11 - 18 August 2026 | Weekly Regional Briefing

This week: a US conservative think-tank's push to rewrite Bosnia's Dayton Agreement draws scrutiny, Kosovo detains a dual citizen accused of spying for Serbia's intelligence agency, Belgrade unveils school-law changes critics say target the protest movement, North Macedonia marks 25 years since the Ohrid Framework Agreement amid fresh debate over its institutional legacy, and Montenegro's parliament advances judicial council reforms tied to its EU bid.

11 - 18 August 2026 | Weekly Regional Briefing

Bosnia: US Think-Tank Lobbies to Rewrite Dayton

Researchers at the Heritage Foundation, the Trump-linked US think-tank behind Project 2025, have been quietly promoting a revision of the Dayton Peace Agreement to create a third, Croat-led entity in Bosnia, and pitching the idea directly to European parliamentarians, including in a March meeting with Portuguese MEP Antonio Tanger Correa. The push echoes long-standing Republika Srpska and Russian arguments against the Office of the High Representative, and lands as HDZ BiH-aligned EU figures keep the idea circulating in Brussels.

Source: Balkan Insight (BIRN)

Kosovo: Court Orders Detention Over Alleged Serbian Spying

Pristina Basic Court ordered 30 days' detention for Fehim Sali, a dual Kosovo-Serbia citizen who prosecutors say admitted working as a recruited agent for Serbia's intelligence service, the BIA, feeding it information on Kosovo officials and potential recruitment targets in exchange for cash. It's the third such espionage case Kosovo courts have handled since April.

Source: Balkan Insight (BIRN)

Serbia: New School Rules Alarm Education Workers

Serbia's education ministry has unveiled amendments to the Law on the Foundation of the Education System that would broaden grounds for revoking teaching licences, limit pupils' right to assembly in schools, and cut parental involvement, timed for the summer break after 18 months of schools playing a central role in anti-government protests. Teachers' representatives say officials brushed off requests for clarity, calling the changes "cosmetic."

Source: Balkan Insight (BIRN) North Macedonia: Ohrid Agreement's Legacy Under the Spotlight

Skopje marked the 25th anniversary of the Ohrid Framework Agreement this week, the 2001 peace deal that ended armed conflict with ethnic Albanian forces and rebuilt the country's constitutional order around power-sharing and minority rights. Justice Minister Jeton Shasivari called it "an institutional responsibility" rather than a historical relic, a pointed remark as the government faces ongoing scrutiny over judicial independence and its handling of politically sensitive prosecutions.

Source: European Western Balkans

Montenegro: Judicial Council Overhaul Clears Committee

Montenegro's parliamentary Constitutional Committee approved amendments restructuring the Judicial and Prosecutorial Councils and enshrining the Central Bank's independence, rejecting changes proposed by civil society during public consultation. Government officials say the package is coordinated with the European Commission under Chapters 23 and 17, with full parliamentary adoption targeted for 24 August as Podgorica races to close all chapters by year-end.

Source: European Western Balkans