Balkans

Bulgaria is back in very familiar territory. The October 27 parliamentary elections gave former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s center-right GERB party the most votes, but not enough to form a government on its own. Borisov will certainly try. But despite winning five out of seven parliamentary elections since 2021, GERB …

Launched six months ago, the Open Balkan ID Number was presented as marking the start of a single labour market between Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania. It has had some teething troubles. Andrija Ivanov spent years moving from job to job, place to place in his native Serbia. Then, in …

Serbia and North Macedonia are exploring alternatives to EU membership that would bring economic benefits and relieve them of accession-related demands. But their turn away from EU integration would disadvantage both the union and the Western Balkans. EU enlargement to the Western Balkans appears to be in full swing. But …

Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s first ever visits to Serbia and Albania weeks ago cannot be seen as isolated from the developments in the region, analysts say. As Tel Aviv charges ahead with multiple wars, undeterred by the unprecedented damage it is bringing itself globally as indicated by some of its …

The Italian government has passed a new decree to circumvent a recent ruling from the Rome tribunal and European Court of Justice (ECJ) obligations that had challenged its migration outsourcing model with Albania. Albania and Italy struck a deal in the autumn of 2023 to set up two migrant centres …

Persistent ethnic tension in north Kosovo could trigger a repeat of violence seen in the area last year, when four people died in a gun battle and NATO peacekeepers were hurt in clashes, a senior official from the military alliance warned on Saturday (12 October). Kosovo is predominantly ethnic Albanian …

Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto warned that in addition to the Middle East, there is another front potentially as explosive, which is Kosovo. The interlocutors of Kosovo Online doubt such a scenario but also warn that any radicalization of the situation in the region could lead to new conflicts. The …

While Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is reportedly waiting for an invitation from the opposition to attend a session dedicated to the excavation of lithium, and during that time there are pre-scheduled obligations, until October 7, when the Speaker of the Assembly has scheduled this session by a “gatherer” the president …

Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that Russia supports Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s initiative to reintroduce Serbian forces into Kosovo, in accordance with UN Resolution 1244. This statement from Moscow represents a continued commitment to Serbia’s strategic interests, not merely for the implementation of Vucic’s …

There has been talk for years about the reinstatement of compulsory military service, and so far these stories have looked like another public momentum by the authorities. However, amid the crisis in Kosovo, the president has now said that this time is real. In recent days, tabloids have also dealt …