The Balkans Today

Up to the minute news and updates from the Balkan region

The Balkans Today: 11th - 17th April 2016

Our team brings you live updates of the most important events and developments in the Balkans as they happen.

3rd & 7 37yd

Fourteen Macedonian police officers and nine soldiers were injured during Sunday's incident at the southern border with Greece when around 3,000 refugees and migrants tried to forcedly cross into Macedonia.
Macedonia's Ministry of Interior said that none of the auxiliary police officers from Serbia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia, and Austria that were present on the ground were injured, and that the current situation at the Greece-Macedonia border is calm.
The Doctors Without Borders humanitarian organisation said they treated around 300 people for respiratory problems and injuries caused by rubber bullets following the clash between the migrants and Macedonian security forces.

Photo by: Beta

by sinisa 4/11/2016 7:25:55 AM
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said growing political extremism in the Balkans threatens the stability of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the wider region, and warned that recent war trial verdicts at The Hague have left the environment more volatile than it had been in years.
“My biggest worry is the situation in Bosnia…everything that is in and around Bosnia,” Vucic said during a lengthy interview for POLITICO. “Who knows what spark might ignite Bosnia?” Read more.

by marija.ristic 4/11/2016 8:47:52 AM
Romanian political parties, electoral and political alliances, citizens’ organisations and independents featured on candidates lists can submit their applications for candidature in the country's local elections as of Monday.

The campaign will officially begin on May 4 and will end on June 4 with Romania's municipal elections scheduled to take place on June 5.

by Marian Chiriac 4/11/2016 12:51:15 PM
Bulgaria’s largest arms producer, state-owned factory VMZ-Sopot, will not be privatised in 2016 or 2017, the agency for privatisation announced on Monday, explaining that the country's economy ministry has declared the factory's sale “unadvisable” before it has been stabalised over the next two years.

The planned privatisation of VMZ-Sopot was announced on March 7, when the Ministry of Finance published its mid-term economic forecast of the next three years.

Bulgaria's opposition Socialist Party had strongly condemned the planned privatisation of the country's two major arms companies and vowed to use all parliamentary, political and civil forms of pressure available to block the deal.
Photo: VMZ-Sopot

by maria.cheresheva 4/11/2016 3:27:35 PM
Top stories from the Balkans this Tuesday:
- Russia is refusing to extradite a former Bosnian Serb fighter Ratko Samac who is suspected of committing war crimes during mass expulsions of civilians in the Kljuc area, claiming he is too ill. Read more.
- Amidst the political and ethnic divisions that still afflict Kosovo, Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans, Azem Vllasi is one of the few leaders who enjoys respect across national, ethnic and political lines. Read his interview for BIRN here.
- Leaders of the main political parties in Romania hope to reach consensus over new legislation on cybersecurity, the mandatory registration of pre-paid mobile-phone simcards and other anti-terror provisions. Read more.
by marija.ristic 4/12/2016 6:54:38 AM
Slovenia's President Borut Pahor and his Croatian counterpart, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, start a two-day visit to Macedonia today, during which their focus will be on the refugee crisis and regional cooperation.

The visiting leaders, along with their host, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, are to visit the border between Macedonia and Greece where thousands of refugees clashed with Macedonian police on Sunday.

by sinisa 4/12/2016 7:37:29 AM
#Montenegro candidate 4 #UNSG @I_Luksic presents his vision today. Stay tuned webtv.un.org #NextSG #UNSGcandidates @MeGovernment

by UN Montenegro via twitter 4/12/2016 8:25:17 AM
After substantial progress from 2004 to 2010, democracy in the Balkans has declined for six years according to US-based NGO Freedom House’s annual report on democracy in Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, which was published on Tuesday.
“With the exception of Albania, the scores of all the [Balkan region’s] EU candidates and potential candidates are declining, not improving, which is a disturbing indicator of their level of commitment to EU standards,” the ‘Nations in Transit 2016’ report says.

by marija.ristic 4/12/2016 9:34:15 AM
Austria will introduce tougher border controls at the Brenner crossing with Italy from June 1 at the latest as part of the country's increasingly tough response to the EU migration crisis, Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil said on Tuesday.
With border restrictions in place along the Balkan route, Vienna expects migrant arrivals to Italy by sea to nearly double this year to 300,000. Read more.

by marija.ristic 4/12/2016 10:17:53 AM
Zagreb's Maksimir park has been ranked as the fourth best city park behind Paris' Parc des Buttes Chaumont, Madrid's El Retiro and London's Hyde Park, according to culture and tourism organisation European Best Destinations.

