For Europe Day (9 May) this year, the EU institutions are throwing open their ‘virtual’ doors so that people across Europe and beyond can find out more about the European Union. A special section in the ‘Green Lanes from Europe to the World’ Virtual Tour is dedicated to the Western Balkans. Interested visitors can discover masses of interactive materials, videos and special messages from the EU Ambassadors in the region to find out all about EU-Western Balkan relations.
Visitors can also visit and interact with the EU institutions, such as the European Parliament, Council, the Commission and other EU institutions in the virtual, immersive space. Users have the opportunity to explore content, play games online, watch engaging videos and test their knowledge on the EU in general, as well as on themes related to a green and digital Europe. With a click, users can take part in online debates on EU topics and explore other online events.
Come and join us in this digital celebration. Happy Europe Day!
Investigative journalism is a precious commodity that the EU considers worth investing in
In Kosovo, digital news consumption experienced a boom a few years ago. With the pandemic forcing people to spend more time indoors, the power of digital platforms has only increased, and these platforms are the most common sources of false or misleading information.
The number of online news portals in Kosovo surged around the general elections in 2017, according to Arta Berisha, a prominent journalist who has covered the phenomenon of fake news. At that time, she had just started teaching journalism “As a journalist, I was concerned about the lack of standards on these portals,” she says.
“We wanted to provide a platform for journalists who are unable to produce content independently; for them to do their job without being influenced by advertisers or the daily pressure of producing content in their newsrooms.”
Compared to the US market, where fake news content was developed for financial gain, in Kosovo misleading information is intended mainly for political gains. “Content packaged with catchy headlines and biased and unverified content is abundant and is produced for purely political interests by media representatives affiliated across the political spectrum in Kosovo,” says Berisha who has written extensively on the topic since 2017. The situation is confirmed in a European Parliament study which references Berisha’s work and concludes that disinformation in the Western Balkans is produced and disseminated by domestic actors for domestic purposes. This study on disinformation, conducted in the period from 2018 through 2020 reveals three key disinformation challenges: external challenges to EU credibility; disinformation related to the COVID-19 pandemic; and the impact of disinformation on elections and referenda.
A series of 12 articles by Berisha shed light on this widespread phenomenon among digital media covering a range of topics, from elections to fact-checking and unjustified government financing of selected media with the potential to influence on their editorial policies. In her articles she puts the spotlight on news portals who are members of the Press Council and have repeatedly published stories that contained fake information potentially damaging a person’s or an entity’s reputation. The public broadcaster, RTK, was not exempt.
“Content packaged with catchy headlines and biased and unverified content is abundant and is produced for purely political interests by media representatives affiliated across the political spectrum in Kosovo.”
About the programme
BIRN and the Association of Journalists in Kosovo implemented the project “Contributing to Strengthening Independent, Investigative and Publicly Beneficial Journalism and Freedom of Expression in Kosovo” funded by an EU grant. A Fellowship helped finance 20 individual journalists, while the sub-granting scheme provided support to 48 grantees, including 26 individual journalists (12 of whom were women) and 22 media organisations, 16 of which were based in non-majority communities. Meanwhile, an internship programme gave opportunities to 57 interns, 41 of whom were women. 440 pieces of journalism were produced under the project, with much of the work republished in media across Kosovo and the region.
Berisha was one of 46 journalists who have published their own findings on a range of topics of public interest as part of an EU-funded programme to strengthen investigative journalism and freedom of expression in Kosovo. The scheme, implemented through fellowships and grants, allowed journalists to conduct in-depth investigations over a period of up to six months.
“We wanted to provide a platform for journalists who are unable to produce content independently; to allow them to do their job without being influenced by advertisers or the daily pressure of producing content in their newsrooms,” says Albulena Sadiku from the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network – BIRN.
Investigative pieces have caused public and media debate, and even parliamentary discussions on issues of high public interest. In addition, journalists have received awards for their work, such is the case with a story on children’s rights awarded by the coalition of NGOs active in the field. Arta Berisha’s articles were also widely published by local media and beyond. All these contribute to building credibility in journalism, she says. “Fake news makes people lose their trust in journalism.” Berisha adds that it distorts our ability to identify credible sources of information. She organised an exhibition showcasing printed samples from her research in order to raise awareness about the issue among the media community. “No media representative that was part of my research showed up.”
Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi travels to the Western Balkans today as the first COVID-19 vaccines, shared and funded by the European Union, arrive to the region.
As announced by the European Commission and Austria on 20 April, in total 651,000 BioNTech/Pfizer doses will be delivered to the region in weekly instalments from the beginning of May to August. These vaccines will help to accelerate the vaccination campaigns, to ensure all frontline medical workers and some of the most vulnerable groups are inoculated.
