Balkans

Does Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti have official data that proves his statement? Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija live in a mixture of segregation and intimidation, total insecurity for their children, their property and themselves. It is about another lie and manipulation by Kurti, aimed primarily at the public in the …

Landslide victory of anti-Đukanović block Early parliamentary elections in Montenegro were held on 11 June 2023. However, the official election results were publicized only on 14 July 2023. The parties that won the largest number of votes from the voters for the Parliament of Montenegro, which has 81 representatives, include …

As the sustained rise in the value of the lek causes a crisis in exports, action is needed – but will a country that seemingly turns a blind eye to manifest criminality in whole sectors of the economy bite the bullet?Albania’s government acknowledged lately that the country’s exporters are facing …

In the clash of geopolitical agendas between Russia and the West, the biggest loser turns out to be the EU. But in this downward spiral of European geopolitics and a tragic end, Putin’s lawyer, Serbian President Aleksandër Vučić, is bound to slip. For several weeks, citizens have been protesting regularly, …

A surge in cyberattacks, particularly phishing and ransomware, has left Balkan countries to improve their defences against cybercrime, BIRN research shows. The Balkan region has witnessed a significant increase in internet penetration and the integration of Biometrics and Digital Identity BDI technologies into various sectors, BIRN research shows. Between 2020 …

With Recep Tayyip Erdogan securing another five years in power, the Turkish president is seeking to increase Turkiye’s influence in the Balkans — a region that was part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. Spiking tensions in northern Kosovo present such an opportunity. Although southeastern Europe remains firmly in America’s …

Behind the EU’s ‘historic’ migration pact lurks a policy to further outsource asylum procedures and loosen the definition of ‘safe’ third countries, experts warn. Refugees, and the Western Balkans, both stand to lose out. When interior ministers of the 27 European Union member countries met on Thursday, June 8, to …

The long-standing mayor of Struga is the first politician from North Macedonia’s ruling alliance to be put on a US black list of people linked to corruption – although his concrete wrongdoings remain unclear.Merko was designated uneligable to enter the United States, “due to his involvement in significant corruption”, the …

Serbia is already seeing an erosion of civil rights and liberties, democracy and the rule of law – and many fear the rapidly expanding use of advanced technologies will be directed against them rather than criminals and terrorists. The emergence of digital surveillance performed by state actors coincides with the …

The surveillance scandal made headlines but did not hurt the Greek government at the ballot box. Experts say this reflects a general ambivalence about privacy violations in the digital era. Whatever information Thanasis Koukakis had been sharing with his readers, it was not quite enough. Someone wanted more. Twice in …