Politics

North Macedonia: DUI, from ethnic party to ecological movement?

07/07/2021 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

Born as a political expression of the armed struggle of the Albanians in North Macedonia, DUI today surprisingly tries to reposition itself as a green movement. A turning point that, however, puzzles many

North Macedonia, Europe is more than a football field

01/07/2021 -  Francesco Martino

North Macedonia is now fully part of Europe only in football. The country is condemned to a long wait which highlights all the contradictions of the EU enlargement strategy to the Western Balkans. A comment

Turkey: HDP, a party under attack

30/06/2021 -  Filippo Cicciù Istanbul

The murder of a young woman, Deniz Poyraz, is the latest violent attack against the pro-Kurdish HDP party. Its success is inconvenient for many in Turkey, and today the party struggles to avoid being banned by the judicial authorities

The Switzerland of the Balkans

25/06/2021 -  Stefano Lusa Koper

Thirty years ago Slovenia proclaimed its independence. Now the pendulum that carried Ljubljana towards the West seems to be swinging backwards fast, and the models are no longer Paris or Berlin but rather Budapest and Warsaw, with their illiberal democracies

Slovenia: fuel to the fire

10/06/2021 -  Stefano Lusa Koper

With a shaky government and without a solid majority in parliament, Prime Minister Jansa keeps adding fuel to the fire, conceding nothing to allies and opponents

Bulgaria, dismantling the "Borisov system"

09/06/2021 -  Francesco Martino Sofia

Bulgaria is approaching new early elections – scheduled for 11 July – amidst scandals and twists, such as the sanctions imposed on six Bulgarian citizens by the US Treasury Department. An uncertain scenario, but one that suggests the political decline of ex-premier Boyko Borisov

North Macedonia, recycling remains a mirage

04/06/2021 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

Despite some success stories, recycling remains at extremely low levels in North Macedonia. According to experts and observers, the country needs to quickly develop a waste management strategy

Croatia, an electoral turning point

01/06/2021 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

Last Sunday, the second round of the Croatian administrative elections took a radical turn: for the first time in the last twenty years, Zagreb will be led by a 40-year-old mayor, raised as an activist in the streets of the capital. Significant changes also in other cities

Kanal Istanbul, Erdogan's dream of a new Bosphorus

25/05/2021 -  Filippo Cicciù Istanbul

Turkish President Erdogan seems ready to launch the "crazy" project of Kanal Istanbul – the artificial canal that should "double" the Bosphorus – despite concerns about the possible environmental and geopolitical impact. The report by our correspondent

Croatia: the plan for the future

20/05/2021 -  Toni Gabrić

Recently, the Croatian government presented a summary of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. This document is crucial for obtaining 49,08 billion kuna (6,5 billion Euros) from the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility to overcome the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and of earthquakes which hit Croatia last year

Slovenia: saving the STA

18/05/2021 -  Stefano Lusa Capodistria

Thirty years after its foundation, the future of the Slovenian News Agency is at risk. Janez Jansa's government has blocked state funding pending the delivery of a number of documents. For the agency, however, the request is an undue political interference

LGBT Croatia, two steps forward and one step back

14/05/2021 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

A historic verdict by the Administrative Court of Zagreb grants same-sex couples the right to adopt. The progress, however, was immediately undermined by the Ministry of the Family, which announced an appeal

Albania: political parties are doing their own "journalism"

11/05/2021 -  Gentiola Madhi

In the recent electoral campaign for the political elections, the staff of the main political parties created their own editorial products, which were then often transmitted and published as they were, without journalistic mediation. Propaganda defeated information

Inzko, the future of Bosnia and the Balkans

12/05/2021 -  Giovanni Vale Zagabria

According to Valentin Inzko, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country is at serious risk. The idea of ​​its "peaceful dissolution" would also begin to take hold in Brussels circles. For this reason, in his opinion, it is necessary for the EU to quickly change its approach with respect to the Balkans and Bosnia and Herzegovina

Castaldo: Western Balkans, the beating heart of the EU

19/05/2021 -  Paolo Bergamaschi

"The Western Balkans are not and must never be a defeated periphery of the West, but they are and must remain the beating heart of the present and future of the great European family". Interview with Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Vice President of the European Parliament

