Albania
Draft law on NGOs approved, Foreign Minister Xhaçka wants to reopen EU negotiations, and the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs visited border crossing with Greece. The Legal Committee approved a draft law creating an NGO public electronic register with information on their activities. Xhaçka stated that the country had met the conditions to restart negotiations with the EU, previously halted for the lack of electoral and justice reform. Commissioner Johansson visited the Kakavija border crossing to ensure that the rights of migrants, asylum-seekers, and refugees are protected.
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Cyber-attacks on media, a military cooperation plan with Croatia, and the Head of Security-Intelligence Agency (OSA) acquitted from charges. The EU, UK, and US representatives called on authorities to investigate hacker attacks on media portals Zurnal and Buka. Assistance Defense Minister Sajinovic and Croatia’s Military Attaché Brigadier Kiralj signed a military cooperation plan for 2021, including 27 joint activities in Croatia and 14 in the country. OSA’s Mehmedagic acquitted for allegedly abusing power to establish the person’s identity questioning his professional qualifications for the job.
Croatia
Digital nomads about to arrive, President on the Supreme Court’s candidates, and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) to file a hate-speech-related lawsuit. The county welcomes digital nomads seen as remote workers on a one-year residence permit forbidden to provide local business services and excluded from income taxation boosting the local economy as consumers of local goods and services. President Milanovic said he is about to propose his candidate for the Supreme Court as the present candidates will not get his support. HDZ may take legal action against the Index.hr news website for asking its visitors to confirm if they are human beings or “members of HDZ” before entering the website.
Kosovo
The US supports the country’s dialog with Serbia; Special Prosecution indicted the former Intelligence Chief; attacks on a journalist and a politician’s family member. US Special Representative for the Western Balkans Palmer said that the US supports the EU-facilitated Kosovo-Serbia dialogue. The Special Prosecution indicted Gashi over the extradition of six Turkish citizens – Gulenists – in March 2018. While International, Kosovo media associations have condemned the attack on crime, corruption investigative journalist Visar Duriqi, the British Ambassador Abbott condemned the attack on the son of the Progressive Democratic Party’s leader Nenad Rasic.
Montenegro
EU stance on the Law on the Special Public Prosecutor’s Office, the first shipment of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine arrived, and diplomatic drama with the Holy See. The EU has expressed reservations about the new parliamentary majority’s intention to annul the Law, harmonized with European standards. A 5000-dose shipment of the Sputnik V vaccine has arrived from Russia, with the Health Minister Borovinic Bojovic being vaccinated against COVID-19. The recalled ambassador to the Vatican Vlahovic refuses to step down as the former ambassador to the Holy See.
North Macedonia
Foreign Minister Osmani visited France and the United Arab Emirates to sign agreements, while the new proposed ethnic ID cards would be against the EU standards. Osmani signed an Agreement on the Establishment of the French Development Agency, Film Co-Production Agreement, and Agreement of a Ballistic Identification System donation. Osmani signed an MoU on political consultations and an agreement on mutual protection of investments with UAE. The EU ambassador Geer has stated that the Besa Movement’s IDs proposal is against EU regulation coming into force in August.
Serbia
President Vucic expects pressure on Kosovo recognition, the EU expects respect of fundamental rights and normalizing relations with Kosovo, and MP Shaip Kamberi warns about Albanian discrimination in Serbia. Vucic expects joint pressure from the EU and the US to recognize Kosovo. The EU Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs urged the country to deal with publicly financed media’s anti-EU rhetoric, normalize relations with Kosovo, and align with EU common policy toward Russia’s annexation of Crimea and China’s investments and loans lack in transparency. MP Kamberi warned that ethnic Albanians face widespread discrimination in education, investments, erased addresses, and negative stereotypes.