The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 11 July 2024 to 18 July 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.
Romania - 18 July 2024
Media outlets in Romania say the law does little to protect them from a growing number of so-called SLAPPs - lawsuits brought with the sole aim of silencing them; see here.
Kosovo - 17 July 2024
One-sided narratives and incomplete documentation provided by the authorities fuel misinformation about war crimes and transitional justice in Kosovo, a BIRN report launched on Wednesday says; see here.
Bosnia - 17 July 2024
Off-duty police officer Elvis Custendil was jailed for 25 years on Wednesday for shooting dead a 52-year-old woman in a bar in Tuzla in February; see here.
Balkans - 17 July 2024
In the midst of a heatwave scorching the Balkans, the World Bank issued a report on Climate Change in the Balkans. The report says the six economies need to reduce greenhouse emissions in order to remain competitive, bolster their energy security and attract foreign investments; see here.
Serbia - 17 July 2024
Intimidatory lawsuits intended to silence journalists and media freedom activists by draining their resources have proliferated in Serbia, where there is no specific legislation to curb aggressive litigation by the rich and powerful; see here.
Serbia - 16 July 2024
Rio Tinto welcomed the Serbian government’s reinstatement of its licence to develop Europe’s biggest lithium mine, in a potential boost to the continent’s electric vehicle industry. This followed a Serbian court ruling earlier in the week that overturned the 2022 government decision to annul Rio’s licence in response to protests from environmentalists; see here.
Balkans - 16 July 2024
With significant potential for green energy and limited gas infrastructure, the countries of the Western Balkans have a golden opportunity to skip gas as a transition fuel, saving billions of euros on the way; see here.
Kosovo - 16 July 2024
Kosovo’s ‘Commander Wolf’ Convicted of War Crimes by Hague Court. Pjeter Shala was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the arbitrary detention and torture of at least 18 detainees, and the murder of one detainee, at the Kukes Metal Factory in Albania; see here.
Romania - 16 July 2024
New law authorises the killing of 481 bears in 2024, more than twice last year’s total of 220, amid outcry after a deadly attack on a 19-year-old hiker; see here.
Bulgaria - 12 July 2024
Internal documents from the European Union Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) indicate that Bulgaria pressured Frontex officers into ignoring migrants’ rights abuses in exchange for experiencing “how border guarding works” in practice; see here.
North Macedonia - 12 July 2024
The just announced half-billion-euro loan from Hungary and the “strategic economic partnership” with Viktor Orban’s government is a dangerous “excursion” and hides a political agenda, North Macedonia’s opposition says; see here.