European Union

The Eu and de facto states: adjust expectations, support small steps

13/02/2019 -  Giorgio Comai

Meaningful engagement with de facto states and consistent, patient support for constructive approaches as they emerge from the region are the way to go for the EU and other international actors in the coming months

Bears return to the Alps

22/01/2019 -  Laura Pes

In the collective imagination, bears are one of the wild animals with which humanity has struggled the most over the course of history. After virtual extermination, the reintroduction of bears in a number of European countries is arousing enthusiasm as well as perplexity

There’s an urgent need for foreign labour in Croatia

29/01/2019 -  Francesca Rolandi

Fewer births, greater life expectancy, emigration. These are some of the ingredients adding up to local labour shortages - now a major problem in many Eastern European countries

Albania, vetting process and bilateral issues with Greece

05/12/2018 -  Gentiola Madhi

The slow vetting process of judges and prosecutors in Albania has been stalling the establishment of the new self-governing bodies of the judiciary, affecting the resolution of the country’s longstanding bilateral issues with Greece

Turkey media, between European solidarity and tolerance

30/11/2018 -  Fazıla Mat

The difficult situation of Turkey's press told by well-known journalists, the effects of European solidarity initiatives, and the prospects for the future. A report of the event "Turkey's Media Under Siege", covered by OBCT

"Border correction", a dangerous game

12/10/2018 -  Majlinda Aliu Pristina

In recent months there has been an increasing talk of a swap of territories between Serbia and Kosovo: a solution that raises concerns and question marks. The debate among the Kosovo Albanians

Tirana: a street not to forget Alessandro Leogrande

26/09/2018 -  Erion Gjatolli Tirana

Less than a year after his untimely death, Albania celebrates Alessandro Leogrande. The Municipality of Tirana dedicates him a street and his Albanian publisher celebrates his work. Here, we remember him through a conversation he had with his friend Nicola Lagioa

Cyprus: words matter

02/10/2018 -  Valentina Vivona

Death threats, a petition, protests. Last July, in Cyprus, a glossary for journalism published by the OSCE sparked a furious debate

Festivals bring the world to Kosovo

04/09/2018 -  Majlinda Aliu Pristina

Music festivals and cultural events: this summer Kosovo has seen many initiatives meant to promote the country abroad and provide new inspiration to its young population, which remains the most isolated in Europe

Greece leaves bailout programmes: “And now, what’s going to happen to us without barbarians?"

29/08/2018 -  Elvira Krithari Athens

What is going to happen in Greece without external financial help is yet to be seen. Regardless of what the government and the opposition affirm, the financial crisis is not over

Pakistani Journalist Among Migrants in Bosnia: A Refugee from Oppression

27/08/2018 -  Adis Nadarević Sarajevo

The story of Muhammad Yasir, Pakistano journalist who fled from his country and who now lives in the nylon tents of the migrant camp in Velika Kladusa

North Macedonia: agreement sparks controversy in Greece

29/06/2018 -  Elvira Krithari Athens

What the agreement really offered, apart from turning the page for two Balkan countries, is a chance to observe political tendencies in Greece, by highlighting parties’ true colors and capacities

Croatia and its neighbours after the entry into the EU

29/06/2018 -  Francesca Rolandi

Over the past five years, since Croatia joined the EU and the centre-right rose to power, relations with neighbouring countries have undergone a progressive deterioration

Croatia: agriculture and fisheries at the time of the EU

29/06/2018 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

Two important sectors for the country, two important EU policies with which Zagreb has had to deal – not always with the best outcome, due to lack of preparation and poor management of negotiations

Croatian citizens are indifferent about the EU

26/06/2018 -  Sven Milekić Zagreb

Paul Stubbs, British sociologist at the Institute of Economics in Zagreb, lives in Croatia for 25 years and claims, supported by figures, that Croatia did not benefit the EU membership, while its citizens remain indifferent on the issue

190 million Europeans have never been abroad

22/06/2018 -  Lorenzo Ferrari

Erasmus, the end of roaming charges, the convenience of the euro: the rhetoric promoting the benefits of European integration only really addresses those citizens who regularly travel to other EU countries. In fact, 37 percent of EU citizens have never been outside their own country

Croatia, refugees and responsibilities

28/06/2018 -  Francesca Rolandi

Two years after its entry into the European Union, Croatia saw the arrival of the first waves of refugees and migrants. With the change of government in 2016, the first instances of solidarity gave way to rejection and violence.

Croatia: emigration, European funds, and beers

21/06/2018 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

Some leave and never want to come back, some – although the country is not fully ready yet – use EU funds to create new artisanal businesses, such as the production of craft beers

Croatia: identity, the past, and reconciliation

27/06/2018 -  Francesca Rolandi

It's been 5 years since Croatia entered the European Union – years in which the nationalist right came back to power and Zagreb abandoned the policy of reconciliation with the countries of the region

Not a priority for MEPs on the right

30/05/2018 -  Lucia Bruni

The European Parliament recently adopted a resolution on media freedom and pluralism. How many voted in favour, and how many against? Did geography and ideology make an impact on the vote? A brief analysis

Serbia: parallel divergences

29/05/2018 -  Dragan Janjić Belgrade

According to the Minister of Defense, Serbia should part ways with Brussels; for the President of the Republic the European road is not under discussion. Simple divergences, political crisis, or usual two-voice game for two different audiences – local and EU?

Western Balkans-EU Integration: Why Italy should take the lead

16/05/2018 -  Luisa Chiodi

On the eve of the Sofia Summit between the EU and the Western Balkans, an analysis of Italy's role in the enlargement process

Reform of the Dublin Regulation – Towards another wasted opportunity?

21/05/2018 -  Francesca Spinelli

Prolonged discussions and disagreements between governments threaten the necessary reform of European rules on the right of asylum

Connecting Western Balkans to the European Union

17/05/2018 -  Gentiola Madhi*

In the last few years, "connectivity" has been one of the keywords of the process of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans. An analysis

The numbers of the Eu enlargement

17/05/2018

The EU-Western Balkans summit, held on May 17 in Sofia, was conceived to restore momentum to the European perspective of the region. But what are the cultural, institutional and economic relations that already link the member countries and those of the Western Balkans? This video, realized within the EDJNet project, presents some figures on the flows to and from the countries of the region.

The Romanian “slaves” behind the Sicilian tomatoes

15/05/2018 -  Iulia Badea Guéritée

Hundreds of migrant women moved from Romania to Sicily in order to work, but they are now reduced to a sort of contemporary slaves. The issue has been brought to the European Parliament, where many politicians are urging the EU to intervene

Montenegro: journalist Olivera Lakić attacked

18/05/2018 -  Damira Kalač Podgorica

Olivera Lakić, investigative journalist from the Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti, was shot and wounded in front of her house, in the same place where she was beaten up six years ago. It's not easy to be a journalist in Montenegro

Sardinia: shepherds of Romania

19/07/2018 -  Francesca Rolandi

They mostly come from the Romanian region of Moldova, and since the early 2000s they have migrated to Sardinia, where they are employed in the agro-pastoral sector. A phenomenon analysed by anthropologist Sergio Contu

A Wikipedia online contest on Media Freedom

03/05/2018

On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated today, OBCT launches an online contest to translate and improve articles on media freedom on Wikipedia

Dossier: Freedom of the press in Bulgaria

03/05/2018 -  Nicola PedrazziFazıla MatValentina Vivona

Dangerous entanglements between media, politics and business in the country in charge of the Presidency of the Council of the EU