Balkans

Decades on from the end of the Bosnian war, an amoral managerial approach aimed at pacification remains the baseline in international dealings with the country. On 14 February 1992, Ambassador José Cutileiro chaired a meeting between delegations of six, predominantly non-nationalist, Bosnian opposition parties, all represented in the republic’s parliament …

It’s a cold morning in Rance, a mountainous village east of Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, and Isak Asllani is preparing to pay tribute at a memorial for his fallen family and friends. It is a painful ritual he carries out every Feb. 17 to mark the anniversary of Kosovo’s declaration of …

A display of hubris by Slovakian Prime Minister Igor Matovic over a controversial Russian coronavirus vaccine has cost him his job and shaken a reformist government in which many Slovaks had invested so much hope. On April 1, Matovic resigned, just over a year after coming to power following an …

As a European Union and NATO member that borders Turkey, hugs the Black Sea coast and maintains cordial relations with Russia, Bulgaria is a strategically significant country. Yet in recent years, it has rarely made international news—except for the occasional domestic clash over Russian influence and periodic mass protests over …

A Bulgarian prosecutor provided evidence to the court handling Hezbollah’s involvement in the Burgas bus bombing. A Bulgarian prosecutor provided detailed evidence to the Bulgarian court handling Hezbollah’s involvement in the 2012 Burgas bus bombing which killed five Israelis and their Bulgarian-Muslim bus driver, but the court refused to accept …

Germany’s unilateral push to appoint a new High Representative in Bosnia has angered Russia, with direct ramifications for the EU’s military mission and the stability of the country. In the end, Germany got their man. Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Peace Implementation Council, PIC, has approved the nomination of German parliamentarian Christian …

A BIRN data analysis shows that Albania’s ruling Socialists dominated the social media campaign before the country’s last parliamentary election. Experts worry about the effect on public debate and democracy. The crowd cheered and online viewers held their breath as the plane glided in to land at the Zayed-North Wings …

Many people in the Balkans see cryptocurrency trading as a means to make money fast. Others are hooked on the philosophy. Stefan Angelovski starts his day with a cup of coffee and a browse online at which cryptocurrencies to buy and which to sell. The 33-year-old former fitness trainer in …

A marginalised Muslim Roma border community is courted by Greece and Turkey, seeking to advance their strategic interests. The rain had stopped and the sky had begun to clear. One of the women mopped the patio while the others smoked and wondered about the coronavirus, if it really was as …

BIRN lifts the lid on the Bosnian Movement of National Pride, a secretive organisation promoting neo-Nazi Bosniak nationalism. Emir finally felt comfortable enough to place on the table the sheets of paper he had folded and hid under his jacket. The pages contained promotional material of a far-right organisation he …