Balkan developments

North Macedonia claims Bulgaria doesn’t have a project for a railway line along Corridor No. 8

The construction of the railway line from Kriva Palanka in North Macedonia to Bulgaria along corridor No. 8 could lose the EU funding because of tenders not held and contracts not concluded, reads a report by the national audit institution in North Macedonia, the Bulgarian news agency BTA reports. The sum is in excess of EUR 60 million. The programme of the new government of North Macedonia does not include the building of a railway line to Bulgaria. At a press conference, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport of North Macedonia Aleksandar Nikoloski stated that the construction of the third phase from Kriva Palanka to the border was “the most expensive railway in the world”. The 23.4 km. section costs EUR 24 million per kilometer. Many houses will have to be demolished and terrains expropriated, and in the end a tunnel to the border will have to be built. It is not known where the tunnel will end because Bulgaria doesn’t even have a project of its own for a railway connection and a tunnel, Aleksandar Nikoloski claims.

Greece’s PM warns Albania and North Macedonia with proverbs

The Albanian court of appeal confirmed the two-year prison sentence of an elected mayor from the Greek minority. Freddy Belleri was charged with buying 8 votes for the sum of EUR 360 at the local election in Himara. Belleri, who has dual citizenship was elected to the European Parliament from Greece, even though he is in an Albanian prison. Talking to Reuters, Freddy Belleri stated that the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama had organized a conspiracy against him and that he would appeal the sentence at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Using a proverb, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis warned Albania and North Macedonia, saying: “Mr. Rama’s dreams pass through a Greek proverb: As you make your bed, so you must lie in it.” He also had a warning regarding the observance, by North Macedonia, of the Prespa agreement: “Stop reckoning without your host,” skai.gr/tv reports.

Romania tightens measures against the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to minors

From now on cigarettes and alcohol will only be sold in Romania after the buyers show their ID cards, after the two houses of Romanian parliament approved a law to this effect. When selling tobacco products and alcohol, salespersons at retail establishments will be obligated to require to see identity papers to verify that the buyer is over 18. The aim is to bring down consumption among adolescents. The fines for offending traders will range from EUR 2,000 to EUR 6,000. Romania is among the European countries with the highest number of smokers. In February, another law was approved prohibiting the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, Digi 24 reports.

Croatian politicians investigated for flying to European football championship matches on board state airplane

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic has confirmed that he will be running for re-election and asked for the support of the Social Democratic Party, hina.hr reports. Milanović stated that he has the greatest amount of knowledge and experience out of all possible candidates. Meanwhile, the Conflict of Interest Commission is investigating the president for having used a state airplane to travel to Leipzig for the Croatia-Italy match from the European football championship with his wife Sanja Milanovic. “All facts will be checked to determine whether there are grounds for initiating legal proceedings,” said the Commission’s spokesperson Mia Jurinic. The Commission is also investigating the speaker of Croatian parliament Gordan Jandrokovic because he took his son to the Croatia-Spain football match on board the state airplane, hina.hr. reports.

People in Serbia ask themselves what is going to happen to the national football coach

It looks like Dragan Stojkovic, a.k.a. Pixie’s time at the head of Serbia’s national football squad is running out, according to Serbian media. Stojkovic himself is not tendering his resignation and even wants a new contract, according to the general secretary of Serbia’s football association Jovan Surbatovic, Mozzartsport reports. “I am not holding on like “a drunkard clinging to a fence”. I want to work, I want to drag the team out of this situation. I was called 3 years ago when there were other problems and I solved them. Without any cataclysmic consequences, step by step,” said Dragan Stojkovic as the team arrived at Belgrade airport. Serbia dropped out of the European football championship after a goalless draw versus Denmark in the third round of the group stage. Four footballers are mulling leaving the national team if Dragan Stojkovic stays on as coach. One of them is the team captain Dusan Tadic, media in Serbia write.