Compiled by Eva Jovanova and Hristo Voynov
1. Macedonia’s preparations for the referendum on the name deal have come to an unpleasant moment. The main opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, which holds 51 seats in the Macedonian parliament, and was undecided on whether it will support the referendum, stated earlier this week that it won’t respect the referendum’s outcome. If the referendum passes, it will necessitate constitutional changes, which require the support of two-thirds of the MPs. Without the votes of the VMRO-DPMNE MPs, the name agreement cannot be fully implemented.
2. Hungary continues to deal with the blowback from the Sargentini report accusing it of violation rule of law norms of the EU. While Hungary plans to challenge the report and has allies within Europe that can help it do so, especially Poland whose similar situation might result in a coordinated effort of each state impeding sanctions against the other. However until this plays out in Europe, internal Hungarian politics now come to the center stage. The ruling FIDESZ party submitted a resolution attacking the report, which would make the FIDESZ defense an official state response. In this effort, it launched a new attack against the report for being a liberal plot against Hungary and called for opposition parties to support Hungary instead of Europe, creating the narrative that the report was against Hungary and not against Viktor Orban’s policies. But many of the parties disagree, attacking Orban for his actions and accusing him of power grabbing and corruption, which is the bulk of the claims within the report. Jobbik, the main right-wing opposition party, offered the fiercest response that can actually resonate with Orban supporters, which is that corruption is a major issue within the government that must be tackled, but that the European government has limited authority to tell Hungary how it should behave.
3. Bulgaria is siding with its bad friend this week. Two days ago, Bulgarian President Boyko Borissov claimed that Bulgaria will oppose EU’s attempt to trigger Article 7 that will ban Hungary’s head of state of voting in the Council of the European Union. Hungary’s judicial independence, academic freedom and freedom of expression are no longer in line with the European values. However, under pressure of the nationalist wing in Bulgaria, Bulgarian MEPs either abstained or voted against the resolution this week. The same vociferous wing is responsible for drafting the motion to oppose the EP’s decision.
4. The past week saw two major regional meetings between heads of state. Hungarian PM Viktor Orban met with Russian President Vladamir Putin to discuss regional cooperation and economic ties between the two states. Their close ties are important, as they share traditionalist worldviews and skeptical views towards the liberal status quo. The second meeting was between the Polish and US presidents, in which the two appeared to focus on security ties between the two countries, ending the meeting with a pledge to improve cooperation on issues of concern to Poland, including its dependency on Russian gas and worries about its eastern flank.
5. Good news for Serbia and Montenegro this week! The new roadmap published this Tuesday by the European Commission paves the way for their quick accession to the European Union. According to the roadmap, they can be admitted as early as 2025. The same will apply for Macedonia and Albania if they fulfill the conditions the European Commission has set for them this year.
6. Russia had a week with major, controversial international developments regarding its working relationships with other nations. First, it had a military plane shot down when a Syrian air defense system looking to take down an Israeli jet in Syrian airspace targeted the wrong plane. Russia says that Israel used its plane as a way of avoiding anti-air measures, while Israel offered a seldom given statement blaming Syria for the incident. Second, two Russians were expelled for allegedly trying to hack into a Swiss military bioweapons agency’s computer system. Russia denies the allegations and responded by summoning both Swiss and Dutch ambassadors to the Russian Foreign Ministry to discuss this and other related issues. The good news for Russia is that its ban from the World Anti-Doping Agency has been revoked after 3 years, but only under strict conditions.
7. Serbia can soon expect Frontex’s help on managing the migrant flow. Serbia’s Minister of Interior with EU’s Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs, and Citizenship initiated an agreement that guarantees cooperation between Serbia and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex). Frontex is securing the borders of all EU member states, and Serbia will be the first non-EU country with such an agreement with this organization. The flow of migrants crossing the Balkans is still high.
8. After Czechia’s ANO party won the most recent election and managed to form a coalition after months of uncertainty, only one issue was left keeping it from a full-on partnership with its minority partners, the Social Democrats. This issue is that of who would become the Foreign Minister, a position promised to the minority party. Miroslav Pochewas originally nominated but kept from the post by ANO who did not approve of his politics. However, it seems the issue was finally resolved, as the Social Democrat presented Tomáš Petříček as an alternative. Now it is up to ANO to either accept or reject this new proposal.
9. Croatia, the winner of the silver cup at this year’s football World Cup, is now shocking everyone who rooted for its team. One of its main football stars Dejan Lovren was indicted by the State Attorney for giving a false statement in a corruption trial against Dinamo Zagreb’s chief and three other footballers. Luka Modric, the captain of Croatia’s national team, was charged in the same case this March. They both have allegedly taken a “generous” bribe for their false testimonies. Not very sporty.
10. Reunification efforts return to Moldovan discourse, but there isn’t a clear idea as to who should unify. President Igor Dodon discussed the need for a political solution regarding Transnistria through a referendum, treating a vote as a necessary next step that must be taken before further, more difficult measures such as removing Russian troops can be considered. However, the Liberal Party is starting its push for reunification between Moldova and Romania in the form of a petition to advance the issue within the political realm. While neither appears to have enough support within Moldova to become a reality, the two conflicting plans show the divide within the country.
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