site.btaUPDATED The Balkans: 2024 in Review

The outgoing year 2024 will be remembered for a series of important events in the Balkan countries.

Romania and Bulgaria joined Schengen by air and sea and were given the green light to join by land from early 2025, Ankara endorsed Sweden's NATO bid, and the Republic of North Macedonia got its first female president. Greece legalized same-sex marriage and Turkiye sent a man into space for the first time.

Albania began accession negotiations with the EU. Floods and landslides claimed 26 lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Serbia was swept by a wave of protests over lithium mining and later over the collapse of a railway station canopy in Novi Sad, which claimed 15 lives. Romania, on the other hand, faced an unprecedented decision to annul the first round of presidential elections.

JANUARY

January 1: Kosovo nationals can travel visa-free to EU and Schengen countries for stays of up to three months. Kosovo is last of six Western Balkan countries whose citizens needed visas to travel to EU and Schengen area.

January 10: Romanian farmers and hauliers launch protests against high fuel prices and third party liability insurance, EU environmental measures, and Ukrainian agricultural imports. Protests, accompanied by blockades of border crossings, continue into early February.

January 11: Bulgaria, Turkiye and Romania sign Memorandum of Understanding in Istanbul on establishment of Black Sea Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Task Force (MSM Black Sea).

January 19: Turkiye sends man into space for first time. Country's first astronaut, Alper Gezeravci, is part of Axiom Space mission. Gezeravci and three other astronauts (Spaniard, Italian and Swede) arrive at International Space Station on January 20 after 37-hour flight. 

January 23: Turkish Parliament endorses Sweden's bid for NATO membership.

January 28: For first time, ethnic Albanian becomes Prime Minister of Republic of North Macedonia. Talat Jaferi heads technical government which by law must govern country for 100 days before elections.

FEBRUARY

February 1: Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008, bans banks and other financial institutions in Serb-populated areas from using Serbian dinar in local transactions from February 1. Kosovo adopted euro as its official currency in 2002 although it is not member of euro area. Measure sparks protests among Serbs in northern Kosovo.

February 6: New Serbian parliament holds constituent session following early parliamentary and local by-elections on December 17, 2023, won by ruling Serbian Progressive Party coalition. Post-elections, opposition Serbia Against Violence coalition contests results and stages protests demanding elections' annullment.

February 14: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives in Egypt on his first official presidential visit after prolonged stalemate in bilateral relations. 

February 15: By 176 votes in favour, Greece's 300-seat Parliament passes law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.

February 16: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken arrives in Albania for his first visit.

MARCH

March 4: NATO tactical airbase is inaugurated in Kucova, Southern Albania, to support NATO national and strategic operations in Western Balkans.

March 12: European Council approves opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina but does not set date for their start. 

March 28: Greek Parliament rejects vote of no confidence in government tabled by opposition PASOK, prompted by evidence tampering over February 28, 2023 train crash near Larissa in which 57 people died.

March 31: Romania and Bulgaria join Schengen area by air and sea.

March 31: Local elections are held in Turkiye, marking first electoral defeat for Turkiye's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) nationwide since its rise to power in 2002.

APRIL

April 17: Parliamentary elections in Croatia. Winning Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), in power since 2016, forms coalition government with Homeland Movement.

April 24: European Parliament endorses Western Balkans Growth Plan, making EUR 6 billion available to region. Of these, EUR 2 billion are in grants and EUR 4 billion in loans between 2024 and 2027.

MAY

May 2: Serbian Parliament approves country's new Government headed by Milos Vucevic.

May 2: Turkiye entirely halts its trade with Israel, estimated at some USD 7 billion annually, becoming Jewish State's first key trading partner to suspend exports and imports on account of military campaign in Gaza.

May 7: Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrives on visit to Serbia - one of three stops on his European tour (first in five years).

May 8: North Macedonia elects new parliament simultaneously with second tour of presidential elections. Right-of-centre VMRO-DPMNE gets most votes in parliamentary elections, and party's candidate Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova wins presidential race to become country's first female head of state.  

May 13: Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits Ankara for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Sides welcome progress within framework of "positive agenda" (platform for advancing bilateral cooperation) and declare will to address contentious issues through dialogue.

May 23: UN General Assembly adopts resolution designating July 11 as "International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica".
 
JUNE

June 5: Slovenia and Palestine establish diplomatic relations day after Slovenia becomes 147th UN Member State to recognize Palestine.

June 23: North Macedonia's Parliament approves coalition Government of right-of-centre VMRO-DPMNE, Albanian parties' coalition VLEN (Worth) and ZNAM (I Know) Movement, with Hristijan Mickoski as Prime Minister. 

JULY

July 1: In Istanbul, Navy Commanders of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkiye formally activate Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group (MCM Black Sea). 

July 1: Free trade agreement between Serbia and China enters into force.

July 12: In Podgorica, Supreme Court acquits all defendants charged with "high treason" for attempting to overthrow Montenegrin government on election day in 2016, on eve of country's accession to NATO.

