Asylum, Bulgarian-Style: Deterrence Has Turned Into Abuse, Corruption and Crime
On paper, Bulgaria’s policy offers asylum claimants protection – but in practice does the exact opposite.
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Hungary Shows Limits to Central-Southeast Europe’s ‘Nuclear Renaissance’
Nuclear power remains attractive from an energy security and decarbonisation perspective, but Hungary illustrates how such projects have become more complicated economically and geopolitically to build than a decade ago.
Kosovo Parties Have Way to Go on Women’s Representation – Expert
Ahead of new snap elections, Rrezarta Krasniqi of Democracy for Development, D4D, says Kosovo parties are still failing to go beyond the legal quota when it comes including women on…
Albania
Four Scenarios for Democracy in the Western Balkans: From Hope to Disenchantment
By the year 2040, will countries in the region choose to consolidate democracy, settle for ‘stabilitocracy’, or descend into full-blown authoritarianism?
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The Saint: Island Resort’s Reopening a Boon for Montenegrin Tourism
Closed for five years by a dispute over beach access, Montenegro’s exclusive Sveti Stefan resort is poised to reopen.
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Serbia Grows its Facial Recognition Arsenal Amid Legality Concerns
Serbia dropped reference to biometric technologies from its draft Law on Police, but its interior ministry has anyway installed formidable facial recognition software already used by Russia and Iran to…
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ARTE Europe Weekly: Just How Corrupt is Europe?
Across the region, corruption is shaking the highest levels of government. How is Europe tackling the issue?
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Democracy Digest: Witness Claims Chief Suspect in Murder of Slovak Journalist Had Protection
Elsewhere in the region, Hungarian parliament revokes planned withdrawal from the ICC; speculation explodes over possible sale of Czech maker of Semtex; Poland and UK sign a new security and…
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Kosovo Coming-of-Age Film Shows Local Stories ‘Can Connect Internationally’
Blerta Basholli says the Cannes award for her film about a girl maturing in war-afflicted Kosovo shows local films can reach an audience far beyond Kosovo’s borders.
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Vucic Visit Shows China is Now Belgrade’s Key Partner, not Russia
Serbia’s foreign policy officials rests on 'four pillars’ – but for Belgrade, the no-drama Chinese ‘pillar’ is starting to outshine all the rest.
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Wakeup Moment? North Macedonia Femicides Spur Call for Action, Not Words
Authorities say they are responding faster to domestic violence reports – but a series of recent deaths or murders of women suggests the gap between promises and meaningful change remains…
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Preparing for War: How WWII Serb Suffering Was Weaponised Decades Later
As tensions grew in Yugoslavia, Serbia used the crimes committed by the fascist Ustasha forces of World War Two to whip up fear and hatred of Croats, preparing the public…
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Turkey’s ‘Absolute Nullity’ Crisis Could Boost the Opposition, Not Destroy It
The court ruling that ousted the main opposition party’s leadership and the riot police raid on its headquarters have caused public revulsion at an open display of injustice – particularly…
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As Kosovo Election Nears, Women Bear Brunt of Online Abuse and Manipulation
Women politicians such as ex-President Vjosa Osmani are frequent targets of AI-generated false content and online abuse as Kosovo heads to the polls.
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Telling the Human Story of What Made Montenegro’s Partisans Fight
Drawing on his father’s World War II experiences, Marko Vukosavovic’s new book about Montenegro's anti-fascist resistance adds a personal touch to the history of the Yugoslav Partisan struggle.
Albania
Letter from Washington: US Puts Energy, Commerce at Core of Balkans Policy
In her latest despatch from Washington, Jovana Djurovic dissects official State Department policy on the Balkans.
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Greece Arrests 22 Suspects Over EU Farming Fraud Scheme
Police on Tuesday say they have dismantled the crime gang that defrauded the Greek state and Brussels by falsely claiming EU agricultural subsidies.
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Czechia Sticks to its Guns with Timid Reform of Ownership Rules
Czechia’s new gun-ownership law, which treads a fine line between greater transparency and constitutionally protected rights, is unlikely to bring the kind of change many had hoped for in the…
All Countries
‘Decades of Investment’ Forged Turkey’s Volleyball and Basketball Successes
Veteran sports journalist Alp Ulagay says Turkey’s triumphs in both sports was the result of careful planning – and an infusion of talent from the Balkans.
