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prolonged stagnation or backsliding in reform implementation.
The Commission hopes EU members will accept the proposal in parallel with the opening of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania, ahead
of the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Zagreb on May 6-7.
For Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo, which do not yet have candidate status, the Commission says that the Stabilisation and Association Process remains the common framework of relations.
The EU welcomed the appointment
of the new Bosnian government and underlined it is ready to work with the
“The more candidates advance in their reforms, the more they will advance in the accession process”
authorities on the implementation of the 14 identified priorities, paving the way towards candidate status.
For Kosovo, the Commission said it is important that the new government resumes work on reforms, including the implementation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA).
“The Commission looks forward to working with the new government in
Kosovo and to assisting in its European Reform Agenda, focusing on strengthening the rule of law, public administration and the economy,” the Commission said.
It also underlined that it is important that Kosovo abolishes the 100% tariffs imposed on imports of Serbian and Bosnian products and renews its engagement in regional initiatives and cooperation.
Romania’s government dismissed in no-confidence vote
bne IntelliNews
Romanian lawmakers passed a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on February 5 — just three months after it took office.
Should parties fail to install a new government, the vote could lead to an early general election, ahead of the term elections due to take place by the end of the year.
Both Orban and President Klaus Iohannis have said openly that they favour early elections which, if Orban’s National Liberal Party (PNL) performs well, would put him in
a stronger position than he has been at the head of
a fragile minority coalition.
After hours of debate in a joint sitting of the chambers of the parliament on February 5, 261 MPs, 28 more than needed, endorsed the motion.
The no-confidence motion was triggered by an attempt by the government to introduce two-round voting for mayors. As a direct effect of the vote, Romanian mayors will not be elected in two rounds. Both the PNL and the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) are in principle expected to gain from single-round local elections.
Initially, the PSD and the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), 208 MPs altogether, signed the motion. The PSD was counting on 232 votes, one vote under the threshold, in favour of its motion the day before the vote
in parliament. However, the Pro Romania party of former prime minister Victor Ponta shifted the balance.
Following the vote, while negotiations are underway, the Liberal government will remain in place, with reduced powers.
Under the constitution, Iohannis must nominate a prime minister and submit the nomination to lawmakers.
Only after two negative votes in parliament, can the president call early elections. The PNL is expected to nominate Orban for another term and the PSD — which is understood not to object to early elections — has three candidates on its list.
However, Orban’s government revealed the day before the vote that it had drafted an emergency decree to amend the electoral law for parliamentary elections. The new terms reportedly annoyed the Social Democrats, therefore any smooth scenario leading to early elections is no longer straightforward.
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