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The Balkans

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Good morning,Albania and Greece are beefing, again. In a conflict which is interpreted as an ethnic, political, and legal one, all at the same time, the sentencing of a mayor of a small town has stirred up quite a heated debate. Our correspondents Gramos and Ariadna bring you a great recap.In other news, Croatia’s elections have opened many questions, with an unclear road to creating a government. Although shaken, the ruling party did not lose too much support, despite countless corruption scandals. Another scandalous thing is Serbia’s political offensive against the UN Srebrenica resolution. In Bosnia, football hooliganism is causing a stir, and Kosovo is mourning victims of femicide.Finally, some espionage in Romania, and some arrests in Montenegro, round up the thriller feel of this Saturday morning.Editor’s note
Marko Milikić
Bosnia and Herzegovina ・ The opposite of sports behaviorA story of hooligans ruining Bosnian footballFootball hooliganism, rooted in violence based on ethnic divisions and deep social traumas, is haunting Bosnia and Herzegovina.Last weekend, derbies took place in the Bosnian football league: one in Sarajevo between FC Željezničar and FC Sarajevo, and another in Mostar between FC Zrinjski and FC Velez. Tensions ran high on the pitch over championship points, but outside the stadiums, the police were prepared for war.Nowadays, almost all football matches in BiH and the Balkans are marred by clashes among hooligan groups. Better known as “Ultras,” hundreds of young men are prepared to fight both each other and the police, resulting in burned cars, injuries, demolished city neighborhoods and sometimes deaths. This truly affects the entire Balkans: just a few weeks ago, 51 people were arrested in Split, Croatia after more civil unrest caused by football hooliganism.In BiH, hooligans are also caught up in ethnic divisions and social unrest, serving as muscle for political extremists during rallies and protests.correspondent imageAlessandro Cinciripini
Football turned dark in a region where matches were once a charming Sunday tradition for many families and children.Today, hooliganism is also an outcry of a generation lost in transition, facing unemployment and a lack of prospects for their future, living in a polarised society where true post-war reconciliation is yet to take place.Sources: Balkan InsightNorth Macedonia ・ TourismNorth Macedonia falling short of its tourism potentialAlthough it’s a beautiful country with a rich historical heritage, an interesting blend of different influences and stunning natural sights, North Macedonia has failed to brand itself properly and has not reached its full touristic potential.With some of the most peculiar sights you can experience in the Balkans (such as the region’s biggest and best-preserved Ottoman Bazaar, Lake Ohrid, the ancient amphitheater in Stobi), it would be beneficial if the country started seeing some more serious income from the tourism industry. However, systemic issues have not allowed that to happen.correspondent imageSara Čurić
Unlike Montenegro and Albania, who have been seeing massive income from tourism and have in the past years established themselves as top tourist destinations, the situation is not as bright in their neighborhood. Unfortunately, it is far too common for Balkan countries to not capitalise on their countless potential in different spheres.Low investment in tourism, lack of branding and promotion, sketchy infrastructure across the board, and a lot of short-stay, small-spending tourists are just some of the reasons for North Macedonia’s lack of progress.However, it has to be noted that the situation is very slowly improving, so there is hope that more of the world will get to see North Macedonia and its beauties.Sources: Radio Free EuropeSerbia ・ Genocide denialSerbia’s relentless offensive against the UN Srebrenica resolutionDecades have passed, and Serbia is still refusing to recognise the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. At the moment, the country is engaging in an aggressive political offensive against the proposed UN resolution seeking to declare 11 July “The International Day of Reflection and Remembrance of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide”.The resolution is being promoted by several countries, including Rwanda, Germany, France and the USA, and it seeks to finally recognise, through a UN-wide resolution, the grave suffering of Bosnian Muslims, more than 8,000 of whom were killed that July in one of the most heinous crimes since WWII. The killings were perpetrated by units of the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska under the command of Ratko Mladic, who is serving a life sentence after being found guilty of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.In response to the proposed resolution, which in no way implies the collective responsibility of Serbian people, the Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik, Belgrade’s most useful proxy, threatened secession once again, claiming that Bosnia and Herzegovina might not “survive” the UN vote.The official Belgrade policy has not been different. The country’s authoritarian president, alongside the foreign minister, have spent weeks trying to lobby against the resolution. Even the former FM and UN General Assembly President Vuk Jeremić, a self-described opposition politician, offered his assistance to the government in order to ‘defend’ the Serbian people. From what exactly the country requires such relentless defence, remains unknown.correspondent imageMarko Milikić
