Balkan developments

Croatian terminal offers gas alternative to Serbia and BiH

“Croatia is planning to build a 15-kilometer gas interconnector with Serbia that would provide the Serbian gas system with access to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the island of Krk”, Croatian Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar said at an energy conference organized by the newspaper Jutarnji list. Minister Šušnjar noted that Belgrade has already expressed interest in gaining access to liquefied gas from the United States through the project.

Meanwhile, Bosnia and Herzegovina has accepted a letter of intent from the U.S. company AAFS Infrastructure and Energy to build the “Southern Interconnector” gas pipeline, valued at USD 200 million. The pipeline would be an alternative to TurkStream. Construction is planned to begin in 2026, N1 and kix.ba report. The new gas pipeline will connect Bosnia and Herzegovina to the LNG terminal on the Croatian island of Krk.

The Pentagon deploys Abrams tanks to Romania

The United States will deploy American troops equipped with Abrams tanks to Romania, the country’s Chief of the General Staff, General Gheorghiță Vlad, told the state television channel TVR INFO.

The unit arriving in Romania is part of the U.S. presence in the region, which is carried out on a rotational basis and does not represent an increase in the number of U.S. troops. Abrams tanks are the main armored vehicles of the U.S. Army and are considered among the most advanced in the world. Romania is in the process of purchasing 54 of these tanks.

In October 2025, the Pentagon announced it would reduce its military presence in Romania by withdrawing a battalion from the rotational brigade on NATO’s southeastern flank, but would leave around 3,500 troops in the country.

MOL acquires ownership of Serbia’s only oil refinery

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that the Hungarian oil company MOL is acquiring a majority stake of 56% from Serbia’s oil company NIS from Russian owners for a price of between EUR 900 million and EUR 1 billion. “We had EUR 2 billion ready for payment — even to pay more than that”, Vučić told Blic TV.

Vučić said that he could “easily explain” to himself why the Russian stake in NIS had not been offered to Serbia, but chose not to do so publicly to avoid jeopardizing the country’s interests. “For me, these reasons are clear and unambiguous, but whether they are acceptable is another question. Somehow, they cannot be described as particularly friendly”, he said.

NIS’s refinery in Pančevo was shut down at the end of 2025 due to the Russian majority ownership, forcing Belgrade to find a new buyer so that U.S. sanctions against NIS could be lifted and the refinery could resume operations.

Greeks living abroad to be able to vote by mail

Athens is preparing draft legislation that would allow Greeks living abroad to vote by mail in national elections, choosing three members of the diaspora to represent them in Greece’s 300-member parliament, Kathimerini reported. The reform comes two years after mail-in voting was introduced for European Parliament elections.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that if the change is approved, it will take effect in the next parliamentary elections in 2027. “This will unite the millions of Greeks abroad with their motherland. It would be very useful for a candidate in Australia to compete with a candidate from the United States, and it will encourage Greeks living abroad to vote”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized.

The bill’s sponsors stress that citizens will be able to vote from their place of residence rather than traveling long distances to polling stations. However, mail-in voting for parliamentary elections will be allowed only for voters living abroad.

Mayors from the B40 network call for the release of Ekrem İmamoğlu and Erion Veliaj

The mayors of member municipalities of the B40 Balkan Cities Network have signed a joint letter in support of the detained mayors of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and Tirana, Erion Veliaj, euronews.al reported.

The signatories refer to the October 2025 report of the Venice Commission and to the European Convention on Human Rights, which emphasizes that detention should remain a measure of last resort, not a means to prevent the exercise of a mandate for political reasons, the portal notes. They stressed that they are not seeking immunity for the two mayors, nor are they commenting on the substance of the charges, guilt, or innocence of the arrested officials. They added that their appeal is “principled and in line with European standards”. “The detentions undermine the will of the voters and pose direct threats to local democracies”, reads the letter.