Balkans leaders discuss common market after EU snub

Yahoo – AFP, November 10, 2019

The three Balkans leaders want to ease trade and travel between their
countries, and others in the region (AFP Photo/Robert ATANASOVSKI)

Ohrid (Republic of North Macedonia) (AFP) - Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia discussed setting up a common market at a summit Sunday, weeks after the European Union snubbed bids by Skopje and Tirana to open membership talks.

The leaders of the three countries met at Lake Ohrid, in North Macedonia, after the EU last month refused to start membership talks with Albania and North Macedonia.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, his North Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who launched the common market initiative in October, attended Sunday's meeting.

"We should not be afraid of our own shadow and to do something for ourselves," Vucic told reporters.

"We did not invent anything better for the past 30 years in the Balkans."

"We all want to be part of EU," but "it depends on them," he added. Serbia opened membership talks with the bloc in 2014.

This new initiative is aimed at establishing the free movement of goods and people by 2021 in the divided region.

Bosnia, Montenegro and Kosovo have also been invited to take part in the project.

But while Bosnia and Montenegro sent representatives to Sunday's meeting, Kosovo was absent.

"The vision of Kosovo is its accession to EU and NATO" which cannot be replaced by "any other regional initiative", Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said in a message posted on social media.

"This initiative makes no sense as long as Serbia and Bosnia do not recognise Kosovo independence."

Serbia's former ethnic Albanian-majority province proclaimed independence in 2008, but Belgrade has still not recognised it. Nor does Bosnia, due to the opposition of Bosnian Serbs.

The issue remains extremely sensitive in the Balkans region, which was torn apart in a series of wars in the 1990s that accompanied the collapse of Yugoslavia.

Rama voiced regret over Pristina's stance over the initiative.

"It is also in the interest of Kosovo, its citizens and market that the border between Kosovo and Serbia be abolished" despite the unresolved dispute between the two countries, he said.

The three leaders present agreed on introducing a common work permit and allowing travel between the three countries with an ID card only.

They also discussed setting up a "mini Schengen" visa-free zone to facilitate free movement of foreign visitors within the three countries.

And they agreed to ease customs procedures and border controls to accelerate the passage of trucks.

Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia have a combined population of nearly 20 million people.

France led last month's opposition to the EU membership talks for Albania and North Macedonia, although Denmark and the Netherlands also expressed reservations.

Albania will host the next meeting of the Balkans initiative on December 21.

Albania, Macedonia backed for EU membership talks

Yahoo – AFP, Lachlan CARMICHAEL, April 17, 2018

The announcement comes a month ahead of a summit in Sofia when the leaders of
six Balkan nations will be given fresh hope of eventually joining the EU (AFP
Photo/EMMANUEL DUNAND)

Brussels (AFP) - The EU on Tuesday backed the opening of formal membership talks with Albania and Macedonia as the bloc looks to expand into the Balkans and grow for the first time in years.

The announcement comes a month ahead of a summit in Sofia when the leaders of six Balkan nations will be given fresh hope of eventually joining the EU, amid rivalry between Brussels and Moscow over the region.

Skopje and Tirana both welcomed the move and vowed to work hard to remove obstacles on the long way to full membership.

EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, recommended that member states "open accession negotiations with Albania and with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia."

Mogherini stressed that any prospective members must make sweeping reforms to secure their entry to the club, which currently counts 28 countries as members -- although Britain is set to leave next year.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker put all enlargement on hold four years ago, and the Balkans states have become increasingly impatient.

Montenegro and Serbia are the frontrunners to join, having already started the formal membership process, with Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia lagging behind.

In February the EU unveiled its new strategy for the region, which aims to give membership to some states by 2025 but insists they must first resolve all border rows.

The EU has been wary of admitting new members before they settle their differences. The border rows will be a particular point of contention in a region still bedevilled by the aftermath of the bloody break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

These include a bitter and long-running dispute between Macedonia and EU-member Greece over its name, which Athens insists refers to its own northern province.

