Balkan Legal News – 26 November 2025

The following media round-up on international, legal and foreign policy issues from around the Balkans for the period from 19 November to 25 November 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.

Guernica 37 Balkan Legal News

Albania – 25 November 2025

Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos and the leaders of the six Western Balkans partners (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) met in Tirana to assess progress under the EU’s Growth Plan for the Western Balkans and discuss priorities going forward. Two years after its adoption, the Growth Plan has delivered significant results, driving reforms that prepare partners for EU membership, and bringing tangible economic benefits to citizens and businesses alike.  The full article is available here.

Bosnia & Hercegovina – 24 November 2025

According to preliminary results, Sinisa Karan is the new president of the Bosnian Serb-run Republika Srpska entity after winning Sunday’s election – but his victory is being disputed by the opposition.  Karan, a member of Milorad Dodik’s Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD party, will take this position until the October 2026 general election, following Dodik’s removal from the office in August this year. The full article is available here.

Bosnia & Hercegovina – 23 November 2025

A fatal accident at a Chinese-backed solar plant in Stolac, Bosnia-Herzegovina, led to investigations uncovering illegal workers and legal irregularities in the construction of the USD 116 million project. Local residents raised concerns about environmental risks and legal violations, prompting authorities to seek to block further development. The case highlights growing public resistance to Chinese investments in the Balkans, often criticised for circumventing labour, environmental, and land-use laws. The full article is available here.

Bulgaria – 21 November 2025

A Bulgaria-led operation supported by Europol and coordinated with Eurojust arrested 35 suspects, including an alleged ringleader, and dismantled a criminal network that allegedly looted archaeological sites across the Balkans, seizing thousands of artifacts valued at 100 million euros (USD 115 million), authorities said Wednesday 19 November. The Bulgarian Interior Ministry said 131 searches were carried out in Bulgaria and abroad, covering homes, offices, vehicles, and bank safes linked to the network. The full article is available here.

Albania – 20 November 2025

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, in his opening speech at the Growth Plan summit “Our Path to the EU” in Tirana, said that the Western Balkans region is seeking to grow with Europe and not at the expense of Europe. According to him, the Western Balkans are not begging to join the EU, but are proving every day that they deserve to be part of the union. He notably highlighted the construction of the arteries of Europe in Corridor 8 which is critical for security in Europe and has become a security corridor for NATO.  The full article is available here.

Kosovo – 20 November 2025

The Kosovo Prosecutorial Council on Thursday 20 November dismissed Besim Kelmendi as acting Chief State Prosecutor, after media reports of his alleged involvement in a legal probe into the 1999 Recak/Racak massacre of 45 Kosovo Albanians that dismissed the atrocity as fabricated. Kelmendi strongly denies the claims.  The Council approved the proposal for his removal and appointed Agron Qalaj as the new acting Chief State Prosecutor. But the vote was challenged a few hours after by Visar Krasniqi, another member of Prosecutorial Council, who said it was “legally void” for procedural reasons.  The full article is available here.

Bosnia & Hercegovina – 20 November 2025

The Bosnian Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations, Stasa Kosarac, sparked a scandal on Thursday by sending an insulting letter and a Nazi-era paramilitary SS unit helmet to Bosnia’s international peace overseer, the High Representative, Christian Schmidt, a German politician. The full article can be found here.

Kosovo – 19 November 2025

The Kosovo parliament failed again to elect a government on Wednesday, leaving President Vjosa Osmani with no other option but to call a snap election. On the final day of his two-week deadline to form a cabinet, Glauk Konjufca, the second choice of the Vetevendosje party for Prime Minister, received only 56 votes from MPs, five short of the threshold of 61. The full article can be found here.

Bosnia & Hercegovina – 19 November 2025

The Court of Bosnia and Hercegovina on Wednesday sentenced Bosniak ex-fighters Himzo Selimovic and Ramiz Micivoda to three and two years in prison respectively for crimes committed against Bosnian Serb prisoners-of-war in Gorazde, eastern Bosnia, in 1993 and 1994. The first-instance verdict acquitted two others, Camil Ramic and Mehmed Dobraca. Selimovic and Micivoda were cleared of several counts of the indictment. The full article can be found here.