Maksimir was built in the late 18th century and this 316-acre park is home to an array of bird species, features numerous lakes and also has the Zagreb Zoo on its grounds.

Maksimir. | Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Speedy Gonsales

by sven.milekic 4/12/2016 11:22:21 AM
One of Europe’s leading theatre directors, Slovenian Tomaz Pandur, passed away suddenly on Tuesday during a rehearsal for his upcoming play, an adaptation of Shakespeare's 'King Lear', at the Macedonian National Theatre in Skopje.

by sinisa 4/12/2016 12:52:09 PM
During today's parliamentary session, the Serbian government gave its support to former foreign minister and former president of the United Nations General Assembly Vuk Jeremic as a candidate for the post of Secretary General of the United Nations, Belgrade daily Danas reported.

Vuk Jeremic | Photo: Facebook

by sasa.dragojlo 4/12/2016 1:39:04 PM
Croatian Radio-Television, HRT, has started the process of firing journalist Sasa Kosanovic for taking part in the making of a Danish-Croatian documentary, ‘15 Minutes - Massacre in Dvor’, about the victims of the 1995 Croatian military operation 'Storm' and the responsibility of a Danish UN battalion for their deaths.

HRT said that Kosanovic was being fired for working for a competing media organisation, but the journalist said he had a verbal permission from his superiors to work on the film and freelance for Croatian weekly newspaper Novosti. HRT argues that he needed written permission.

His sacking comes amid a purge of staff at HRT after the arrival of the public broadcaster’s new acting chief Sinisa Kovacic, whose candidacy for the job was backed by the parliamentary majority of Croatia’s centre-right government.

Insert from the film. | Photo: Youtube screenshot

by sven.milekic 4/12/2016 3:53:01 PM
Protest has moved from the office of the president towards the HQ of main ruling VMRO DPMNE party in Skopje city centre.
Heavy police was deployed close to the scene to prevent protesters to reach closer to the party HQ.

by marija.ristic 4/12/2016 6:16:47 PM
"The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has committed itself to promoting the rule of law and fighting impunity. Against this background, today's decision by President Ivanov on the pardoning of a number of officials raises serious concerns. It comes at a time when all parties should be seeking ways to preserve the Przino Agreement.," EEAS spokesperson said.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov on Tuesday abruptly pardoned all politicians facing crime investigations - undermining the work of the Special Prosecution, which is tasked with investigating wire-tapping allegations and other alleged crimes.

"We call on all sides to avoid interventions that risk undermining years of efforts within the country and with the support of the international community to strengthen the rule of law. It is important to support the work of the Special Prosecutor and her team established by parliament as part of the Przino Agreement to continue to investigate the serious issues brought forward last year," EEAS added.

by marija.ristic 4/13/2016 8:32:03 AM
Emigration from Kosovo into western European countries has been a large-scale phenomenon in recent years. The money sent back to Kosovo by migrants working abroad is currently an important element of the country’s economy, but a recent study has found that the return of migrants to Kosovo could prove even more beneficial.

Authors of the LSE published article Ardiana Gashi and Nick Adnett suggest that government policies should encourage the retention of strong ties between the migrants and Kosovo, allow for the speedy accreditation of qualifications obtained abroad, and facilitate the flow of migrants’ savings into the Kosovo economy. Read more.

by marija.ristic 4/13/2016 8:38:45 AM
The family of Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has ownership of apartments in Serbia collectively valued at over 1 million euro, Serbian online news portal KRIK reported.

However, Vucic only owns one apartment himself, according to KRIK. Read the whole article in Serbian here.

by sasa.dragojlo 4/13/2016 9:40:29 AM
The Macedonian President's decision to stop criminal proceedings against politicians has been published in the country's Official Gazette, which states 56 people have been pardoned.

Former PM Nikola Gruevski has been pardoned from five criminal proceedings while his former Transportation Minister, Mile Janakieski, and Interior Minister, Gordana Jankulovska, top the list of most reprieves, with 16 and 11 pardons respectively. Opposition leader Zoran Zaev has been excused from two criminal proceedings.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov | By: MIA

by sinisa 4/13/2016 1:12:23 PM
During her visit to the Gevgelija refugee camp in southeast Macedonia, Croatian President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic said the Balkan refugee route remains closed, despite tough conditions and the pressure being caused by the continuous flow of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe.

She added that the EU member states where the refugees currently waiting at the Greece-Macedonia border want to settle in would have to decide whether they are willing to take them in before the migrants would be allowed the cross the border.

Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic in Gevgelija. | Photo: BETAPHOTO/AP Photo/Boris Grdanoski

by sven.milekic 4/13/2016 2:45:54 PM
Macedonian Helsinki Committee for Human Rights said it will file a law suit against President Gjorge Ivanov for “misuse in office and for breaching the secrecy of criminal investigations” in relation to his decision to stop criminal proceedings against all politicians.

The committee says that the president breached his authority by obtaining data about ongoing criminal investigations that are supposed to be secret.

by emma.krstic 4/13/2016 3:53:13 PM
Around 1,000 people are gathered in front of the Special Prosecution in central Skopje protesting against President Gjorge Ivanov's decision to stop criminal proceedings against all politicians.

They express support for the Special Prosecution, whose work has been undermined by the President's decision.

by emma.krstic 4/13/2016 4:25:53 PM
The protest in Macedonia's capital has now moved to outside the President's office in central Skopje with the crowd throwing flares and booing at the building.

by emma.krstic 4/13/2016 5:02:02 PM
The mass of protesters gathered in Macedonia's capital to rally against the President's decision to stop criminal proceedings against all politicians is estimated to number several thousand.

Photo: BIRN

Photo: BIRN

Photo: BIRN

by emma.krstic 4/13/2016 5:24:16 PM
Protesters continue to throw flares as well as eggs at the President's office in Skopje while a counter-protest is being held just a few hundred metres away, near Macedonia's parliament building.

The two groups are separated by cordons of special police.

by emma.krstic 4/13/2016 5:26:43 PM
Protesters move away from parliament towards the ruling VMRO DPMNE party HQ where on Tuesday were sporadic scuffles with the police cordon surrounding the building. Heavy police presence also reported tonight in front of the party HQ.

by marija.ristic 4/13/2016 6:34:56 PM
People started throwing stones at presidential office in city centre of Skopje. Our reporter on the scene says the office windows are broken and that people started pulling out chairs and furniture.

by marija.ristic 4/13/2016 7:00:52 PM
Protesters throwing stones at presidential office in city centre of Skopje, burning office furniture and windows
Photo:BIRN

by marija.ristic 4/13/2016 7:04:39 PM
Clashes reported between protesters and the police after a group of people tried to enter the office of Macedonian president in Skopje city centre.
Photo: BIRN

Photo:BIRN

by marija.ristic 4/13/2016 7:09:54 PM
Police chased away protesters for hundred meters away from the president office in Skopje after which the protest dispersed. Riot police units are in place on several locations in city centre. Number of people have been detained by the police, while the ambulance car also took some of the injured protesters. According to our reporter, some of the journalists covering the protest were also injured.

by marija.ristic 4/13/2016 7:45:23 PM
Macedonian police confirmed that 12 people have been detained tonight, while one journalist was injured.

by marija.ristic 4/13/2016 7:51:20 PM
Top stories from the Balkans this Thursday:
- Police arrested twelve people and one reporter was injured at the Wednesday night protests in Skopje directed against president's decision to stop criminal proceedings against politicians. Read more.
- Now that the President has subverted the last hope of Macedonia fulfilling the EU crisis agreement, only international intervention can save the country from violence, Ivana Jordanovska argued in a comment piece.
- An increased flow of remittances to Kosovo in the last two years is among the key factors powering the country’s economic development. Read more.
- After three years of political obscurity, Serbia’s combative former 'minister for Kosovo' is again in the spotlight as he bids for the UN Secretary General's chair. Read more.
by marija.ristic 4/14/2016 7:01:24 AM
Bosnia's Serb-dominated entity Republika Srpska has filed a report to the Special Prosecution against six persons who are suspected of being connected with the attack against Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic during the commemoration ceremony held in Srebrenica in July last year marking the 20th anniversary of the massacres committed there in 1995.

"As the Directior for the coordination of police bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the State Prosecution didn't do anything about this, we have submitted a report [to the entity's Special Prosecution] on April 1, against four known and two unknown persons, who have committed criminal offenses connected with the attack in Potocari [where the Srebrenica genocide memorial is located] against Vucic," Dragan Lukac told Bosnian media on Wednesday evening.

"We couldn't wait any more," he added.

Following the attack against Vucic, the Bosnian judiciary has so far failed to prosecute those responsible.

A shoe is thrown at Vucic during last year's commemoration ceremony in Srebrenica | Photo: Anadolu

by rodolfo.toe 4/14/2016 9:01:48 AM
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has repeated his recent statements against US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on US television during his official visit to Washington DC.