Although the resolution in no way damages the Serbian people, the country’s national media propaganda machine has launched vicious attacks on all the sponsor countries, intellectuals and politicians who support it, destabilising the region yet again and showing that it has not learned a single thing  from the past.It is truly shocking that the country’s president, government, many public intellectuals, various media outlets, and opposition politicians, are so detached from reality and so consumed by genocide denial that they cannot face the fact that every country has its historical blemish, and Srebrenica is one of theirs.Yet another episode of Serbia’s genocide denial showcases the damages of uncompleted reconciliation. The region cannot move on from the gloomy spirit of the ’90s without all of the actors taking accountability for their actions. Without Serbia’s recognition of its past crimes, cycles of nationalism will just keep going until there is another bloody episode.Serbia should turn to its civil society in learning how to deal with reconciliation. Many associations, such as “Women in Black” have spent decades advocating for the recognition of the Srebrenica genocide, holding annual commemorations. They became known, amongst other things, for their slogan “We will never forget the genocide in Srebrenica”, which they regularly display across Serbia.Sources: EuronewsEurope visualisedEuropeans on strikeEuropean countries have experienced varying levels of strikes linked to different industries in the past years. Based on the most recent available data, France tops the European ranking in terms of days not worked. The pension reform strikes which started in 2019 and continued into 2020 have been one of the longest strikes in France’s modern history. However, other countries have had a strong presence on the picket lines, such as the United Kingdom  and  Finland.Datavisualisation of Europeans on strikeCreated by Pauline Baudry.
Albania ・ Drama and tensionsConvicted Himarë mayor becomes new table tennis ball in increasing tension between Albania and GreeceGramos Sejdiu, Ariadna MañéBesides amazing beaches, clear waters, and renowned seafood, Himarë, in stereotypical fashion for Albania, offers political drama as well. As local elections came in May 2023, Fredi Beleri, an ethnic Greek, was elected as mayor of the city, mostly inhabited by ethnic Greeks.However, his victory cheers ran short as he was arrested before being sworn in and later convicted to two years in prison for vote buying. The Beleri case has only worsened the relationship between the two European countries. But is it a political, ethnic, or a judicial matter? – it depends on which side you ask.Greece is callingGreece has repeatedly asked for Fredi Beleri’s release, calling this a new attack on the Greek minority of Albania, who want to be “masters of their own land”, as Greece claims, after a convoluted unresolved case of state expropriation and acquisition of private property of ethnic Greeks to exploit for tourism.Greece has retaliated and successfully blocked all EU accession processes for Albania. The European Parliament agrees with Beleri’s team that his arrest and investigation into the case were wrongful, and calls out the rejection of appeals by the Albanian courts.However, they have not welcomed Greece’s actions, stating that “the bilateralisation of the accession process is not acceptable.” Nevertheless, taking a defying step further, Greece’s ruling party has announced that Beleri will be one of their candidates at the European Parliament elections.Albania is not picking upOn the other side, Albania claims that this case is a judicial matter, and it has nothing to do with the ethnic background of the individual. An investigation was conducted and revealed an instance of vote buying, which must lead to some consequences, regardless of who the perpetrator is.PM Edi Rama, insisting that his government has not and will not get involved in judicial matters, commented that this situation “could fit the script of a sarcastic film about interstate relations in the Balkans, worthy of its old stereotype of ‘who am I and who are you!?’, but not the democratic reality of the European neighborhood.”It is worth pointing out that the person who took over the city’s mayoral duties after Beleri’s arrest was Gergie Goro, also ethnically Greek, but from the ruling Socialist Party. Ironically, he was also arrested later by the anti-corruption body in March 2023 after a report made by Beleri himself.Without a resolution in sightWithout a clear way out, as neither Albania nor Greece can overrule a supposedly independent and proper judicial system that has issued a firm sentence, the only thing left to fight about is the accession to the EU.As Greece continues to block the path, Albania has little to do. However, it is not Beleri nor PM Rama, and it is not the Greek government that are at a loss here.Those who have the most to lose from these battles are all Albanian citizens with zero prospect of their country moving towards EU integration, despite reforms and promises made to them, all due to an eternal, almost unsolvable, historic border and ethnic divide.Romania ・ War in UkraineRussia’s cat and mouse destabilisation game in South-Eastern EuropeA report from the Supreme Defence Council of Romania mentioned that the spies from the Russian intelligence agency have infiltrated the country, disguised as Ukrainian refugees. Their main goals include gathering intelligence on Romania’s military exercises, and aid routes to Ukraine.They also sought to spread disinformation about Romania’s military capabilities and destabilise public opinion about national leaders.While no information is available on whether anyone was detained, the report mentions that recent cyber attacks on Romania, as well as ambushes on aid transportation to Ukraine, are based on information gained through the espionage campaign.correspondent imageAlexandra Drugescu-Radulescu
