What does Biden's new executive order mean for the Western Balkans?

2025-01-10 22:34:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

What does Biden's new executive order mean for the Western Balkans?

The White House

The former director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the US Treasury Department, John Smith, said on Friday that the changes in the executive order for the Western Balkans by President Joe Biden are "a sign that the US government continues to be concerned about the situation" in this region.

Commenting on VOA's Bosnian-language service, former director Smith said the changes also indicate the United States "believes that sanctions -- or the threat of sanctions, since no immediate determination was made under the new order executive - will advance US national security and foreign policy objectives in the region".

In a letter to the US Congress on Wednesday, President Biden said that he has decided to keep in force the executive order on the Western Balkans, originally announced in 2001 and amended in 2003 and 2021. He made this decision in view of "the acts of violent extremists, obstructive actions and the situation in the Western Balkans, which impedes progress towards effective and democratic governance and full integration into transatlantic institutions... continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to national security and American foreign policy".

The order, according to Mr. Smith, was expanded with several elements, including "attempt, as a basis for determination" - while previously only committed acts were provided for. New categories for sanctions are also added, such as being a member of "a sanctioned entity", the inclusion in sanctions of the network of persons who have joint ownership or control with sanctioned persons, as well as the spouse or adult children of the specified person.

He says that these new changes "suggest that the US government has certain individuals in mind that it is considering under the new measures."

The US government "may be trying to send them a strong message that they need to change their approach or risk facing US sanctions," said Mr. Smith.

The original 2001 executive order by former President George W. Bush, following the wars in the Balkans, provided for sanctions related to violent extremism, violation of the Dayton Accords and UN Resolution 1244 on Kosovo, and threatened stability in the region.

This order has been renewed every year since then by US Presidents./VOA