SERBIA: Novi Sad Tragedy Arrests & more – 26th Nov 2024

Dobar dan from Keswick Village! This is the Rorshok Serbia Update from the 26th of November twenty twenty-four. A quick summary of what's going down in Serbia.

The city police detained twelve people on Thursday the 21st for questioning following a deadly collapse of an outdoor roofing canopy at Novi Sad railway station on the 1st of November, which we reported on in previous shows. Among the detained was Goran Vesic, the minister of construction and infrastructure. Novi Sad Higher Prosecutor’s Office said that the detained individuals are suspected of crimes against public safety, improper and irregular execution of construction works, and causing public danger.

The arrests came after members of several opposition parties blocked the entrance of Novi Sad’s court building on Tuesday the 19th and Wednesday the 20th, demanding a proper investigation into the case. The blockade resulted in the resignation of Tomislav Momirovic, who was the construction minister during the railway station renovation, which finished in July.

In other news, on Thursday the 21st, the Serbian Ministry of Defense published a statement, accusing heavily armed Kosovo Police members of unauthorized entry into Serbia through a northern border. The ministry condemned the crossing and said it aimed to raise the tensions between Kosovo and Serbia. President Vucic called on the West to condemn these actions, accusing Kosovo’s Prime Minister Kurti of orchestrating the border crossing. Vucic went on to ask the US for help in determining whether Kurti personally authorized the alleged breach.

However, on the same day, Kosovo police dismissed the accusations by the Defense Ministry and Vucic as false, adding that such statements aimed to make locals feel unsafe.

Amid the tensions with Kosovo, Robert Fico, the Slovak Prime Minister, visited Serbia and had a meeting with President Vucic on Friday the 22nd. He reaffirmed his country’s support for Serbia, and said that he respected the nation’s territorial integrity, highlighting his support for Serbia’s refusal to recognize Kosovo’s independence. Fico added that he intends to send troops to KFOR - a NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Kosovo - in order to ensure Serbia’s safety, given the escalating tensions.

Vucic and Fico discussed Serbia’s EU path, with Fico highlighting Slovakia’s support for Serbia’s choice to be an EU member. Fico also praised Serbia’s effort to curb illegal migration, especially the country’s cooperation with Hungary in securing the EU's external borders.

Speaking of bilateral relations, ethnic Albanians who live in Serbia and Kosovo have accused the Serbian government of discrimination after the recent Constitutional Court ruling revealed that Albanian individuals’ house addresses have been marked as inactive in official records. The Court argued that they only mark the addresses as inactive when they are not the center of the person’s everyday activities, adding that it is what Serbian law obliges. However, ethnic Albanians are saying that the law is applied unfairly, targeting Albanians disproportionately more than Serbians. Kosovo deputy prime minister Bislimi said on Wednesday the 20th that the Constitutional Court’s address passivization cases are a hit to human rights, accusing the government of targeting the Albanian population in Serbia. Ana Pisonero, the European Commission’s enlargement spokesperson, said that the address passivization issue will be part of the Belgrade-Pristina normalization dialogue.

Also on Wednesday, the Balkan Free Media Initiative, or BFMI, a Brussels-based independent organization, published a report about political involvement in the media. The BFMI noted that the national media laws passed in twenty twenty-three in Serbia increased the state’s ability to exert control of the press. They added that the ruling Serbian Progressive Party, or SNS, has a tight grip on the information that is broadcasted in the media, with pro-government news agencies, TV channels, and tabloids often spreading misinformation and misleading citizens.

The report highlighted that the Serbian media situation is particularly concerning since it also affects other Serbian-speaking countries in the region, such as Montenegro, Bosnia, and Croatia.

On that note, the Media Freedom Coalition and the Safejournalists network called on the government to condemn and react to the recent cases of death threats and violence against journalists. Both organizations underlined the importance of urgency when it comes to resolving the case of the direct death threat, referring to the case of Ana Lalic Hegedis, the president of the Independent Journalists Association of Vojvodina, who received death threats on Facebook on Wednesday the 20th. They said that cases of violence against journalists are rarely resolved, and the perpetrators are hardly ever persecuted, which further enables the violence.

The two media networks also called on the government to find and punish those who physically attacked a journalist during the recent protest in Belgrade related to the Novi Sad canopy collapse.

Since we mentioned protests, the University of Belgrade has announced a potential temporary strike due to the government’s proposal to allow foreign universities to establish branches in Serbia without requiring accreditation. Last week, the Parliamentary Committee on Education approved the proposal by a majority vote despite the widespread disapproval from the Serbian academic community. The University of Belgrade has since called for the government to withdraw the proposed amendments, adding that they put universities in Serbia at a disadvantage since they still have to pay for accreditation.

The government responded on Friday the 22nd by withdrawing the Bill amending the Law on Higher Education from the parliamentary procedure, adding that additional consultations on the bill are needed.

On to the economy now, as the State Statistical Office, or ZSO, reported on Monday the 25th that Serbia's average net monthly wage amounted to around 95,000 dinars, which is about 850 dollars, in September, marking a year-on-year increase of around eight percent. Compared to August this year, the average salary increased by about one percent. When it comes to different sectors, the public sector’s average salary amounted to around 100,000 dinars, or about 900 dollars, while the private sector’s stood at around 95,000 dinars, or about 850 dollars. Median net salaries amounted to 75,000 dinars, or around 670 dollars.

Speaking of money, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or EBRD, announced on Thursday the 21st its youth entrepreneurship support program titled Youth in Business. The EBRD said that they plan on allocating around eleven billion dinars, which is about a hundred million dollars, to banks in Western Balkan countries in order to provide credit lines that finance young entrepreneurs. The program attracted many partner banks, donors, ecosystem partners, and other stakeholders.

EBRD’s representatives said that the Youth in Business program aims to strengthen support for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in the Balkans that are owned by young entrepreneurs under the age of thirty-five.

In some environmental news, on Thursday the 21st, the German nature conservation EuroNatur Foundation published a report on biodiversity in the Western Balkans. The report focused on threatened natural habitats in several Balkan countries and highlighted the need for urgent action to preserve them.

When it comes to Serbia, the report warned that the Adriatic Flyway - its critical bird migration route - is threatened by illegal bird killings. EuroNatur noted that such killings significantly disrupt the ecological balance. They advised better law enforcement, improved legal frameworks, stricter enforcement of conservation laws, and greater community involvement so that Serbia can comply with international conservation agreements.

And to wrap up this edition, on Thursday the 28th, Belgrade’s Sava Center will host Alessandro Safina - a globally renowned Italian tenor. Famous for his authentic opera rock genre, Safina combined elements of modern pop and rock music with classical operas, resulting in his unique sound. Attendees will get to hear some of his most famous tracks, such as Luna, Your Song, Aria e memoria, and many more! Tickets range from 4,500 to 11,000 dinars —that is, around forty to about a hundred dollars —and are available online.

For more information, check out the link in the show notes!

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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Do daljnjeg, zbogom!