WESTERN BALKANS REGULAR ECONOMIC REPORT No.19 | Spring 2021
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Montenegro's Tribal Legacy
WARNING! The views expressed in FMSO publications and reports are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government. Montenegro's Tribal Legacy by Major Steven C. Calhoun, US Army Foreign Military Studies Office, Fort Leavenworth, KS. This article appeared in Military Review July-August 2000 The mentality of our people is still very patriarchal. Here the knife, revenge and a tribal (plemenski) system exist as nowhere else.1 The whole country is interconnected and almost everyone knows everyone else. Montenegro is nothing but a large family—all of this augurs nothing good. —Mihajlo Dedejic2 When the military receives an order to deploy into a particular area, planners focus on the terrain so the military can use the ground to its advantage. Montenegro provides an abundance of terrain to study, and it is apparent from the rugged karst topography how this tiny republic received its moniker—the Black Mountain. The territory of Montenegro borders Croatia, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania and is about the size of Connecticut. Together with the much larger republic of Serbia, Montenegro makes up the current Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). But the jagged terrain of Montenegro is only part of the military equation. Montenegro has a complex, multilayered society in which tribe and clan can still influence attitudes and loyalties. Misunderstanding tribal dynamics can lead a mission to failure. Russian misunderstanding of tribal and clan influence led to unsuccessful interventions in Afghanistan and Chechnya.3 In Afghanistan, the rural population's tribal organization facilitated their initial resistance to the Soviets. -
10 Years After Bucharest Why NATO Should Double-Down on Georgian
C - 0; M - 95; Y - 100; K - 2; PANTONE 485 CP C - 0; M - 98; Y - 91; K - 30; PANTONE 7621 CP C - 0; M - 97; Y - 87; K - 60; PANTONE 7624 CP POLICY BRIEF EUROPE IN THE WORLD PROGRAMME 3 JULY 2018 10 years after Bucharest Why NATO should Amanda Paul Senior Policy Analyst, EPC double-down on Ana Andguladze Georgian membership Policy Researcher, ISPED 2018 is a momentous year for Georgia: it marks the interest to strengthen ties with Tbilisi. As a reliable 100th anniversary of the first Democratic Republic of partner that shares common interests and values, the Georgia. It is also the 10th anniversary of the war with country offers the West a strategic foothold in the South Russia (August 2008) and of the Bucharest Summit, Caucasus. The Alliance must reaffirm its membership when Tbilisi was promised a seat at NATO’s table. commitment and reiterate that no third country has a veto on its enlargement. It should further deepen A decade on, NATO-Georgia cooperation has practical cooperation and bolster Georgia’s ability substantially deepened. The country now meets to defend itself. Reaffirming NATO’s support would NATO standards in many areas: it has modernised its reassure Georgian society, boost reform efforts and move armed forces and interoperability between Georgian the country ever closer to the Alliance. troops and the armies of NATO countries has increased. Georgia has contributed more to international NATO missions than many existing members and also meets the Alliance’s defence spending target. Tbilisi has also undertaken reforms to strengthen democracy, eradicate Georgia has contributed more to corruption and ensure civilian control of the military. -
Deloitte Legal Perspectives: International Dismissal Survey
Deloitte Legal Perspectives International Dismissal Survey February 2018 Brochure / report title goes here | Section title goes here Contents Introduction 5 Cost projection 6 Main conclusions 13 Dismissal Calculator 20 Country reports 25 This is a survey conducted in December 2017 and consequently reflects the legislation of the different countries at that particular time. The figures used in the cost projection date from December 2017 and therefore do not take into account any changes in legislation of a later date. Although this survey has been performed with the greatest care, the material in this guide is only for information purposes on general practices. The authors may not be held responsible in any way for any possible error that might occur or for any use or interpretation that could be made of this information. It is not intended to be used as advice in any event. 3 International Dismissal Survey Countries across all Introduction regions (America, This 4th edition of the International Dismissal Survey is more than a refresh. Firstly, the number of participating countries has increased by 15. In addition to more European countries (Cyprus, Servia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, etc.), the survey for the first Europe and APAC) time also includes countries from Latin America (e.g. Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador) and the Asia- Pacific region (e.g. China, Singapore, Japan etc.). In total, this survey comprises the legislation of 46 countries: share many similar Austria, Albania, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Myanmar, employment termination Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. -
CROATIA, MONTENEGRO and SERBIA Early Childhood
