Category: News and Events

“Skopje 2014 Uncovered” Gets Mobile App

BIRN Macedonia has developed an interactive app for Android devices called “Skopje 2014 Uncovered” that allows users to know the cost of buildings and monuments that form part of the government sponsored revamp of the capital.

BIRN’s new app lists all the edifices that are included in the BIRN’s official database of buildings, new facades, sculptures, monuments, fountains and other structures which are components of Skopje’s publicly funded makeover.

Through photographing a specific structure, users can now get its exact cost. By photographing with a wider span, users can find out the cost of each structure in the picture or get the total sum.

To obtain more information, the app “Skopje 2014 Uncovered” also allows connection to BIRN’s database with the same name.

Photographs made through the app can be shared through social networks or sent via messages with one click.

The app is available on Google Play.

BIRN Kosovo Wins Two Anti-Corruption Awards

BIRN’s ‘Justice in Kosovo’ (‘Drejtësia në Kosovë’) TV programme and Life in Kosovo (Jeta në Kosovë) newspaper won awards for anti-corruption investigations on the international day against corruption.

The awards for anti-corruption reporting were presented to BIRN’s journalists on Wednesday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) and the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK).

The ‘Justice in Kosovo’ programme team, Kreshnik Gashi, Naim Krasniqi and Behar Mustafa, were awarded for their investigation ‘F2 File’ which began in December 2014.

The investigation showed how the contract of the Ministry of Health become the target of allegations of corruption and forgery over the supply of equipment and medicinal products worth millions of euros.

After the programme was broadcast, the owners of three companies involved in the case were arrested and the Prosecutor’s Office in Pristina opened a criminal investigation.

As a result, the Agency for Medicinal Products and Equipment has cancelled licenses for the Friends company, while the Ministry of Health has suspended its contract with the firm. The Health Inspectorate has also blocked stocks of the company’s medicines.

“It is a motivation for us to go further,” said Kreshnik Gashi, the editor of ‘Justice in Kosovo’.

“It is a concern the fact that corruption is increasing in this country, and the number of investigations into corruption are decreasing, as is shown by the number of applications, because every day the number of journalists who fight corruption is decreasing, and this should be a warning for all of us,” Gashi added.

The newspaper ‘Life in Kosovo’, was awarded for a story entitled “Suspicious Emeritus of UP”, about corruption in the education system.

This story shows how the three professors at the University of Pristina, who hold the title “Professor Emeritus” do not meet even the basic requirements to keep that title.

Zejnel Kelmendi, Faik Brestovci and Mujë Rugova are those who hold this title – two of them were former rectors of UP. They receive the same salary as the regular professors in UP – over 1,429 euros. But several years later, UP had come to the conclusion that they do not meet the basic criteria to get that title. In fact, it is said that neither their files for these titles are listed in the Rectorat.

Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence Launched in Vienna

Ten fellows from Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Romania and Serbia have come to Vienna to take part in the opening seminar of the ninth Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme.

The fellows came to the Austrian capital to refine the story proposals which formed the basis of their applications for the programme.

The participants are receiving coaching and professional support in planning their research, carrying out their reporting and structuring their stories.

They also participate in story commissioning sessions led by BFJE programme editor Andrew Gray and Balkan Insight Editor in Chief Ana Petruseva.The purpose of these sessions is to brainstorm ideas in order to come up with new angles and sharpen the focus of the stories.

The seminar also includes a photography workshop and a visit to the newsroom of the prominent Austrian daily Der Standard.

The BFJE programme was established in 2007 and provides 10 journalists annually with training and mentoring, as well as the financial resources to travel and carry out research, in order to produce long investigative or analytical stories on topics important to the region’s development. The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence is supported by ERSTE Foundation and Open Society Foundations.

Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence Winners Chosen

Zornitsa Stoilova was awarded first prize for the best story from the 2015 Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme at a closing ceremony in Tirana on Friday.

Zornitsa won the prize of 4,000 euros for her story about support for ISIS among some members of a marginalised Roma community in Bulgaria.

The second prize and 3,000 euros went to Damir Pilic for his article “Red revival: The fall and rise of Karl Marx”.

The third prize and 1,000 euros was awarded to Laura Stefanut for her story about clothing factories industry in Romania and Bulgaria.

Ten talented journalists from Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Romania and Serbia worked for more than six months on in-depth stories and investigations, exploring different aspects of this year’s fellowship theme, ‘Values’.

The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence was launched in 2007 to promote high-quality, cross-border reporting. The programme provides fellows with financial and editorial support, allowing them to travel, research and write their stories and develop their journalistic skills. They also have the opportunity to work with colleagues from neighbouring countries to examine how different nations are tackling important social and political topics.

