The foreign policy committee of the US Senate on Tuesday approved the bill on the Western Balkans and will send it for comment before the full composition of the upper house of Congress.
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The law was submitted to the Senate in May of last year by Democratic Senator Jean Shahin, chairwoman of the Senate Subcommittee on Europe, with the support of colleagues from both political parties.
In a written statement for the Voice of America, Shahin emphasized on Tuesday that by approving the legal proposal, the foreign policy committee "sent a message of renewed commitment to the countries of the Western Balkans."
"I wrote this bill to focus on opportunities to strengthen our commitment and investment in the region, by strengthening trade and economic cooperation, and to strengthen US mechanisms to address malign influence, corruption and other efforts to undermine The most important thing is that, if signed, the bill will codify the regulations on dealing with corrupt and anti-Dayton behavior in the Western Balkans, making it clear that the US will not tolerate efforts to undermine peace and stability in the region with one of the authors of the legal proposal, Senator (Roger) Wicker at the adoption of the law," said Shahin.
In the amended text of the bill, published on the website of the Foreign Policy Committee, among other things, deep concern is expressed about the state of democracy in Serbia.
"The parliamentary and local elections in Serbia - and what followed immediately after them - are a reason for deep concern regarding the state of democracy in Serbia, among other things due to the final report of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE," it is stated in to the text of the legal proposal entitled "Law on Democracy and Prosperity of the Western Balkans".
In the text of the proposal, it is recalled that the ODIHR report found that there were "unfair" election conditions, that there were "numerous procedural deficiencies, including inconsistent application of protective measures during voting and vote counting and frequent examples of overcrowding and violations secrecy of voting, and that there were numerous cases of group voting". It is also emphasized that the report stated that "voting must be repeated" in some polling stations.
"The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also stated that officials in Serbia have accused mostly peaceful protesters, opposition parties and civil society of 'trying to destabilize the government,' which is a worrying accusation that threatens the security of important elements of Serbian society," it said. legal proposal.
In the text of the proposal, it is stated, among other things, that Serbia and Kosovo should achieve urgent progress in the implementation of the Annex to the Agreement on the Road to Normalization of Relations, which was reached in February last year in Ohrid.
"Once sufficient progress has been made in the implementation of the annex, the United States of America (USA) should consider advancing initiatives to strengthen bilateral relations with both countries, which could include: establishing a bilateral strategic dialogue with Kosovo and Serbia, advancing concrete initiatives for deepening trade and investment with both countries," the proposal states, and says that the U.S. should continue to support a comprehensive final agreement between Kosovo and Serbia based on mutual recognition.
With the support of Senators Roger Wicker, Ben Cardin, Dick Durbin and Chris Van Hollen, the goal of the New Hampshire senator's proposal is to promote cooperation among the countries of the Western Balkans, as well as the cooperation of those countries with the United States.
Almost the same group of senators proposed a similar law to the last convocation of the Senate, but it was not adopted.
The legal proposal, among other things, foresees the establishment of a regional initiative for trade and economic competitiveness, the codification of two existing executive orders on the imposition of sanctions for corruption and threats to peace and stability in the Western Balkans, as well as the launch of an initiative to fight corruption that would direct the US Secretary of State to provide technical assistance to all countries in the development of national strategies for the fight against corruption.
The text of the legal proposal states, among other things, that corruption is still a problem in the Western Balkans and that it is one of the biggest obstacles to the economic and political development of the region, and that disinformation campaigns undermine the credibility of democratic institutions, including the integrity of elections, in seven Western Balkan countries.
It also points to the dependence of the Western Balkans on Russian sources of fossil fuels, which "hinders their aspirations for European integration", and says that reducing that dependence is in the national interest of the US. It also warns of the growing influence of China in the Western Balkans, which "could also have a detrimental effect on strategic competition, democracy and economic integration with Europe."
It is also assessed that it is in the mutual interest of the USA and the countries of the region to promote stable and sustainable economic growth and development in the region, that reforms and integration with the European Union have led to significant democratic and economic progress, but that the rate of poverty and unemployment in the Balkans and still higher than in the neighboring EU member states and that the departure of citizens, especially young people, affects the demographic picture of each country. It added that existing regional economic efforts, such as the Common Regional Market, the Berlin Process and the Open Balkans, have the potential to improve economic conditions in the Western Balkans.
The legal proposal also calls for close coordination with the European Union, the United Kingdom and other allies and partners when it comes to sanctions affecting countries in the region and to "coordinate efforts as much as possible" to demonstrate a clear commitment to respecting democratic principles. .
It was also stated that it is necessary for the United States to increase its efforts to oppose Russia's malignant campaigns of spreading influence and "other destabilizing and disruptive activities aimed at the Western Balkans", through cooperation with government institutions, political actors, journalists, civil society and business leaders (industry leaders).
The legal proposal also calls for support for the accelerated integration of countries in the EU and NATO, for those who want it and meet the conditions. The continuation of American support for the development of civil societies, independent media, political stability and modern market economies is also sought.
The US should give "priority to partnerships and programs for the countries of the Western Balkans that show commitment to strengthening democracies and respect human rights", according to the US bill, which emphasizes that the region is key to the peace, stability and prosperity of the European continent.
The Western Balkans region, according to the definition of the US Congress, consists of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.
In order for the bill to pass, it must first be approved by the full Senate and then the House of Representatives before being signed by US President Joseph Biden.
It is not yet known when the Senate could give its opinion on the bill on the Western Balkans.
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