'Drift to Russia'

Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, whose country's NATO membership bid has also been held up by the row, said his government wanted to resolve the dispute as soon as possible.

Macron insisted on reforming the European Union before expanding the

bloc (AFP Photo/Frederick FLORIN)

"We are making efforts to finish this before the summit... but we would be even happier if it can happen earlier," Zaev told a press conference in Skopje.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the former communist country has "passed the historic test of our rapprochment with Europe" but acknowledged hard work lay ahead.

Rama told reporters in the capital Tirana that it marked "the opening of a new, more difficult phase of reforms and reinforcing the fight against crime and corruption."

Mogherini told reporters at the European parliament that Montenegro and Serbia have "progressed well" with their reforms, adding that "maintaining and deepening the current reforms must continue in all areas."

These areas are the rule of law, human rights, democratic institutions and public administration as well as ensuring economic competitiveness.

An ally of Russia, Serbia has refused to recognise its former breakaway province of Kosovo since it declared independence a decade ago. Five EU countries also do not recognise its independence.

Bulgaria, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, has warned it is now or never for expanding the European Union into the Balkans as concerns grow about Moscow's influence in the bloc's eastern backyard.

French President Emmanuel Macron underscored the concerns, saying: "Yes to anchoring them in the EU and not letting them drift toward Turkey and Russia."

But Macron insisted on reforming the bloc before admitting them, saying: "I will not defend any new enlargement until there is a deepening and improvement of our own Europe."

Thousands of Montenegro women protest welfare cuts

Yahoo – AFP, February 16, 2017

Women gather for a protest on February 16, 2017 in Podgorica over social benefits
 cuts affecting mothers with three or more children, introduced as the country is
facing growing public finances problems (AFP Photo/SAVO PRELEVIC)

Podgorica (Montenegro) (AFP) - Several thousand women demonstrated in Montenegro's capital Podgorica on Thursday to protest cuts in subsidies for mothers with three or more children.

The protesters came from across Montenegro to gather in front of the main government offices, demanding to meet with Prime Minister Dusko Markovic.

At one point they broke through a metal fence to approach the heavily guarded entrance. The women later vowed to spend the night outside the offices.

"We do not want riots, we want to wait peacefully... that someone from the government addresses us," said Zeljka Savkovic, one of the demonstrators.

The government introduced the lifetime subsidies last October, but as of January 1 they have been cut by about 25 percent as Montenegro grapples with worsening public finances.

Women scuffle with police during a protest on February 16, 2017 in Podgorica 

over social benefits cuts affecting mothers with three or more children, introduced as

the country is facing growing public finances problems (AFP Photo/SAVO PRELEVIC)

About 18,500 women are eligible for the monthly payments, which are expected to cost the government some 67 million euros ($71 million) a year.

The reductions drew widespread criticism and the payments now range from 144 to 264 euros a month, in a country where the average monthly salary is 500 euros.

Banners at the rally included slogans such as "We demand responsiblity" and "Mothers for their children, for future, for justice".

Montenegro, which is seeking to join NATO and is a candidate for EU membership, is under pressure to improve its finances, with public debt standing at 62 percent of GDP. It is struggling with more than 20 percent unemployment.

Kosovo on the threshold of EU membership

Kosovo is the last southeastern European country to sign the EU Association Agreement. But the country still has a long road to EU membership.

Deutsche Welle, 26 Oct 2015

Kosovo and EU flag

"To us, this is a historic moment, a historic step. Kosovo has begun an irreversible journey towards EU membership," asserted Kosovo's minister for EU integration, Bekim Collaku, in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

Together with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, he will sign the EU Stabilization and Association Agreement on in Strasbourg on Tuesday. The goal of the agreement is to create required conditions before accession talks with the EU are initiated. In doing so, Kosovo commits itself to implementing the necessary reforms, while the EU assumes responsibility for providing the country with additional support.

