All the news

Sustainable fashion: Mirjana's hats

27/03/2024 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

A young student, designer and entrepreneur from North Macedonia decided to make her dreams come true by developing hats produced by reusing waste materials. The idea is enjoying great success

Pulse, a new collaborative journalism project on European affairs

26/03/2024 -  Redazione

Last week saw the presentation in Brussels of "PULSE. Europe beyond the beat", an ambitious project coordinated by OBCT aimed at making collaboration among European newsrooms a tool to harness the coverage of European affairs

‘Luka’, a Tale of War, Justice and Forgiveness

25/03/2024 -  Ian Bancroft*

This is the first of two extracts from Ian Bancroft’s new novel, which tells of lives scarred by wars past and present and whose main characters - L., U., K., and A. - are confronted with the dilemmas of truth and justice, and the struggle to reconcile and forgive

North Macedonia, media and public funds

21/03/2024 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

In view of the upcoming political and presidential elections, the Macedonian government has reintroduced forms of public funding for the media. However, the country's media organisations argue that the move may aggravate the influence of political interests on news outlets

Armenia, one step closer to the EU

21/03/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

European Parliament resolution highlights Armenia’s growing relationship with the EU, but many questions remain

Private universities in Greece, education and democracy

15/03/2024 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Last March 8, the Greek parliament approved a law that enables the creation of private universities: a provision that divides the country, bringing the right to education and democracy back under the spotlight

Croatia, Plenković against the European Prosecutor's Office

14/03/2024 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

Post-earthquake European funds awarded without tender: according to a journalistic investigation, this is embezzlement. This is where an open conflict arises between the European Prosecutor's Office and Croatian Prime Minister Plenković, which risks having repercussions also on the upcoming legislative elections

EU funds: absorption difficulties persist

12/03/2024 -  Maura Madeddu

A study by the European Parliament examined the use of cohesion funds in the seven-year period 2014-2020, highlighting a decrease in absorption rates. It is necessary to reform the administrative system at national level and simplify the rules governing cohesion policy

Ćerimagić: Regional cooperation to be linked to EU membership

11/03/2024 -  Gentiola Madhi

The EU has invested considerable efforts in stimulating regional cooperation in the Balkans over the last decades, yet the results are questionable. Which are the reasons behind such slow progress and where does Bosnia and Herzegovina stand? We talked about it with Adnan Ćerimagić analyst at ESI

The Armenian dream for Indians

06/03/2024 -  Armine Avetisyan Yerevan

The number of Indians moving to Armenia is increasing and for thousand of them Armenia is a dream, but not everyone's dream comes true right away

Romania, if delays slow down the photovoltaic sector

05/03/2024 -  Laura Popa

Romania produces more and more photovoltaic energy also thanks to the rapid increase in prosumers - consumers who resell excess energy from their panels to the grid. A virtuous process, but limited by long delays in payments and an unclear legal framework

North Macedonia: politics and toxic communication

04/03/2024 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

According to a recent study, public discourse in North Macedonia is saturated with toxic narratives: these are spread not only by political parties and characters, but also by the media, often incapable of carrying out their role as a filter and guarantor towards the public

Trieste, where the Balkan route ends solidarity continues

02/03/2024 -  Chiara Milan

In the 'Silos' area in Trieste, history repeats itself: in the places that once housed Istrian refugees, people arriving via the Balkan Route now live in degrading conditions. While waiting for a more dignified solution, the transnational solidarity network tries to make up for the ills produced by a short-sighted political vision of migration policies

European Union Mission in Armenia Marks First Anniversary

29/02/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

For a year, the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) has been deployed on the border with Azerbaijan, which it patrols regularly: a measure considered necessary by Yerevan - which fears a new conflict - but viewed with suspicion by Baku

“Green” airports: the goal of Puglia, Albania and Montenegro

28/02/2024 -  Paola Rosà

An Interreg cross-border cooperation project to reduce CO2 emissions at all levels, from aircraft engines to plastic consumption on the ground, has produced a practical handbook. We interviewed two of the main managers, Anita Maurodinoia and Vito Antonio Antonacci

KLIK, the Croatian energy cooperative

27/02/2024 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

A women's cooperative that serves as an information point for energy and climate issues: in 2023, KLIK received the European Commission's European Sustainable Energy award for developing an energy community in Croatia "that brings clean energy to citizens"

Greece, historic legalisation of same-sex marriages

22/02/2024 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Greece has made history by becoming the first Orthodox-majority country to legalise same-sex marriage. A step that comes after a long journey, marked by strong opposition from the Church and conservative forces in the country

Montenegro rethinks airports in a European perspective

19/02/2024 -  Paola Rosà

Thanks to the cohesion funds of the European SOLAR project, carried out in collaboration by Montenegro, Italy and Albania, measures to contain greenhouse gases and improve energy efficiency are being studied, with a view to the EU accession process

North Macedonia, education system in disarray

15/02/2024 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

Among many problems, North Macedonia is trying to reform its education system, adapting it to the challenges of the present. The results, however, at least for now, remain disappointing

Armenia, Pashinyan pushes for new constitution, opposition screams foul

15/02/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan plans to change the country's constitution. According to some, any new constitution is linked to a potential peace agreement with Azerbaijan. The opposition, however, stands firm and screams foul