Slovenia & Balkan Weekly News Briefing — Week Ending 6 December 2015
This week “tiny” Montenegro unusually found itself in world news headlines. NATO has invited the country to become its 29th member, aparently to the chagrin of Russia . The foreign ministry in Moscow said “We regard the decision … as an openly confrontational step fraught with additional destabilising consequences for the system of Euro-Atlantic security.”
Montenegro has a population of about 621,000 (2013) and an area about half the size of Belgium or Sicily (13,812 sq km/ 5,332 sq mi), it is 162th out of 257 by area and 165 of 200 by population. The other less well publicised story this week about Montenegro is in Forbes: This Crazy Country Is Picking A Fight With A Billionaire Worth 80% Of Its GDP (below).
And whither Serbia? Balkan Insight says “While Belgrade insists it will remain militarily neutral, many believe the country will eventually be forced to choose sides. But as B92 reported on Thursday “Serbian president likens Russia to “mother””
Meanwhile in Macedonia chaos continues at the border with Greece. The UNHCR reports “Thousands of refugees and migrants were stuck at the border between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on Friday following tense protests which prevented anyone from crossing for more than 24 hours.” The migrant crisis may have fallen off the international news agenda, but it still continues in the southern Balkans.
And who are the most influential in Europe? Politico decides.
SLOVENIA
6/12/2015 Cerar wraps up tour of US IT companies in Seattle Prime Minister Miro Cerar, accompanied by a business delegation, wrapped up on Friday a four-day tour of the US. He visited several leading IT companies to discuss cooperation in Slovenia’s efforts to become a “green reference country in digital Europe”, a part of which would be a cloud computing platform based in the country. https://english.sta.si/2207138/cerar-wraps-up-tour-of-us-it-companies-in-seattle
5/12/2015 EUR 70m available for smart specialisation in first phase A total of EUR 70m will be available in the first phase for projects implementing Slovenia’s smart specialisation strategy, one of the foundations for drawing EU funds in the 2014–2020 budget period, government officials announced in Ljubljana on Friday. A total of EUR 220m will be available for the entire period. http://www.sloveniatimes.com/eur-70m-available-for-smart-specialisation-in-first-phase
4/12/2015 Govt backs smart communities project with Japan The government has backed the implementation of a Slovenian-Japanese smart communities and smart networks demonstration project, whose overall value is estimated at around EUR 80m. http://www.sloveniatimes.com/govt-backs-smart-communities-project-with-japan
4/12/2015 New design centre to pool creative talent A design centre will open in Slovenia next year in an effort to pool the country’s creative talent. The centre is already accepting its first members and offers an environment for networking, education, and market positioning in order to boost the country’s competitiveness. http://www.sloveniatimes.com/new-design-centre-to-pool-creative-talent
4/12/2015 Government renames SPIRIT agency SPIRIT was renamed the Public Agency for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship, Internationalisation, Foreign Direct Investment, and Technology by the government on Thursday. The decision comes after the tourism section was extracted from the agency. http://www.sloveniatimes.com/government-renames-spirit-agency
3/12/2015 Privatisation of NLB bank planned to be launched next year The state-asset management plan of the Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) for 2016, which is yet to be confirmed by the government, envisages privatisation of the country’s largest bank, NLB. http://www.sloveniatimes.com/privatisation-of-nlb-bank-planned-to-be-launched-next-year
2/12/2015 STA review of key economic indicators, 2015 A review of key economic indicators in Slovenia in 2015: https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=en&tl=sl&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fenglish.sta.si%2F2196338%2Fsta-review-of-key-economic-indicators-2015&edit-text=
2/12/2015 Tourism industry recovering, focus now on soft factors Slovenian tourism is making headway despite the continued financial problems of some major operators, but the focus now needs to shift from investing in infrastructure to spending on human resources and services, Slovenia’s top tourism official has said. https://translate.google.co.uk/translate?sl=en&tl=sl&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fenglish.sta.si%2F2205628%2Ftourism-industry-recovering-focus-now-on-soft-factors&edit-text=
ALSO Slovenia expects another tourist record in 2015: Ljubljana, 5 December — Slovenia may see another record tourist season this year, according to the Slovenian Tourism Board (STO). Data from the central bank show a 10.7% annual increase in spending by foreign tourists in the first nine months of the year, reaching EUR 1.77bn.
