- Montenegro, Albania join Three Seas Initiative. Croatia takes over 3SI chairmanship from Poland. Initiative participants express their support for Ukraine
At the 10th summit of the Three Seas Initiative, held in Warsaw, Montenegro and Albania were accepted as associate members, just as Ukraine and Moldova had been accepted earlier. Turkey and Spain joined the platform’s new strategic partners in addition to the United States, Germany, Japan, and the European Commission.
This is the largest expansion of our Initiative, said Polish President Andrzej Duda.
As is known, the full-fledged members of the initiative, launched in Dubrovnik in 2016, are 13 EU Member States: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
At the Warsaw summit, Albanian President Bajram Begaj stressed the strategic importance of the country’s participation in the 3SI. “Our participation in the Three Seas Initiative will contribute to further strengthening its south-eastern flank and enhancing its strategic dimension, in particular in security cooperation, democratic sustainability and transatlantic coordination,” he said.
Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović said his country, through cooperation within the Three Seas Initiative, can strengthen the strategic importance of the region, improve the quality of life of its citizens, and ensure lasting peace and prosperity in the Western Balkans.
“Montenegro is proud to join a community that promotes connectivity, innovation and sustainability – principles that are key to the future of the Western Balkans region,” he said. “By joining this Initiative, we are taking another step toward our strategic goal of EU membership,” Milatović concluded.
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At Warsaw Summit, Croatia takes over the one-year chairmanship of 3SI from Poland.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković stressed that the Croatian chairmanship will focus on strengthening economic and energy cooperation and developing infrastructure links. “We want to connect the Baltic and Adriatic Seas, but also the Black and Adriatic Seas, and the Black and Baltic Seas more than before,” he stressed.
Plenković noted that achieving energy independence remains a priority, which is especially critical given the increasing number of proposals to resume imports of Russian gas via pipelines once a ceasefire in Ukraine is reached. He stressed that Croatia is becoming a new energy hub, given the terminals on Krk for both oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG). “By expanding the annual capacity of the LNG terminal on the island of Krk to 6.1 billion cubic meters of gas, Croatia will be able to supply gas to Central and Eastern European nations, thus becoming a regional energy hub,” the prime minister said.
Throughout its presidency, Croatia will also push for improved financing models for infrastructure projects, strengthened parliamentary cooperation, and maintained strong transatlantic ties. As a confirmation of the United States’ support for the Initiative, the Croatian Prime Minister highlighted the presence of U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright at the summit.
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The participants in the Warsaw meeting expressed their unwavering support for Ukraine. The Joint Declaration of the 10th Three Seas Initiative Summit states, among other things:
• “In view of its repercussions for European and global security we strongly condemn the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, as well as any support to it by third countries.”
• “We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine, its sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. We also underscore the supporting role the 3SI may have in the reconstruction process of Ukraine.”
• “We remain ready to step up pressure on Russia in order to weaken its ability to continue waging its war of aggression.”
• “We express our support to just, lasting and comprehensive peace based on the principles of the UN Charter and in compliance with international law, including UNCLOS and through appropriate measures agreed upon by the international community.”
• “We remain convinced that those who ordered or committed war crimes in Ukraine, must be held accountable.”
- EU Commissioner Kos visits Serbia
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Cos visited Serbia on April 29-30, where she met with the government, members of parliament from the ruling and opposition parties, and civil society activists, including students participating in the protests.
The Commissioner stressed that the European Commission and European Parliament are closely following developments in Serbia, as it is a candidate country for EU membership. “Serbia’s choice is to become part of the EU, and that choice comes with responsibility, commitment, and deliverables. That is what I want to see,” Kos said.
She said that she had discussed with representatives of the Serbian government and the National Assembly the urgent need to implement the reforms that Serbia has committed to before the opening of the next Cluster 3. These include three media laws, an electoral law, and the appointment of new members of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM). “Doing the reforms is about the transformation process. It’s not because someone in Brussels is telling them to do it or just ticking boxes,” the Commissioner stressed.
In Belgrade, Kos met with Serbia’s new Prime Minister Đuro Matsut, President Aleksandar Vučić, and Speaker Ana Brnabić, as well as representatives of the ruling majority and opposition in parliament.
In a post on social media after the meeting with the European Commissioner, the Serbian President noted that they had a “good conversation” with a special focus on reforms and the implementation of the European Growth Plan for the Western Balkans. “I emphasized our full readiness to accelerate reforms not because of bureaucratic demands, but because we believe that they will bring a better life to our citizens,” Vučić wrote.
Speaking at a conference with Prime Minister Matsut, Kos said that she called on Serbia to cooperate with Europe on reforms, the creation of an independent judiciary that can effectively fight corruption, and an electoral system that guarantees that the will of the Serbian people is heard. “What we are demanding is very similar to the demands of the citizens who are protesting,” she emphasized.
Kos visited Novi Sad, where she laid flowers outside the railway station where a roof collapsed on November 1, and met with students. “I want to reiterate that what the EU asks from Serbia closely aligns with the demands of the citizens protesting. Most importantly, I want you, the young generation to benefit from the many opportunities the EU has to offer,” she wrote after the meeting.
