It is a place to meet, a place for friends, for lovers. It is Vilsonovo Avenue, in Sarajevo, shaded by four rowes of age-old lime trees that survived even the 90’s war. When the lime trees are in flower, it is time to go back
It’s a crutial sector of the Western Balkans economy. Just as much as it’s important it’s also been neglected during the transitional years. A broad review of the agriculture and rural areas on this side of Southeastern Europe
A sport’s legend is able to solve the Bosnian soccer crisis, banned from international competitions because incapable of electing just one President for its football federation rather than three. An injection full of trust that could contaminate its politics
The enthusiasm for Ratko Mladić’s arrest has generated a mission accomplished climate with regards to justice for the crimes committed in the ‘90s. There are still, however, many ongoing trials, both at The Hague and in the local Courts, and many cases still to investigate
They were multilingual places where secret languages were spoken. What has remained in the Balkan Bazaars of these codes, invented in order to understand each other and yet not be understood by outsiders? Our analysis
Carla Del Ponte, former Head of the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Tribunal of the Hague, comments on the position of the defendant and on the possible development of the case. Interview
The umpteenth crisis fifteen years after Dayton. Nationalisms are destabilizing the State, while the International community seems powerless and confused. Bosnia is seeking its way into the EU amongst many difficulties and wounds that are still open. A comment
Mladić's arrest opens a new page for Serbia and for the whole region. On the XXth anniversary since the start of the dissolution of Yugoslavia, a sign that the ex-socialist country's long transition has come to an end. After thousands of victims. Our comment
They won't be there, at Eurovision 2011. But their piece, called 'Euro Song', is already on everybody's lips. They are the Dubioza Kolektiv who want to to talk about Europe. And their efforts have been rewarded.
In the open crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the international community must avoid the trap of a head-on collision, bringing the European integration process back to the forefront of the political debate. In a Bosnia with no High Representative
The political crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country's European path and the attempts at much-needed constitutional reform. Our interview with Paola Pampaloni, Head of the BiH Unit of the European Commission's Enlargement Directorate
Many international investigations on corruption in Bosnia and Herzegovina have not produced results. Reasons for this include poorly evidenced allegations and limited knowledge of local law. The Bosnian experience was then transferred to Kosovo. Our study
The protection of victims of domestic violence in Bosnia Herzegovina is guaranteed by a number of laws, but more often than not they are not enforced. In the background a society that is still very patriarchal and the heavy institutional burden left by the Dayton Peace Agreement. Our analysis
Informality allows people to change their immediate circumstances for the better, but it locks the state and society in a vicious circle of reproduction of a weak state, promising insecurity for the majority and prosperity for the few. From openDemocracy
The state of the economy in Bosnia and Herzegovina: the case of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Zenica-Doboj canton, the country's industrial and agricultural sectors, and the hard chase after European funds. Our reportage
All over Bosnia, the sites of atrocities often lack any kind of formal memorial to commemorate them. Observers say that this reflects an ongoing reluctance by the ethnic group whose members committed the crimes to acknowledge that they occurred at all. From IWPR
From socialism to war, from war to market economy. The transition of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the history of a giant industrial kombinat, Zavidovići's Krivaja. The winners and the losers of privatisations, 15 years later
It is not an NGO nor an association, but, developing from the grass roots with great enthusiasm, it has both rare entrepreneurial spirit and strong civic commitment. Scorpio is a private firm, a so-called Limited Company, but it is strongly community minded
Azra Nuhefendić, writer, journalist and correspondent for Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso won the journalistic prize "Writing for Central and Eastern Europe". We publish her speech for the ceremony held in Vienna on 22 November 2010
Giving evidence in the trial against former senior police officials Stojan Zupljanin and Mico Stanisic, accused of crimes like extermination, persecution and cruel treatment of non-Serb civilians, Mevludin Sejmenovic, an ex-Bosniak politician, testified this week about the 1992 takeover of power in Prijedor by the Serbian Democratic Party. From IWPR
There are 911 Unesco heritage sites in the world. 18 of these in the Western Balkans. From the open plains on the island of Hvar to the Mostar Bridge, archaelogical sites in Albania and the Durmitor glaciers in Montenegro: a review
On 14 September the EC reported that Albania and Bosnia are ready to qualify for visa-free access to the Schengen area. France has objected to this, putting itself in an awkward position vis-à-vis the EU, a mistake that the European Stability Initiative argues should be rectified
Domenica 3 ottobre si svolgeranno le elezioni politiche in Bosnia Erzegovina. Europa, sviluppo e migliore qualità della vita sono le promesse della campagna elettorale, come nel 2006. Ma in questi 4 anni quasi nulla è cambiato. La lunga onda del passato, i programmi elettorali
Bosnia Herzegovina is rich in waters and has huge energy potential. The Bosnian Federation alone is planning the construction of 12 hydro-electric, thermal plants and wind mills during the next 10 years. Until now, the tenders carried out in this sector, however, have not been transparent
Bosnian director Danis Tanović, winner of an Academy Award for his movie No man's land, is getting ready for the October elections with Naša Stranka, the party he founded only two years ago. To defeat the rubbish of history. Our interview
Italian regions, south-eastern European local authorities, and Italian civil society organisations will combine their experiences in a three-year programme. SeeNet II – South-East Europe Network is the widest partnership of decentralised cooperation between Italy and the Balkans
An attack by war veterans on a federal government office reflects the serious problems in the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The unsustainable cost of public administration; the war-related welfare expenses; the consequences of the global crisis. An analysis by economist Drazen Simic
Mostar, Berlin, Kosovska Mitrovica, Beirut. Four cities marked by a common fate: divided, ghettos for their own citizens and frontiers between worlds in conflict. The “Festival of Art in Divided Cities”, held in Mostar in April, sought to demystify stereotypes and to create new connections
The Faculty of Law of the University of Vienna, togheter with the Faculties of Political Sciences, of Law, and of Islamic Sciences of the University in Sarajevo, launched in 2009 a series of international conferences on constitutional reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The proposals emerged from the discussion
