Politics
EU commits to opening door to Western Balkans
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe European Union has reaffirmed its commitment to integrating countries from the western Balkan states, dismissing fears of enlargement fatigue or doubts about the regions stability. In exchange, it requested a commitment from the Balkans to carry out agreed reforms for joining the EU.
By Antoine Blua
The European Union has reaffirmed its commitment to integrating countries from the western Balkan states, dismissing fears of enlargement fatigue or doubts about the region’s stability. In exchange, it requested a commitment from the Balkans to carry out agreed reforms for joining the EU.
The commitments were made during a one-day conference in Sarajevo, which brought together Balkan and EU officials.
Speaking at a press conference after the talks, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said the EU and the western Balkans had agreed on "a new deal — a deal of the future, a future of hope, a future of peace, a future of full integration in the EU."
Moratinos, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, described the results of the conference with two words: "engagement" and "responsibility.”
"The last five to six months in the western Balkans have been — let’s be frank — the most peaceful, productive, hopeful of the last recent history," Moratinos said. "Because I think everybody acknowledges and is aware that we have to move forward in a constructive and positive manner."
Moratinos said the EU would continue to work to advance accession processes with the countries of the region, while the international community committed to accompany the "full inclusive process of reconciliation" in the region.
The Spanish foreign minister said western Balkan countries, in turn, had pledged to enforce political and economic reforms and strengthen regional cooperation in order to meet conditions for joining the EU.
"The international community, the European Union, have committed and have delivered their part," he said. "Now it’s our friends from Bosnia, from the western Balkans, that have to do also their part."
‘Top Priority’
The EU’s conditions for membership include strengthening of the rule of law, fighting against corruption and organized crime, and guaranteeing media freedom.
The EU’s enlargement commissioner, Stefan Fuele, called the western Balkans a "top priority" for the external policy of the 27-member bloc and said the Sarajevo conference was about "new momentum and enlargement."
"I think this conference today was meant to show clearly that there’s not that much ground for enlargement fatigue among the member states," Fuele said.
Of the former Yugoslav republics, only Slovenia has joined the EU, while its southern neighbors are at various stages in the accession process.
Governments of the region have pushed for a clear commitment and agenda for accession from Brussels, amid growing concerns that the ongoing debt crisis will slow down enlargement and resistance to the accession of new members.
Ahead of the June 2 conference, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told RFE/RL’s Balkan Service that his country expected the EU to send a "clear signal" that the European integration "must not be stopped."
"We now have six months behind us in which we have made great progress regarding political relations in the region and the process of reconciliation," Jeremic said. "We think that the situation in the Balkans is stable and that things are going in the right direction. It would be a big mistake if this were not met not only by a continuation of the process of European integration but also by its acceleration. That will be Serbia’s message in Sarajevo."
Several Milestones
Brussels has supported the European ambitions of the former Yugoslav republics in order to ensure stability in the region, which is still recovering from the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia in the wars of the 1990s. And the EU has pushed for reconciliation, insisting that all potential members must have good relations with their neighbors.
Several milestones on that front have taken place in recent months. They include the Serbian parliament’s apology for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in which Bosnian Serb forces killed thousands of Muslim men and boys, and Croatian President Ivo Josipovic’s expression of regret for his county’s role in the Bosnian war.
Last weekend, the presidents of four ex-Yugoslav republics met in Sarajevo and pledged to make a fresh start in their relations and work closely on the path to the EU.
The EU last year extended to citizens of Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia the right to travel without visas to the Schengen area. Last week, Brussels proposed widening that benefit to include Bosnia and Albania this year.
But the bloc says the region continues to face "major challenges."
Threatens To Secede
Bosnia cannot apply for EU candidate status as long as it remains under the international guardianship established by the 1995 Dayton peace accords. But that guardianship — in the form of the Office of the High Representative, currently held by Austrian diplomat Valentin Inzko — is unlikely to be dropped amid mounting tensions between Bosnia’s Serbian entity and its Muslim and Croatian communities.
Under Dayton, which ended the three-year Bosnian war, Bosnia was split into two rival regions — the Muslim-Croat Federation and Republika Srpska — linked by a weak central government.
