The idea of Europe as a besieged fortress, with a bulwark of Christendom running through the Balkans, is still widely popular. Debunking it is not enough: according to historian Edin Hajdarpašić, Europe needs a counter-narrative in which the Balkans turn from a wall into a home

28/10/2026, Luisa Chiodi  Pristina

By broadening the scope of action and involving the societies of both countries, “we can accelerate political normalization and bring the process to completion, integrating the entire region into the European Union.” An interview with Bernard Nikaj, former Minister of Trade and Industry and Kosovo’s Ambassador to Belgium

28/10/2026, Federico Baccini 

Bulgarian voters deserted the polls in the first round of the presidential election on 25 October. The runoff, set for 1 November, will pit interim President Ilyana Yotova against former liberal caretaker prime minister Andrey Gyurov, who has unexpectedly closed much of the gap with the candidate backed by Progressive Bulgaria

26/10/2026, Francesco Martino  Sofia

All eyes will be on the capital, Belgrade, but Serbia’s snap election on Sunday, October 25, will also be decided in the country’s heartland. As in Niš, where Vučić brought his campaign to a close and students have been building a movement for change for years. Our report

23/10/2026, Francesco Martino  Niš

Strengthening cooperation will “shift the focus from managing persistent uncertainty to creating shared, consolidated economic interests,” ultimately laying the groundwork for political reconciliation. An interview with Will Bartlett, author of the paper on this topic

21/10/2026, Federico Baccini 

Last weekend downtown Tirana turned into a scene of violent clashes between protesters and police. Molotov cocktails, stones, tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets were used during the unrest, as riot police confronted groups of demonstrators

20/10/2026, Arbjona Çibuku  Tirana