Some new faces on the EPO's Administrative Council representing the Balkan states that voted in favour of Battistelli's "Strike Regulations" in June 2013. Clockwise from top left: Goran Gerasimovski (MK), Marian CÃÆtÃÆlin Burcescu (RO), Ledina Beqiraj (AL), and Vladya Borisova (BG).
In this part we conclude our whistle-stop tour of the "Balkan League" states that helped to rubber-stamp Benoît Battistelli's "Strike Regulations".
"Insofar as they are prepared to swallow the sugar-coated "Kool-Aid" narrative being spoon-fed to them by the spin-doctors of Team Campinos, they might not even realise that there is a problem."By a strange coincidence, the only delegation which remains unchanged is the one representing Croatia, which is still headed by Željko Topić's "protégée" Ljiljana Kuterovac.
As far as the other delegations are concerned, it's not clear to what extent the new generation of representatives are aware of the damage caused by the actions of their predecessors in supporting Battistelli's "reign of terror" at the EPO.
"It's very clear that, in many of these countries, the appointment of the head of the national "IP" office - who also acts as the head of delegation on the EPO's Administrative Council - is treated as a sinecure which is typically handed out as a "reward" to some local party political opportunist."Insofar as they are prepared to swallow the sugar-coated "Kool-Aid" narrative being spoon-fed to them by the spin-doctors of Team Campinos, they might not even realise that there is a problem.
It's very clear that, in many of these countries, the appointment of the head of the national "IP" office - who also acts as the head of delegation on the EPO's Administrative Council - is treated as a sinecure which is typically handed out as a "reward" to some local party political opportunist.
In the case of two of the new delegates pictured above, it can be said without fear of contradiction that their appointments were overtly political in nature:
● the North Macedonian delegate Goran Gerasimovski who is a member of the Macedonian SDSM; and
● the Romanian delegate Marian CÃÆtÃÆlin Burcescu who is a member of the Romanian PNL.
In the case of the two other delegates - Ledina Beqiraj from Albania and Vladya Borisova from Bulgaria - there isn't enough information available to indicate whether or not their appointments might have been influenced by ulterior political considerations.
"...it deserves to be pointed out that not all member states from the Balkan region were prepared to kowtow before Battistelli."In any event, it remains to be seen whether the new representatives from the "Balkan League" states will continue to play the role of "captured delegates", meekly subservient to Battistelli's successor Campinos, or whether they will manage to take a principled stand for justice and the rule of law at the EPO.
The voting record of these delegations during the Battistelli era, and afterwards under Campinos, gives little cause for optimism in this regard.
The actions of these countries on the EPO's Administrative Council tend to confirm their reputation as "captured states". However, it deserves to be pointed out that not all member states from the Balkan region were prepared to kowtow before Battistelli.
"In the next part we will stay in the general vicinity of the Balkan Peninsula as we turn our attention to Greece and its neighbours, Cyprus and Turkey."Two of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia - namely, Slovenia and Serbia – frequently took a critical stance towards the Corsican despot and his nefarious machinations at the EPO. Both of these delegations withheld their support during the vote on the "Strike Regulations" in June 2013.
However, before we take a closer look at the "abstentionists", we will continue and complete our examination of the remaining delegations that supported Battistelli on that occasion.
In the next part we will stay in the general vicinity of the Balkan Peninsula as we turn our attention to Greece and its neighbours, Cyprus and Turkey. ⬆