Handlebars & half promises
Serbian students reach Strasbourg, Bosnia's airspace is in trouble, and Romania heads toward repeat elections. Plus: Easter survival tips and all the lies of Serbian tabloids.
Good morning,
Easter is just around the corner for both Orthodox and Catholic Christians, but news never sleeps, and neither does Balkan Brew, your trustworthy newsletter for all things Balkans.
It’s Friday morning, I’m Tommaso - Rodolfo is out resting this week - and I woke up wondering: how often do the two Easters actually fall on the same day?
Turns out, someone at BBC Ukraine had the same question: it happens in about 30%-40% of cases, and it all goes back to a seemingly simple decision made in 325 A.D. that got complicated over time.
Now that this mystery is solved and my mind is at peace - here’s what we’ve got this week. We take you to Strasbourg, where the Serbian students have finally arrived after their long journey. Then we dive into a crucial story about BiH’s air routes. To wrap it up, a quick look at how Romania is edging closer to its repeat elections.
But also: tips and tricks on how to survive Easter with the family, and the many lies of Serbian tabloids.
Let’s get into it!
DON’T FORGET. As always, thank you for your support! Help us continue to grow by forwarding this newsletter 🙏 and subscribing 👇
Handlebars & half promises
1,476 kilometers later, the 80 Serbian students-turned-cyclists who left Belgrade on April 3 finally reached Strasbourg. The news was everywhere, but there are a few things worth pointing out.
WARM WELCOME. The students were greeted with champagne, food, and good vibes, just as they were at every stop along the way. Among the crowd an old, battered piano hitched to a bike, filling the square with music.
CENSORSHIP AND MUSIC. Yep, Davide Martello again - the Italian-German pianist expelled from Turkey and Serbia for playing in support of protesters. We reached out to him about art, protest, and censorship. His words (and his music) 👇
OFFICIAL MEETINGS. The next day, the students met with representatives of the Council of Europe and several MEPs from France, Croatia, and Slovenia. They also sent a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron. EWB has the full rundown.
PROMISES. The MEPs pledged to bring the students’ demands to the European Parliament and to “knock on Ursula von der Leyen’s door.” Their reactions, however, suggested they had little idea of what’s actually been happening in Serbia, N1 pointed out.
SHRUG IT OFF. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić dismissed the whole thing as pointless. Meanwhile, the RTS blockade in Belgrade continues.
BiH, fasten your seatbelts
If you’ve ever travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina, you know you should “keep an eye on the air routes. They like to change.” But the country’s current air traffic problem goes far beyond a few delays or cancellations.
A COMPLETE STOP. On Monday, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Air Navigation Services Agency (BHANSA) announced it’s facing a severe financial crisis that could potentially bring all air traffic in the country to a halt.
HOW? The issue stems from the unilateral termination by Republika Srpska of a 2004 concession contract with a subsidiary of Slovenian company Viadukt, tied to a hydropower project on the Vrbas River.
HOW ARE THOSE RELATED? They’re not. But since Republika Srpska has refused to pay around €56 million in compensation to Viadukt, enforcement proceedings were launched against the state of BiH. A court in Brussels then ordered Eurocontrol to freeze all payments to BHANSA. The whole situation is, from start to finish, very weird.
A BIG ONE. Republika Srpska wants the state of BiH to cover their debt, but politicians from the Federation are refusing, and looking into alternative solutions. If the block actually goes through, it could cause massive disruption not only for BiH citizens, but also for European air traffic as a whole.
Romania, reloaded
The repeat of Romania’s presidential elections, annulled back in December, is now just around the corner - and both the country and the EU are bracing for it. Rarely has a campaign brought so many twists and surprises.
WHO IS LEADING? Far-right front-runner George Simion of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians leads, but only just, polling at 27%, closely followed by ruling coalition candidate Crin Antonescu at 26%.
PASSION FOR POLITICS. According to a Flashdata poll, about 82% of Romanians intend to vote- That’s a sharp rise compared to the 52% turnout in the annulled December election.
STANDING OUT. We’ll surely cover more as the race heats up. But for now, here are two stories that stand out. First: Elena Lasconi, former candidate of the center-right Save Romania Union, is now battling not only her political opponents, but also her own party.
WHAT??? Last week, Victor Ponta - former Prime Minister and current candidate - went on a podcast and claimed responsibility for the 2014 floods in several Romanian villages. Unsurprisingly, this didn’t do much for his polling numbers. The whole thing became even weirder as the National Administration of Romania Waters denied Ponta’s role in the event.
IN OTHER NEWS.
The trial for the 2023 armed attack in Banjska, Kosovo, that killed a police officer started this week. Prosecutors say the assault was premeditated and executed by a trained group.
Rival rallies in Serbia. Vučić gathered a crowd to promote his "Movement for the State", but it's quite unclear what he really plans to do with it.
Foreign workers in Rovinj, Croatia, are camping outside the local police station, waiting for hours to obtain work permits for the upcoming tourist season. Foreign workers are becoming more and more essential for the local economy.
AND FINALLY. Easter meals are coming up, and that means family time! That’s great—but let’s be honest, it can sometimes be a bit much, especially when politics enters the chat. On this Reddit thread, Romanian users shared stories and advice on how they handle pro-Russian or anti-Ukrainian relatives around the Easter table.
How many lies can a pro-government Serbian tabloid fit on its front page in a single year? A LOT. KRIK, an investigative outlet from Serbia, just won a SLAPP lawsuit filed by the pro-government tabloid Kurir, which accused them of defamation. KRIK’s investigation, confirmed by the court, found that Kurir published 163 false, unfounded, or manipulative front-page headlines just in 2020.
This is all for this week. Did we miss anything? Please let us know, all you have to do is reach out to us by replying to this email. Or connect with us: Rodolfo and Tommaso.
Enjoy your time off, if you have any, and see you next week
BB