Life in Kosovo debates the Schengen visa liberalisation process

This Thursday’s Life in Kosovo debate travels from Prishtina to Brussels to closely analyse the Schengen visa liberalisation process for Kosovo, as well as the European Union integration process.

Are Kosovars the only ones left out of the Schengen visa liberalisation process? How far is Kosovo from the EU? What are the differences between the countries of the region regarding the EU integration process? Which countries are faring best and which ones worse? What is the image of Albanians in Europe?

These issues will be the main points of discussion in the studio of the European Commission in Brussels, also the location where the decision on Kosovo’s inclusion in Schengen visa liberalisation will be taken. Muhamet Hajrullahu’s guests for this debate will be:

Augustin Palokaj – Kosovar daily Koha Ditore correspondent for Brussels,
Ernest Bunguri – correspondent for the TV ALSAT in Macedonia and Albania,
Gjeraqina Tuhina – Radio Television of Kosova, RTK, correspondent for Brussels,
Zelko Panteliq – Serbian daily ‘Dnevnik’ correspondent for Brussels.

Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20.

BIRN Trainee Awarded

Cameron Munter, US ambassador to Serbia, presented Dejan Dimic, journalist of the weekly newspaper Vranjske, with the award for the best journalist text on 3 May, the Day of the Freedom of Media.

The award from the Independent Journalist Association of Serbia, with support from the US embassy, for the best investigative work in print and electronic journalism, was presented on Thursday at the Faculty of Drama Arts in Belgrade.

The independent media are uncovering abuse of official position, fighting against corruption, questioning existing assumptions, and providing a healthy ambiance, said Munter, adding that without free media there would be no democracy.
 
Munter said that the “US government and its citizens” would resume supporting independent media in Serbia.
 
Dimic’s text entitled “Closely Observed Affairs” [REFERENCE TO A JIRI MENZEL FILM] was published in a special supplement on southern Serbia which Vranjske published with support from the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network and British embassy in Belgrade.
 
The awarded piece, according to the jury made of former chairmen of the Journalist Association, Dimic showed exceptional dose of personal courage, uncovering an other, very interesting dimension of the Albanian-Serbian relations in southern Serbia.
 
“He writes with arguments, without fear, and with abundance of facts, about crime and smuggling in the region, with Serbs and Albanians as protagonists in criminal activities, without taking any sides,” says, among other things, in the official explanation.
 
Dimic said it was a special honour for him to receive this award from his colleagues, most eminent names of the Serbian journalism: Gordana Logar, Gordana Susa, Milos Vasic, Milica Lucic Cavic and Nebojsa Bugarinovic.
 
Dimic added that his text showed that the crime does not recognize ethnic borders and that criminals have excellent cooperation regardless of their ethnic background.
 
“This border region was always a place where mutual interests in illegal affairs met, especially for Serbs and Albanians, especially in drug trade and smuggling, regardless of tense inter-ethnic relations between the two communities.”
 
“This is a great recognition, not only for me personally, but for the staff of Vranjske, the paper which has been dealing in investigative journalism since its foundation in 1994,” said the recipient.
 
Vranjske are the only private newspaper in southeast Serbia. It has been existing for fifteen years, and has already won all the significant journalist awards in the country.
 
Vukasin Obradovic, director of Vranjske, says that Dimic’s award was a fruit of professional attitude towards work which has been cherished by the paper from the very start.
 
“Since its foundation, Vranjske have been paying special attention to investigative journalism. We have never given up such approach to work, and this award is the best proof of it,” says Obradovic.
 
23 journalists were on the ballot for this year’s award in the category of junior and senior pieces, in print and in electronic media, in the forms of report, interview, articles and reportages.
 
In the field of TV journalism, first two awards were shared by the crew of Reakcija from RTV B92 from Belgrade, made of Jelena Veljkovic, Radoslavka Despotovic, Jasmina Pasic and Sandra Mandic, and the tandem of Milos Teodorovic and Ivana Lalic Majdak of the Arhitel Production from Belgrade.
 
The award for radio journalism was not presented this year due to a poor quality of admitted works.
 
