The Covid-19 pandemic has brought health systems to their knees all over the world, particularly affecting the elderly. But in the Balkans, the ensuing economic and social crisis has often had shocking – and hard to ignore – effects on young people as well. In this dossier, produced with the support of the Central European Initiative - Executive Secretariat , we take stock of the first year and a half of the pandemic, and explore the post-Covid recovery scenarios for young people in Central and South-Eastern Europe

With the Green New Deal launched in 2019, the European Commission has made the fight against global warming one of its priorities. To do this, it is considered crucial to overcome fossil fuels in the European energy sector, favouring the transition to renewable energy sources with a low environmental impact. Yet in this field, at the European level, many contradictions remain: the energy sector remains responsible for many greenhouse gas emissions, public and private banks continue to invest in fossil fuels, and not all states are ready to face the necessary energy transition. A dossier by OBC Transeuropa created in the context of EDJNet, its European project devoted to data journalism.

The abuse of law as a tool to silence dissent, influence freedom of expression and capture media freedom. The 9th of a series of thematic itineraries to explore the Resource Centre on Media Freedom through a curated aggregation of contents

In Alina Mungiu-Pippidi’s definition, media capture is a situation in which the media are controlled “either directly by governments or by vested interests” which seek political influence rather than profit. The result is the creation of a hybrid regime, halfway between democracy and totalitarian state. The 8th of a series of thematic itineraries to explore the Resource Centre on Media Freedom through a curated aggregation of contents. This dossier has been developed within the ECPMF project.

Between May 23 and 26 2019, the elections for the European Parliament will be held in the 28 countries of the European Union. An important appointment, explored in this dossier from the point of view of Eastern Europe including with focus on data, thanks to our EDJNet datajournalism project

The attempted coup of July 2016 represented an unprecedented turning point for Turkey's media albeit an already problematic background. The special dossier "Media Freedom In Turkey" explores the dire situation created after the coup, presenting both the difficulties as well as the efforts to pursue quality journalism and solidarity actions.The dossier "Media Freedom in Turkey" is the seventh of a series of thematic itineraries that illustrate the most compelling issues related to media freedom in Europe through a selection of the Resource Centre on Media Freedom contents.

Balkan cities are among those with the most polluted air in Europe. The issue is aggravated by the slow reaction of the institutions. A dossier by OBCT

"Fake news" or disinformation is one of the most pressing issues of our times. Building on the materials of the Resource Centre on Press and Media Freedom in Europe, OBCT devoted its latest special dossier to this topic

On July 18th, 1992, a convoy of children left the sieged city of Sarajevo to reach Italy. 46 of those who left the Bjelave orphanage never came back to Bosnia: they were given up for adoption, although their parents were alive. A tragic story, resurfaced from the dark

Tools and facilities to protect journalists in Europe

Five years ago, on July 1st, 2013, Croatia joined the European Union - a historical step for a country heavily marked by the conflicts of the 1990s. But, what have these 5 years meant for the country? This special dossier features contents on civil rights and politics of memory; policies for refugees and asylum seekers; Europe, social inequality, and development; videos and infographics. And much more

Dangerous entanglements between media, politics and business in the country in charge of the Presidency of the Council of the EU

As hate speech is being debated more and more both online and offline, we decided to devote a special dossier to it, building on the materials of the Resource Centre on Press and Media Freedom in Europe.

The second of a series of three thematic itineraries to explore the Resource Centre on Media Freedom through a curated aggregation of contents

After the outbreak of some world-famous scandals (Wikileaks, LuxLeaks, Panama Papers ...) the debate on the democratic role of the so-called "whistleblowers" finally rose up at European level. OBCT published an analysis and asked from its network of media partners to go deeply into the subject. The dossier

This dossier presents the articles published by the network of our media partner in the ECPMF project, translated into English by OBCT

A thematic series that OBC Transeuropa dedicates - in the context of the ECPMF project - to journalistic initiatives that foster high-quality reporting, promoting and strengthening democratic values and fundamental rights in European societies

The countries of South East Europe enjoy very high standards when it comes to the legislation regulating access to public information and transparency. But the reality on the ground is different and journalists across the region denounce serious difficulties in obtaining – both from private organizations and public institutions - the access to information they are entitled by the law. This dossier presents the articles published by the network of our media partner in the ECPMF project, assessing the specific situation in the countries involved in the project.

Thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing war and persecutions, are making a dangerous journey across the Balkans to enter the European Union. A Dossier

[2014] The energy issue is high on the agenda of the European debate. The Balkans are often mentioned as a gateway, the one European region that can become an ideal host for corridors and pipelines. But, what about the internal production of energy from renewable sources in South East Europe? This dossier, produced in the frame of the BeEU project , analyses what is at stake and the current positioning of green energy in some of the region's EU member States

[2014] In many Balkan countries in these years environmental movements have been struggling to defend common goods. Are these protests creating a new idea of Europe? Our dossier

[2014] The citizens of the European Union have expressed their choice between 22 and 25 May renovating the EU Parliament. In our dossier the poll results in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Romania and Slovenia

[2014] From 22 to 25 May the European citizens will choose the next MEPs. For the first time, these elections will also help to determine who the president of the European Commission will be. Our dossier in the frame of the BeEU project, with a special focus on the South East Europe member states

[2013] In the spring of 1930, the Russian poet Osip Mandel'štam set out on a long journey with his wife Nadežda in the Caucasus, the last one before being comdemned to confinement and later death in a Siberian concentration camp. The travel of the two writers, their life and poetry, are the subject of Osservatorio's new documentary project . The multimedia

Three cities of the Western Balkans that have in common an industrial past and present.

Three cities that share the drama of high pollution and an incidence of tumors far above the average of the respective countries. Elbasan in Albania, Zenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally Pančevo in Serbia: three feature stories and three photo galleries. A new dossier by OBC.

[2012] 1992-1993, years of war that made of Abkhazia a de facto independent territory. In spite of the ethnic cleansing of ethnic Georgians that took place during the war, today's Abkhazia is still multi-ethnic. In this dossier, a feature story, an interview with a well known Abkhazian writer and with a representative of the local Armenian community. But also photos with the stories of those Georgians that twenty years ago were forced to leave their homes.

[2012] From the Lebanon to the Caucasus: Paolo Martino's journey on the tracks of the Armenian diaspora in 14 episodes

[2011] Often hidden behind the house walls, domestic violence, whose victims are mainly women, remains unspoken about in many cases. In this dossier, realised in partnership with Oneworld Platform for SEE, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso presents data, extracts of interviews with experts, information on legal reforms and their implementation, etc.

Not scared of exerting yourself? No problems with vertigo? Do you feel fulfilled after a whole day hiking with a rucksack on your back? Virtual trips for the readers of our website, as real as ever for those who decide to leave

[2011] Still a niche production, but receiving more and more attention by the day. An OBC dossier on organic farming in the Western Balkans: policies, adjustments to European standards, statistics and country by country analyses

Their name is written in different ways and with different alphabets: bazar, čaršija, çarshija, çarşı …The meaning, however, is the same: meeting and exchange place, Balkan Ottoman heritage. A dossier produced in the context of the SeeNet II Programme to to find out where they are still alive, where they have been deleted from town memories, where they still symbolize something more than mere tourist attractions

In the Caucasus, a new generation is growing with no direct memories of the USSR. Young people that are trying to build their own future, that look for a job and that more and more often play an active role in politics. They use the internet to stay in touch with each other and to organise social actions. In the northern Caucasus, the Russian government tries to fight unemployment and extremist movements supporting entrepreneurship and patriotism. In the South Caucasus, young people play an active role in the political life of their country, often struggling against those in power.

Read about dreams and daily life of youth in the Caucasus in this dossier by Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso