European Union

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

The future of Europe passes through the Dublin system

08/05/2018 -  Lucia Bruni

“The crisis of today’s Europe is not a ‘Schengen crisis’ but a ‘Dublin crisis’”. An interview with Gianfranco Schiavone, Italian jurist and expert on migration issues

Turkey, the resilience of the Academics for Peace

05/05/2018 -  Fazıla Mat

Hundreds of university lecturers in Turkey are on trial, have been expelled or fired for signing a declaration in favour of peace. The pressures suffered have led them to develop new forms of resistance and solidarity

Enjoying retirement in Albania

05/04/2018 -  Nicola Pedrazzi

The Italian retired community is growing across the Adriatic. To understand the phenomenon we interviewed Roberto Laera, an entrepreneur with decades of experience in the country

Roma in the Balkans: the story of Nazif

27/03/2018 -  Azra Nuhefendić

Nazif Mujić has died – a comet that arrived from obscurity to the Berlin Film Festival and disappeared into the darkest pitch. The discrimination of Roma people in Europe in this memory

Europe and microcredit

28/03/2018 -  OBCT

Ethical finance is no longer a niche phenomenon, and neither is microcredit. The characteristics of the latter, however, vary widely between eastern and western Europe

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.

Judicial reforms trouble the EU

25/02/2018 -  Mihaela Iordache

Both the European Commission and European Parliament have expressed a certain apprehension towards judicial reforms in Bucharest. Among the options on the table is making European funds conditional on the respect of rule of law

Europeans at the cinema, from East to West

20/02/2018 -  Marzia Bona

European cinema-going habits vary significantly: a look at the current divide between Western and Eastern Europe

Cycling in the city: Ljubljana takes inspiration from the Dutch model

26/02/2018 -  Lucia Bruni

Ljubljana is among the most accessible European capitals for cycling, and among the cities which have invested most in this mode of transport. An interview with Lea Ružič, president of the Ljubljana Cyclists Network

Plitvice lakes in danger

09/02/2018 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

Tourism, traffic, pollution, and constructions. Plitvice, today, no longer rhymes with transparent waters and uncontaminated nature. And the lakes risk to be removed from the UNESCO heritage list

Hate speech: what it is and how to contrast it

01/02/2018 -  Marzia BonaIrene DioliLorenzo FerrariFazıla MatNicola PedrazziRossella Vignola Valentina Vivona

As hate speech is being debated more and more both online and offline, we decided to devote a special dossier to it, building on the materials of the Resource Centre on Press and Media Freedom in Europe.

Turkey: the number of asylum requests has tripled over the last two years

18/12/2017 -  Fazıla Mat

Following the attempted coup d'état, the number of asylum requests from Turkish citizens for countries in the EU, Germany in particular, continues to rise

Albania: Operation Alba and the memories of Romano Prodi

19/12/2017 -  Nicola Pedrazzi

The Albanian civil war of 1997 was ended by an Italian-led international contingent. Twenty years after Operation Alba, the Prime Minister who promoted it has returned to the Land of the Eagles. An interview

Femicide: the numbers in Europe

28/11/2017 -  Alberto BurbaMarzia Bona

Regardless of the law, cases of femicide still fill the news in Europe: this worrying subject continues to arouse the interest of the media and international institutions, including in South East Europe

Whistleblowers: looking for European protection

25/10/2017 - 

The second of a series of three thematic itineraries to explore the Resource Centre on Media Freedom through a curated aggregation of contents

Go East: home is where joy is

25/10/2017 -  Lidija Pisker Sarajevo

More and more professionals from the Western Balkans choose to seek a better life by going east – opting for countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland

European challenges: defending journalism, protecting informants

11/10/2017

"Defending journalists in danger: solidarity, support and protection". This was the title and the topic of the conference that the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) – a consortium of which OBC Transeuropa is a founding member – organised in Leipzig on October 5th. An opportunity for international dialogue on a wide-ranging topic such as freedom of expression in the Internet age.

Ukraine: Saakashvili's return, Poroshenko's power

05/10/2017 -  Oleksiy Bondarenko

The political parable in Ukraine of former Georgian president Saakashvili is not over. Meanwhile, President Poroshenko has already launched a long election campaign ahead of the 2019 presidential elections

Brexit and the Parthenon marbles

29/09/2017 -  Gilda Lyghounis

Half of the Parthenon marbles are in London. Sold by an English aristocrat to the British Museum in 1816, they have been claimed by Athens for nearly two centuries. Will Brexit make them go back?

Counting the words that count

14/09/2017 - 

What are the most recurrent terms in the EU Commission’s president annual speech at the European Parliament saying about our times? We had a closer look at the patterns. A collaborative story by the European Data Journalism Network

What happens to our holiday garbage?

13/09/2017 -  Marzia BonaLorenzo Ferrari

In tourist areas across Europe, the waste generated by tourism is managed by recycling and disposal systems that are often inefficient. An overview of the situation in South-East Europe

The EU and LGBTI rights in the Western Balkans

21/07/2017 -  Lorenzo Ferrari

The prospect of entering the EU has invited the countries of the region to adopt laws against discrimination based on sex and gender. However, more efforts are needed in order to achieve structural change

True stability needs media freedom

19/07/2017 -  Dragan Janjić Belgrade

Abuse of public funds and tabloids used as means for stifling “dissent” undermine democracy and ultimately stability in the Western Balkans. The speech by Dragan Janjić at the Civil Society Forum held in Trieste on July 11, 2017

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

To vote or not to vote in the Rama era?

10/07/2017 -  Nicola Pedrazzi

Albanian democracy needs a challenger to its undisputed leader

EU Enlargement: A Six Percent Target for the Western Balkans

05/07/2017 -  Tobias FlessenkemperDušan Reljić

The structural economic weakness of the Western Balkans is likely to become a political problem, but the EU so far has not addressed it adequately in its Enlargement policy. A commentary

Turkey: EU funds, authoritarianism, and civil society

06/07/2017 -  Fazıla Mat

For over 10 years, Turkey has received EU funds supporting reforms and democratisation. In light of the country's authoritarian drift, however, many wonder whether this strategy still makes sense