The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 22 February 2024 to 29 February 2024.
Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates with a focus on Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Should you wish to contribute or submit a media summary, opinion piece or blog, please send to Ned Vucijak at nenadv@guernica37.com for consideration.
Poland - 29 February 2024
On Thursday, the European Commission approved the release of up to €137 billion in funds for Poland that had been frozen over rule-of-law concerns; see here.
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Albania - 28 February 2024
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has tried to drum up Balkan support for his vision of peace in Ukraine and has promoted the idea of joint arms production at a two-day summit of Southeast European countries; see here.
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Serbia - 28 February 2024
Prosecutors should investigate Belgrade city councillor Svetozar Andric, a former Bosnian Serb Army officer, for his alleged role in wartime expulsions and killings of civilians, the Humanitarian Law Centre NGO said in a report; see here.
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Kosovo - 27 February 2024
New developments in the Western Balkans are threatening the precarious peace achieved under American leadership since the end of the 1999 Kosovo war; see here.
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Serbia - 27 February 2024
The leader of the Serbian Military Union, Novica Antic, was detained on unspecified charges two weeks after the country’s defence minister said trade unions for military personnel should be abolished; see here.
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Serbia - 27 February 2024
Russian pro-democracy activists in the Balkan country now say at least a dozen recently faced entry bans or had their residency permits revoked on the grounds that they pose a threat to Serbia’s security; see here.
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Moldova - 27 February 2024
Nine media organisations urged the authorities in the autonomous Moldovan region of Gagauzia to withdraw draft legislation stipulating that online media based in the area will need authorisation to operate; see here.
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Moldova - 23 February 2024
Amid speculation about possible destabilisation attempts in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria, the EU Council imposed sanctions on six people it accused of attempts to undermine Moldovan sovereignty on behalf of Russia; see here.
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Albania - 22 February 2024
Albania’s Parliament has approved a deal signed with Italy that will see authorities hold thousands of asylum seekers rescued in international waters while their applications are processed, drawing criticism from human rights groups; see here.
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Balkans - 22 February 2024
Britain is pulling out of a treaty that lets fossil fuel firms sue governments over their climate policies. Britain joins France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia in withdrawing from charter it says ‘penalises’ shift to net zero; see here.