Kosovo's government is aware of the fact that this first step is being taken despite many challenges, like the recent blockades and violence in Kosovar parliament, where the opposition repeatedly set off tear gas. They were protesting against an agreement mediated by the EU about autonomy rights for the Serbian minority and the treaty that has finally fixed the border between Kosovo and Montenegro.

Ever since the Kosovo War in 1999 – and especially since the country's declaration of independence in 2008 – the country has adopted several laws that adhere to EU standards. "Kosovo has very modern laws. The problem is enforcing them, because only a constitutional state and a sound judicial infrastructure will attract foreign investors. And foreign investments are needed," said the Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, Safet Gerxhaliu, in an interview with DW.

Only poverty is plentiful

Kosovo has often been called Europe's poorhouse. According to the World Bank, the average per capita income in 2014 was $2863.47 (around 2,600 euros) per year. The official unemployment rate remains high, at 35 percent. The transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy was made by privatizing many state-owned assets. However, liberalization has been fraught with irregularities and corruption. Last year, Kosovo's economy grew by around three percent.

Despite progress made since independence, Kosovo's economy is still weak. More than 90 percent of goods in Kosovo are imported from foreign countries. About 18 percent of the population is said to be suffering from severe poverty, meaning that people must make ends meet with less than a dollar a day. And around 15 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) is maintained by payments transferred from the diaspora. Bureaucracy is too cumbersome and is still rooted in central planning. Kosovo also faces the challenge of tackling corruption and organized crime, and it is suspected that high-ranking politicians are involved.

Serbian blockade

At the moment, Kosovo does not enjoy the full support of the EU. Its declaration of independence has been recognized by 111 countries to date; among them are 23 EU members. And although they support the Association Agreement with Kosovo, Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus, Greece and Romania refuse to recognize the country's independence. Relations with Serbia have strained the integration process, as Serbia adamantly opposes Kosovo's independence. Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic used the world "terrible" to describe the EU's recent call for a complete normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

The Balkans' new zeal for protecting whistleblowers

Balkan countries vying to join the EU have passed, or are in the middle of passing, better whistleblower protection laws than most EU member states have. Ironically, the EU is co-financing this new anti-corruption zeal.

Deutsche Welle, 23 July 2015

It's impossible to fight corporate corruption if you don't know it is happening. But whistleblowers never get an easy ride, and their stories often end with the realization that if they'd known what they were getting themselves into, they wouldn't have become whistleblowers at all.

Visnja Marilovic was a bookkeeper at the Skenderija cultural and sports center in Sarajevo, when, one day in 2010, she was asked to process an invoice for a lot of beds. She realized that not only was her boss furnishing his new hotel with the company's money, but that evidence of corruption was passing across her desk every day. To Marilovic, reporting the crime wasn't whistleblowing - it was her job. "As a financial official, I was responsible for the documentation to be accurate and true," she told DW. "I thought I was protecting the company from disaster and my workplace altogether."

After googling how to file charges, and getting prosecutors to investigate, she assumed the director would be replaced and they could carry on working. Instead, she got fired and went through nearly three years of misery until her boss' trial finally began earlier this year. "I passed hell with my children and for two months I had to live under police protection because of threats," she said. "If I knew how much my kids had to suffer I would not have done it."

Progressive laws

Delegates from across the region
gathered at a Sarajevo hotel

With her life turned upside down, Marilovic now works at the Center for Responsible Democracy, a Sarajevo-based NGO that helped to draw up Bosnia's brand new whistleblower protection law - which came into effect in January this year. Bosnia is not the only country in the region that has written whistleblower protection into its legislation in the past few years - so have Romania, Serbia, Kosovo, Moldova, and Montenegro. Albania is in the middle of passing one through its parliament, while the Bulgarian government last year released an in-depth report that includes legislative proposals.

It all amounts to a surge of legislative activity in the region that was distilled a few weeks ago in a windowless hotel conference room in downtown Sarajevo. Legislators, government advisers, ministry officials, NGO workers, and actual whistleblowers came together for a conference organized by the international NGO "Blueprint for Free Speech" and the Regional Anti-Corruption Initiative (RAI) to compare whistleblower protection notes.

