With the accession of Ukraine and Moldova, the European Union will increase its arable land by 28%. The impact on agriculture will therefore be considerable, both within the EU and in the candidate countries. Moldova, which since 2016 has been exporting its agricultural produce to the EU duty-free, has much to teach us about the challenges and the opportunities for development ahead

18/08/2026, Oxana Bodnar, Lola García-Ajofrín, Alicia Alamillos 

On 15 June, Moldova opened accession negotiations with the European Union. In a country where agri-food products account for 45% of exports and where the agricultural sector employs 21% of the workforce, farming is set to undergo a radical transformation in just a few years. Chișinău’s goal is to join the EU by 2030

17/08/2026, Margherita Gobbat 

The Ohrid Framework Agreement ended the armed conflict in North Macedonia in 2001 and expanded the political, linguistic and cultural rights of the Albanian community. Twenty-five years later, the real challenge is to transform a system designed to prevent conflict into a functional and inclusive society

13/08/2026, Katerina Topalova, Elira Kadriu 

150 km south of Chișinău, Taraclia is the capital of Moldova’s Bulgarian minority. In 2025, an agreement with Sofia led to the creation of a new university, a branch campus of the University of Ruse in Bulgaria. For the Bulgarian government it is a strategic investment; for the Moldovan one, a political gamble that has yet to pay off.

12/08/2026, Gian Marco Moisé, Desislava Koleva 

In south-eastern Europe, too, remote working in rural areas is attracting an ever-increasing number of workers seeking a better balance between personal and professional development. Despite ongoing challenges, this trend is now seen as a potential solution to the depopulation of marginalised areas. Our report

11/08/2026, Francesco Martino  Bansko

With the end of Yugoslavia, the system that supported wine production in the federation’s territories crumbled. After years of difficult transition, some producers are now attempting to rebuild the sector on new foundations, focusing on quality and global competitiveness

10/08/2026, Ian Bancroft