Balkans

Data analysed by BIRN shows that most Albanian broadcasters broke rules by allocating more airtime to the ruling Socialist Party in the run-up to April’s parliamentary election, but they escaped sanction. In fining Albania’s public broadcaster, RTSH, for violating a ban on campaign coverage on the eve of the country’s …

The synergies between the Gulf and the eastern Mediterranean theaters have grown substantially in recent years. Speaking at a meeting in Paphos, Cyprus in mid-April 2021 with his counterparts from Greece and Israel, as well as the former minister of state for foreign affairs of the UAE (now an advisor …

Croatia will procure 12 used French F3R Rafale fighter jets to modernise the country’s airforce, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced on Friday. “This is the largest investment in the Croatian Armed Forces, the largest investment in ensuring lasting peace and the security of Croatian citizens,” the Prime Minister said referencing …

Despite grounds for suspicion, prosecutors in North Macedonia are not investigating the country’s link to an illegal marijuana operation in Serbia. In February this year, prosecutors in Serbia sent a letter to their counterparts in neighbouring North Macedonia requesting their help on an investigation into an illegal marijuana operation discovered …

Barring a major upset, activist and MP Tomislav Tomasevic is set to become mayor of the Croatian capital, marking a new chapter for the city. The day after Croatia’s May 16 municipal elections, local media and social networks were flooded with 11 year-old photos of the man who is now …

Following the shock decision to designate Albania’s former president and PM ‘corrupt’, experts are divided on whether the gesture will do Albanian democracy more harm than good. The US State Department decision to declare Albania’s former prime minister and president Sali Berisha persona non grata for corruption shocked many Albanians, …

Defying the limitations imposed by the pandemic, many youngsters in Pristina have found release for their untapped energy in a community centre where volunteers assist the poor and homeless. While many social activities resumed in Kosovo after the total lockdown imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic last year from March …

Defence Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic has fallen out of favour, but his political master and president may let him limp on. “Nebojsa Stefanovic will leave power when I do,” Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in December 2018, after Stefanovic offered his resignation as interior minister following an incident involving police and …

A handful of wives and children of Montenegrins who joined Islamic State remain in camps in Syria, with no official requests made for their repatriation.Authorities in Montenegro say they have not received any requests for the repatriation of the wives and children of Montenegrin citizens who fought with Islamic State …

As a referendum on a snap election brews, Slovaks are reminded of their dismal track record in voting in plebiscites. Yet this time could be different. Six years after it last appeared in the public’s mind, “referendum” is a buzzword again in Slovakia. As a nearly 600,000-signature petition calling for …