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‘This Destroyed Me’: Kosovo Still Failing Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
Less than half of the child sexual abuse cases reported to police in Kosovo in the past 10 years ever resulted in charges. Gaps in institutional coordination, staffing, training and…
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Tito’s Admirers Pay Their Annual Tribute to Yugoslavia’s Strongman
Supporters of late President Josip Broz Tito marked May 25, the date that was celebrated as his official birthday and as Youth Day in socialist Yugoslavia, by making the trip…
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Turkish Police Raid Main Opposition Party HQ to Eject Leadership
Turkish riot police entered the headquarters of the main opposition CHP in Ankara on Sunday, to enforce a controversial court ruling that removed party leader Ozgur Ozel and reinstated former…
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Two New Parties Join the Queue to Challenge Greece’s New Democracy
Election season is coming early to Greece with the unveiling of two new parties, but can anyone end the dominance of the conservative New Democracy party come 2027?
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ARTE Europe Weekly: How Do We Save a Museum Sector in Crisis?
Political pressure and dwindling public funding mean that Europe’s museums are struggling to stay afloat - and fundraising via corporate sponsorship has brought its own issues.
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Democracy Digest: US Sows Confusion over Future of US Troops in Poland
Elsewhere, Hungary’s new government seeks to limit PM’s mandate to a maximum of two terms; EU Parliament steps up pressure on Slovakia by urging freezing of EU funds; Czechia’s three-party…
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Power Struggles: Disputes Over Gas Strategy Reflect Bosnia’s Internal Fractures
Bosnia and Herzegovina’s planned Southern Interconnection gas pipeline to Croatia has become a focal point for domestic political wrangling and competing EU-US approaches to energy infrastructure.
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‘Speak English?’ Greek Police Enlist Asylum Seekers in Illegal Pushbacks
Two asylum seekers tell of their 100-day ordeal helping Greek border guards push refugees and migrants back over the Evros river into Turkey, in return for their own free passage.
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Under Russia’s Gaze, Serbia and Ukraine Tentatively Build Bridges
Serbia, the Kremlin’s closest Balkan friend, is warming its ties with another would-be EU member, Ukraine – despite the two states’ very different relations with Moscow.
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Heroes or Collaborators? How WWII Continues to Divide North Macedonia
In North Macedonia, an enduring ethnic divide extends to conflicting interpretations of what actually happened during World War II.
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Serbia’s No-Show at Montenegrin Statehood Party Underscores Lingering Tensions
A diplomatic spat between Serbia and Montenegro over the latter’s independence anniversary celebrations underscores the lingering tensions between the two and the work-in-progress that is Montenegrin statehood.
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Russian Despatch: Bosnian Serbs Come Through for Red Square Parade
Most European leaders stayed well away from Putin’s May jamboree – and the meagre presence of a few Bosnian Serb political leaders only underscored Moscow’s isolation.
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International Booker Prize-Nominated Bulgarian Author: ‘Culture’s Our Biggest Asset’
Rene Karabash tells BIRN how the ancient Albanian custom of women becoming ‘sworn virgins’ became the subject of her acclaimed novel – which put Bulgarian literature in the spotlight as…
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‘Like a Trap’: Romanian Pledge to Regulate Migrants’ Status Stirs Suspicion
Activists and migrants say a new programme to regulate the status of migrant workers in Romania is being used to deport those unaware they have already been issued with return…
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Hacked Off: How Should ‘Journalists’ at Hungary’s State Media Be Treated?
Orban turned Hungary’s public service media into a propaganda machine after taking office in 2010. Now out of power, questions are being raised about what to do with the state…
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‘Controlling the Narrative’: Turkish Govt’s Disinformation Law Becomes a Weapon
Authorities are using the 2022 law to silence critical voices – while a newly adopted social media law poses further threats to free speech.
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‘Not Normal’: The People Paying the Price of Overtourism, From Croatia to Spain
In popular destinations such as Croatia, Spain and Greece, the everyday lives of ordinary people are being turned upside down by overtourism. Could tourist taxes, restrictions on short-term rentals or…