Where there's smoke, there's fire
An incendiary week in the region, the problems of surrogate motherhood in North Macedonia, and a sea that’s slowly dying.
Good morning,
Welcome back to Balkan Brew—the newsletter for all your Balkan needs, freshly made and delivered warm every Friday morning. This week, it felt like spring was just around the corner, and those warmer days were a much-needed pick-me-up from the world's grim news cycle.
In this issue: a recap of an incendiary week in the region, the debate over surrogate motherhood in North Macedonia, and a sea that’s slowly dying. Plus, a movement to combat loneliness and the challenges of collecting disability pensions in Kosovo.
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Where there’s smoke, there’s fire
This week has been packed with big developments across the region. We’ve covered these stories before: if you need a refresher, check out our archive.
IT’S OFFICIAL. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the unconstitutional laws passed by Republika Srpska’s National Assembly after Milorad Dodik’s guilty verdict officially came into force Thursday night, after being signed and published in the entity’s Official Gazette.
CAN’T KEEP UP. A BiH Constitutional Court expert called these laws “a partial secession”. Tensions are high—reactions poured in all day on Thursday, with N1 covering events minute by minute.
WHAT’S NEXT? The Constitutional Court of BiH is expected to rule on the laws soon. Meanwhile, what happens to SIPA workers from RS? They were urged to leave the state police force for the RS Interior Ministry—Dodik said around 20 already did so, though it’s unclear whether it can afford to pay them.
JUST IN. Dodik has been summoned by the BiH State Prosecution today, but he’s said he won’t show up. This could be enough to warrant his arrest.
SUBVERSIVES. In Romania, six people were arrested Thursday for allegedly organizing a Moscow-backed paramilitary group. Two Russian embassy diplomats, suspected of supporting them, were expelled the night before.
POLARISATION. Tens of thousands protested in Bucharest last Saturday, demanding PM Marcel Ciolacu’s resignation. The nationalist AUR party organized the rally, joined by pro-Russian presidential candidate Călin Georgescu.
SMOKING ‘EM OUT. By now, you’ve probably seen the video—but if not, here’s the recap: protests in Serbia moved from the streets to Parliament on Tuesday, where opposition MPs blocked a session with flares and smoke bombs.
ARRESTS. On Thursday, five activists protesting outside were arrested after being beaten by private security hired to guard the National Assembly.
A FUMING ANNIVERSARY. In Greece, protests marking the second anniversary of the Tempi train crash drew hundreds of thousands. They started peacefully but ended in chaos.
Hard times for surrogate motherhood
Ten years ago, North Macedonia legalized surrogate motherhood—but only on paper. In reality, the system barely functions, writes Radio Slobodna Evropa.
LOW NUMBERS. In a decade, just 12 children have been born through surrogacy in North Macedonia. For most citizens, the easiest option is still going to Ukraine or Georgia.
ALTRUISM DOESN’T WORK. Families trying to navigate the process say the biggest obstacle is that Macedonian law doesn’t allow surrogate mothers to receive compensation.
WHAT ABOUT THE REST? Surrogacy laws in the region are scarce. According to BIRN, Serbia allows it to some extent, while Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania have no regulations, leaving it in a legal grey zone. In Montenegro, it’s explicitly banned.
FIRST BORN. The first Macedonian baby born via surrogacy should be about 8 years old now.
The dead zone
Sea mucilage is back in the Sea of Marmara—the small inland sea separating the European and Asian sides of Turkey—raising serious environmental concerns.
CHOKING TO DEATH. Mucilage thrives due to pollution and rising temperatures, and it’s a huge problem. It suffocates marine life by covering their gills and blocks sunlight from reaching the seabed, damaging vegetation and corals.
And frankly, it’s also kinda gross:
1 IN 5. Mucilage tends to increase in warmer months, and experts fear a repeat of 2021, when a massive outbreak wiped out 20 per cent of the sea’s marine life.
POLLUTION. Despite government cleanup efforts, the Sea of Marmara remains heavily polluted, surrounded by densely populated areas.
IN OTHER NEWS.
Fentanyl, the synthetic drug responsible for a wave of opioid overdoses in the USA, is now being sold instead of heroin in Slovenia.
Around 40% of 7-year-old kids in Montenegro have excessive body weight.
Florida has launched a criminal probe against Andrew Tate following the return of the two brothers from Romania to the US.
Bosnia and Herzegovina doesn’t have enough safe houses for victims of human trafficking.
AND FINALLY. Nataša Gradišek, from Slovenia, was going through a divorce in her 50s and felt like dating apps weren’t exactly her thing (and let’s face it, that’s becoming more and more common). So, she came up with the idea to start a movement.
SINGLES OF THE WORLD, UNITE! The movement, called Duo Moovement, aims to bring singles together to connect, share experiences, and, above all, become more visible to each other—like these two sweet socks in this explanatory video.
If you’re into brutalist, possibly slightly dystopian architecture, you’ll love this urban revitalization project in Chișinău, Moldova.
GOING THE DISTANCE. Novosti covered the story of Slađan Pavlović, a Serb from Belo Polje, Kosovo. He gets a Serbian disability pension, but since Kosovo banned dinars, cashing it is a huge hassle. So, he travels around 150 km to get to Serbia, picks up his pension, converts it to euros, and heads back. The journey? Two taxis, two vans, two buses, and eight hours on the road. Easy, right?
And that’s a wrap for this week. Thanks for sticking with us! As always, we love hearing your feedback. If you notice a mistake, want to add something, or just want to say hi, just reply to this email. Or find us on Bluesky—here we are: Tommaso & Rodolfo.
Until next Friday, don’t be lonely.
BB