The jury members who selected the winners were Florian Hassel, Balkan correspondent for the German daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, Remzi Lani, executive director of the Albanian Media Institute, Gerald Knaus, founder and president of the European Stability Initiative, Milorad Ivanovic, executive editor of the Serbian edition of Newsweek, Martin Woker, correspondent of the Swiss daily newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Gerfried Sperl, columnist for the Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard. Allan Little, the veteran BBC foreign correspondent, was the selection committee’s annual member, serving for a one-year term.

For the first time in the fellowship’s history, the award ceremony was held in Albania, at Tulla Culture Centre in Tirana.

With this year’s programme concluded, fellows are invited to joint the BFJE alumni network, which already consists of more than 70 journalists from 10 Balkan countries who collaborate on stories and promote high professional standards.

The fellowship will issue a call for applications for next year’s programme in January 2016.

Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence is implemented by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, supported by ERSTE Foundation and Open Society Foundations.  

BIRN Albania Launches Video against Self-Censorship

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania has released a two-minute video, seeking to raise awareness among the public, media professionals and decision-makers about widespread self-censorship in the media.

The animation, the work of Albanian multimedia artist Gentian Shkurti, is based on BIRN’s recent report “A Blind Eye on News: Self-Censorship in the Albanian Media”, which highlights the frequency, roots and causes of self-censorship. 

The report provides an overview of self-censorship in the Albanian media, based on interviews with media professionals.

This is the first survey of this phenomenon in Albania and the findings aim to raise awareness of the presence and influence of self-censorship on freedom of expression.

The video presents the key findings of the study in an easily digestible format to reach a wider audience.

During the short clip, the public is urged not “turn a blind eye on news” and support journalists and freedom of expression in Albania.

Production of the video was supported by the Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA. 

Fellowship Closing Seminar To Be Held in Tirana

Ten talented journalists from across the region will reunite in Tirana after eight months of hard work to discuss their cross-border stories, produced as part of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence.

The fellows taking part in the ninth year of the programme have travelled across the region and far beyond to gather material for in-depth articles based on the theme of ‘Values’. They have also attended editing sessions in Belgrade and Skopje with BFJE editor Andrew Gray to finalise their texts.

On Friday, December 4th, the fellows will present their stories to members of the programme’s selection committee, who will then vote for the three best articles. The winners will be awarded a cash prize of 4,000 euros for first place, 3,000 euros for second place and 1,000 euros for third place.

The winners will be announced at the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence closing event and award ceremony in Tirana on the evening of December 4th.

The Fellowship programme is supported by ERSTE Foundation and Open Society Foundations. It was created to enable journalists to work on projects of their own choice with editorial and professional support to produce in-depth, cross-border stories on topics of importance both inside and outside the region.

BIRN Launches Balkan Extremism Reporting Project

BIRN Hub began a new project focused on online reporting on extremism in the Balkans with two days of training for journalists from across the region.

The two-day training session for 11 journalists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia was held in Belgrade from November 21-22 as part of Balkan Investigative Reporting Network’s new project, ‘Strengthening Media Reporting and Public Understanding of Extremism in the Western Balkans’.

The journalists heard lectures from Secunder Kermani, a BBC Newsnight reporter and producer, and Shpend Kursani, a researcher at the Kosovo Centre for Security Policy.

Kermani lectured on various aspects of Islamic theology, and presented an overview of different groups fighting in Syria and Iraq. He also provided journalists with tips on how to avoid the ISIS propaganda machine and how to locate foreign fighters.

Kursani meanwhile presented a report about the causes and consequences of Kosovo citizens’ involvement as foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq.

On the second day, the journalists work on story proposals with head of the project, Marija Ristic, editor Anita Rice and BIRN regional director Gordana Igric.

Besides training, the project involves the continuous production of news, interviews and analysis on a special focus page on the Balkan Insight website entitled ISIS in the Balkans.

The selected 11 journalists will also have continuous on-the-job training and mentoring as a regional journalistic team.

As part of the project, the journalists will produce six in-depth country-based analysis articles and one cross-regional research paper. 

At the end of the project, BIRN will organize a conference with key stakeholders at which they will debate the issue of violent extremism in the Balkans.

BIG DEAL: Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue ‘Split Asunder’

Only four of 16 agreements between Belgrade and Prishtina reached in Brussels since 2011 have been fully implemented, shows the most recent report by BIG DEAL, a civic oversight initiative on the Kosovo-Serbia negotiations. It is the same number as observed in the previous report six months ago.

“BIG DEAL: Split Asunder” is a joint report produced by BIRN Kosovo, Internews Kosova and the Advocacy Center for Democratic Culture (ACDC) of North Mitrovica. The report finds that this six month period has been a time of division within Kosovo society over dialogue, as well as time of growth of negative feelings between the two capitals.