Enlargement and Neighbourhood Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi said: “I am travelling to the Western Balkans to pass a clear message: We care! We care about our partners, and we care about their health care workers and the most vulnerable. The delivery of the vaccines confirms our continuous commitment to provide support, as we have been doing since the outbreak of the pandemic. Stronger together!”
The vaccines are funded from the €70 million package adopted by the Commission in December 2020 to help cover the cost of vaccines, secured under the EU’s advance purchase agreements for the Western Balkan partners. Austria has facilitated the sharing of these EU funded vaccines through legal arrangements with the producer and each Western Balkan partner. The overall distribution between countries is based on epidemiological needs. These vaccines come on top of those provided by COVAX, where the EU is one of the top contributors with close to €2.5 billion from Team Europe (EU and its Member States).
The EU Publications Office is organising the first “EU Open Data Days” online event between 23 to 25 November 2021. The event will consist on open data and data visualisation ‘EU DataViz 2021’ and the annual open data competition ‘EUdatathon’. It will gather experts of open data, share latest trends and will focus on access to public data in particular on topics related to the Commission’s priority – green, digital and economy.
Data is a key asset for digital transformation. It is a building material for research and innovation, personalised products and services, powerful new technologies and better decision-making. These translate into solutions to societal challenges that can improve and even save people’s lives, as the current pandemic demonstrates. Open data is also freely available to generate value through reuse.
This unique online event will serve as a knowledge hub, bringing the benefits of open data and its reuse to the EU public sector, and through it to people and businesses. Get inspired and discover the latest trends and most innovative solutions!
The event is open to applicants from the Western Balkans.
The European Commission has invested an additional €40 million into the European Fund for Southeast Europe (EFSE) to help combat the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the Western Balkans and EU Eastern Neighbourhood Region. The capital will be used to bolster the ability of local financial institutions to support micro and small enterprises in overcoming the challenges of the crisis.
The majority of entrepreneurs in these benefiting regions have reported severely negative consequences on their businesses from the coronavirus outbreak, including suspension of operations and drastic declines in revenue. According to a study conducted by the EFSE Development Facility, four out of five small businesses in these regions have experienced ‘negative to extremely negative impact’ on their operations, with others reporting temporary layoffs that could become permanent. By providing new and restructured business loans, local financial service providers play a key role in keeping these enterprises afloat.
To support these efforts, the EU has invested an additional €40 million into the fund. EFSE was one of the first vehicles to use a blended finance structure that leverages public capital to mobilise private investments for impact. The new funding will contribute to providing financial institutions in the EFSE target region with the means to continue serving micro and small enterprises.
Officials from the European Union and Serbia have signed a grant package for Serbia worth over €86 million. The grant package will focus on supporting Serbia in protecting the economy and the environment – in particular safe drinking water, supporting the tourism sector and to support small and medium sized enterprises.
In a video statement, EU Commissioner for EU Enlargement Negotiations, Oliver Várhelyi, said: “The package will further foster the support to the economy, which has been hit by the (COVID 19) crisis. Small and medium sized enterprises are the backbone of the society and we wish to continue our success story with them, as we have been supporting this sector with great results for many years.”
The package is structured as follows:
Competitiveness and economy – €17 million to support competitiveness of small and medium sized enterprises, particularly in the tourism sector
Environment – €45 million to kick-start Serbia’s Green Agenda and €9 million for energy efficiency investment in public buildings
Good governance – €14 million to support reforms on governance, acquis reforms and Serbia’s participation in EU programmes
The European Union is the largest donor, investor and trade partner with Serbia.
A Montenegrin company finds potential for growth in agriculture with EU support
Montenegro is a net importer of agricultural and food products. Although the trade deficit has declined over the last years, research by the EU-funded Institute for Prospective Technological Studies shows that a number of elements still have an impact on this situation. These include fragmented farms, low volumes of primary production, an underdeveloped processing sector, and low levels of the application of modern production technologies.
The potential for growth in the agricultural market was noticed by Veletex, a Montenegrin company which has been operating for 30 years and is engaged in food distribution and retail of horticulture products. The company’s Kalia garden centres employ over 40 agronomists.
“There is no other company or institution in Montenegro that employs so many experts in agriculture. Kalia is also at the source of procurement of all raw materials for agricultural production, which helped”
Potential for growth
Miloš Golubović is the general manager of Veletex. He explains that primary agricultural production was a good match for their business. The distribution sector, which is the oldest sector in the company, deals with the distribution of food, including fruit and vegetables, so the company has business partners and contacts for selling agricultural products. “There is no other company or institution in Montenegro that employs so many experts in agriculture. Kalia is also at the source of procurement of all raw materials for agricultural production, which helped.”
