The United States has extended a national emergency regarding the Western Balkans beyond June 26, warning that destabilizing actions, corruption and attempts to undermine the sovereignty of countries in the Region pose an extraordinary threat to US national security and foreign policy. Balkan experts say this order should be accompanied by active action by the US administration against those who threaten peace
United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending beyond June 26, 2025, the national emergency for the Western Balkans, declared in 2001. The notice, published in the Federal Register on June 24, states that the situation in the Balkans continues to pose a threat to US national security and foreign policy.
“The actions of individuals who threaten peace and international stabilization efforts in the Western Balkans, including acts of extremist violence and obstructionist activities, and the situation in the Western Balkans that impedes progress toward effective and democratic governance and full integration into transatlantic institutions, continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Therefore, the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13219, as further expanded in Executive Order 13304, as further expanded in scope by Executive Order 14033, and as further expanded in Executive Order 14140, should remain in effect beyond June 26, 2025,” the notice reads.
It also mentions the decision of January of this year, signed by former President Joe Biden, regarding individuals who pose a threat to the Region.
“On January 8, 2025, the President signed Executive Order 14140, in light of developments in the Western Balkans, including continued efforts by individuals to challenge the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Western Balkan countries, to undermine post-war agreements and institutions, to engage in widespread corruption that erodes the rule of law and confidence in democratic governance, and to evade United States Government sanctions, and in order to take additional steps regarding the national emergency in relation to the Western Balkans,” the document reads.
At the time Biden’s order was published in January of this year, there were threats from the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, to secede from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Biden had taken additional steps to amend three previous orders, which related to the freezing of assets and the ban on entry into the United States of persons who destabilize the Western Balkans. According to the 2021 regulation, the freezing of assets and the ban on entry into the United States applied to persons who were directly involved in or indirectly responsible for actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, or territorial integrity of a Region or a state in the Balkans, and that undermine democratic processes or institutions, or engage in corruption. This also includes violators of peace agreements or mutual recognition agreements in the Balkans. These include the 2018 Prespa Agreement, the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, the Dayton Agreement, and the 1995 Peace Implementation Conference Council Conclusions.
Sanctions will be imposed on anyone the U.S. Treasury Department determines to be a leader, manager, or member of the government involved in any of the activities covered by the previous regulation. The measures will also apply to those who aid, sponsor, or provide support to individuals whose assets are frozen.
The measures also apply to spouses or adult children of those whose assets are frozen. American expert on the Balkans, Daniel Serwer, sees the continuation of this order by Trump as something common, adding that the US should be more rigorous in its implementation. “Nothing new, but good nonetheless. Taken together, all the statements so far express a clear policy. But I would like their implementation to be a little more vigorous,” Serwer told KOHĪN.
The history of the American Executive Order dates back to 2001. On June 26, 2001, Executive Order 13219 declared a national emergency regarding the Western Balkans, based on the “International Emergency Economic Powers Act”, to address the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, caused by the actions of persons who participate in, or who assist or sponsor: “(i) extremist violence in the former Republic of Macedonia (now the Republic of North Macedonia) and other countries in the Western Balkan Region; or (ii) actions that obstruct the implementation of the Dayton Agreement in Bosnia, or of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of June 10, 1999, in Kosovo”.
The White House subsequently amended this order with document 13304, dated May 28, 2003, to take additional steps regarding actions that impeded, among other things, the implementation of the 2001 Ohrid Framework Agreement for the former Republic of Macedonia.
On June 8, 2021, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14033, which expanded the scope of the state of emergency declared in Executive Order 13219 by determining that the situation in the territory of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Albania over the past two decades – including the undermining of post-war agreements and institutions following the dissolution of the former SFRY, as well as widespread corruption in various governments and institutions of the Region, impede progress toward effective and democratic governance, as well as full integration into transatlantic institutions, “thus constituting an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
In addition to the Order, a few days ago, President Trump brought the Balkans back into the spotlight after mentioning his commitment to reaching the Washington Agreement between Kosovo and Serbia in 2020 during his first term.
In a post on his social network, Trump recalled a series of international interventions during his first term, including his role in stopping a “potential war” between Kosovo and Serbia. “Serbia and Kosovo were heading for war. I stopped it,” Trump wrote. He accused his predecessor, Joe Biden, of damaging the long-term prospects between Kosovo and Serbia with several decisions that he called “very ill-considered” and warned that he would fix them. Trump put Kosovo and Serbia in the same framework as peace efforts between Iran and Israel, India and Pakistan, or Egypt and Ethiopia.