"Countries like Bosnia, long thought of as more economically backward, are now moving forward more seriously on whistleblower protection than Western European countries," said Suelette Dreyfus, executive director of Blueprint for Free Speech. "If Western Europe doesn't lift its game, it will end up being left behind in the dust."

The irony is of course that many of these efforts are being co-financed by the European Union, even though Germany, France, Spain, and Portugal, for instance, have no dedicated whistleblower protection laws.

Meanwhile, Blueprint's Mark Worth, who says he has studied around 70 whistleblower laws and draft laws around the world, explained the priorities to those assembled: "The three things a whistleblower needs are: a place to disclose information, protection from retaliation, and for the thing to be investigated. The law has to create loophole-free provisions and mechanisms for those three things to be covered."

Curing the cancer

Deputy Justice Minister Idlir Peci is
about to get Albania's new whistleblower
protection law through parliament

In the heat of the summer afternoon, with phrases like "Can we at least agree that pre-court protection is necessary?" flying across the conference room, the Albanian Deputy Justice Minister Idlir Peci, his shirt-sleeves rolled up, explained that he had been stung by his country's terrible record on corruption.

"I spent 20 years in the Netherlands, and I decided to come back to my country because I saw a will to change things," he told DW. "I think all the countries in the region are tired of being dragged down. And I think the politicians are also realizing they cannot hide behind their fingers and sell beautiful stories to the public without really accomplishing these beautiful stories."

But where is this new energy coming from? "My motivation comes from all the reports, especially from Transparency International, but also all kinds of other rankings, where Albania scores very badly," he said. "And from the public perception that corruption is a cancer in society that has to be cured."

A polite nudge from the EU

Yavor Siderov, advisor to the Bulgarian deputy prime minister, was making similar noises: "There seems to be a very concerted effort with regards to anti-corruption and whistleblowing, which is amazing. It's a very positive trend, given that the Balkans are constantly being given as examples of rampant corruption."

Both Peci and Siderov also said that the competition to join the EU was acting as a spur - as was the money the EU offers to help fund the laws. "It's always a good thing to have the European Union provide you with a polite nudge down the road of transparency and anti-corruption," said Siderov.

As the conference wound down, Mark Worth delivered a closing pep talk to encourage the assembled legislators. "It's a very delicate issue, and I'm hearing a lot of tentativeness," he told the various delegations. "I think you should be brave, because the whistleblower's being brave."

But as Marina Micunovic, a senior advisor at the Montenegro Ministry of Justice, underlined afterwards, the point of a whistleblower law is to end the need for bravery: "At the moment, we are just applauding the ones who are brave, but they are not our target group," she said. "We need to encourage the ones who are afraid."

Related Articles:

HSBC 'SwissLeaks' leaker urges more support for whistleblowers
HSBC bank 'helped clients dodge millions in tax'

Martin van Pernis, Chairman, Committee Whistleblowers advice

center, speaking at the launch of the advice center Whistleblowers

 in 2012 (NRC/ANP)

Whistleblowers need better protection: helpline

14 Dutch whistleblowers contact US authorities

Advice Centre for Whistleblowers in The Netherlands

Podgorica Gay-Pride Parade Takes Place Amid Heightened Security

Radio Free Europe, Sunday, October 20, 2013

Podgorica's gay-pride parade

PODGORICA – Montenegro's first-ever gay pride parade has ended peacefully in the capital, Podgorica.

Amid heightened security, several hundred participants carried banners and rainbow flags, and blew whistles on the city's streets.

The chief organizer, Daneijel Kalezic, told marchers that gay people would "not give up" until homosexuals had obtained freedoms "like everyone else."

Away from the parade, hooligans clashed with police around the city. Montenegrin media said between 300 and 400 people shattered shop windows and hurled rocks at police.

