The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 19 to 25 February 2025. 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.
Croatia - 18 February 2025
Zoran Milanovic took his oath of office on Tuesday for his second five-year term as Croatian President, stating that the country should tackle inequality and corruption while advocating for peace internationally. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - 20 February 2025
As Bosnia's top court prepares to deliver a verdict in the trial of Republika Srpska's president, political leaders in the Serb entity warn of tough 'responses' to a guilty ruling. The full article can be found here.
Montenegro - 20 February 2025
Speaker says new investigative committee, which will probe cases dating back to the 1990s, was needed to cleanse 'a tainted justice system' and 'restore dignity to Montenegro'. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo - 21 February 2025
The Kosovo Specialist Chambers conditionally released two former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters who were given prison sentences for obstruction of justice and witness intimidation in early February. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina - 21 February 2025
The Bosnian state court sentenced Borislav Gligorevic, a wartime member of the White Eagles paramilitary unit, to ten years in prison for raping three women in the village of Liplje near Zvornik in 1992. The full article can be found here.
Albania - 24 February 2025
Albanian PM Edi Rama said at the summit for the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine that "it is time for a deeper reflection than what we will do in terms of military support or military spending." The full article can be found here.
North Macedonia - 25 February 2025
State agency says it plans to auction off the seized properties of former Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski and his secret police chief, Saso Mijalkov, potentially raising some 29 million euros from them. The full article can be found here.
Albania - 25 February 2025
Tirana’s mayor Erion Veliaj, who is in custody facing corruption charges, has been mounting daily verbal assaults on his case prosecutor and the judge via his social media accounts. The full article can be found here.