Balkan developments

Low water levels in the Danube have led to shutdown of a nuclear reactor at Cernavoda

Romania’s caretaker Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has urged citizens to reduce electricity consumption during peak hours by cooking and carrying out other household tasks at night, Digi24 reports. The appeal follows the shutdown of Unit 1 at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant after water levels in the Danube fell too low. State-owned operator Nuclearelectrica said the reactor was taken offline as a precaution to protect its cooling systems and pumping equipment from potential damage caused by sediment entering the system or by insufficient water flow. 

Cernavoda’s two reactors have a combined capacity of about 1,400 MW and normally supply nearly 20 per cent of Romania’s electricity. Nuclearelectrica has also warned that the second reactor may have to be shut down at short notice if Danube water levels continue to fall, in line with current hydrological forecasts.

Montenegro aligns its visa policy with the EU

The Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that Montenegro has introduced visa requirements for citizens of Russia, Belarus, Turkey, China and Saudi Arabia, thereby fully harmonising its visa policy with that of the EU.

This is one of the final conditions for closing Negotiation Chapter 24, ‘Justice, Freedom and Security’, in Montenegro's EU accession process. Russians have been the second-largest group of foreign tourists in Montenegro after Serbs for years. Applications for Montenegrin visas can now be submitted not only at diplomatic and consular missions, but also at VFS Global visa centres. Meanwhile, according to rtcg.me, the Council of the EU has set up a Montenegrin-language team to assist in preparing Montenegro’s Accession Treaty to the EU.

Turkish entrepreneurs are buying property in the Schengen Area to get around visa restrictions

With the introduction of visas for Montenegro, the number of countries in Europe that can be visited without a visa on a Turkish passport has fallen to around 10, according to a report on milliyet.com.tr. In an interview with the publication, Kublay Iit, director of a consultancy firm, said that it is common practice for those who cannot obtain a visa to buy property in EU member states.

Most investors do not intend to move to Europe permanently. “The main aim is to be able to travel freely, facilitate international business, and open doors for their children’s education,” he commented. He cites Greece as the most popular destination, thanks to its lack of language requirements, a relatively low investment threshold of €250,000, the opportunity to obtain a right of residence by purchasing property and the speed of the administrative process.

North Macedonia's Skopje 2028 culture bill draws corruption criticism

A bill to establish the legal framework for Skopje – European Capital of Culture 2028 was withdrawn from the North Macedonian parliament's agenda after drawing criticism from the opposition and civil society groups, BTA reported. The bill, which had been submitted under a fast-track procedure, would create a special European Capital of Culture – Skopje 2028 foundation.

Opposition parties and non-governmental organisations argue that the proposed body could enable corruption through non-transparent government and municipal funding while sidelining civil society, artists and cultural institutions.

"After Nikola Gruevski's Skopje 2014, they are preparing us for Skopje 2028 – a new year, but the same old recipe," opposition MP Slavjanka Petrovska of the SDSM said, comparing the proposal to the former government's controversial urban redevelopment project.
The governing parties said they would revise the bill.

UNESCO has added Mount Olympus to its World Heritage List

Mount Olympus has been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, ekathimerini.com reports. The decision was adopted unanimously at the 48th session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea. Mount Olympus is now among the few sites worldwide to be inscribed as mixed World Heritage, recognising both its cultural and natural significance. 

Revered in ancient Greek mythology as the home of the Olympian gods, Mount Olympus is also one of Europe's richest biodiversity hotspots. It is home to nearly 2,000 plant taxa, including dozens of endemic species, as well as a wide variety of rare wildlife.

With the inscription of Mount Olympus, Greece now has 21 UNESCO World Heritage sites, three of them recognised for both their cultural and natural value.

Text compiled by Ivo Ivanov
Edited by Miglena Ivanova