BIG DEAL calls on Prishtina, Belgrade and the European Union to prioritize the so-called ‘normalisation’ process, as most of the accords reached between the sides have not been fully implemented so far.

“It is unfortunate that, similar to six months ago when we presented our first report, only four of 16 reached agreements have been fully implemented,” said Jeta Xharra, Executive Director of BIRN Kosovo.  “Four and a half years after the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue began, Kosovo and Serbia are refusing to recognize one another’s diplomas. The draft law on cadastre has been blocked for two years with no progress, and Kosovars can still use the operating codes of other countries to make telephone calls.

Dusan Radakovic of ACDC said the agreement on justice is lagging behind in implementation at a real cost to citizens.

“We need the court so northern Kosovo can finally stop being a rule of law vacuum. The judiciary is the cornerstone of any society, he said:.  Once this agreement is fully implemented, it will make it easier for the others to also be implemented.”  

The report is the result of more than 100 interviews with negotiators, local politicians, journalists and ordinary citizens in one and a half years of intensive research done across Kosovo and Serbia. With an in-depth view of the current state of play in implementation, BIG DEAL aims to make the process of normalising relations a more transparent one.

“Lack of accountability in the process, where politicians are using the smallest opportunity to accuse other side for not implementing what was agreed, bring them trivial political points,” said Tanja Maksic, program coordinator at BIRN Serbia. “This pushes the prospect of normalisation further away.”

Big Deal’s third report examines the dynamics of the implementation, which has been seriously hindered by the political deadlock in Kosovo, decisions by the Serbian Constitutional Court and crises that have shifted the attention of the European Union.

“The primary progress in the last six months was in reaching agreements in August unblocking the path to implementing agreements on telecom and energy,” said Valerie Hopkins, primary researcher of the report. “There have also been agreements on the future of the Mitrovica bridge and the main elements of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, but progress on the latter remains blocked until mid-January when the Constitutional Court will decide if the agreement is in harmony with Kosovo’s constitution.”

Big Deal is supported by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office in Prishtina, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. This is the third report in a series.

Click to download BIG DEAL ‘Split Asunder’ in English.

Click to download BIG DEAL ‘Split Asunder’ in Albanian.

Click to download BIG DEAL ‘Split Asunder’ in Serbian.

Court and Ministry Fined for Obstructing BIRN Serbia

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance handed down fines to the High Court in Belgrade and the Ministry of Justice at the end of November because both institutions failed to provide documents requested by BIRN Serbia journalists related to the arrest and extradition of Darko Saric, the alleged leader of a powerful Balkan criminal organization.

The commissioner ordered the Ministry of Justice to pay a fine of 20,000 dinars, as well as to deliver the requested information to BIRN Serbia, noting that failure to do so would result in it having to pay an additional 180,000 dinars.

The fine was imposed because the ministry did not comply with the commissioner’s decision in May this year, when he ordered the ministry to provide BIRN Serbia with documentation on Saric’s extradition.

The Higher Court in Belgrade will have to pay a fine of 180,000 dinars, because even after it was originally fined 20,000 dinars, the court didn’t make the required information available to BIRN Serbia.

If the High Court still refuses to comply with the law, the procedure will fall under the responsibility of the government of Serbia.

However, according to previous statements made by the commissioner, practice has shown that the government does not take action to resolve such matters.

BIRN Serbia requested the information and documentation from the Ministry of Justice and the High Court in Belgrade in February this year because the public still doesn’t known the circumstances of Darko Saric arrest – whether he was extradited and from which country, or if he voluntarily surrendered after his lawyer negotiated terms with the Ministry of Justice.

Serbian Telecoms Company Pays Bank Chief’s Debt

In its latest investigation, BIRN Serbia has revealed that state-owned Serbian telecommunications company, Telekom Srbija, paid off almost 78,000 euros of debt for Serbian National Bank governor Jorgovanka Tabakovic which she owed for her four-bedroom flat in Novi Sad.

Tabakovic signed a contract for the purchase of part of the apartment, measuring 144 square metres, with the state-owned Public Enterprise of PTT ‘Srbija’ on May 30, 2000, when she was serving as Minister for Economic and Ownership Transformation under the Socialist government of Mirko Marjanovic.

According to the documentation that BIRN Serbia obtained, that agreement gave Tabakovic ownership of 94 square meters (65 per cent) of the apartment, for which she paid 8,822.60 Deutschmarks (DM) at the time.

Tabakovic was supposed to pay off 92,170 DM for the remaining 35 per cent of the apartment over the following 40 years, plus interest.

However, she has not made a single monthly payment, and the contractual obligations to pay off the debt plus interest were taken over by Telekom Srbija three months after she took office as governor of the Serbian National Bank.

Entire article written on Serbian language can be found at http://javno.rs/istrazivanja/telekom-otplatio-guvernerkin-dug-za-stan