July 16: Serbian Government allows Australian company Rio Tinto to restart controversial lithium extraction project that sparked series of protests.

July 19: Serbia and EU sign Memorandum of Understanding launching Strategic Partnership on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains and electric vehicles. 

July 20: On 50th anniversary of Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visit divided island to voice support for Republic of Cyprus and unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, respectively.

AUGUST

August 1: In Ankara, US and Russia exchange 24 prisoners (largest number since Cold War era) and two children.

August 10: In Belgrade, tens of thousands protest against Rio Tinto company's project for lithium extraction in Western Serbia. Protesters claim that operation will contaminate environment, powerholders argue that it will boost economy. 

August 14: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visits Ankara to confer with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan and address Grand National Assembly.

August 16: Croatian Defence Minister Ivan Anusic says Croatia will reintroduce conscription on January 1, 2025, with two-month compulsory military service.

August 29: French President Emmanuel Macron visits Serbia. Series of agreements worth billions of euro are signed during trip, including delivery of 12 French Rafale jet fighters, supply of critical raw materials like lithium, and development of civilian nuclear programme to meet Serbia's ever growing energy needs.

SEPTEMBER

September 3: Romania’s Parliament approves law green-lighting donation of Patriot missile defence system to Ukraine.

September 8: Central committee of Greek opposition party Syriza ousts party’s leader, Stefanos Kasselakis, after less than 12 months in office.

September 13: Republic of North Macedonia's President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova visits Sofia to meet with President Rumen Radev. Later, Bulgarian Ambassador Zhelyazko Radukov is summoned by Skopje’s Foreign Ministry to explain why North Macedonia’s national flag is absent from photo of two presidents. 

September 20: Serbia’s Government approves proposal to introduce 75-day military service. 

September 25: Decision to separate Albania and Republic of North Macedonia in their path towards European integration is taken at meeting of Permanent Representatives of EU Member States.

OCTOBER

Several settlements in central and southern Bosnia and Herzegovina are hit by floods and landslides in early October. After intense rainfall, the village of Donja Jablanica is nearly completely buried under rocks and debris from a quarry located on a hill above the village. 

October 11: Italy formally opens temporary accommodation centres for migrants in Albania.

October 14: At Berlin Process Summit, marking initiative’s 10th anniversary, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Albania and Republic of North Macedonia sign new shared regional market action plan, along with new mobility agreement to improve access to higher education.

October 15: Albania begins EU accession negotiations on Cluster 1 at intergovernmental conference in Luxembourg. 

October 15: Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and UN Secretary-General António Guterres meet in New York. They agree to continue informal talks in expanded format, involving guarantor countries of Cyprus - Turkiye, Greece and UK.

October 20: Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic holds phone conversation with Russia’s head of State, Vladimir Putin, for first time in two and half years on occasion of 80th anniversary of Belgrade’s liberation from German occupation during World War II.

October 20: Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, accused by Turkiye’s government of orchestrating July 2016 coup attempt, dies in US at age of 83. 

NOVEMBER

November 1: Concrete canopy of Novi Sad railway station collapses, killing 14 people on spot. Three people are severely injured, one of which later dies. Tragic accident sparks mass protests demanding that those responsible be held accountable, that Prime Minister Milos Vucevic and Novi Sad Mayor Milan Djuric resign, and that all documents related to station's renovation be made public.

November 19: North Macedonia’s former defence minister Radmila Shekerinska is appointed NATO Deputy Secretary General. 

November 21: Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) becomes main opposition in Greece after wave of defections from leftist Syriza party triggered by  ousting of Stefanos Kasselakis from leadership post and following party's congress.

November 24: First round of Romania’s presidential elections, when little-known independent far-right candidate Calin Georgescu pulls off surprising win. Leader of centre-right Save Romania Union Elena Lasconi comes in second.

November 29: Explosion near Zubin Potok in northern Kosovo damages Ibar-Lepenac water canal, which supplies water to northern Kosovo, Pristina and surrounding towns, as well as cooling systems of thermal power plants that generate almost all country's electricity. Pristina labels incident "terrorist act". 

November 30: First metro line opens in Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki.

DECEMBER

December 1: Parliamentary elections in Romania. Social Democratic Party wins most votes, with nationalist Alliance for Union of Romanians coming in second. Two other ultra-nationalist and far-right parties secure seats in Parliament for first time. A total of seven parties enter new legislature, with nationalist formations occupying about third of seats.

December 6: Romania's Constitutional Court annuls first round of presidential elections, ruling that entire process must start over. New presidential elections will be held no earlier than March 2025. President Klaus Iohannis announces that he will remain in office until new head of State is elected, despite his term expiring on December 21.

December 12: Council of EU decides to lift checks at land Schengen borders of Bulgaria and Romania as of January 1, 2025. 

December 12: Serbian court sentences man to 20 years in prison for mass killing in central Serbia in 2023, which left nine people dead. 

December 23: Romania’s Parliament approves a new pro-European government, which includes Social Democratic Party, National Liberal Party and Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania. Cabinet is headed by Social Democratic Party leader Marcel Ciolacu.