Articles by Serena Epis

Right to health: borders as opportunities

12/02/2024 -  Serena Epis

For citizens of border areas, accessing quality healthcare services can be difficult. Cross-border cooperation, also thanks to EU cohesion policy, can be effective in guaranteeing the right to health for all. An interview

Serbia, EU cohesion policy between challenges and opportunities

02/02/2024 -  Serena Epis

The management of European funds is an often complex task that requires specific administrative and technical-financial skills. For accession countries such as Serbia, preparation to the negotiation stage is key

Regional policy in Serbia's EU accession process

30/10/2023 -  Serena Epis

Serbia has not yet opened Chapter 22 of the EU accession negotiations on regional policy and coordination of structural instruments. For the European Commission, the lack of an institutional framework and administrative capacities in key institutions remains the main obstacle

Rossella Puccio: the truth is revolutionary

09/06/2023 -  Serena Epis

Since the beginning of the year, the European consortium Media Freedom Rapid Response has recorded 34 cases of violation of press freedom in Italy, including assaults, verbal attacks, and strategic lawsuits. We talked about it with Rossella Puccio, an independent journalist who was the victim of attacks and intimidation

Start-ups in Albania: a young but promising ecosystem

29/11/2022 -  Serena Epis

The start-up sector in Albania is relatively young, yet it has big innovation potential, especially in the ICT industry. An interview with Arjan Ymer, director of the business incubator Oficina

Macedonia del Nord: O2 Inicijativa, attivismo e ambiente

08/11/2022 -  Serena Epis

Nata come gruppo civico informale, O2 Inicijativa è diventata una delle associazioni ecologiste più influenti della Macedonia del Nord. Ne abbiamo parlato con Ellie Peseva, giornalista e attivista ambientale

Serbia: Eko Straza, citizens in action against air pollution

28/10/2022 -  Serena Epis

Eko Straza is one of the civic initiatives that with activism and protests across the country has contributed most to bringing environmental issues to the centre of public and political debate in Serbia. We interviewed Stanislav Vuckovic, an activist of the group

Promoting innovation in Albania: the role of academia

27/10/2022 -  Serena Epis

Innovation clusters that involve relevant stakeholders, from public authorities to the private sector and academia are key to reducing brain drain and promoting local development. We talked about it with Jolta Kacani, professor at the University of Tirana

Bosnia and Herzegovina, experiments in deliberative democracy

01/10/2022 -  Serena Epis

An assembly of citizens in BiH has proposed a way out of the age-old problem of constitutional reform, pending for years after the Sejdic-Finci ruling of 2009. An interview with Nenad Stojanovic

Romania: democracy without participation

22/07/2022 -  Serena EpisMaria Francesca Rita

The Resource Centre for Public Participation is an NGO that seeks to promote citizens’ participation in the decision-making process. This is particularly difficult in Romania. We interviewed director Oana Preda

Eastern Europe: environment and transnational activism

28/06/2022 -  Luisa ChiodiSerena Epis

Through transnational political activism, social actors contribute to deepening democratic processes on a European level, also in the environmental sector. An interview with Aron Buzogány, professor for political science at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna

The EU macro-regions: building redevelopment and environmental protection

20/06/2022 -  Serena Epis

Energy efficiency and renovation programmes in the building sector are crucial to achieve the 2050 climate neutrality target envisaged by the European Commission. This topic was discussed in a stakeholder session during the European Macro-Regions Week 2022

European macro-regions: digitalisation and data sharing for safer and more sustainable maritime transport

17/03/2022 -  Serena Epis

Digitalisation and technological innovation are key to the development of the European maritime industry. Digital services for communicating data and information are increasingly essential to ensure better connectivity and safer, more sustainable navigation in European waters

Green networks in the Balkans

10/03/2022 -  Serena Epis

Protection of birdlife, ecological corridors that connect the Dinaric area to the Alps, sharing of good practices: the ecological association BIOM talks about its many years of experience and the creation of green networks in the region

Italy-Slovenia: the ecological link

01/03/2022 -  Serena Epis

Between Italy and Slovenia there are two natural parks that have been in dialogue for years. We interviewed Antonio Andrich, director of the Julian Pre-Alps Natural Park

Cooperation between territories to relaunch enlargement to the Western Balkans

04/01/2022 -  Serena Epis

How can the macro-regional strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) facilitate enlargement to the Western Balkans? This was discussed in a webinar last October

Sharing knowledge to protect the Adriatic and the Ionian Sea

13/12/2021 -  Serena Epis

"Candidate countries for EU accession work really hard and they have the knowledge, but the experience of partner institutions from EU members is invaluable". When transnational networks help European integration. An interview

Young people's EU 33

09/12/2021 -  Serena EpisOrnaldo GjergjiPaolo MartinoValentina PacificiMaria Francesca Rita

78 young people from all over Europe gathered in the EU-Balkan Youth Forum to discuss the future of the EU and enlargement towards the Western Balkans

Relazioni Serbia-UE: la società civile per rilanciare i negoziati sulle politiche ambientali

29/07/2021 -  Serena Epis

La società civile può essere un alleato delle istituzioni europee per scardinare la mancanza di volontà del governo serbo di attuare le norme in campo ambientale. È però necessario che l'UE garantisca maggiore supporto al settore