When asked by reporters about the possible consequences should Vučić decide to attend the parade in Moscow on May 9, Kos noted that May 9, 1945, and May 9, 2025 are two completely different situations. “It is up to President Vučić to decide whether to go to Moscow or not. But if he goes, many EU institutions and member states will take note of it. Then I would have a much more difficult task helping Serbia remain firmly on its EU path. But it is his decision,” she concluded.
Neither Kos nor other European Commission officials have announced any specific steps by the EU in response to Vučić’s possible participation in the May 9 celebrations in Moscow.
- Serbia secures another postponement of sanctions on NIS
“Serbia managed to secure a new postponement of sanctions on NIS, this time for two months, until June 27. I thank our American partners for understanding Serbia’s position,” President Aleksandar Vučić said on social media.
As is known, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on January 10 put the “Oil Industry of Serbia”, NIS, on the sanctions list due to the company’s Russian ownership.
The U.S. has already postponed the application of sanctions twice, in late February and in late March, each time only for a month.
As of December 2024, the largest NIS shareholder with 50% of the shares was Gazprom Neft (Russia). Another 5% belonged to Gazprom (Russia), 29.87% to the Serbian government, and the remaining shares to minority shareholders. In February 2025, the ownership structure underwent changes as Gazprom Neft transferred about 5% to Gazprom, reducing its stake from 50 to approximately 44.85%.
The postponement of sanctions comes amid signs of changes in Washington’s sanctions policy. The administration of President Donald Trump previously instructed OFAC to review some existing restrictions on companies with ties to Russia, analysts say.
- Montenegrin President fails to sign law to engage UAE investors in controversial coastal projects near Ulcinj
Montenegrin President Jakov Milatović on April 29 returned to parliament for reconsideration a bill approving the Agreement on Cooperation in Tourism and Real Estate Development with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The agreement was supposed to pave the way for UAE investors to develop a 12-kilometer stretch of coastline known as the “Big Beach” in Ulcinj.
The previous day, the Montenegrin parliament had passed laws ratifying the Economic Cooperation Agreement and the Agreement on Cooperation in Tourism and Real Estate Development with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), despite criticism from civil society activists, environmentalists, and opposition. The vote was necessary for the agreements Prime Minister Milojko Spajic had signed with representatives of the UAE to enter into force.
The president signed one of the two bills, confirming the Economic Cooperation Agreement, but returned the third one to parliament. Milatović said the agreement with the UAE, mentioned in the bill, would put Montenegro at a disadvantage. The new legislation “provides for a number of obligations for the state of Montenegro, while at the same time contains no specific obligations of the other party that would ensure the protection of the interests of our state,” Milatović said. “With this approach, the Montenegrin government has put the state of Montenegro at an unequal position in relation to the other contracting party.”
Milatović’s main concerns are “deviations from constitutional provisions on ensuring free competition and equal market conditions” and “suspension of the application of Montenegrin legislation on public procurement, public tenders, and state property.”
He also referred to the high level of non-transparency observed after the preparation and signing of the agreement and the threat that deviations from the accepted rules of market economy and the provision of state aid could put into question the continuation of Montenegro’s path to the EU.
President Milatović’s refusal to sign the bill put forward by government and endorsed by the ruling majority is another confirmation of the existing contradictions between him and Prime Minister Spajić. For some time now, Milatović has been in opposition to the government on many political and economic issues.
- Kosovo issues arrest warrants for 20 Serbs over war crimes
The Main Court in Pristina, at the motion of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, has handed down arrest warrants for 20 Serbs on suspicion of committing war crimes, the murder of 106 Albanian civilians in Djakovica (Djakovo) in May 1999.
According to the prosecutor’s office, after the war, the bodies of the slain civilians were found in a mass grave in Batajnica near Belgrade.
Among those accused of war crimes is the former deputy chairman of the leading Kosovo Serb party, the Serbian List, Milan Radojičić.
Radojičić is also the main suspect in the case of the terrorist attack in Banjska in northern Kosovo in September 2023, where an armed Serb group attacked the Kosovo police, killing an officer. Despite an arrest warrant issued in that case, Radojičić was never detained. He is currently in Serbia. Belgrade continues to provide Milan Radojičić with asylum and protection, despite the serious crimes he is accused of committing in Pristina.
- Albania revokes visa-free travel for Belarusians
On April 24, the Albanian authorities announced the suspension of the 2020 agreement with Belarus on the mutual abolition of visa travel. Before that, Belarusians could stay in Albania without a visa for no longer than 30 days from the date of entry and a total of no more than 90 days in a calendar year.
Once the decision enters into force, Belarusian nationals will need a visa to cross into Albania.
The government approved the change in support of the law “On International Agreements in the Republic of Albania” at the motion of the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs.
The European Union has repeatedly stated the need to align the visa policy of candidates for EU accession with the rules in force within the European Union.
Earlier, the Albanian government passed a similar decision to reintroduce visa travel for citizens of Russia. From April 2023, Albania canceled visa-free travel for Russians, which had been in effect from May 1 to September 30.
