The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 23 March 2024 to 29 March 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.
Montenegro – 27 March 2024
Environmental groups say a planned LNG terminal in the port of Bar is contradictory to Montenegro’s climate goals, but the project has US and EU backing. See here.
Kosovo – 27 March 2024
The former head of the US Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission, Shaun Byrnes, told the war crimes trial of ex-President Hashim Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army officers that he never had evidence that they ordered abductions. See here.
Croatia – 27 March 2024
Croatia’s Zoran Milanovic knew the courts would knock down his bid to run for the premiership while simultaneously serving as president, but in just raising the idea he has ignited an election campaign that seemed destined to end in another win for his arch-rival. See here.
Moldova – 27 March 2024
Moldova's top court has ruled that changes to the electoral code adopted last year – banning fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor's candidates from elections – were unconstitutional. See here.
Serbia – 26 March 2024
Serbia’s foreign minister criticised the UN Security Council’s decision not to hold a Russian-proposed debate about NATO’s 1999 air campaign against Yugoslavia, while Kosovo accused Moscow of using the issue to justify its war in Ukraine. See here. See here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 26 March 2024
High Representative Christian Schmidt used his powers to impose legislation on Bosnia and Herzegovina to introduce new set of rules aimed at ensuring free elections and preventing vote-rigging. See here.
Albania – 26 March 2024
Jorgo Goro, who became acting mayor of Himara municipality amid a diplomatic row between Albania and Greece over his election rival’s arrest, was ordered into detention on suspicion that he transferred state land to private individuals. See here.
Hungary – 26 March 2024
Peter Magyar says he has handed over to prosecutors a secretly recorded tape of his ex-wife, former justice minister Judit Varga, appearing to admit members of Orban’s government tampered with evidence in a major corruption case. See here.
Kosovo – 25 March 2024
Report by rapporteur Dora Bakoyannis advises positive response to Kosovo's Council of Europe membership bid, after it met key criterion when it granted disputed land to a Serb Orthodox monastery last week. See here.