CROATIA, MONTENEGRO AND SERBIA Early childhood education for children with disabilities; system strengthening and innovation; – Harnessing technology to promote communication, education and social inclusion for young children with developmental delays and disabilities in Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia. Every child has the right to learn – In the case of Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, affordable Assistive Technology for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is being introduced to support young children with complex communication needs who may otherwise may be left out of early childhood education services. This innovation promotes interaction and helps vulnerable children to develop language, steering them towards an education and active social life right from the early years. Problem Initiative Many young children with communication-related In Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia, preschool teachers, speech and disabilities are not identified or referred for necessary language therapists, psychologists, and special educators are being attention in a timely fashion, resulting in their exclusion trained to identify and support young children with speech, language, from critical early learning opportunities. This is due to a and communication-related difficulties who could benefit from assistive lack of: 1) capacity among professionals to identify technology. An open license AAC tablet-based communicator – developmental delays early on; 2) familiarity with using Cboard, which has been customized for languages in the pilot assistive technology with young children; and 3) access countries – is being tested for effectiveness. UNICEF’s Innovation to affordable and appropriate assistive technological Fund supported the development of Cboard to improve the availability solutions that can be operated in local languages. of affordable AAC solutions that can be scaled up sustainably. -
The Covid-19 Crisis in Montenegro
THE COVID-19 CRISIS IN MONTENEGRO 31 January 2021 COVID-19 health situation – December 2020/January 2021 • After having successfully achieved zero cases at the end of May, Montenegro began experiencing a second wave of infections throughout the summer and autumn, reaching new peak levels in November. The number of daily new cases decreased and stabilised in December and January, however, 10 048 total cases per 100 000 inhabitants, Montenegro continues to record one of the highest number of cases in Europe. On 28 January, the total number of cases reached 60 288, with 790 deaths since the outbreak. Evolution of active cases in Montenegro Source: Worldometers.info • Wearing protective masks indoors and outdoors remains mandatory, including for children older than five years. Strict controls will continue to check whether people wear masks, while private business owners are in charge of assuring that on-site customers respect sanitary measures. Policy reactions – December 2020/January 2021 Measures to slow the spread of the virus and support the health system • Mobility and event restrictions: The National Coordination Body introduced uniform economy-wide measures on 14 November, which will remain in place until at least 10 February. A countrywide curfew THE COVID-19 CRISIS IN MONTENEGRO © OECD 2021 | 2 remains in place until at least 10 February, whereby leaving the place of residence is prohibited from 22:00 to 5:00. Walking in groups larger than four remains prohibited and only registered cultural events of up to 25 people and lasting no longer than 60 minutes are allowed. Religious and private gatherings are forbidden, while religious ceremonies can be performed without visitors. -
Montenegro Guidebook
MONTENEGRO PREFACE Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, lies in a broad plain crossed by five rivers and surrounded by mountains, just 20 kilometers from the Albanian border. The city has a population of around 180,000 people. Bombed into rubble during World War II, Podgorica was rebuilt into a modern urban center, with high-rise apartment buildings and new office and shopping developments. While the latest Balkan war had a low impact on the physical structures, the economic sanctions had a devastating effect on employment and infrastructure. With the help of foreign investment, urban renewal is evident throughout the city, but much of it may still appear run down. Podgorica has a European-style town center with a pedestrian- only walking street (mall) and an assortment of restaurants, cafes, and boutiques. To many, its principal attraction is as a base for the exploration of Montenegro’s natural beauty, with mountains and wild countryside all around and the stunning Adriatic coastline less than an hour away. This is a mountainous region with barren moorlands and virgin forests, with fast-flowing rivers and picturesque lakes; Skadar Lake in particular is of ecological significance. The coastline is known for its sandy beaches and dramatic coves: for example, Kotor – the city that is protected by UNESCO and the wonderful Cathedral of Saint Typhoon; the unique baroque Perast; Saint George and Our Lady of the Rock islands – all locations that tell a story of a lasting civilization and the wealth of the most wonderful bay in the world. The area around the city of Kotor is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its natural beauty and historic significance. -
The Macedonian “Name” Dispute: the Macedonian Question—Resolved?