1/12/2015 Slovenia at bottom of EU rankings in inward FDI Slovenia ranked among bottom five EU members in terms of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) relative to GDP last year, according to fresh statistics. In terms of outward FDI, the country was among the last ten members. http://www.sloveniatimes.com/slovenia-at-bottom-of-eu-rankings-in-inward-fdi
26/11/2015 Jure Pirc: We Promote Bitcoin And Blockchain For Common Users In Slovenia To Make Government Adopt It Jure Pirc is the president of Bitcoin Association Slovenia, a non-profit organization engaged in raising people’s awareness on Bitcoin and Blockchain technologies. Slovenia isn’t closed for Bitcoin and Blockchain but the government still treats those innovations suspiciously. http://cointelegraph.com/news/115735/jure-pirc-we-promote-bitcoin-and-blockchain-for-common-users-in-slovenia-to-make-government-adopt-it
30/11/2015 GDP in third quarter up 2.5% year-on-year Slovenia’s gross domestic product grew at an annual rate of 2.5% in real terms in the third quarter of the year, the Statistics Office said on Monday, suggesting that the growth momentum is slowing down. http://www.sloveniatimes.com/gdp-in-third-quarter-up-2-5-year-on-year
30/11/2015 Luka Koper’s net profit up 24% Y/Y in first nine months The group around port operator Luka Koper generated EUR 135.2m in net sales revenues in the first nine months, which is 3% above plans and 13% more than than in the same period last year. Net profit was meanwhile up by 24% to EUR 26.97m, according to an unaudited report published on Monday. https://english.sta.si/2205189/luka-kopers-net-profit-up-24-y-y-in-first-nine-months
30/11/2015 Finance claims banks ready to take control of Tuš empire After years of restructuring, the debtors of the group around privately-held retailer Engrotuš have had it and plan to take control of the group, the business daily Finance reports on Monday. https://english.sta.si/2204977/finance-claims-banks-ready-to-take-control-of-tus-empire
ALBANIA
CROATIA
3/12/2015 Crowds queue for savings ‘lost’ 24 years ago Savers have been queuing in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, to get back millions of euros from a Slovenian bank after a 24-year wait. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-34997445
HUNGARY
3/12/2015 Cabinet chief defends procument law as ‘strictest’ ever Even though Parliament this week fast-tracked a law allowing officialsʼ families to bid for public tenders, the Hungarian government has adopted the “strictest public procurement legislation of all time”, Cabinet Chief János Lázár said today at his weekly press conference, Hungarian online daily origo.hu reported. http://bbj.hu/politics/cabinet-chief-defends-procument-law-as-strictest-ever_1081
2/12/2015 PM: This world order has reached its end The world we have been living in cannot “go on any longer, as we know it”, and European democracy is in danger, while the dominance of the western economy is reaching its end, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said today at a meeting of the Hungarian Diaspora Council, Hungarian online daily index.hu reported. http://bbj.hu/politics/pm-this-world-order-has-reached-its-end_108125
2/12/2015 Politico nominates Orbán as most influential in the EU Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has been ranked first among the “28 people from 28 countries who are shaping, shaking and stirring Europe”, according to a list compiled by political online daily politico.eu. http://bbj.hu/politics/politico-nominates-orban-as-most-influential-in-the-eu_108127
The other 27 http://www.politico.eu/list/politico-28/
2 MARGRETHE VESTAGER, DENMARK, THE ADAMANT COMPETITOR
3 NICOLA STURGEON, UNITED KINGDOM, THE CONSUMMATE SEPARATIST
4 REFUGEES WELCOME FOUNDERS & HORST SEEHOFER, GERMANY, THE FOLKS WITH A HEART & THE BAVARIAN SCOLD
5 STROMAE, BELGIUM, THE (VERY) INTERNATIONAL POP STAR
6 ISABELLE FALQUE-PIERROTIN, FRANCE, THE DATA WATCHDOG
7 ALBERT RIVERA, SPAIN, THE BREATH OF FRESH AIR
8 VALDIS DOMBROVSKIS, LATVIA, THE TREATY-MEISTER
9 MARIA ELENA BOSCHI, ITALY, THE CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMER
10 THOMAS WIESER, AUSTRIA, THE MAN WHO MIGHT SAVE THE EURO
11 MATS PERSSON, SWEDEN, THE ALPHA THINK-TANKER
12 PANTI BLISS A.K.A. RORY O’NEILL, IRELAND, THE DRAG-QUEEN ACTIVIST
13 STANISŁAW GĄDECKI, POLAND,THE MORAL CRUSADER
14 KAREL JANEČEK, CZECH REPUBLIC, THE CRUSADING DEMOCRAT
15 ALEXIS PAPAHELAS, GREECE, THE HONEST GREEK
16 PRINCESS MABEL, THE NETHERLANDS, THE ROYAL WITH A CAUSE
17 TAAVET HINRIKUS, ESTONIA, THE UNICORN MAN
18 HARRIS GEORGIADES, CYPRUS, THE RESPONSIBLE STEWARD
19 TOMAS VALASEK, SLOVAKIA, THE DEFENSE STRATEGIST
20 OZAN YANAR, FINLAND, THE YOUNG TURK
21 LAURA CODRUȚA KÖVESI, ROMANIA
22 IVO BOSCAROL AND MATEVŽ LENARČIČ, SLOVENIA, THE ENGINEER AND THE EXPLORER
23 ANTANAS GUOGA, LITHUANIA,THE POKER POLITICIAN
24 MATE RIMAC, CROATIA,THE INNOVATOR
25 EVA PAUNOVA, BULGARIA, THE RISING STAR
26 KATRINE CAMILLERI, MALTA, THE HUMANITARIAN
27 CATARINA MARTINS, PORTUGAL, THE FACE OF THE LEFT
28 LIZ WENGER, LUXEMBOURG, THE INTEGRATION CHAMPION
KOSOVO
3/12/2015 Why Kosovo’s opposition MPs are tear-gassing parliament? Pristina may host one of the world’s youngest national assemblies — Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence in 2008 — but in recent weeks it has been a global leader in parliamentary dysfunction. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-34986909
