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DECEMBER

December 2 Kosovos Special Prosecution charges six people with involvement in the murder of former Kosovo Serb political party leader Oliver Ivanovic, who was shot dead in January 2018.

December 5 Bosnias parliament confirms Bosnian Serb politician Zoran Tegeltija as the new President of the Council of Ministers the state-level government ending a political impasse that has dragged on for more than a year since the last elections.

December 10 BIRN learns that the indictment for the murder of politician Oliver Ivanovic says two prominent Kosovo Serbs, Milan Radoicic and Zvonko Veselinovic, were leaders of a criminal group responsible for the killing, and accuses several policemen of aiding the crime.

December 13 Human Rights Watch savages Bosnian officials for their failure to reform a constitution that a key European Court of Human Rights ruling condemned as discriminatory exactly a decade ago.

December 13 Big parties in and outside the government join forces to block planned reforms of the countrys election law, adding weight to reports of rifts inside the governing coalition.

December 16 The liberal mayors of Bratislava, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw meet in the Hungarian capital to sign a symbolic Pact of Free Cities, vowing to create a pro-European, positive alliance and collectively seek EU funds directly from Brussels.

December 18 Albanian lawmakers adopt controversial media laws that many say will undermine press freedom in the country, defying calls from the European Commission and other bodies to step back.

December 22 Romanians pay homage to the more than 1,100 people killed during the 1989 revolution that freed the country from more than 40 years of totalitarian rule.

December 22 In Croatia, a tight presidential election race ends with two contenders, former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic and incumbent President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, going into a run-off in January. Experts say conservative Grabar-Kitarovic is best placed to win.

December 24 Dragan Lukac, interior minister of Bosnias Republika Srpska, slaps an opposition MP who confronts him during a debate on a sealed document concerning Bosnias relations with NATO, triggering outrage from opposition lawmakers.

December 24 In North Macedonia, a courts failure to meet a deadline to issue a verdict could mean that the two-year trial of fugitive ex-prime minister Nikola Gruevski for abuse of office may need to restart from the beginning.

December 25 In Kosovo, talks between the two biggest parties hit a brick wall, raising the prospect of political paralysis and possible new elections.

December 26 Across the Balkans, liberal-sounding access to information laws vital for a free media have yet to bring real transparency to traditionally secretive countries, a BIRN report shows.

December 26 In a new twist to Kosovos complicated post-election coalition talks, the second-placed Democratic League of Kosovo says it will support a Vetevendosje-led minority government without joining it.

December 27 Lawmakers in Montenegro pass a controversial law on freedom of religion amid chaotic scenes in parliament, despite fierce objections from the Serbian Orthodox Church and pro-Serbian opposition parties. The law is supported by the ruling Democratic Party of Socialists, the ethnic minority Albanian, Bosniak and Croats parties and one opposition party, the Social Democratic Party. Thousands rally in the capital and other towns.

December 28 Leaders of North Macedonias two main parties are reportedly close to finalising an agreement on forming a technical caretaker government, 100 days ahead of early elections in April 2020.

December 30 In North Macedonia, the formation of a caretaker government ahead of April snap elections runs into problems because the opposition VMRO DPMNE party proposes an army officer as interior minister, which is not allowed under the constitution.

More here:
Timeline: A Year of Democracy in Central and Southeast Europe | Reporting Democracy - Balkan Insight