Nationalities Papers (2020), 48: 2, 205–214 doi:10.1017/nps.2020.10 ANALYSIS OF CURRENT EVENTS The Macedonian “Name” Dispute: The Macedonian Question—Resolved? Matthew Nimetz* Former Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and former Special Envoy of President Bill Clinton, New York, USA *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] Abstract The dispute between Greece and the newly formed state referred to as the “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” that emerged out of the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1991 was a major source of instability in the Western Balkans for more than 25 years. It was resolved through negotiations between Athens and Skopje, mediated by the United Nations, resulting in the Prespa (or Prespes) Agreement, which was signed on June 17, 2018, and ratified by both parliaments amid controversy in their countries. The underlying issues involved deeply held and differing views relating to national identity, history, and the future of the region, which were resolved through a change in the name of the new state and various agreements as to identity issues. The author, the United Nations mediator in the dispute for 20 years and previously the United States presidential envoy with reference to the dispute, describes the basis of the dispute, the positions of the parties, and the factors that led to a successful resolution. Keywords: Macedonia; Greece; North Macedonia; “Name” dispute The Macedonian “name” dispute was, to most outsiders who somehow were faced with trying to understand it, certainly one of the more unusual international confrontations. When the dispute was resolved through the Prespa Agreement between Greece and (now) the Republic of North Macedonia in June 2018, most outsiders (as frequently expressed to me, the United Nations mediator for 20 years) responded, “Why did it take you so long?” And yet, as protracted conflicts go, the Macedonian “name” dispute is instructive as to the types of issues that go to the heart of a people’s identity and a nation’s sense of security. -
Montenegro Media Sector Inquiry with Recommendations for Harmonisation with the Council of Europe and European Union Standards
Montenegro Media Sector Inquiry with Recommendations for Harmonisation with the Council of Europe and European Union standards Report by Tanja Kerševan Smokvina (ed.) Jean-François Furnémont Marc Janssen Dunja Mijatović Jelena Surčulija Milojević Snežana Trpevska 29 December 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................5 PROJECT BACKGROUND 5 FINDINGS AND PROPOSALS 6 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 13 PURPOSE 13 SCOPE 13 ORGANISATION 14 STRUCTURE 14 METHODOLOGY 16 CH. I: MARKET OVERVIEW AND ASSESSMENT ................................................................................... 17 CONTEXT AND ENVIRONMENT 17 ACCESS AND OFFER 18 ECONOMIC HEALTH AND DYNAMICS 20 LEGAL AND REGULATORY INTERVENTIONS 22 IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PUBLIC 23 POLICY BRIEF 24 CH. II: LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK .............................................................................. 26 HARMONISATION: A STEP FORWARD, TWO BACK 26 LEGISLATION: OVERVIEW AND SUGGESTIONS 26 INSTITUTIONS: GAPS, OVERLAPS AND CAPTURE 35 THE NATIONAL REGULATORY AUTHORITY 40 POLICY BRIEF 42 CH. III: PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA ......................................................................................................... 44 PUBLICLY FUNDED MEDIA IN MONTENEGRO 44 ORGANISATION AND GOVERNANCE 44 FUNDING 46 AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE 47 CONTENT: UNIVERSALITY AND -
The Republic of North Macedonia
182 The Republic of North Macedonia A. Progress in the implementation of the minimum standard The Republic of North Macedonia has 47 tax agreements in force, as reported in its response to the Peer Review questionnaire. None of the Republic of North Macedonia’s agreements comply with the minimum standard or are subject to a complying instrument. B. Implementation issues No jurisdiction has raised any concerns about the Republic of North Macedonia. The Republic of North Macedonia is encouraged to implement the minimum standard in its agreements. Summary of the jurisdiction response – The Republic of North Macedonia Treaty partners Compliance with If compliant, the Signature of a The alternative Comments the standard alternative complying implemented implemented instrument through the complying instrument (if not the MLI) 1 Albania* No N/A No N/A 2 Austria No N/A No N/A 3 Azerbaijan* No N/A No N/A 4 Belarus* No N/A No N/A 5 Belgium No N/A No N/A partial compliance with respect to PPT 6 Bosnia and No N/A No N/A Herzegovina* 7 Bulgaria No N/A No N/A 8 China (People’s No N/A No N/A Republic of) 9 Chinese Taipei* No N/A No N/A 10 Croatia No N/A No N/A 11 Czech Republic No N/A No N/A 12 Denmark No N/A No N/A 13 Estonia No N/A No N/A 14 Finland No N/A No N/A 15 France No N/A No N/A 16 Germany No N/A No N/A 17 Hungary No N/A No N/A 18 India No N/A No N/A partial compliance with respect to PPT PREVENTION OF TREATY ABUSE – SECOND PEER REVIEW REPORT ON TREATY SHOPPING © OECD 2021 183 19 Iran* No N/A No N/A 20 Ireland No N/A No N/A 21 Italy No N/A -
Reforming the Social Protection System Through the Introduction of a New Child Benefits System and Integrated Case Management Approach
