Strategic Analysis Balkan Brief

Review of September 2025

Petra Bošková,  Zuzana Šmilňáková, Lucia Jašková, Kristína Piknová,  Matúš Vicen

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Albania
Albania’s Public Broadcaster Faces Mounting Debt and Unpaid Contributors

The financial crisis at Albania’s public broadcaster, Radio-Television Albania (RTSH), has escalated after several contributors revealed that they have not been paid for months, raising concerns about the broadcaster’s stability and management. The revelations have again brought RTSH into the spotlight as external programme authors and journalists complain about delayed or blocked payments and a lack of transparency.

Kozeta Kurti, author and host of Diary of an Artist, wrote on social media that she and her staff had not received payment for their work and had been left without explanations despite repeated attempts to meet with senior management. Similarly, journalist Elsa Demo stated that her show Artes was suddenly suspended, and despite requesting meetings with the new director general, she received no response. Other contributors, speaking anonymously, confirmed that since May, payments have been completely blocked, with some stating they had not been paid since June.

Eni Vasili, a journalist who took over as director general in April 2025, acknowledged the broadcaster’s precarious finances. In an interview with BIRN, she admitted that RTSH is burdened by “a catastrophic situation of debts and obligations.” According to the broadcaster’s Board of Directors, RTSH owes around six million EUR, while unfair dismissal lawsuits from her predecessor Alfred Peza’s abrupt firing of 150 employees have already cost 1.8 million EUR.

Vasili emphasised that the new management is prioritising payments, particularly to international partners such as the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), warning that failure to meet obligations could jeopardise Albania’s participation in Eurovision and other broadcasting rights. She insisted that current delays stem from long-standing financial mismanagement rather than decisions by the new leadership, while promising that the internal debt would soon be reviewed by the Board.

RTSH, in principle an independent public broadcaster, remains under the influence of the ruling Socialist Party, as parliament elects the Board of Directors, which in turn appoints the director general. Former chief Alfred Peza, responsible for many of the broadcaster’s current debts and lawsuits, is a former Socialist Party MP. While Vasili pledged to restore dignity to staff and return RTSH to its historic educational role, the continuing payment delays risk deepening mistrust among journalists and contributors, and highlight systemic problems in Albania’s public media sector.

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Bosnia and Herzegovina
Milorad Dodik steps down from all official positions in Republika Srpska

Milorad Dodik, the long-standing leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats who served both as a Prime Minister and a Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina multiple times over the years, stepped down from all his official positions on Monday, September 29. His resignation followed a series of national court rulings and a conflict with the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Christian Schmidt.

In February 2025, the Bosnian federal court sentenced Dodik to one year in jail and ruled that he resign from the Presidency in Republika Srpska for six years. The court concluded that Dodik defied orders of the High Representative aimed at building peace in the post-conflict country. Previously, in 2023, Dodik was even indicted for suspending the rulings of the constitutional court and the orders of the High Representative.

The court’s appeals chamber upheld the original verdict from February, which resulted in the opening of the procedure of removing Dodik from office by the Central Electoral Committee in August. Although the committee announced that Dodik has been removed from his position in the Presidency, he decided to fight against the decision in a separate appellate court case. Dodik even declared: “I won’t step down. There will be a referendum at the end of September”. Dodik got support from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as well as the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. On the contrary, the EU’s diplomatic service released a statement in which the EU declared that it “calls on all parties to acknowledge the independence and impartiality of the court, and to respect and uphold its verdict”.

Following the international pressure mounted on Dodik to accept the verdict of the court, he announced that he will be stepping down from all his positions at the end of September. “This is part of our broader strategy — a move to resist threats aimed at undermining Republika Srpska,” Dodik said in relation to his decision. The presidential election in Republika Srpska is planned for November 23.

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Montenegro
US Bans Entry of Former Top Montenegrin Officials Over Corruption and Drug-Trafficking Links

On September 10, the US State Department blacklisted two prominent Montenegrin figures, former Budva mayor and parliamentarian Milo Bozovic, and Vesna Medenica, the ex-president of the Supreme Court. Both are accused of serious corruption and ties to organised drug smuggling, and they, along with their close family members, are now barred from entering the United States.

Bozovic, a well-known political actor in the coastal town of Budva and affiliated with the Democratic Front alliance, was arrested in 2023 on drug-trafficking charges and is currently facing trial.