Veletex therefore launched a new company, Naše Voće (“our fruit” in Montenegrin), and purchased over 44 hectares of agricultural land from a formerly state-owned farm in the Nikšić area.
Help to get going
Miloš explains that working with modern technologies in fruit-growing requires larger areas because there is one very expensive piece of infrastructure necessary – regardless of whether you have one hectare or 40 hectares of land. “I mean the central irrigation system.”
Investment in this type of technology is a significant challenge, even for a well-established company such as Veletex. For this reason, Naše Voće decided to apply for support from the EU programme, Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance for Rural Development (IPARD), which focuses on rural areas and the agri-food sectors in countries in the process of joining the EU. Through IPARD, they were supported in establishing and later expanding their apple orchards and investing in anti-hail netting. Now, with the latest call for proposals, they have signed a grant contract for the construction of a facility for processing and storing fruit. “With 2,500 square meters, the facility will be one of the largest in Montenegro,” Miloš says.
“The plan for further expansion is in Red Delicious, but on four hectares there will be a new variety – Japanese Fuji – which is also a red apple: a large fruit, something completely new for Montenegro.”
About the programme
Part of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), designed to support reforms in countries in the process of joining the EU, the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance for Rural Development (IPARD) focuses on rural areas and the agri-food sectors of those countries. Through this tool, the EU provides beneficiaries with financial and technical help for making their agricultural sector and rural areas more sustainable and aligning them with the EU’s common agricultural policy.
In addition, they have signed a grant contract for primary production with the construction of an intensive perennial apple orchard. The investment includes purchase of seedlings and a tractor.
Apples are the primary fruit that the company is working on, because of the climatic conditions of the Župa valley which are best for apple growth. Currently, the company grows varieties of red apple. “The plan for further expansion is in Red Delicious, but on four hectares there will be a new variety – Japanese Fuji – which is also a red apple: a large fruit, something completely new for Montenegro,” says Miloš.
On 27-28 April, TAIEX brought together 300 governmental stakeholders from 22 partner countries, including the Western Balkans, to work with EU Member State experts on the reforms of their economic and environmental policies. Experts from Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy and Slovakia shared their views on what regulators can do to limit waste production – and what to do best with the remaining debris.
“We need to rethink our entire relationship with our environment,” said Fanny Marchal, the chair of the event and Deputy Head of the Institution Building, TAIEX and Twinning Unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations.
“Climate change, biodiversity loss, resources depletion and pollution are major challenges that require a profound transformation of value chains, our business models and our consumption habits, to put an end to the destructive production models of today.”
During the event, other sessions covered sustainable practices in construction and textile sectors. European Commission experts also shared their insights into environmental labelling and recycling food packaging, among others.
This year marks 25 years since the launch of the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument (TAIEX) in 1996. Originally established as a “one stop shop” to support EU candidate countries in adopting the EU ‘acquis’ (body of law), today TAIEX promotes EU expertise and best practices globally.
EU Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Johann Sattler, delivered 200 oxygen cylinders with supporting equipment to the Medical Centre Kumrovec. The equipment will be distributed to health centres in the Sarajevo Canton as part of the EU COVID-19 response.
The medical equipment package includes 10L oxygen cylinders and humidifiers with masks for patients. The total value of the medical equipment donated to the Sarajevo Canton by the EU is over €700,000. The procurement was coordinated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in consultation with the Sarajevo Canton Government.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the European Union has provided the necessary medical supplies throughout the country, including respirators, X-ray machines, ultrasound and ECG devices, personal protective equipment and PCR tests in the scope of its support programme.
The European Union Prize for Literature(EUPL) recognises emerging fiction writers from across Europe. The award includes 41 countries that are part of the Creative Europe programme – an initiative aiming to strengthen Europe’s cultural and creative sectors. The EUPL was launched in 2009 and since then recognised 135 winning authors through 12 editions. Each year, the EUPL awards one winner per country from a third of participating countries. This year’s edition will award winners from 14 countries: Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, Moldova, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Tunisia.
The shortlist includes five candidates from Albania:
Ana Kove, Kambanat e së dielës(Bells on Sunday), publisher: Toena
Brajan Sukaj, Viti i Elefantit (The Year of the Elephant), publisher: Ombra GVG
Liridon Mulaj, Mos harro të më kujtosh(Don’t forget to remember me), publisher: Onufri
The shortlist for each country has been selected by a national jury of literary experts. The winners of the EUPL 2021 edition will be announced on 18 May in a digital event.
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