#aleksandar-vucic

#aleksandar-vucic

A 2022 change to Serbia's Law on Personal Income Tax allows high-earners to pay up to half of their annual tax obligation into an AIF instead of into the state coffers. The government says that the aim was to stimulate investment. Critics say it significantly reduces the amount of tax paid by wealthy investors.

After months of mounting pressure on independent media, academic institutions and NGOs, Serbia's ruling majority has turned its attention to the judiciary. In an expedited procedure, without public debate or consultations and bypassing established legislative standards, the Serbian parliament last week adopted a package of amendments to core judicial laws that critics say threatens the independence of the country's judiciary.

Over the course of the past few months, Vucic has gradually narrowed down possible dates for a poll, moving from a vague promise that the election would take place "before the legal deadline," through information that it would be in "late 2026 or early 2027" to the latest announcement that suggests a vote could be held in October, November or December.

Affinity Global Development, a company linked to Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the US president Donald Trump, has withdrawn from the project. The decision came soon after Serbian prosecutors indicted Nikola Selaković, the country's minister of culture, alongside Slavica Jelača, a secretary at the ministry of culture; Goran Vasić, acting director of the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments; and Aleksandar Ivanović, acting director of the Belgrade City Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments.

NOVI SAD, Serbia (AP) Thousands of people rallied on Saturday in Serbia as university students announced a new stage in their struggle against President Aleksandar Vucic's tenure after leading more than a year of mass demonstrations that shook his autocratic government in the Balkan country. Protesters in Novi Sad, chanting thieves, accused the government of rampant corruption that they believe also led to a November 2024 train station disaster in the northern city that killed 16 people and triggered the nationwide movement for change.

Wadephul said speaking in Latvia that what was seen during the peace talks in UAE is "Russia's stubborn insistence on the crucial territorial issue." "And if there is no flexibility here, I fear that the negotiations may still take a long time or may not be successful at this stage," he said. He added, "Our commitment to diplomacy does not weaken our determination to support Ukraine."

"We will move to elections when all the necessary security guarantees are in place," Zelensky told reporters, including AFP journalists, in a voice note. "I have said it's very simple to do: establish a ceasefire, and there will be elections," he added. If Russia also agrees, it may be possible to "end hostilities by summer", Zelensky said.

Discussion was tough and rough, but Viktor is still not budging, one European official told Reuters. Another official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential discussions between leaders, said that everyone is increasingly angry with Orban.

A significant number of Serbs do not recognize the legitimacy of the authorities in Pristina. Kosovo's government insists that the Law on Foreigners is simply a mechanism to ensure that residents have the correct documents. Many Kosovo Serbs, however, are convinced that the measure targets them and is designed to either make them foreigners in their own homes or force them out of Kosovo for good.

An increase in defense spending has been most visible and sustained in Serbia. Over the past decade, there has been pressure to replace weapons inherited from the Yugoslav People's Army, while the political leadership has also recognized the political and symbolic value of such investments.

They threw everything they had at us [until] there were no more chairs to hurl at each other, Vucic recounted in a magazine interview 20 years later. Dinamo supporters then stampeded the pitch, where their team jumped into the fray, assaulting police officers, and the game was officially called off before it began.

Writing on Telegram, Pushkov criticised Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, French President Emmanuel Macron, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, arguing that European leaders have offered "no serious answers" for why they should be involved in talks already led by the United States. Pushkov suggested that EU ambitions risk "derailing even the fragile negotiations that are already underway," framing European efforts as symbolic rather than substantive.

Technically, we will be ready in 2027, Zelenskyy told reporters, Reuters reported, adding that by the end of 2026 Ukraine will have implemented the main steps required for membership. I think the European Commission may have a slightly more nuanced view on that, given its last year's progress report pointing to some level of preparation in many areas, with only limited progress on some of the key issues, such as fight against corruption, or insufficient capacity in some areas looked at by the EU.