Milorad Dodik, the prime minister of Republika Srpska, has repeatedly threatened to secede from Bosnia. His critics accuse him of seeking to undermine the workings of the central government in Sarajevo.
Morton Abramowitz, a former U.S. ambassador who has focused extensively on the Balkans in recent years, says that it is the responsibility of the West to fight Dodik’s secessionist tendencies — and to look ahead to Bosnia’s autumn elections, when Dodik may face unexpected challenges in his reelection bid.
"Mr. Dodik clearly would like to establish some sort of independent state or perhaps union with Serbia. It’s very hard for him to do that because of Dayton," Abramowitz says. "So what we will have to do is for the international community to find some way to secure more cooperation from Mr. Dodik — or perhaps his successors. I don’t think he’s necessarily invincible politically."
Cooperation With The Hague
Other Balkan countries face their own challenges.
Macedonia was given candidate status back in 2005 but is being blocked from opening accession talks by its neighbor, EU member Greece, which argues that the country must change its name to something distinct from its own northern province, also called Macedonia.
Brussels has made it clear that Serbia, which has recently applied for candidate membership, can only move forward if it fully cooperates with The Hague UN war crimes court and helps arrest remaining fugitives from the Bosnian war. Topping the list is former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic, whom Abramowitz says Belgrade is reluctant to apprehend.
"I think The [Hague] tribunal has done some very good things, but it’s [also] been ineffective and slow. And there’s been a serious problem of Serb cooperation," he says. "I believe the arrest of General Mladic is an exceedingly important thing. I still believe Serbia could arrest him if they so choose."
Another challenge is a continued dispute between Serbia and Kosovo. The former Serbian province’s unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 still has not been recognized by Belgrade and five EU member states. Serbia is awaiting a judgment, expected this summer, from the International Court of Justice on the legality of Kosovo’s independence declaration.
Serbian officials refused to participate with Kosovar counterparts on an equal level at today’s Sarajevo gathering, forcing the occasion to be downgraded from a summit to a ministerial-level conference.
‘Quickest Integration Possible’
Ahead of the meeting, Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci stressed the importance of Kosovo taking part in the conference as an equal.
"This meeting amounts to an unambiguously clear international acknowledgment and recognition of Kosova and of the possibilities for progress and development that we have as a state," Thaci said. "This also means our own work for our Euro-Atlantic perspective, for the quickest integration possible into NATO and the EU."
Serbia, which maintains strong links to the ethnic Serbian community in northern Kosovo, has strongly alluded to its desire to partition Kosovo in order to bring its ethnic kin back into Belgrade’s fold. The plan, not surprisingly, has met with howls of protest in Pristina.
Abramowitz, who traveled to Kosovo last week, said a partition would have serious ramifications overall for the Balkans, where many countries have their own minority populations.
"I think partition of Kosovo would be an absolute disaster for the [Balkan] region. And I fully expect the United States and most European countries to resist any such effort," Abramowitz says. "I think that’s always been a great fear — that it will open a whole Pandora’s box. What happens to Republika Srpska? What happens to Macedonia? So I believe that any effort at partition should be ruled out immediately."
Because of the revised format of today’s event, the conference did not issue a formal declaration and participants were represented only by their name, without any official reference to their country.
The meeting — which also included representatives from the United States, Russia, and Turkey, as well as NATO, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe — marks the 10th anniversary of a gathering in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, where the EU first promised Balkan nations a future in the bloc.
A new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred in the headlines of worldwide football news yesterday. The Football Club Sheriff Tiraspol claimed a win with the score 2-1 against Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. That made Sheriff Tiraspol the leader in Group D of the Champions League, including the football club in the groups of the most important European interclub competition for the first time ever.
International media outlets called it a miracle, a shock and a historic event, while strongly emphasizing the origin of the team and the existing political conflict between the two banks of the Dniester. “Football club from a pro-Russian separatist enclave in Moldova pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history,” claimed the news portals. “Sheriff crushed Real!” they said.