Medenica, who led Montenegro’s judiciary for nearly twenty years and was once regarded as one of the country’s most powerful officials, was detained in 2022. Prosecutors allege she accepted bribes, misused her office, and leaked sensitive information to a smuggling group allegedly headed by her son, Milos.

According to the State Department, these sanctions demonstrate Washington’s determination to fight corruption, organised crime, and narcotics trafficking that undermine stability in the Western Balkans and pose risks to US security interests.

Medenica had previously resigned as Supreme Court president in late 2021, months after her controversial reappointment for a third term drew criticism from both the European Commission and civil society groups.

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Kosovo
North Mitrovica bridge reopening sparks protests and diplomatic tensions

On August 7, the protesters gathered in North Mitrovica to oppose the Kosovo government’s plan to fully reopen the town’s main bridge, which has been closed to vehicle traffic since the end of the war in 1999.

In August, hundreds of Serbs demonstrated against the move, arguing that the reopening of the bridge would endanger their security. This bridge in the Northern city of Kosovo separates the Serb-majority in the northern part of the city from the Albanian-majority south. The decision has triggered fresh tensions between the Kurti government and its Western partners, who insist that the issue should be addressed within the EU-facilitated Belgrade–Pristina dialogue in Brussels, rather than through unilateral steps by Kosovo’s government.

“Opening the bridge is a matter for dialogue, despite the Kosovo government acting otherwise. Alongside partners, including NATO and KFOR, we oppose any attempt to alter the current status of the bridge without prior coordination,” the EU spokesperson told BIRN. Serbian officials also denounced the initiative, calling it an attempt “to provoke conflict”.

Kurti stated that the opening of the bridge is not directed against anyone. “Kosovo is a normal state, and its bridges should also be normal – meaning open,” said the Prime Minister.

The bridge in North Mitrovica has been a long-standing subject in the EU-mediated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia. In 2016, the two sides reached an agreement stipulating that the bridge would be reopened to all traffic on January 20, 2017.

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Serbia
Serbia Stages Largest Military Parade in Its History Amid Domestic and International Criticism

On September 20,  Serbia showcased its military power by organising the largest parade in the country’s history, marking the Day of Serbian Unity, Freedom, and the National Flag, a public holiday established in 2020. The event was initiated by President Aleksandar Vučić and attended by Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, who was convicted earlier this year by a Bosnian court.

According to Radio Free Europe, around 10,000 troops and 2,600 military assets took part in the display. The parade featured a mix of domestically manufactured weapons and foreign systems, including Russian tanks, Chinese air defence technology, Israeli rocket launchers, and drones from the United Arab Emirates. Analysts noted that this diversity reflects Belgrade’s strategy of balancing ties with multiple global powers.

At the same time, Serbia has signalled a shift toward Western suppliers. During French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Belgrade in August 2024, Serbia confirmed its purchase of Rafale fighter jets, which participated in the air show segment of the parade.

President Vučić framed the event as a demonstration of Serbia’s readiness to defend its sovereignty and deter potential threats. “All countries in the region are strengthening their defences. It is our responsibility to keep pace,” he said in 2024, when Serbia allocated roughly $2.2 billion—or 2.6 per cent of GDP—to defence spending.

However, the display of military strength occurred against a backdrop of political unrest. Protests over corruption and demands for justice for the 16 victims of last year’s Novi Sad train station roof collapse coincided with the parade. Critics argued that the event served less as a celebration of national unity and more as a show of force by Vučić’s government, which is under pressure from student movements and faces growing international criticism over alleged authoritarian practices.

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North Macedonia
North Macedonia PM Alleges State Surveillance During His Time in Opposition

The Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski has come forward with claims that while he was the leader of the opposition, he and his party were under surveillance by national security services. According to Mickoski, this alleged monitoring also included journalists, business figures, and other public individuals. He denounced it as an “assault on democracy.”

In response to the accusations, prosecutors specialising in organised crime and corruption have opened an investigation. The pre-investigation was initiated after the National Security Agency (NSA/ANB) reportedly submitted a report in early August.

The opposition Social Democratic Party (SDSM) has voiced concern over the matter. They have called for the documents involved to be declassified and for greater transparency, arguing that the case could amount to political misuse of the state security apparatus.

In parallel, the head of the NSA, Bojan Hristovski, acknowledged that internal reviews have revealed signs of misconduct by a former director and a few employees who may have misused their positions.

The issue has resurfaced just ahead of local elections in North Macedonia, adding to existing political tensions.

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