"Big Brother" privacy scandal exposes the fragility of Albanian democracy

21/04/2021 -  Gentiola Madhi

The Albanian Socialist Party allegedly collected and illegally used the data of 910,000 citizens. The "Big Brother" case breaks out in Albania a few days before the political elections. Even the author of this article found herself listed

Serbia, the citizens' ecological revolt

20/04/2021 -  Vukašin Obradović Belgrade

Last April 10, thousands of citizens took to the streets of Belgrade for what has been called the "Ecological Revolt". The environmental issue was brought to the political level. Will the opposition be able to intercept this civic momentum?

Georgia: the EU speaks out on the political crisis

14/04/2021 -  Marilisa Lorusso

The political impasse in Georgia continues despite two attempts at mediation by the EU institutions. The European Parliament warns: European aid only if the parties resolve the crisis

The Uyghur question between Ankara and Beijing

12/04/2021 -  Filippo Cicciù Istanbul

Relations between Turkey and China are growing strong, as confirmed by the recent visit to Ankara by the Chinese Foreign Minister. Relations, however, are complicated by the unresolved question of the Turkish-speaking Uyghurs repressed by Beijing

A single constituency: more democracy in North Macedonia?

01/04/2021 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

The current electoral system, which divides North Macedonia into six constituencies, clearly favours the main parties to the detriment of the smaller ones, that are now asking to move to a single constituency

North Macedonia, a slow start for the vaccination campaign

30/03/2021 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

The vaccination campaign in North Macedonia is struggling to start due to lack of doses. The first deliveries, coming from Russia or thanks to the support of neighbouring Serbia, have now been joined by the first delivery secured through the COVAX mechanism

European Parliament and the Western Balkans: I wish I could

26/03/2021 -  Željko Pantelić

In the plenary session of yesterday, 25 March, the European Parliament passed resolutions on Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Serbia in an enlargement perspective. But many important representatives were absent from the parliamentary debate

Serbia: the criminalisation of civil society

26/03/2021 -  Vukašin Obradović Belgrade

An attempt is underway in Serbia to discredit civil society. Serious and heavy attacks against some Serbian non-governmental organisations came from the parliament benches, in particular from Aleksandar Martinovic, leader of the Serbian Progressive Party

Jens Woelk: Status quo in Bosnia and Herzegovina is an illusion

22/03/2021 -  Lejla Gačanica

Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot wait any longer. It must embrace the constitution, which can no longer be just an "annex" to the Dayton Peace Accords. The opinion of the jurist Jens Woelk

Serbia: journalists don’t feel safe

19/03/2021 -  Vukašin Obradović Belgrade

The media situation in Serbia continues to deteriorate, as illustrated by the recent withdrawal of five journalists’ and media associations from the Working group on safety and protection of journalists, set up by the government last December. Repeated attacks against KRIK journalists were the straw that broke the camel’s back

The gender gap in EU parliaments

11/03/2021 -  Openpolis

While the proportion of women in the legislative bodies of the member states of the European Union has grown over the years, access to key positions of political influence is still limited — in some member states more than in others.

The impact of EU funds on Covid-19 crisis management

03/03/2021 - 

Before the implementation of additional allocations such as the recovery fund, one of the first instruments put in place by the EU was the possibility for states to redirect their own European funds to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. Let's see how this process played out, in Italy and in other countries

Serbia between China and Europe

26/02/2021 -  Vukašin Obradović Belgrade

China’s influence in Serbia is growing. In its recent report, the European Parliament expressed concern about the lack of transparency and environmental and social impact assessment of Chinese investments and loans in Serbia and across the Western Balkans

Turkey, one university against the regime

18/02/2021 -  Arzu Geybullayeva Istanbul

For 45 days students and academics at Istanbul’s prestigious university Boğaziçi have protested the appointment of new rector Melih Bulu, a member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP)

Serbia: the battle for the TV market

09/02/2021 -  Vukašin Obradović Belgrade

An agreement between Telekom and the Telenor company threatens to completely alter the media market in Serbia. Telekom – with public money and agreements with other groups – threatens to become the dominant actor in Serbian media landscape, penalising media critical towards the government