000 citizens have received both vaccine doses, and a 50 million euros loan for green transport in Tirana from Germany. Democratic Party called the April 25th elections “an electoral massacre,” refusing to recognize results in disputed districts. Health Minister Manastirliu has confirmed the number of people revaccinated, mentioning some 650,000 people that received at least one vaccine dose. Urban public transport is set to become environmentally and climate-friendly, reliable and affordable for the users.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Preparations for the NATO Immediate Response 21 exercise on the way, the EU allocated 1 million euros ($1.2 million) to develop rural market infrastructure, and a draft crypto bill to regulate digital assets in preparation. The country’s military command has welcomed over 300 U.S. troops from the National Guards of Alabama and Florida. The Project EU4AGRI will support investments in green markets and the development of sales and marketing channels. The draft bill should establish monetary responsibility and accountability of crypto miners and traders expected to pay capital gains taxes.
Croatia
Parliamentary speaker Jandrokovic discussed IT-related projects, two new opportunities for digital nomads, and World Bank approved a 200 million euros ($240 million) loan to help enterprises. Jandrokovic presented success stories of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing’s Center for Artificial Intelligence, Zagreb Special Hospital’s Radiosurgery, and the Center of the gaming industry in Novska. Zagreb Digital Nomad Week 2021 will explore remote careers, tax, and finance, as Zagreb Digital Nomad Ambassador Project will cover one month’s expenses for six digital nomads. The loan will provide liquidity and financial restructuring to companies that have been hit by the pandemic and devastating earthquakes of 2020.
Kosovo
A flawed vaccination plan brings problems for the government, the country received 38,000 vaccine doses from COVAX, and free electricity allows bitcoin mining to flourish in the country’s north. Civic society organizations and political opposition parties criticized the government’s failure to provide a secured vaccination process for crowds of seniors assembled at a vaccination center in Prishtina, potentially leading to new infections. The number of miners and cryptocurrency investors has increased as people in the northern region have not been paying electricity for over two decades.
Montenegro
New Law on State Prosecution adopted, new flag carrier ToMontenegro to start operations by June 1st, and Serbia’s MK Group purchased an additional 12.1% of the Budvanska Rivijera. Prosecutorial Council members may be elected by a simple majority in the Parliament, while any reputable lawyer can be elected as Supreme State Prosecutor. ToMontenegro will initially operate flights to Belgrade, Ljubljana, and Frankfurt. MK Group lifts its stake to 28.7%, aiming to become a majority shareholder in Budvanska Rivijera.
North Macedonia
Bulgarian interim government to maintain veto on EU negotiations, Prime Minister Zaev met his Greek counterpart Mitsotakis in Athens, and former Prime Minister Gruevski indicted over illicit property purchases. The interim government will continue to ask official Skopje to recognize that its nation and language have Bulgarian roots. Zaev reviewed bilateral relations and called Greece “our main neighbor and our strategic partner.” Organized Crime Prosecution filed charges against Gruevski in a high-profile case linked to the illicit purchase of building sites with a total value of 1.5 million euros.
Serbia
A 234 million euros ($282 million) green agenda loan with World Bank signed, the country implements new Law on e-taxation, and China maintains strong ties with the three major universities. The government signed two public policy loan deals supporting climate change public policy and the project to modernize the rail sector. Effective on January 1st, 2022, the e-taxation system will facilitate the economy, improve tax collection, and significantly reduce the grey economy with advanced payment software proscribed by the Law. The University of Belgrade, the University of Novi Sad, and the University of Nis have signed a cooperation agreement with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.