Russia’s campaign in Romania may illustrate a desire to move more towards the West, compared to previous targets like Moldova. With the largest NATO base placed in Romania, and the pivotal role played by the country in the security of the Black Sea, strengthening information security becomes a priority for the entirety of Europe.Sources: Digi24Slovenia ・ Diplomacy and inclusionThe UK’s first blind ambassador to join Slovenia’s diplomatic communityThe UK has made a significant step for inclusion of people with disabilities by appointing its first ever blind ambassador, as the new ambassador to Slovenia.Victoria Harrison, who was also the first person with a declared disability to be recruited by the Foreign Office, is set to begin her mission in Slovenia shortly. For Slovenia, a country with high, but insufficient standards of inclusion, this is quite a novelty, as its own diplomatic teams are not the most open for people with disabilities.correspondent imageSara Čurić
So many professions remain stereotypically out of reach for people with disabilities. The UK’s step thus makes a small crack in the glass ceiling for people with disabilities, who have traditionally been excluded from the diplomatic world.It remains to be seen which steps Slovenia will take to make its own diplomatic service more inclusive, and accepting.Sources: Slovenia Times and BBCCroatia ・ Drama galoreCroatian parliamentary elections turn into a constitutional crisisAnđela ŠikićThis Wednesday, Croatian parliamentary elections were held, and as always they were an exciting event for the nation. Even if the winner and runner-up are somewhat easy to predict in Croatia, there is always that naïve glimmer of hope that this time things could change.That those elected would truly work for the benefit of their country instead of their own pockets.The 2024 Croatian parliamentary elections were especially marked by this intangible sense of hope and were highly anticipated, with the largest turnout since the 1990 elections. However, real change will have to wait.HDZ (seemingly) wins againCroatia’s longest serving ruling party (and the only criminally charged party via court verdicts) HDZ, has won parliamentary elections for the third consecutive time, although with fewer seats than four years before and without a majority. Center-right HDZ, led by Andrej Plenković who has served two consecutive terms as PM, have won with 61 seats in the 151-seat parliament.The Rijeke pravde coalition (Rivers of justice), headed by the opposition SDP, and unofficially by the current President Zoran Milanović, came in second with 42 seats. The right-wing Domovinski pokret (Homeland Movement) finished third with 13 seats and will probably play the role of kingmaker. This is a party fully opposed to the Istanbul Convention, women’s right to bodily autonomy and working with the Serb minority, which is all against HDZ’s politics. Minority representatives have secured eight mandates in total.Horse tradingSince neither HDZ nor SDP secured the absolute majority of 76 seats needed for constituting the parliament, a period of political horse-trading will ensue. Coalitions with both right-wing and left-wing parties, as well as with minorities that passed the threshold, will be needed.With 61 seats already won, in theory it would be easier for HDZ to find those 15 seats needed for a definitive win. However, almost every party that met the threshold on Wednesday has stated that they will not be forming a coalition with HDZ.That is, all except the aforementioned Domovinski pokret (DP), who on Thursday stated they “are open for negotiations”. For context, in a leaked audio tape on April 13, Plenković can be heard describing DP’s politicians as “evil people who they will not have any business with”.Political calculationsBefore the elections and during the campaign, almost every political party in Croatia was inviting the citizens to vote for anybody else except HDZ and Plenković.It appears HDZ’s numerous corruption affairs (that we have extensively reported on ), have united all Croatian political parties in their agenda to overthrow Plenković and HDZ, to abolish the notorious “Lex AP” and remove the equally notorious, freshly appointed attorney general, who was basically put in place to protect corrupt HDZ officials.At the same time, Croatia under Plenković has improved its credit rating, entered the Schengen zone and introduced the Euro instead of the old currency, the Kuna.The parties that want to see HDZ gone now have the opportunity to do just that by forming a coalition with SDP. With 42 seats, SDP needs a significantly bigger support. The right-wing party Most have stated they would not enter any coalition that would imply President Zoran Milanović as the new PM, and left-wing Možemo! stated they will not enter a coalition with any of the right-wing options. If neither HDZ nor SDP manage to obtain 76 seats in total, the elections will have to be repeated.Election irregularitiesOn election day, GONG (a non-governmental organisation that oversees elections in Croatia) received dozens of inquiries from citizens who stated that they did not find themselves on the voter lists at their polling stations, under the excuse of their identity cards being ‘expired’.Until then, these citizens had used their identity cards as normal and even travelled abroad using those same IDs. What is more, all of the valid ID cards that were not found on the voter list, allegedly expired on the same date.The ministry of internal affairs claims that the fault lies with the citizens who did not pick up