Journalists across Europe are often subjected to subtle forms of pressure and intimidation, including vexatious lawsuits frequently initiated by influential politicians or businesspeople. Blerjana Bino, Executive Director of SCiDEV and Researcher at the SafeJournalists Network, provides insight into the situation in the country
Amid a systematic erosion of editorial independence by the government, stronger international support is needed to uphold media freedom in the country. An interview with Igor Božić, news director of the independent N1 TV
Anthropologist Anca Danilă is the creator of the project Caiete de rețete (Recipe Notebooks), launched in Bucharest two years ago, which aims to collect family recipe books, archive them in a digital database and thus protect a precious heritage
The disconnect between the younger generation and traditional media, the struggles to hold public institutions accountable, and the urgent need for a syndicate to protect journalists’ rights. These are just some of the challenges that the media sector has to face in Albania. An interview
In an unexpected move, the Turkish political establishment has once again sent signals of openness to the Kurdish armed struggle. But what are the deep reasons behind this strategy? We asked sociologist Mesut Yeğen
Chapter 22 on cohesion policy is one of the most complex negotiating chapters Serbia has to deal with for EU accession. In this interview, Dragana Djurica provides crucial insights into the critical role of civil society, the importance of regional development, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead
Lufti Dervishi, a founding member of the Albanian Center for Quality Journalism, emphasises the challenges that Albanian journalism faces today. The media are entangled in corruption, self-censorship, and state-sponsored disinformation. However, not everything is negative, and there is still reason for hope
The energy sector in Bulgaria is going through a phase of profound transformation, between the need to proceed with decarbonisation and that of freeing itself from traditional ties with Russia. We talked about it in Sofia with expert Kostantsa Rangelova
An innovative library, created with EU cohesion funds, in the former industrial area of Rijeka, now redeveloped and transformed into an authentic artistic district. We met the director of Rijeka City Library Niko Cvjetković
César Campoy, a writer and journalist originally from Valencia, Spain, is one of the leading experts on the Balkan region in his country. We met him in his hometown before he left for the Balkans. His "Balkan Odyssey", published in Spain last April, is already in its second edition
"We must go beyond the idea that the Western Balkans are a sort of ghetto made up of non-EU countries. This would contribute not only to the Europeanisation of the Western Balkans, but also to overcoming some disagreements between candidate countries and EU member states". Ana Krstinovska, founder and president of the think tank Estima based in Bitola, in North Macedonia and research fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
Media outlets in the country are increasingly exposed to cyber attacks, online threats and manipulations. We talked about digital security and its impact on independent journalism in Serbia with Bojan Perkov, digital policy coordinator at SHARE Foundation
Ado Hasanović, a director of Bosnian origin living in Italy, interviewed on his way back from Cannes, talks about his next projects, which also directly involve his Srebrenica. An interview
Almost non-existent professional ethics, capture of the media by politics and financial unsustainability are just some of the main issues that make the Albanian media landscape particularly alarming. An interview
The Italian-Albanian activist Arbër Agalliu has been advocating for more than a decade for a reform of the obsolete Italian citizenship law, which not only makes life impossible for aspiring Italian citizens, but also makes many young people feel like foreigners in their own country. Our interview
Increasing political and financial pressure threatens the independence and editorial autonomy of many media outlets in Serbia. We interviewed Irina Milutinović, Senior Research Associate at the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade and co-author of the Country Report on Serbia of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2023
Waste management, post-earthquake reconstruction, urban services: there are various areas in which the administration of the Croatian capital, led by the progressive green coalition "Možemo" (We Can) since 2021, has intervened also thanks to European funds. We talked about it with Luka Korlaet, deputy mayor of Zagreb
In 2021, then opposition leader Giorgia Meloni sued Roberto Saviano for defamation. Last October, the Rome Criminal Court issued a sentence against the Italian writer. A ruling that alarmed Italian and European civil society. We had a conversation about it with Antonio Nobile, Saviano's lawyer
Writer, translator from Bosnian to Italian, Elvira Mujčić arrived in Italy when she was 14 years old, escaping the war. Today she is an Italian and Bosnian citizen: a long, almost Kafkaesque journey of dual citizenship that only the support of the community of the country that welcomed her has made more bearable
Regional economic cooperation has turned into the headline of EU-Balkans relations in the last months. But what’s the situation today in the Balkans? An interview with Nenad Đurđević, advisor to the President of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Head of the Regional Council for Strategic and Policy Initiatives
The defence of rivers and water: a highly symbolic struggle which in recent years has successfully mobilised very different layers of the societies of south-eastern Europe, bringing to light both potential and contradictions. An interview
The EU has invested considerable efforts in stimulating regional cooperation in the Balkans over the last decades, yet the results are questionable. Which are the reasons behind such slow progress and where does Bosnia and Herzegovina stand? We talked about it with Adnan Ćerimagić analyst at ESI
An Interreg cross-border cooperation project to reduce CO2 emissions at all levels, from aircraft engines to plastic consumption on the ground, has produced a practical handbook. We interviewed two of the main managers, Anita Maurodinoia and Vito Antonio Antonacci
A women's cooperative that serves as an information point for energy and climate issues: in 2023, KLIK received the European Commission's European Sustainable Energy award for developing an energy community in Croatia "that brings clean energy to citizens"
Dealing with organised crime and risking your life, needing police protection just to be able to do your job and live your everyday life. Jelena Jovanović, journalist from the Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti, explains what it is like to live under police protection
In addition to EU structural and investment funds, from 2021 Romania also has access to money from the Just Transition Programme. What does this programme mean, how much money can Romania actually receive and what is it earmarked for?
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
A journalist and a photographer from Romania have been living in a van for ten years to be able to write their investigations on how life is in Romania and how expatriate Romanians live. They are Elena Stancu and Cosmin Bumbut: we met them
