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Francesco Martino

Francesco Martino - Journalist

Degree in Media Studies from the University of Trieste. He worked in the field of international cooperation in Kosovo before becoming  a journalist. He has been living and working in Sofia since 2005 and in Bulgaria he has collaborated with various Italian and international media providers. He speaks Bulgarian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovene and Macedonian. Based in Sofia, he has been working for Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso since 2006.


Articles by Francesco Martino

Investigative journalism in Bulgaria, the challenge is to resist

06/12/2018 -  Francesco Martino Sofia

From his recent arrest during an investigation on corruption in public procurement to the murder of TV host Viktoria Marinova, Bivol's investigative journalist Dimitar Stoyanov gives an overview of the criticizes of information in Bulgaria

Bulgaria, freedom of the press at the time of the EU presidency

20/04/2018 -  Francesco Martino Sofia

Bulgaria currently holds its first, historic presidency of the Council of Ministers of the EU: in these very same months, however, the main international observers have continued to place the country as the last in Europe for freedom of the media

EU enlargement: a new strategy, with hands by the brakes

01/03/2018 -  Francesco Martino

The European Commission has renewed its strategy for the accession of the western Balkans as an essential geo-strategic investment for the EU. From Brussels, however, no concessions can be expected.

China goes to Serbia: infrastructure and politics

23/01/2018 -  Francesco Martino

Serbia increasingly appears as a central hub in the Balkans for the Chinese-led "Belt and Road Initiative", both at an infrastructural and a political level. We discussed about it with Dragana Mitrović (University of Belgrade)

Rural Albania, the bet of those who stay

09/01/2018 -  Francesco Martino Mërtur

Wild, untamed mountains, poverty, and massive depopulation. In the villages of northern Albania, some resist the temptation to escape to the city and hope for a new beginning, made of sustainable rural development and alternative tourism. Our report

Jovo Martinović, when investigative journalism ends up behind bars

04/12/2017 -  Francesco Martino Pristina

In Montenegro - NATO member country and EU candidate - attacks against the press are numerous and a journalist may be imprisoned for his investigative work. It is the story of Jovo Martinović, currently under trial. Our interview

China in the Balkans, "firmly in play in the coming years"

28/11/2017 -  Francesco Martino

Chinese presence in the Balkans is rapidly growing, mainly through its "Belt and Road Initiative" - the new Silk road linking East and West - which brings opportunities but also risks to the region. An interview with the financial analyst Jens Bastian

Bulgaria and Macedonia, good neighbours?

11/08/2017 -  Francesco Martino Sofia

The signing of the good-neighbour agreement with Macedonia, long pursued by Bulgaria, is undoubtedly a success for Sofia's diplomacy. However, the practical and long-term effects of the agreements remain to be seen

Sofia, a growing tourist destination

28/07/2017 -  Francesco Martino Sofia

Sofia is enjoying a tourism boom, especially thanks to the ever-increasing number of low-cost flights. The economy benefits from it, but a long-term sustainable tourism strategy is still missing

Political instability in the Balkans: the remedies are long-term

11/07/2017 -  Marzia BonaFrancesco Martino

Experts increasingly warn about the serious risks stemming from the consolidation of a vicious “stabilitocracy”. The focus of European and Western interests in the Balkans shifted from democratisation and human rights to security issues