new identity cards. The exact number of citizens who were not able to exercise their voting right remains unknown. Constitutional Court’s “coup d’état”?Two days after the elections, another breaking news have rocked Croatia. At a press conference on Friday, president of the Constitutional Court has declared that President Zoran Milanović cannot be PM or PM designate, even if he manages to gather the majority of 76 seats.The decision was adopted by nine votes to three. The Constitutional Court is justifying this decision by saying Milanović had breached the previous Constitutional Court’s warning from 18 March of not participating in the electoral process as a candidate, as he repeatedly implied he will be the next PM.Legal experts as well as the public were divided back then, and they are divided right now. In March, some were accusing the President of breaching the Constitution, saying he cannot possibly wear ‘two hats’ (that of President and PM candidate) or ‘sit in two chairs’.This time, the Constitutional Court is being heavily criticised for interfering in the election results, post festum. During his press conference Milanović referred to their decision as “the preparation for a coup d’état”. Three constitutional judges that voted against this decision have publicly declared their dissent, calling this turn of events a deeply unconstitutional threat to the new Parliament.Kosovo ・ Patriarchy still rulesMourning day for the victims of femicideKosovo and the Balkans continue to be plagued by femicide, largely due to an insufficient judicial system coverage, a patriarchal mindset, and a lack of proper judicial standards on femicide and its definition, as well as protection of victims of domestic abuse and proper sentences for the abusers. Just recently, yet another tragic murder of a woman triggered a day of mourning in Kosovo, and there have been so many other cases across the region.Institutions throughout the Balkans are establishing task forces and national strategies on countering femicide. However, they focus on prevention rather than on the actual cure.These efforts take into account that the root of femicide comes from gender discrimination and unequal power relations based in male domination. While the steps to break through the male-dominated narratives may seem small for the world outside of the Western Balkans, they will certainly be monumental in contributing to female security in the region.correspondent imageGramos Sejdiu
As we join the day of mourning in Kosovo, we take a look back to reflect on the substantial changes needed to structurally fight discrimination against women, and the crime of femicide, alongside the steps we must take to create an environment that fosters a better and safer society, particularly for women, and not just in Kosovo but across the Balkans and Europe.Sources: Prishtina Insight and Barron’sMontenegro ・ Crime and corruptionMontenegrins longing for fair access to justiceFormer head of the supreme court for three terms and and on the highest judicial positions for almost 20 years; former police director; former deputy police director and high-ranked operative of national security; former special state prosecutor; current head of the national anti-corruption agency. What brings all of these people together? Well, they have all been arrested on serious charges of organised crime and/or corruption over the past few years, with the latter three being arrested just recently.These arrests, although yet to be concluded with official verdicts, point to a system of corruption, crime, and manipulation embedded in the foundations of the justice system and the police.In front of the eyes of the EU, its frontrunner candidate state has been turning into a decadent criminal state for decades. It is only now, with the special prosecutor office’s activities, that we can see the extent of these criminal schemes.correspondent imageMarko Milikić
As thousands of court cases are piling up, the judiciary is unreformed, underpaid, and infrastructurally deprived, grappled by corruption and conflicts of interest, and all the while as citizens are longing for justice and for an impartial judiciary, these arrests come as the cherry on top of a state failing its duties to its citizens.One might wonder how any Montenegrin, myself included, can expect to see any kind of justice served, and to seek protection from the state in cases of need, when the very system designed to provide that has failed so badly.Sources: Balkan InsightMusic recommendation from MontenegroEvery day, our correspondents recommend one song to you. Today, Marko Milikić chose this one. We hope you enjoy!
LučeMilena VučićShe’s not naïve and she will not give in to the loverboy. Montenegro’s 2000s Jenny from the Block used to be a musical sensation, and “Luče” was one of her signature hits.

Listen on Youtube Listen on Spotify〉Recommend a song for our next editionThank you for being with us on yet another Saturday. Stay informed, and see you in the next newsletter. Have a lovely weekend!Take careMarko Milikić
Leading Editor
for The BalkansPS: Can you tell us what you think of today’s edition of the newsletter?Very interesting!
Quite good
Not interesting for meEvery day, as a small reward for your feedback, we will show you a cute animal picture.This newsletter was edited by Dylan Goodman, the visuals were created by Sara Čurić, and the executive producer was Klara Vlahčević Lisinski.You receive this email because you are signed up for the  newsletter of The European Correspondent .Do you get too many emails? Click here to only receive the weekly newsletter.  If you don’t want to receive any emails at all from us , you can unsubscribe here .

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