Rama's comment that if Trump was elected the next US President, it would threaten the United States and its relationship with Albania, drew the attention of media outlets including CNN, who interviewed him.

You watch the full video here.

by fatjona.mejdini 4/14/2016 11:18:00 AM
Students in the Macedonian capital are occupying Skopje's Faculty of Law, and calling for students to do the same in other faculties, as a protest against President Gjorge Ivanov's decision on Tuesday to pardon all politicians facing crime investigations.

by sinisa 4/14/2016 11:40:54 AM
Children in Albania have taken a bike ride through the streets of the country's capital, Tirana, and been educated on the health benefits of cycling, as part of the Cycling Europe Festival 2016.

The event was organised by the Dutch embassy in Tirana with the Netherlands, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Council, having arranged the Europe-wide initiative to promote the benefits of cycling, both in terms of physical health and the climate.

Children cycling today in Tirana | Photo: Facebook

by fatjona.mejdini 4/14/2016 12:04:40 PM
Russian oil giant Lukoil announced on Thursday that a natural gas deposit in the Black Sea, leased from Romania along with a consortium made up of local firm Romgaz and US company PanAtlantic Petroleum ltd, has around 32 billion cubic metres of gas.

The discovery is the second-largest in Romania's Black Sea territory after the deposit discovered by the OMV Petrom and ExxonMobil consortium in 2012.

by Marian Chiriac 4/14/2016 12:18:05 PM
Bosnia's Central Census Bureau, which groups representatives of the country's three statistical agencies and other government officials, has cancelled its planned meeting on Thursday afternoon in Sarajevo because two of its members could not participate in the session as they are both out of the country, Bosnian news agency Fena reported.

The Central Census Bureau still has to adopt an agreed methodology for treating the data for the 2013 census to enable the results to be published.

The legal deadline for the census' publication expires on July 1.

Photo: Anadolu

by rodolfo.toe 4/14/2016 2:17:20 PM
Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov said he stands by his decision to stop criminal procedures against all politicians and accused diplomats of interfering in the country's internal affairs during an interview for Macedonian Radio Television.

“Some ambassadors have exceeded all the ambassadorial authorisations that are contained in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We do not wish to enter into conflict with their countries, but I told them to be careful not to leave the wrong impression with their actions,” Ivanov said.

Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov | Photo by: MIA

by sinisa 4/14/2016 2:51:27 PM
Macedonian police have blocked traffic in the centre of the capital, Skopje, in expectance of two parallel protests this evening.

The first rally is being led by Macedonia's opposition and civil organisations against President Gjorge Ivanov's decision to stop criminal proceedings against all politicians and their associates. The second protest has been organised by a pro-government group called the Association of Citizens for the Defence of Macedonia, GDOM.

Police in Skopje

by sinisa 4/14/2016 3:53:32 PM
People continue to gather in front of Macedonia's parliament building in Skopje to take part in tonight's protest against President Gjorge Ivanov's surprise decision on Tuesday to pardon all politicians under investigation.

A counter-protest is taking place simultaneously, organised by pro-government group the Association of Citizens for the Defence of Macedonia, GDOM.

Photo: BIRN

by emma.krstic 4/14/2016 4:36:19 PM
Rivers of people swarm towards Macedonia's parliament building where several thousand protestors have already gathered.

Macedonian and Albanian flags wave together among the crowd and people hold banners reading "It is over, we demand free Macdeonia".

Photo: BIRN

by emma.krstic 4/14/2016 4:43:30 PM
Macedonia's opposition leader Zoran Zaev was welcomed with cheers from the crowd in Skopje upon his arrival.

Photo: BIRN

by emma.krstic 4/14/2016 4:45:09 PM
A counter-protest of government supporters has begun just several hundred metres away from the parliament building in Skopje where thousands of opposition supporters are currently rallying.

Police cordons are blocking people from passing between the two demonstrations.

by emma.krstic 4/14/2016 5:12:06 PM
Police and protesters had a brief scuffle in front of the headquarters of the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party, but the crowd is slowly retreating.

A loud explosion from from the party's building was heard, but it is not clear what caused the noise.

VRMO's headquarters illuminated with lights | Photo: BIRN

by emma.krstic 4/14/2016 5:53:46 PM
Some protesters have started throwing stones and eggs at the ruling VMRO-DPMNE party's headquarters in central Skopje.

The rest of the crowd remains calm and police stand by in case the situation escalates further.

by emma.krstic via YouTube 4/14/2016 6:02:09 PM

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