Moldovans made a big fuss out of it on social media, splitting into two groups: those who praised the team and the Republic of Moldova for making history and those who declared that the football club and their merits belong to Transnistria – a problematic breakaway region that claims to be a separate country.
Both groups are right and not right at the same time, as there is a bunch of ethical, political, social and practical matters that need to be considered.
Is it Moldova?
First of all, every Moldovan either from the right or left bank of Dniester (Transnistria) is free to identify himself with this achievement or not to do so, said Vitalie Spranceana, a sociologist, blogger, journalist and urban activist. According to him, boycotting the football club for being a separatist team is wrong.
At the same time, “it’s an illusion to think that territory matters when it comes to football clubs,” Spranceana claimed. “Big teams, the ones included in the Champions League, have long lost their connection both with the countries in which they operate, and with the cities in which they appeared and to which they linked their history. […] In the age of globalized commercial football, teams, including the so-called local ones, are nothing more than global traveling commercial circuses, incidentally linked to cities, but more closely linked to all sorts of dirty, semi-dirty and cleaner cash flows.”
What is more important in this case is the consistency, not so much of citizens, as of politicians from the government who have “no right to celebrate the success of separatism,” as they represent “the national interests, not the personal or collective pleasures of certain segments of the population,” believes the political expert Dionis Cenusa. The victory of FC Sheriff encourages Transnistrian separatism, which receives validation now, he also stated.
“I don’t know how it happens that the “proud Moldovans who chose democracy”, in their enthusiasm for Sheriff Tiraspol’s victory over Real Madrid, forget the need for total and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria!” declared the journalist Vitalie Ciobanu.
Nowadays, FC Sheriff Tiraspol has no other choice than to represent Moldova internationally. For many years, the team used the Moldovan Football Federation in order to be able to participate in championships, including international ones. That is because the region remains unrecognised by the international community. However, the club’s victory is presented as that of Transnistria within the region, without any reference to the Republic of Moldova, its separatist character being applied in this case especially.
Is it a victory?
In fact, FC Sheriff Tiraspol joining the Champions League is a huge image breakthrough for the Transnistrian region, as the journalist Madalin Necsutu claimed. It is the success of the Tiraspol Club oligarchic patrons. From the practical point of view, FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a sports entity that serves its own interests and the interests of its owners, being dependent on the money invested by Tiraspol (but not only) oligarchs.
Here comes the real dilemma: the Transnistrian team, which is generously funded by money received from corruption schemes and money laundering, is waging an unequal fight with the rest of the Moldovan football clubs, the journalist also declared. The Tiraspol team is about to raise 15.6 million euro for reaching the Champions League groups and the amounts increase depending on their future performance. According to Necsutu, these money will go directly on the account of the club, not to the Moldovan Football Federation, creating an even bigger gab between FC Sheriff and other football clubs from Moldova who have much more modest financial possibilities.
“I do not see anything useful for Moldovan football, not a single Moldovan player is part of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. I do not see anything beneficial for the Moldovan Football Federation or any national team.”
Is it only about football?
FC Sheriff Tiraspol, with a total estimated value of 12.8 million euros, is controlled by Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala, being part of Sheriff Holding – a company that controls the trade of wholesale, retail food, fuels and medicine by having monopolies on these markets in Transnistria. The holding carries out car trading activities, but also operates in the field of construction and real estate. Gusan’s people also hold all of the main leadership offices in the breakaway region, from Parliament to the Prime Minister’s seat or the Presidency.
The football club is supported by a holding alleged of smuggling, corruption, money laundering and organised crime. Moldovan media outlets published investigations about the signals regarding the Sheriff’s holding involvement in the vote mobilization and remuneration of citizens on the left bank of the Dniester who participated in the snap parliamentary elections this summer and who were eager to vote for the pro-Russian socialist-communist bloc.
Considering the above, there is a great probability that the Republic of Moldova will still be represented by a football club that is not identified as being Moldovan, being funded from obscure money, growing in power and promoting the Transnistrian conflict in the future as well.
Photo: unknown
Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilita, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu, pay an official visit to Brussels, between September 27-28, being invited by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles.