 

Netherlands Embassy Supports BIRN in 2009

The Netherlands embassy in Belgrade has made a grant available to support BIRN’s efforts to turn part of its output into an income-generating activity.

BIRN is now in the last of a three-year strategy, Building Investigative Teams, which was a precondition for launching the project of long-term sustainability achievement.

In 2007 and 2008, BIRN embarked on the commercialisation of some of its activities. The programme aims to develop elements of the network’s activities to become income generating, thereby achieving sustainability in the medium term.

This is a pioneer project in the Balkans, combining Internet technology and resources to develop additional revenue streams for the organisation.

The Netherlands embassy has given generous support for BIRN’s development as an independent local civil society initiative, and helped its regional activities throughout 2006, 2007 and 2008.

BIRN Breaks Major Kosovo Story

BIRN, the Balkan’s leading source of independent news in English has uncovered evidence pointing to a network of secret prisons in Albania and Kosovo, in which alleged Albanian ‘collaborators’, Roma and Serbs were tortured and killed.

Embargo: 12:00 CET, 9th April 2009

In what is certain to be the top story in the Balkans media today, BIRN will publish, at 12:00 CET a detailed investigation, quoting UN documents and independent eyewitness accounts into allegations of torture and extra-judicial killings in prison camps in Albania and Kosovo.

The full text of the article will be published on www.balkaninsight.com at 12:00 hrs CET and is available for syndication. Syndication enquiries should be sent to: [email protected]

An abstract of the article follows:

KLA Ran Torture Camps in Albania

The KLA maintained a network of prisons in their bases in Albania and Kosovo during and after the conflict of 1999, eyewitnesses allege. Only now are the details of what occurred there emerging.
 During the war of 1999, an industrial compound in Kukes in north west Albania was not merely the headquarters for guerrillas fighting the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, to secure the independence of Kosovo from Serbia.

It assumed more sinister purposes:  dozens of civilians, mainly Kosovo Albanians suspected of collaboration, were held captive there, beaten and tortured.  Some were killed, their remains never recovered.  The men who allegedly directed the abuses were officers of the KLA.

At least 25 people were imprisoned in Kukes, mostly Kosovo Albanians suspected of collaborating with the Serbian authorities, Roma and possibly some Serbs. Amongst them were three Kosovo Albanian women.  In the camp 18 people were killed, while others were later released.

It appears that Kukes was one of a number of detention centres in Albania and Kosovo, and that prisoners were transferred from one facility to another.

Even after the NATO interventions, a camp was maintained in Babaloq in Kosovo, holding around 30 Serb and Roma prisoners whose current whereabouts are unknown.

The names of several alleged perpetrators have been known to UNMIK for some time.
One of them is still holding a high position in the Kosovo judiciary, Balkan Insight understands.

The full story will be published on www.balkaninsight.com at 12:00 CET
ENDS

©This abstract and the full article are the copyright of the Balkan Investigative Journalism Network, BIRN and the authors. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form without the express permission of BIRN.  Requests for syndication should be directed to [email protected]

About BIRN:

BIRN is a network of independent charities operating across the Balkans.  Our mission is to help develop an active and independent media working to international standards and to report on events in the region without bias or favour.

BIRN publishes Balkan Insight (www.balkaninsight.com) the leading English language online news outlet covering the region.  We also publish Belgrade Insight and Prishtina Insight, the only English language newspapers in their respective cities.

For more information visit:

www.birn.eu.com
www.balkaninsight.com

Balkan Fellowship Selection Results Revealed

On March 23rd a Selection Committee chose ten proposals from the nearly 120 ideas submitted by journalists from across the region.

The chosen journalists for this year’s Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence are:

Adrian Mogos from Romania
Arjan Konomi from Albania
Barbara Matejcic from Croatia
Boris Georgievski from Macedonia
Maja Hrgovic from Croatia
Marius Cosmeanu from Romania
Momir Turudic from Serbia
Nela Lazarevic from Montenegro
Sabina Niksic from Bosnia-Herzegovina
Yana Buhrer Tavanier from Bulgaria

To find out more about our fellows and their research ideas click here.