1/12/2015 Mustafa calls on opposition to “renounce violence” Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa has urged the opposition to renounce violence and return to the assembly http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2015&mm=12&dd=01&nav_id=96223
30/11/2015 Kosovo lawmakers forced to don gas masks, again PRISTINA, Kosovo — Opposition lawmakers in Kosovo have again disrupted parliament with tear gas, in a continuing protest against deals with Serbia and Montenegro. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kosovo-parliament-tear-gas-protest-serbia-and-montenegro/
MACEDONIA
4/12/2015 Macedonia MPs Launch Illegal Surveillance Probe Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski, finance minister Zoran Stavreski and former interior minister Gordana Jankuloska will be first to appear the parliamentary commission probing mass illegal wiretapping. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/macedonia-mps-launch-probe-on-illegal-surveillance-12-03-2015#sthash.kUpKFIgM.dpuf
1/12/2015 Walkout Stalls Macedonia Media Reform Talks The international effort to resolve Macedonia’s political crisis hit another obstacle when the ruling party left key talks on media reform in protest against tough criticism of alleged bias against the opposition. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/fresh-media-reform-package-proposed-in-macedonia-12-01-2015
1/12/2015 The new draft law on media from SDSM is fight against enemies Zoran Zaev, like any other politician, publicly announced that his biggest enemies are some Macedonian media, which does not operate under the dictates of the party headquarters in Bihakjka. He at today’s press conference finally admitted that media are his enemies and that he considers them for political enemies of the opposition. http://kurir.mk/en/?p=51301
MONTENEGRO
2/12/2015 Launch of process of Montenegro accession to NATO regrettable — parliamentarian According to the parliamentarian Konstantin Kosachev, Russia has “had all the historical, ethnic, religious and cultural grounds” to regard Montenegro as a close state and people http://tass.ru/en/politics/841026
1/12/2015 Montenegro poised for Nato membership Tiny state to be offered membership of defence alliance, in face of Russian demands it remains out http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/montenegro/12027995/Montenegro-poised-for-Nato-membership.html
1/12/2015 Montenegro invited to join NATO NATO has invited Montenegro to become the 29th member state of the organization, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region.php?yyyy=2015&mm=12&dd=02&nav_id=96226
29/11/2015 This Crazy Country Is Picking A Fight With A Billionaire Worth 80% Of Its GDP Oleg Deripaska, billionaire president of En+ Group, a Russian energy firm, is fighting a legal battle with the Montenegrin government. His fight sheds a spotlight on the crony capitalism and corruption that haunts Montenegro as it inches its way towards European Union integration. http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2015/11/29/this-country-picking-fight-with-a-russian-billionaire-who-is-worth-80-of-its-gdp/
23/11/15 Soft Censorship Eroding Media Freedom in Montenegro ‘Soft’ censorship is quickening an already serious decline in media independence in Montenegro. This is the conclusion of a new report published today by WAN-IFRA, the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), and the Montenegrin Centre for Civic Education (CCE). http://www.wan-ifra.org/articles/2015/11/23/soft-censorship-eroding-media-freedom-in-montenegro
30/11/2015 EU Accepts Backstage Role in Montenegro Talks The EU has welcomed the Montenegrin speaker’s move to start talks on solving the political crisis in the country — but Brussels will not be directly involved in the negotiations. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/montenegro-political-crisis-prompts-eu-engagement-11-27-2015
SERBIA
4/12/2015
Serbia’s Delicate Russia-West Balancing Act While Belgrade insists it will remain militarily neutral, many believe the country will eventually be forced to choose sides. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/serbia-s-delicate-russia-west-balancing-act-12-03-2015
1/12/2015 PM: There was no coup — but intent to undermine government Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has told state broadcaster RTS that he does not think “a coup” that the media speculated about took place. http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2015&mm=12&dd=01&nav_id=96211
30/11/2015 NGOs baffled by masked, armed police at IM’s news conference Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic’s address during a news conference on Sunday was sidelined by the armed police that stood behind him during the event. http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2015&mm=11&dd=30&nav_id=96207
30/11/2015 Serbian PM Denies Blackmail, Takes Polygraph Test Police said Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic took a lie-detector test to prove he is innocent of media blackmail allegations, which his allies claim were invented as part of a plot to overthrow him. http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/news-11-30-2015
Originally published at www.davysims.com on December 6, 2015.