Authorities had deployed 2,000 police to protect the parade.

WATCH: A Video Clip Of The Parade In Podgorica

The heightened security followed a series of threats and condemnations against homosexuality in the country, including from the Serbian Orthodox church.

Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic’s government, which is pursuing Montenegro’s membership in the European Union, had backed the idea of holding the parade in a safe environment.

Related Articles:

French court rules mayors must conduct same-sex marriages

Gay marriage in New Jersey to begin within days after court upholds ruling

Montenegrins protest poverty, corruption

English.news.cn   2012-03-19   

          

BELGRADE, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Some 10,000 people from across Montenegro on Sunday gathered in Podgorica's Republic Square, protesting against poverty and corruption, according to news reaching here.

Under the banner "It is time", the demonstrators called for a freeze on services provided by state utilities, such as electricity and telephone, and demanded an investigation into allegedly corrupt practices surrounding the privatization of state property, reported the Montenegrin daily 'Vijesti'.

"The protest will send a message to lawmakers to listen to the people," said Dragan Jakovljevic, president of the regional council of the Association of Independent Unions, saying that the population was facing "an uncertain future through debt bondage for us and our descendants."

After declaring independence, Montenegro experienced significant direct foreign investment until 2008. However, since then a number of large infrastructure projects, such as the construction of the Belgrade-Bar highway, have been suspended or postponed.

Last month the viability of the country's largest single contributor to GDP and exporter, the Podgorica Aluminum Plant (KAP), was called into question, with the government potentially responsible for covering over 150 million euros in loan guarantees, according to media reports.

At the time, Minister of Economy Vladimir Kavaric said this could "lead to the collapse of the financial system."

Editor: yan

Related Article:

Slovakia Defies the Kochs and Cato

Europe freezes in cold winter weather

More than 120 deaths linked to temperatures as low as -32.5C, while 11,000 villagers are trapped by snow in Serbian mountains

guardian.co.uk, Peter Walker, Thursday 2 February 2012

A man looks out of an icicle-hung window in Uzice, Serbia. At least 11,000
 villagers in the country have been trapped by heavy snow in the
mountains. Photograph: AP

More than 120 cold-related deaths have been reported across eastern Europe, many among homeless people, and at least 11,000 people are trapped by heavy snow in mountain villages in Serbia.

Dr Milorad Dramacanin, who took part in helicopter evacuations in central Serbia, said: "The situation is dramatic, the snow is up to five metres high in some areas, you can only see rooftops."

Up to 300 people are stranded in Bosnia, with choppers supplying food and medication.

Goran Milat, one of those residents cut off, said: "We are thankful for this help. But the snow did what it did and we are blocked here until spring."

The conditions also forced the closure of the airport in Montenegro's capital Podgorica.

In Poland, where temperatures have dropped to -22C, officials have been trying to direct homeless people away from derelict unheated buildings and into crammed shelters.

Eleven people around the country have died since Friday from carbon monoxide poisoning after using charcoal heaters in sealed rooms.

In Bulgaria, more than 1,000 schools are closed after some areas saw the lowest temperatures since records began a century ago. Ukraine recorded deaths as the mercury sank as low as -32.5C (-26.5F).

Germany saw daytime temperatures on Thursday at below -10C, while Paris saw -8C and Stockholm recorded -13C. Parts of Italy have struggled with heavy snow, with freezing temperatures also seen in Greece and the Black Sea coast.

One nation is hoping to make the best of the big freeze: the speed-skating obsessed Dutch. Authorities have banned boats from some of Amsterdam's canals and turned off pumps in the hope the still water will freeze over.

The ambition is a sufficient stretch of ice to stage the Elfstedentocht – 11 Town Tour – a 125-mile skate over frozen canals and lakes in the country's north. It has only been staged 15 times since the first official event in 1909.

The US has enjoyed a very mild winter, with unseasonably warm temperatures and a lack of snow. But Pennsylvania's famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, predicted six more weeks of winter in his annual appearance in the spotlight.