Realising Children’s Rights through Social Policy in Europe and Central Asia Action Area 1 A Compendium of UNICEF’s Contributions (2014-2020) 40 NORTH MACEDONIA // Reforming the Social Protection System through the Introduction of a new Child Benefits System and Integrated Case Management Approach © UNICEF/UNI200268/Nybo Realising Children’s Rights through Social Policy in Europe and Central Asia 41 A Compendium of UNICEF’s Contributions (2014-2020) North Macedonia Issue North Macedonia has recently made moderate gains in other social care services, which generated duplications in economic growth development. However, this progress coverage and money, and wasted time. Widespread lack has not been evenly distributed. The at-risk-of-poverty of (disaggregated) data and analysis of the impact of social rate and the combined risk of poverty or social exclusion protection on children made implementation and impact rate among children are very high: 28.6% and 46.1% monitoring difficult. respectively.86 A 2018 Gini coefficient of 31.987 implies high inequality in wealth distribution. Moreover, it is the only North Macedonia has a long history of providing social Western Balkan country that has shown a growth in infant services for families. The two main providers are the mortality between 2013 and 2017. It also experiences high Centres for Social Work (CSWs) and the Employment rates of family violence, low pre-school enrolment, and Service Agencies (ESAs). The 30 CSWs are the country’s poor primary and secondary school outcomes.88 Those key main social protection hubs, administering all cash benefits aspects of the social protection system capable of reducing and delivering social support and care services, including these challenges – the cash benefit and social care system – psycho-social support. -
Key Challenges of Human Capital in Former Yugoslavia Region
KEY CHALLENGES OF HUMAN CAPITAL IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA REGION VALERIJA BOTRIĆ THE INSTITUTE OF ECONOMICS, ZAGREB KEY CHALLANGES Demographic changes – aging population In case of some countries/periods even population decline (supported by net migration flows) Educational system – over-education, skills mismatch, low participation in adult education Low productivity: underutilization of labour, low capital intensity Some similarities to the rest of the Europe Some similarities to European South PRE-PANDEMIC HOT TOPICS: MIGRATION AND RESTRUCTURING Strong net emigration (?) Lingering economic structures Finding better work and life opporunities (labour High unemployment market mechanisms work!) High (official) inactivity rates Labour market skills mismatch (slow reforming High informal sector educational system) Skills shortages in certain sectors Labour market institutions Inability to attract talent Voting with their feet Opposition to active immigration policies Lack of precise (structural!) data The difference in characteristics between those who leave and those who stay HUMAN CAPITAL – STILL A COMPARATIVE ADANTAGE? Average annual change, 2006-2019 Work population (15-64) share 71 70 69 68 15 67 10 66 5 65 64 0 63 -5 62 -10 61 -15 -20 -25 total population natural change net migration 2006 2020 Source: Eurostat. EMPLOYMENT TO POPULATIN RATIO 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatia North Macedonia Montenegro Serbia Slovenia Source: PennWorldTables10.0 THE CONSEQUENCES OF MIGRATIONS Migration stock dynamics Human flight and brain drain 1 800 000 8 1 600 000 7 1 400 000 6 1 200 000 1 000 000 5 800 000 4 600 000 3 400 000 2 200 000 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 . -
Serbia (Srbija), Montenegro (Crna Gora) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna I Hercegovina)
Serbia (Srbija), Montenegro (Crna Gora) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina) Recent history Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) were all (along with Croatia and FYR Macedonia) formed as a result of the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. BIH declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1992, following a referendum. This break-up sparked conflict among the three large ethnic groups within the federation. Bosniaks and Croats generally favoured independence, whereas Bosnian Serbs, supported by the Serbian government, wished for a union with Serbia. Further conflict later erupted between the Croat statelet of Herzog-Bosnia and the Bosniaks. The wars lasted until the intervention of NATO and the signing of the Dayton Accords in 1995, by which time an estimated 100,000 people had been killed, many in acts of ethnic cleansing. Under the Dayton Accords, BIH was administratively decentralised and divided into two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska. Central government is consociational, with three rotating Presidents and set numbers of seats in both Houses of the Parliamentary Assembly for Croats, Bosniaks and Serbs. After the dissolution of Yugoslavia,How Serbia does did maintaina General a federation Election with Montenegro. actually However, work? this gradually evolved into a looser relationship, and Montenegrins narrowly voted for independence from Serbia in May 2006. Montenegro The UK is a liberal democracy. This means that we democratically elect politicians, who is now recognised as a separate nation by both Serbia and the EU. represent our interests. It also involves that individual rights are protected. Much more problematic has been Serbia’s relationship with Kosovo, which has a majority (90%) ethnic Albanian population.