—🇦🇱/🇲🇪/🇪🇺 Albania and Montenegro achieve historic breakthroughs on EU integration track

➡️ Albania has officially entered a decisive phase of its European Union integration by closing its first three accession chapters today.

➡️ Concurrently, Montenegro closed two additional chapters, bringing its total to 18 out of 33 required chapters.

➡️ Both nations remain the frontrunners for EU enlargement, with Montenegro targeting full accession by 2028 and Albania aiming for 2030.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇸 WATCH: Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić distanced himself from remarks advocating ethnic cleansing, saying they do not reflect the policy of either the Serbian president or the government.

➡️ He stressed that Serbia's approach must be based on dialogue, compromise and talks, "never ethnic cleansing."

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇬🇧❌🇷🇸 NEW: The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has condemned remarks by Serbian Minister Snežana Paunović, including her references to ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, calling them "utterly abhorrent" and saying they have no place in today's society.

➡️ It also noted President Aleksandar Vučić's repudiation of Paunović's comments.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇽🇰❌🇷🇸 NEW: Kosovo has declared Serbian Minister Snežana Paunović persona non grata and barred her from entering the country following remarks in which she supported ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—⚡️🇷🇸🤝🇷🇴 NEW: Serbia and Romania have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop the multi-billion-euro Djerdap 3 hydropower plant on the Danube, with preparation of the project documentation set to begin later this year.

➡️ The project is expected to be built by US companies, marking a major entry of American firms into Serbia's energy sector.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇧🇬/🇺🇦 NEW: Bulgaria will not participate in the so-called Coalition of the Willing, the group of countries supporting Ukraine, PM Rumen Radev has said, arguing that the conflict should be resolved through diplomacy rather than continued military assistance.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇷🇸/🇽🇰 WATCH: Videos circulating online appear to show two Serbian Air Force J-22 Orao ground-attack aircraft flying at low altitude near Jarinje, along the administrative boundary between central Serbia and Kosovo.

➡️ The footage has not been independently verified.

🔗 Dunav Intel

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English

—🇲🇰 NEW: North Macedonia’s ruling VMRO-DPMNE will return to using the Skopje building known as the “White Palace” as its headquarters.

➡️ The structure, whose design draws on ancient Macedonian motifs promoted by the party as part of its heritage, had faced possible confiscation.

➡️ A Skopje court acquitted former prime minister Nikola Gruevski of abuse-of-office charges linked to the building’s construction, removing the basis for its seizure.

✅ @balkanspectator — the leading Balkan news channel in English