Related Article:

The Hell of '63 - (Elfstedentocht)

Deutsche Telekom in $95 million bribery settlement

Reuters, by Jonathan Stempel, Thu Dec 29, 2011

(Reuters) - German phone company Deutsche Telekom AG and a Hungarian unit will pay more than $95 million to settle U.S. criminal and civil probes into the bribery of government officials in Macedonia and Montenegro.

The settlements resolve Department of Justice and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges that Deutsche Telekom and its 60 percent-owned Magyar Telekom unit violated the federal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

U.S. investigators said former Magyar executives arranged in 2005 and 2006 for the payment of 12.2 million euros ($15.8 million) to intermediaries, expecting some of it to be funneled to the government officials in exchange for benefits to help it run or expand its business.

The SEC filed separate civil charges against three former Magyar executives: Chief Executive Elek Straub, director of central strategic organization Andras Balogh, and director of business development and acquisitions Tamas Morvai.

"Magyar Telekom's senior executives used sham contracts to funnel millions of dollars in corrupt payments to foreign officials who could help them keep competitors out and win business," Kara Novaco Brockmeyer, chief of the SEC enforcement division's unit handling FCPA cases, said in a statement.

Thursday's settlements include $64 million of criminal penalties assessed by the Justice Department and a $31.2 million civil penalty imposed by the SEC.

The Justice Department also agreed not to prosecute both companies if they comply with the law over the next two years. Both companies also agreed to improve compliance programs.

Deutsche Telekom will pay $4.36 million of the criminal penalty. Magyar will pay the remaining $59.6 million, plus more than $31.2 million in disgorgement and interest to the SEC.

THREE EXECUTIVES CHARGED BY SEC

Magyar said it previously set aside the full $90.8 million (21.75 billion forints) it owes in the settlements, and has taken several steps to improve its practices.

Deutsche Telekom also confirmed the settlements. The executives plan to challenge the SEC's charges.

Straub "adamantly denies having engaged in any wrongdoing," according to his lawyer Carl Rauh, a partner at Hogan Lovells.

William Sullivan, a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman representing Balogh, said: "No one has ever uncovered evidence of bribery of any government officials for the simple reason that none ever occurred."

Michael Koenig, a partner at Greenberg Traurig representing Morvai, said: "There is a vast difference between allegations and actual evidence. Simply because the SEC says it does not make it so."

SHAM CONTRACTS ALLEGED

Investigators said Magyar used sham consulting and marketing contracts to pay 4.88 million euros ($6.31 million) in 2005 and 2006 to an intermediary.

Magyar expected some of the money to go to Macedonian officials who would provide regulatory benefits and keep a rival out of their market, the investigators said.

Meanwhile, in Montenegro another 7.35 million euros ($9.51 million) was paid in 2005 to consultants under four sham contracts, under a plan to help Magyar buy state-owned phone company Telekom Crne Gore AD on favorable terms, the SEC said.

Magyar entered a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department, and Deutsche Telekom a nonprosecution agreement for maintaining inaccurate books and records.

The Justice Department filed formal charging documents in court only against Magyar.

Deutsche Telekom was charged because it had filed financial statements with U.S. regulators that improperly reflected the payments. The company and Magyar also had American depository receipts that traded at the time of the payments.

Last week, AT&T Inc ended its $39 billion bid to buy T-Mobile USA, a unit of Deutsche Telekom.

The Justice Department filed its case with the U.S. district court in Alexandria, Virginia, while the SEC filed with the U.S. district court in Manhattan.

The cases are U.S. v. Magyar Telekom Plc, U.S. District Court; Eastern District of Virginia, No. 11-cr-00597; SEC v. Magyar Telekom Plc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-09646; and SEC v. Straub et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-09645.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky in Washington, D.C., Marton Dunai in Budapest, and Peter Maushagen and Maria Sheahan in Frankfurt; Editing by Dave Zimmerman, Matthew Lewis and Steve Orlofsky)