Montenegro's big sellout
Montenegro's selling big, Bosnian authorities are after Dodik, and the Croats gave a pretty cold goodbye to Papa Franjo. Also: Simion drops by Bannon, and a candidate with 'the soul of a Roma'.
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WELL, ALMOST. The next issue is technically due out on 2 May, but since that’s right around the only holiday celebrated across every Balkan country, we’re giving ourselves a one-week break. We’ll be back, as usual, on 9 May.
In this issue, we’re diving into Montenegro’s controversial investment plans, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s half-hearted arrest attempts, and Pope Francis’s legacy among Croats. But also: a candidate with a Roma soul, another round of weird interviews, and burning tyres in Moldova.
Without further ado, let’s get to it.
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Montenegro’s big sellout
On 23 April, Montenegro’s parliament ratified a Memorandum on Economic Cooperation and a Memorandum on Cooperation on Tourism and Real Estate Development with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
KNOWN UNKNOWNS. We couldn’t assess the content of the documents as they weren’t available online. (Also, the government’s website appeared to be down during our research.)
BUT. According to media reports, the agreements will pave the way for major real estate investments in parts of Velika Plaža, in Ulcinj, which are to be leased to private investors for 99 years.
CRITICS. The memoranda raise several concerns, according to media coverage: the economic agreement would take precedence over domestic law in case of conflict. Also, state-owned land parcels in Velika Plaža could be leased without public tenders.
FAMILIAR FACES. Local media have speculated that Mohammed Alabbar may be interested in investing in Velika Plaža. Alabbar is best known for developing the Burj Khalifa complex in Dubai and for his involvement in the controversial Belgrade Waterfront project in Serbia’s capital.
LONG, LONG DISCUSSIONS. The agreements were ratified after a 12-hour parliamentary debate, and you can re-watch the entire thing on YouTube.
HOWEVER. The municipality of Ulcinj has voiced criticism of the project and has already organised protests against the plan.
ONE OF MANY. Velika Plaža may just be the latest in a series of state assets sold to foreign investors by Montenegro’s government - often with mixed results.
A dilemma called Dodik
Has he been arrested? Nope - but something finally happened. Milorad Dodik, president of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s entity Republika Srpska, is still roaming free, but there was a (failed) attempt to enforce the arrest warrant issued against him back in March.
LATE. Around 8 PM on April 23, a small number of officers from BiH’s State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) showed up outside the RS Government building in East Sarajevo, where Dodik was attending a meeting.
HEAVY SECURITY. Dodik was protected by a large deployment from the RS Ministry of Internal Affairs, including members of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit, who heavily outnumbered the unarmed SIPA officials. The SIPA officers left shortly after.
THE SERBIAN QUESTION. In the photos, many quickly pointed out that some of the RS police officers appeared to be wearing insignia resembling those of neighbouring Serbia.
DENIAL. Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dačić denied that any Serbian forces were present, but doubts remain.
SIPA DOESN’T KNOW. The RS Government building is less than two kilometers from SIPA’s headquarters - a detail that highlighted the inability of the country’s state-level police to manage the current situation.
HANDS TIED. One factor in this paralysis could be that SIPA’s current director hasn’t shown up for work in over a month.
SLACKING. Darko Ćulum, a close ally of Dodik, resigned on March 18. But because the BiH Council of Ministers has failed to agree on his dismissal or appoint a successor, he still officially holds the role.
MONEY NO MORE. On Thursday, in response to the ongoing crisis, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s High Representative suspended public funding for Dodik’s Alliance of Independent Social Democrats and its ally, the United Srpska party.
The cold goodbye
Croatia is the largest Catholic country in the Balkans, with around 78.97% of the population identifying as Catholic.
NOT OUR FRANJO. And yet, the country reacted rather coolly to the news of Pope Francis’s (or Franjo, in Croatian) death this week. One key reason: Francis froze the canonization process of Alojzije Stepinac, the controversial Archbishop of Zagreb during the WWII-era Ustaša regime.
ORTHODOX BROTHERS. Francis also maintained friendly relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church and promoted dialogue and openness. According to experts, this didn’t sit well with many Croat Catholics, who often hold rigid and nationalist views.
A MESSAGE FROM SARAJEVO. "The Pope gave us a lot of nice memories, but also many delusions," said Vinko Puljić, the cardinal of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna.
IN OTHER NEWS.
While visiting Moscow, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije told Vladimir Putin that Serbia is undergoing a Western-backed “colour revolution.” Unsurprisingly, his remarks drew widespread criticism.
In Kosovo, parliament remains deadlocked after 4 failed attempts to elect a speaker. Experts warn that without a compromise, the deadlock could lead to complete institutional paralysis - and possibly new elections.
Greece has released its new maritime plan, prompting the usual backlash from Turkey over the long-standing dispute surrounding control of the Aegean Sea.
ROMA BY CHOICE. Local elections are coming up in Croatia, and in Međimurje County, a local politician, Maja Odrčić Mikulić, has decided to run for office as a member of the Roma community - despite, well, not actually being Roma.
The move is widely seen as an attempt to boost her chances of being elected as deputy prefect in the county. The local Roma community has criticised her decision, although Mikulić insists that “it’s a subjective feeling: many Romas who support me say that I have always been one of them, and that my soul is Roma.”
AND FINALLY. Authorities in Moldova were kept busy on the night of Good Saturday, trying to stop residents from burning old tyres. Traditionally, Moldovans light bonfires on Good Saturday to ward off evil spirits. But with wood prices rising, more and more people have turned to tyres, which are highly polluting.
And that’s a wrap for this week. As always, if you spot a mistake or want to share something, just reply to this email, we’re always happy to hear from you. We are also on Bluesky: Rodolfo & Tommaso.
Enjoy your time off, we’ll be back in two weeks
BB