Balkans

Becoming an official candidate for membership of the European Union is no longer the cause for celebration it once was. Accession talks remain a long way off and membership will be no magic wand for Bosnia’s ills. On December 15, the European Union awarded Bosnia and Herzegovina with candidate status, …

Aleksandar Vulin is a logical choice as new head of Serbia’s intelligence service; he has a knack for covert operations, is devoted to Vucic and Russia, and doesn’t care what people think of him. The appointment of Aleksandar Vulin as the new head of the Security Information Agency, BIA, is …

Government’s claim to be leading crackdown on illegal builds hides an important fact – that such violators are often well connected to the ruling Socialist Party. rampant illegal construction, including in Tirana city centre, accusing his critics of being potentially corrupt themselves. “You that blindly raise allegations might have thousands …

The war and Schengen enlargement have put unanimity voting in the Council of the EU to the test. But the opportunity to veto is an important guarantee of the rule of law, as it prevents the EU from turning into a federal state against the will of its members. Whenever …

In 2022, the Montenegrin authorities started investigating a retired Yugoslav navy officer and put a Bosnian Serb Army ex-soldier on trial, but there were few other signs of progress towards dealing with the country’s wartime past. During the past few months, Montenegro’s new state prosecutor Vladmir Novovic has made minor …

Switzerland has been hosting discreet meetings between officials of Kosovo and Serbia in an effort to defuse tensions in the Balkan region. A stand-off has developed in northern Kosovo with its Serbian neighbours as an incident over car number plates has escalated. Members of the local Kosovar police force resigned …

The European Union (EU) – Western Balkans Countries summit[2] was organized on 6 December in Tirana. It was an opportunity to discuss joint resolution of the issues that emerged as a consequence of the Russian invasion on Ukraine, intensification of the political dialogue and the enlargement policy, as well as strengthening of …

Bulgaria rejected accusations that its border guards shot a Syrian refugee in October, according to Zaman al-Wasl. Bulgaria rejected accusations that its border guards shot a Syrian refugee in October after a video released Monday showed a man being fired at on the European country’s border with Turkey. The footage …

Kosovo Authorities reached deal with Belgrade over license plates, ending nearly two-year dispute that had fuelled worrying rise in tensions. Pristina and Belgrade 23 Nov struck European Union (EU)-brokered deal to end license plate dispute amid growing concerns of possible violence. According to EU High Representative Josep Borrell, “Serbia will …

As Budapest actively implements its own “Look to the East” policy, Tehran will find a potentially useful partner in Europe. Upon signing the protocol of the third session of the joint commission for economic cooperation between Iran and Hungary on 16 November, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó expressed support for …