Compiled by Eva Jovanova and Hristo Voynov
1. Serbia’s media freedom has drastically deteriorated according to the latest press freedom ranking published this week by Reporters Without Borders. The country’s press freedom index marked a huge drop of 10. Other East/Central European countries and EU members where drastic drops in press freedom were noted are the Czech Republic (-11) and Slovakia (-10). Serbia, even though considered a front-runner in the region in its EU accession processes, faces a huge challenge when it comes to media freedom. This Wednesday, a controversial media law aiming to firm the role of the state in media was scrapped, but the tendency to restore state control over the media nevertheless remain.
2. Russia has condemned the US for what it called a “hostile takeover” when US government agents entered the Russian consulate building in Seattle. It was reported that they also tried to enter the residence of the Russian Consul General, which Russia says is illegal under US and international law. US Media has largely ignored the issue, which is likely to further inflame tensions between the two even though US President Donald Trump promised to prevent further tensions in order to repair relations between the two. The direct cause of this is still unknown, though it is clear that this will continue to tear down trust between the two nations.
3. Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama visited Germany this Wednesday. After receiving the EC recommendation to begin negotiations, Rama tried to win over partners in Germany to support it on its way towards the EU. However, Merkel and other MPs of her party were not convinced that the country was ready to begin negotiations. The EU heads of states will have to be unanimous at the Balkan Summit on May 17, so that negotiations could begin. Macedonia which also received an EC recommendation is still in limbo due to its name issue with Greece, but there might be a way for optimism. The President of the European Council Donald Tusk announced his visit to Macedonia.
4. Post-election changes are underway in Hungary, with the Minister of Human Resources, Zoltán Balog, resigning to move onto other FIDESZ related work outside of the administration, and János Lázár, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff, indicated his interest in returning to local politics. This comes while anti-FIDESZ protests continue throughout the country. The opposition appears to be organizing itself as well, with the socialists forming a coalition and Jobbik taking legal action over claims of election fraud. Jobbik is also leading an effort to separate Hungary’s media from FIDESZ in the form of a proposed referendum. But with FIDESZ’ supermajority, it is unlikely that these challenges will hurt it in the short term.
5. Attempts to legalize homosexual unions spark heated debates in Montenegro. Both LGBTI activists and conservative groups were dissatisfied with the newly proposed law on same-sex unions. As the law does not grant the same rights to homosexual unions as to heterosexual marriages, in a way that it prohibits them to be recognized as a family, LGBTI activists still argue that these couples will stay stigmatized. On the other side, the Russian-backed opposition and the followers of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro, regard the draft as decadent to the Christian values of the country.
6. Once again, coalition building efforts in Czechia make a U-turn. The ANO party has stated it expects to have a deal with the Social Democrats in two weeks, while subtly pushing the Communist party to friendly ground. One of the major hurdles now appears to be the Social Democrat’s desire to act as a check on ANO’s power, including a required resignation after a guilty verdict for any government member, before any appeals process. This would put ANO party leader and PM Andrej Babis at risk as he is currently under investigation for an EU fraud scheme. They also requested the ability to force a government-wide resignation if all of their cabinet members step down, which is also a heavy request from ANO. If these efforts don’t work, it might be disastrous for ANO who have few other options and are running on borrowed time to form an effective government.
7. Croats (and Bosnian Croats) who planned to commemorate the deaths of Nazi-allied Croatian troops in an upcoming event in Bleiburg, Austria, better be careful this year. MPs and judges proposed a law that would ban all Nazi symbols from public use. All those who fail to comply with the rules, will be punished and expelled from Austria. The event will take place on May 14 this year and has already been criticized by many leftist groups and political parties, as it can easily turn into a place where neo-nazis deify the Nazi-allied Ustasha movement.
8. Slovakian President Andrej Kiska has appointed Denisa Saková as the new interior minister. The position opened up when Robert Kaliňák resigned following mass protests regarding the murder of an investigative journalist. Tomáš Drucker took up the post for 26 days before Sakova, but he resigned after failing to change the police leadership, which was seen as necessary for a fresh start between civil society and law enforcement. Government watchdogs have issues with Sakova’s appointment, as she is seen as a close ally to Kaliňák, which some see as a risk to her ability to work independently from her predecessor’s policies and influence.
9. Kosovo Speaker of the Assembly Kadri Veseli this Monday presented his own “consensual platform” for continuing the EU-initiated talks with Serbia. He suggested that all parties in Kosovo should unite behind five major issues that beset the country: the dialogue with Serbia, the establishment of an Association of Serb-majority municipalities, the establishment of a Kosovo Army, an agenda on European integration, and election reform. The consensual platform needs to be voted in Parliament now, however, the opinion about the platform among the political parties is split.
10. Polish civil society had a powerful week, in which both peoples with disabilities and a major teachers union held major protests. Activists for greater government assistance for the disabled and needy were able to extract concessions out of the government after occupying the Parliament building for multiple days. Teachers protested for better wages and the dismissal of the Education Minister who helped pass controversial education reform. Airline workers are also set to strike on May 1st. All of this creates an uneasy position for the Polish government, which cannot ignore civil society but cannot be seen as caving into pressure so easily, unless it wants to invite even more protests.
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