Not coping at all
Environmental problems and long-lost treasures. But also, medical tourism in Albania, deadly quiet neighbourhoods and flying cars.
Good morning, and welcome back!
This is Balkan Brew — your go-to weekly newsletter straight from the heart of the Balkans. It’s getting chilly out there, so we hope you’re all staying warm and cozy!
This week, all eyes are on Baku, where COP29 is underway. But don’t worry — we promised not to bore you with speeches and declarations, and we’re sticking to it. We will, however, dive into the impact of fossil fuels and climate issues in the Balkans. Then, to lift the mood, we’ll share the story of the hunt for Romania’s long-lost treasure, plus some holiday smiles from Albania. And also: is it a car? Is it a helicopter? Great Scott, it’s both!
Let’s dive in.
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Not coping at all
COP29, the international climate conference, is happening now in Baku. But let’s be honest: world leaders seem to think climate change is sooo 2019. Many didn’t even bother showing up, probably thinking the conference was a “total waste of time”.
COUNT ME IN. Several Balkan countries did send high-level delegations, even though there’s little or no real progress to report on fighting climate change.
ON FIRE. Countries in the region still rely heavily on lignite for energy. Kosovo, for example, generates a staggering 95% of its power from coal, according to recent reports.
HOLD YOUR BREATH. This reliance becomes obvious around this time of the year when the heating season kicks in: people in the Western Balkans experience the worst air quality in Europe. Each year, around 30,000 lives are lost in the region due to excessive air pollution.
NOT JUST SARAJEVO. Sarajevo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is notoriously one of the most polluted cities in the region (though it does give us some unforgettable memes). But people in Romanian cities like Iasi, Bucharest, and Cluj-Napoca face similar issues. Slovenia is also grappling with its own air quality problems.
NOT IN MY MOUNTAIN. Montenegro’s government plans to build wind turbines in Sinjajevina, a mountainous area in the country’s north. However, several activists and locals are protesting, arguing the project will harm the environment and that proper procedures haven’t been followed.
A long-lost treasure
On Thursday, the European Parliament asked the European Commission to help Romania recover its long-lost treasure: almost 92 tons of gold, safely stored in Moscow since World War I.
A CURE WORSE THAN THE DISEASE. Back in December 1916, as the German army quickly advanced on Bucharest, Romania signed a deal with its ally, Russian Tsar Nicholas II. The idea was to keep the treasure safe in Russia until times were more secure.
YOU MEAN OUR TREASURE? Well, that was the plan… except the Tsar and his entire family didn’t stick around much longer, and the Romanian treasure never made it back to its rightful owners.
STILL TRYING. Back in 2004, Romania and Russia set up a Joint Intergovernmental Commission to talk about the return of the treasure. Spoiler: it didn’t really go anywhere.
WORTH THE EFFORT. If Romania ever gets its treasure back, it would almost double the country’s current gold reserve, which today stands at 103.6 tons.
Smiles from Albania
More and more tourists are flocking to Albania each year — not just to explore its cities and enjoy the nature, but also for medical treatment. The Albanian healthcare sector is estimated to make between 200 and 250 million euros annually, with at least 50,000 Italians visiting the capital, Tirana, for treatment every year.
TEETH, LIPS, AND ALL. Tourists are also coming from other European countries, drawn in by lower prices, especially for dental care — but plastic surgery is also a big draw.
CALL IT HAPPINESS TOURISM. Dritan Gremi, who runs a dental clinic in Tirana, says he’s not a fan of the term "medical tourism." "It sounds a bit scary," he explains. "I prefer to call it happiness tourism because it makes people happy."
NOT ALL SMILES. That’s great and all, but just a month ago, Albanian police arrested three individuals for illegally smuggling botox into the country, including two directors of beauty clinics. In the same operation, five more clinic directors were placed under prosecution.
IN OTHER NEWS.
Several companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina are losing millions because they can’t use the railway anymore, which was damaged by floods in Jablanica a month ago. Repair work hasn’t even started yet, supposedly due to “administrative reasons.”
Almost 80 years after his death, Mussolini is still an honorary citizen of the Italian town of Gorizia, right on the border with Slovenia. The mayor is against revoking the title, saying “History can’t be changed” (we agree — but maybe we can at least change how we view it and correct its mistakes?).
Alexei Zimin, a Russian TV chef known for his outspoken criticism of the invasion of Ukraine, has been found dead in Belgrade. Serbian authorities have said there were “no suspicious circumstances” surrounding his death.
A QUIET NEIGHBOURHOOD. 17 years ago, Slaviša Jovanović, a man living near the Serbian town of Niš, sold part of his land to the municipality, which needed it to expand a local cemetery. Since he wasn’t fully paid, Jovanović decided to sue the municipality. After a long trial, they decided to return the land to him — except now, well, 150 people are buried there.
Now Mr. Jovanović, understandably, doesn’t know what to do: “All this is so unpleasant that I can’t sleep at night,” he said to N1.
AND FINALLY. At Balkan Brew, we’ve had our fair share of wild rides and never-ending road trips in the Balkans, so we know how challenging the local roads can be. That’s why we think it’d be interesting to check out Mr. Mihai Merluscă’s mașină-elicopter, now parked at the Breaza airport in Romania.
Merluscă says he bought the helicar for 1500 euros in Austria, and that it’s “perfectly functional,” making it great for rescue operations. We’ll have to take his word for it — we even found some videos of it online, but none actually show the car flying.
This is all for this week. Thank you for reading and subscribing to Balkan Brew. If you think this newsletter is interesting, please consider spreading the word and forwarding it — it means a lot to us. As always, please feel free to reach out to us with your comments, and suggestions, or if you want to say hi. All you need to do is reply to this email.
Until next week,
drive fly safely.
BB