Biden extends the state of emergency order for the Western Balkans

2024-06-15 10:54:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Biden extends the state of emergency order for the Western Balkans

Joe Biden, photo courtesy of the BBC

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has extended for another year the executive order for states of emergency in the Balkans, assessing that the situation in the Balkans continues to pose a threat to national security and US foreign policy.

"The actions of persons who threaten peace and international stabilization efforts in the Balkans, including acts of extremist violence and disruptive activities, and the situation in the Balkans, which impedes progress towards effective and democratic governance and full integration into transatlantic institutions, continue to present an unusual and grave threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, said the order signed by Biden.

For this reason, according to the announcement, the state of emergency for the Balkans must remain in force even after June 26, 2024.

The executive order was first approved on June 26, 2001, by former President George W. Bush, following the wars in the Balkans.

It is further said that the provisions of the Law on International Economic Emergency Powers have been implemented to address "unusual and extraordinary threats to the security of the country and the foreign policy of the USA".

It is said that these measures refer to North Macedonia, the violation of the Dayton Agreements in Bosnia and Herzegovina or United Nations Resolution 1244 for Kosovo.

The US President subsequently amended that order by "Executive Order 13304" on May 28, 2003, to take additional steps with respect to certain actions that impede the implementation of, inter alia, the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement with respect to North Macedonia.

Also, on June 8, 2021, "Executive Order 14033" was passed, which expanded the scope of the state of emergency at the national level.

This order states that the situation in the territory of the former Yugoslavia and in Albania during the last two decades - including the violation of post-war agreements and institutions after the collapse of Yugoslavia, as well as widespread corruption in various governments and institutions in the Balkans - prevents progress towards effective and democratic governance and full integration into transatlantic institutions.

"For this reason, it represents an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the USA", says the official website of the White House./ REL