Balkan Legal News – 24 September 2025
- Sep 24, 2025
- 2 min read
The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 16 September to 23 September 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.
Kosovo – 23 September 2025
On Monday, September 17, a rhetorical thunderclap shook the trial of Hashim Thaci and three co-defendants at the Kosovo Special Court in The Hague, KSC, as the defence presented its first witness, James Rubin, a former US Assistant Secretary of State from 1997 to 2000. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 23 September 2025
Police and judicial authorities in Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, and Slovenia collaborated last week to arrest four suspects accused of smuggling over 600 migrants through the Western Balkans towards Western Europe. The full article can be found here.
Kosovo – 22 September 2025
The Prishtinë Basic Court accepted a plea deal that the prosecution reached with Besart Ramabaja, Arian Tahiraj and Veton Alshiqi, members and followers of the Telegram group “AlbKings”, giving them the minimum sentence of only 2,000 to 2,500 euros each in fines for the repeated harassment of a BIRN journalist. The full article can be found here.
Croatia – 21 September 2025
Croatia is preparing to implement the European Union’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), which will replace the traditional passport stamping process for non-EU nationals. The full article can be found here.
Serbia – 20 September 2025
Serbia staged a large-scale military parade in Belgrade on Saturday, showcasing tanks, missile systems, and fighter jets, in a display of the Western Balkan nation's multi-pronged foreign policy balancing EU aspirations with arms deals spanning France, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Israel and Russia. The full article can be found here.
Moldova – 19 September 2025
Moldova’s Prosecutor General announced that the suspension of the extradition procedure in Greece for fugitive oligarch and former political party leader Vladimir Plahotniuc has been lifted, clearing the way for his return to face trial in his home country. The full article can be found here.
Bosnia and Hercegovina – 18 September 2025
Six MEPs have reiterated support for Bosnia & Herzegovina’s EU accession, highlighting the importance of reforms, rule of law, and political stability in moving the process forward. The full article can be found here.
Serbia – 16 September 2025
An amended indictment has been filed against Transport Minister Goran Vesic and 12 others over the fatal collapse of a concrete canopy at Novi Sad railway station last November. The full article can be found here.