Serbia

Serbia, Youth, And The EU – OpEd

“To be credible, I believe we must talk about timing and homework. And I have a proposal. As we prepare the EU’s next strategic agenda, we must set ourselves a clear goal. I believe we must be ready – on both sides – by 2030 to enlarge. This means that …

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Serbia’s Two Traditions Of Freedom – OpEd

Today, Serbia does not enjoy a reputation as a free country. The philosophy of strong hand, top-down organization of society, a socialist understanding of economy, and fierce nationalism are its trademarks. The legacy of socialism with a human face, of which I have written elsewhere, has entrenched a statist mentality …

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Serbia’s Authoritarian (Re)turn

The conduct of Serbia’s latest elections points to the country’s democratic decline. The EU cannot stay neutral in the face of President Vucic’s provocations and authoritarian tendencies. There is a certain back-to-the-future quality to Serbia. One would think that the country has long moved on from the lows of the …

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BIRN Fact-Check: Was Kosovo’s First Transitional Justice Strategy Worth the Wait?

Kosovo’s first-ever transitional justice strategy is soon to be adopted, almost 25 years after the war ended – but experts argue that although it’s a step forward, it doesn’t do enough to address the problems that have persisted since 1999. More than two years since the drafting of Kosovo’s first-ever …

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Serbian Democracy is Paying a Price for Western Geopolitical Interests

Western actors in the Balkans prioritize regional stability above all other considerations – and while Vucic delivers that, they will continue to view election irregularities as a secondary matter.Just five days after highly controversial elections in Serbia, the social media accounts of the US embassy in Belgrade published a video …

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Serbia’s Authoritarian (Re)turn

The conduct of Serbia’s latest elections points to the country’s democratic decline. The EU cannot stay neutral in the face of President Vucic’s provocations and authoritarian tendencies. There is a certain back-to-the-future quality to Serbia. One would think that the country has long moved on from the lows of the …

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Serbia Elections To Prolong Questions Of Stability And Security In Western Balkans – Analysis

Two days ago on 17 December, general and local elections took place in Serbia, a Western Balkans country often linked with conflicts. The outcomes of the elections are already being challenged by the majority of opposition leaders, particularly within the ‘Serbia Against Violence’ coalition. The results of these elections in …

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Kosovo and Switzerland, Switzerland and Kosovo

The two small European mountain countries have a deep political, economic, historical but above all human relationship, through numerous personal ties. About 250,000 people belong to the Kosovar diaspora in Switzerland. This is significantly lower than Italians living in Switzerland, for example. And yet it’s a high number. After all, …

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Germany: Serbia vote fraud ‘unacceptable’ for a candidate to join the EU

A team of international observers on Monday (18 December) slammed Serbian elections over a string of “irregularities”, including “vote buying” and “ballot box stuffing”, after the opposition accused the ruling party of committing voter fraud. The accusations aired by the monitors, which included representatives from the Organization for Security and …

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Extraordinary Elections: Bid To Restore Tycoons’ Rule In Serbia? – Analysis

Extraordinary parliamentary elections in Serbia, extraordinary elections for the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, and extraordinary local elections for the capital city of Belgrade and an additional 65 local self-governments will take place on 17 December 2023. According to analysts, these elections are considered the most important since …

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