The journalists will undertake an intensive programme of training, research and reporting, beginning in Vienna on April 23rd and culminating in an awards ceremony at the end of the year in Berlin.

During the week-long seminar in the Austrian capital, the Fellows will have the opportunity to meet each other and will attend training sessions with BIRN’s editors and experts.

BIRN Serbia at the end of March in South Serbia

On March 27- 29 BIRN Serbia will organize follow up training for journalists from Southern Serbia, as a part of the Minority media training and reporting project, supported by the British Embassy in Serbia.

Seven journalists from both Serbian and Albanian media outlets will participate in training and editorial workshop, focusing on reviewing accomplishments of previous session, held in January and articles produced as a result of it. Also, significant time will be devoted to basic training in covering economic issues, and discussing economic topics that will be covered through next phase of on the job training, which implies trainees work on an article and editor’s mentorship.

After the training session BIRN Serbia team will be heading to Vranje, where second supplement of “Novine Vranjske” will be produced as a result of journalism, editorial and lay out training organized in previous three months. First supplement of the most important print outlet southern of Belgrade was dealing with the economic situation and prospects of this region, offering answers to questions such as the future of former giants in textile and furniture industry, the position of the jobless in Vranje and the new business perspectives in term of development of small enterprises. 
 
Second supplement will be looking at the variety of issues that are common ground or points of differentiation for communities in Southern Serbia, how they perceive each other and what can be find behind the gloomy political scene. These supplements are part of the in house training that will be implemented in “Novine Vranjske” throughout the year. First results are already visible in contents and lay out.
 
“This is crucial help for us because now we understood where we made mistakes and realized how to solve it” said Vukasin Obradovic editor in chief of “Novine Vranjske”
 
During its visit to south BIRN Serbia will organize series of meetings as a part of preparations for the round table event, to be held in April.

BIRN Serbia Economic reporting training

Belgrade_BIRN Serbia organised a training workshop for ten journalists from local media in Serbia in order to strengthen their capacity to report about the economy. The programme is supported by IREX Serbia and USAID.

Trainees were introduced to various aspects of the global financial crisis and its effects upon the region and Serbia in particular.

The first day of the training event was designed to offer insights into the current economic situation, its causes and potential consequences, as a necessary framework for understanding economic trends.
 
Goran Nikolic, a researcher from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, was talking about the roots of the global economic crisis, the wreckage of major financial institutions in USA, and the consequences of that affair. Part of his presentation was devoted to explaining the situation in Europe, especially South-East Europe, and the way in which financial markets are dependant on each other.
 
Miroslav Zdravkovic, an expert from Economic institute, talked about the economic situation and reforms carried out in Serbia, the country’s place in the regional economy before the economic crisis, its current situation and the effects of the crisis that can be expected. He argued that Serbia is in a worse position than officials’ want to present to the public, partially due to slow reforms and inconsistent economic policy. He explained the meaning of the government’s economic measures, the importance of the IMF programme in Serbia and problems that remain unsolved, such as the large discrepancies in regional economic development and the unfavourable climate for investments.
 
“This was important for us, I feel that I understand the current economic situation in Serbia much better, and I would like to see practical work during coming sessions” said one of the journalists.
 
The second day of the training was devoted to honing trainees’ journalistic skills and brainstorming on potential story ideas as preparation for the practical work on developing story outlines scheduled for the final day.
 
Rodoljub Sabic, commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection, introduced journalists to the practices of his institution and explained its implementing mechanisms for free access to information.
 
“This institution can help you to do stories for the Pulitzer award,” stressed Sabic.
 
The importance of economic news; how to write it; whether it has to be boring; how to use numbers and how to make economics understandable to the general public were the main themes of the training session led by Aleksandar Vasovic.
 
The afternoon session was dedicated to understanding the importance of economic news and recognizing the phenomena that lies behind it. Senior editor of daily Blic, Mijat Lakicevic, worked with trainees on how to develop an analytical story on economic news, and brainstormed on potential economic story ideas that tackle the issue of the financial crisis in Serbia on a local level.
 
