Balkan Legal News

Weekly update: 12 May – 18 May 2023

The following media round up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 12 May to 18 May 2023.

Guernica 37 will provide weekly media updates with a focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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.

Kosovo – 18 May 2023

Police and prosecutors in Kosovo are struggling to solve violent crimes, particularly when they occur in a northern pocket of the country populated mainly by Serbs, according to a BIRN analysis of crime data illustrated in an interactive map. The full article can be found here.

Albania – 18 May 2023

Presence on a US sanctions list did not stop two politicians from significantly aiding Edi Rama’s election triumph on Sunday. The full article can be found here.

Bulgaria – 17 May 2023

This year is key for EU enlargement due to changes in the way it is done and with new Balkan members bringing opportunities to the EU community, said EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi at the EU Meets the Balkans conference in Sofia. The full article can be found here.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – 16 May 2023

The UN court in The Hague will hand down its verdict in the war crimes retrial of Serbian State Security officials Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic after they appealed against their initial conviction. The full article can be found here.

Montenegro – 16 May 2023

Montenegrin Interior Minister Filip Adzic signed an agreement that allows EU border guards from the Frontex agency to be deployed to the Balkan state to help carry out border checks to deter illegal migration. The full article can be found here.

Croatia – 15 May 2023

Rescue teams and hundreds of soldiers were deployed Monday to help people in parts of Croatia hit by floods. The full article can be found here.

Serbia – 14 May 2023

Serbians have turned in around 13,500 weapons to the authorities after two mass shootings rocked the country. Police declared a one-month amnesty period for Serbs to hand over unregistered weapons or face prison sentences as part of a crackdown on guns following the two mass shootings that left 17 people dead, many of them children. The full article can be found here.

Bosnia and Herzegovina – 11 May 2023

War victims’ associations claimed that the president and culture and sports minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Federation entity ‘publicly supported and glorified’ convicted war criminals. The full article can be found here.