Balkans

Dodik Paroli bieten

Bosnische Serben treiben die Abspaltung von der Zentralregierung voran. Noch bleiben sechs Monate bis zu ersten konkreten Maßnahmen. Milorad Dodik hat seinen Drohungen Taten folgen lassen. Mit den Beschlüssen der Mehrheit des Parlamentes der serbischen Teilrepublik hat er den gemeinsamen Staat Bosnien und Herzegowina ernsthaft infrage gestellt, auch wenn die …

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Bosna-Hersek’te gidişat iyi değil

Bosna-Hersek Üçlü Başkanlık Konseyi’nin “Kendimi Bosna-Hersek Devlet Başkanı gibi hissetmiyorum, çünkü bence böyle bir devlet yok” diyen Sırp üyesi Milorad Dodik, geçen Ekim ayında, Sırp Cumhuriyeti entitesinin Bosna-Hersek vergi ve yargı sisteminden çıkması ve kendi ordusunu kurması için entite meclisine teklif götüreceğini söylemişti. Dodik dediğini yaptı ve Sırp Cumhuriyeti Meclisi …

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The Bosniak Side Of The Equation – OpEd

Once again, Bosnia’s Bosnjak leadership is attempting to create the multicultural, civic, unified state Washington has promised and failed to enable. It is worth remembering that “Bosnjak,” an Ottoman-era term dusted off in the 1990s, originally was meant to be the civic signifier of every citizen in the country, not …

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Serbia Strengthening ‘Parallel Structures’, Kosovo Deputy PM Says

Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi tells BIRN that Serbia is still boosting Belgrade-run structures in Kosovo – and the EU-led dialogue won’t make progress until they are dissolved. As the European Union-facilitated dialogue on normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo languishes in a stalemate, Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister, Besnik …

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Data Dominance: In Cyprus, a Chinese Outpost inside the EU

China’s Huawei has come to dominate the 5G rollout in Cyprus, with risks for data security and independent policymaking that go far beyond the island’s shores, experts warn. In October 2015, two years after a banking crisis left Cyprus in desperate need of new financing, President Nicos Anastasiades visited China …

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Cocaine Comrades: The Balkan Ties of a Fallen Colombian Drug Trafficker

From Marcos and Soldado to Tito and Chiquito, the drug trafficking ties between Colombia and the Balkans run deep. President Ivan Duque called it “the most severe blow” to Colombian drug trafficking in this century, comparable only to the arrest of drug lord Pablo Escobar three decades ago. The excitement …

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Democracy Digest: Hungary and Poland Suffer Setback in Battle over EU Funds

Hungary and Poland lost a key battle in their fight to avoid EU funds being withheld over concerns about the rule of law, but government politicians cling to hope there is still a chance to win the war. On Thursday, the advocate general of the Court of Justice of the …

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Orban Builds Popularity, Influence in Slovakia Using Hungarian Taxpayer Money

Viktor Orban is using Hungarian taxpayer money to renovate Slovak churches, chateaux and kindergartens – and is strengthening his position while doing so. “Francis II Rakoczi is like a god to Hungarians,” exclaims the tour guide on the cultural importance of a recently renovated chateau in the southeastern Slovak village …

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Serbia’s War on Free Media is Moving to ‘Street Level’

The regime is delegating the task of intimidating the rare defenders of democracy in Serbia to right-wing hooligans and gangs like the People’s Patrols. Serbia is not a desirable place for journalists who do not support the regime. Persecutions, bans, punishments and obstructions have been a constant accompaniment to this …

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The Eagle’s Nest: Migrants, Refugees Tread New Balkan Route – Analysis

Migrants and refugees trying to reach Western Europe are increasingly using a new route via Kosovo, aided by smugglers and local middlemen. The last time refugees passed through the small town of Kukes in northeast Albania was 22 years ago, when hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians from neighbouring Kosovo …

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