The third day was on-the-job training, mainly oriented towards commissioning articles to be written by trainees and edited by BIRN editors.
 
BIRN’s editor Gordana Igric introduced journalists to the basic principles of analytical reporting, with special attention paid to the issue of libeling.
 
Eight stories, covering a variety of topics from all around Serbia, were commissioned while the best of them will be published in BIRN’s online publication, www.Balkaninsight.com.
 
Trainees evaluated the training, especially the variety of information that was presented, very highly, expressing their interest to participate in similar activities in the future.
 
 
 
 

BIRN Kosovo Launches the 2009 Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence

In a joint press launch on Sunday February 8, BIRN Kosovo announced the 2009 Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence and the release of the book, written by last year’s fellows, “Power struggle: Meeting Global Energy Challenges in Balkans”.

BIRN Kosovo Director Jeta Xharra introduced the book and officially opened the fellowship programme for 2009, while BIRN Kosovo Editor Krenar Gashi presented the book, containing investigative journalism stories written by last year’s fellows, on the topic of energy. Gashi also spoke about the objectives of the programme and advised prospective candidates on the application process for 2009.

Journalists, editors and representatives of the civil society were present at the event hosted in ‘Lounge’ restaurant in Pristina.

Lavdim Hamidi, BIRN’s winning fellow from the 2008 programme, for his investigative report “Power Games Delay Escape from Poverty”, also addressed the reception. Lavdimi talked about his experience with BIRN and encouraged journalists to apply for “this wonderful opportunity”.

“The ability to travel to European Union countries is rare for us in the Balkans, so having the chance to do this and compare issues between the Balkans and European Union countries, with all expenses are paid, was a fantastic opportunity to accurately investigate an important subject. I would encourage all journalists to participate in this programme because it is a worthy experience”, Hamidi said in a speech at the Pristina event.

After the presentation, BIRN Kosovo personnel explained details of the
programme and the application procedure in detail to many of the journalists that were present.
Each year BIRN’s team of experienced editors and journalists, in cooperation with the Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE foundations, offers ten journalists from the Balkans a chance to travel and investigate their stories, which are later published, both in their respective national media as well in a BIRN book.

Power Struggle Launched in Zagreb

Power Struggle: Meeting Global Energy Challenges in the Balkans, a book produced as a part of media development project Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence and initiated by the Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with BIRN, was launched in Zagreb on January 13th.

The event, which marked the completion of the 2008 programme, was held at the Croatian Journalists’ Association building and was attended by representatives of important national media outlets.

Speakers included Dalibor Dobric, a Croatian journalist who participated in this year’s Programme, Gordana Igric, BIRN Regional Director, and Dragana Zarkovic Obradovic, Fellowship Programme Manager.

Dalibor Dobric presented his article Fighting the Power Proves Tough in Croatia and talked about his experience during the project. He encouraged all interested journalists to apply for the upcoming 2009 programme, stressing that it provides participants with a rare opportunity to travel across the region and EU in order to do research.

Journalists present at the event showed interest in the programme as well as in other possibilities to positively influence the media situation throughout the region.

2009 Programme Launched

The Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, are pleased to announce the third year of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme.

To mark two tumultuous decades of both fragmentation and European integration since the collapse of the Iron Curtain and the descent into armed conflict in many Balkan nations, journalists are invited to explore the broad concept of “Identity” in the contemporary landscape.

Journalists from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania or Serbia are encouraged to submit research proposals for a 2,000 word journalistic article.
Through an open competition, ten journalists will be selected to participate in a seven month programme. The journalists will receive funding and professional support to conduct research, both in the region and in the European Union, culminating in publication and Europe-wide promotion of their reports at the end of the year.

Successful applicants will receive a bursary of 2,000 Euros and a travel allowance of up to 2,000 Euros.
A selection committee comprised of prominent journalists will additionally award one fellow with an individually-tailored opportunity for further professional development, to the value of 8,000 Euros.
Applications must be received no later than 1st March 2009. More details about the programme, application forms and guidelines are available at http://fellowship.birn.eu.com