Today, Prime Minister had a meeting with Charles Michel, President of the European Council. The Moldovan PM thanked the senior European official for the support of the institution in strengthening democratic processes, reforming the judiciary and state institutions, economic recovery and job creation, as well as increasing citizens’ welfare. Natalia Gavrilita expressed her confidence that the current visit laid the foundations for boosting relations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, so that, in the next period, it would be possible to advance high-level dialogues on security, justice and energy. Officials also exchanged views on priorities for the Eastern Partnership Summit, to be held in December.
“The EU is open to continue to support the Republic of Moldova and the ambitious reform agenda it proposes. Moldova is an important and priority partner for us,” said Charles Michel.
Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita also met with Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy, expressing her gratitude for the support received through the OMNIBUS macro-financial assistance program. The two officials discussed the need to advance the recovery of money from bank fraud, to strengthen sustainable mechanisms for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova, and to standardize the customs and taxes as one of the main conditions for deepening cooperation with the EU in this field.
Additionally, Prime Minister spoke about the importance of the Eastern Partnership and the Deep Free Trade Agreement, noting that the Government’s policies are aimed at developing an economic model aligned with the European economic model, focused on digitalization, energy efficiency and the green economy.
A common press release of the Moldovan Prime Minister with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell Fontelles, took place today, where the agenda of Moldova’s reforms and the main priorities to focus on in the coming months were presented: judiciary reform; fighting COVID-19 pandemic; promoting economic recovery and conditions for growth and job creation; strengthening state institutions and resilience of the country.
“I am here to relaunch the dialogue between my country and the European Union. Our partnership is strong, but I believe there is room for even deeper cooperation and stronger political, economic and sectoral ties. I am convinced that this partnership is the key to the prosperity of our country and I hope that we will continue to strengthen cooperation.”
The Moldovan delegation met Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice. Tomorrow, there are scheduled common meetings with Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.
Prime Minister will also attend a public event, along with Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.
Photo: gov.md
Politics
Promo-LEX about Maia Sandu’s UN speech: The president must insist on appointing a rapporteur to monitor the situation of human rights in Transnistria
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, pays an official visit to New York, USA, between September 21-22. There, she participates in the work of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a press release of the President’s Office, the official will deliver a speech at the tribune of the United Nations.
In this context, the Promo-LEX Association suggested the president to request the appointment of a special rapporteur in order to monitor the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region. According to Promo-LEX, the responsibility for human rights violations in the Transnistrian region arises as a result of the Russian Federation’s military, economic and political control over the Tiraspol regime.
“We consider it imperative to insist on the observance of the international commitments assumed by the Russian Federation regarding the withdrawal of the armed forces and ammunition from the territory of the country,” the representatives of Promo-LEX stated. They consider the speech before the UN an opportunity “to demand the observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Russian Federation with reference to this territory which is in its full control.”
“It is important to remember about the numerous cases of murder, torture, ill-treatment, forced enlistment in illegal military structures, the application of pseudo-justice in the Transnistrian region, all carried out under the tacit agreement of the Russian Federation. These findings stem from dozens of rulings and decisions issued by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Russia is responsible for human rights violations in the region.”
The association representatives expressed their hope that the president of the country would give priority to issues related to the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region and would call on relevant international actors to contribute to guaranteeing fundamental human rights and freedoms throughout Moldova.
They asked Maia Sandu to insist on the observance of the obligation to evacuate the ammunition and the military units of the Russian Federation from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, to publicly support the need for the Russian Federation to implement the ECtHR rulings on human rights violations in the Transnistrian region, and to request the appointment of an UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova.
**
The Promo-LEX Association concluded that 14 out of 25 actions planned within the National Action Plan for the years 2018–2022 concerning respecting human rights in Transnistria were not carried out by the responsible authorities.
The association expressed its concern and mentioned that there are a large number of delays in the planned results. “There is a lack of communication and coordination between the designated institutions, which do not yet have a common vision of interaction for the implementation of the plan.”
Promo-LEX requested the Government of the Republic of Moldova to re-assess the reported activities and to take urgent measures, “which would exclude superficial implementation of future activities and increase the level of accountability of the authorities.”
Photo: peacekeeping.un.org
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