Balkans

Research shows Orban’s allies exert control over more than 50 per cent of influential media outlets. And that does not mean the rest belongs to the opposition; rather these outlets operate as independent islands, which also act independently of each other.

With an election in June, former Grand Mufti Muamer Zukorlic has landed a powerful blow in the fight for ascendancy in Serbia’s mainly Muslim Sandzak region. Observers, however, say he is being used by the Serbian government.

The latest political pledge to amend Bosnia’s electoral law and constitution in line with rulings by the European Court of Human Rights looks destined to fail. It’s time the institutions of state take the lead, with the help of NGOs, academics and the international community.

Israel and Greece will soon sign a $1.68 billion agreement for the purchase of Israeli jets and the opening of a military flight school operated by an Israeli company. Israel’s Defense Ministry announced this morning that it is set to sign a $1.68 billion security agreement with Greece effective for …

Kosovo experienced a watershed moment in 2020 when four guerrilla leaders who became political heavyweights in the post-war years, including President Hashim Thaci, were sent to stand trial for wartime and post-war crimes. Adecade after explosive allegations were made against Kosovo Liberation Army fighters in a report by Council of …

At a time when the West desperately needs to coordinate its policy towards Bosnia, Berlin’s unilateral push to appoint a new international overseer for the country is a troubling development. Berlin wants to replace Bosnia and Herzegovina’s long-serving High Representative Valentin Inzko – responsible for monitoring implementation of the 1995 …

Razed or ‘restored’ with little regard for their original form, Ottoman-era mosques in a mainly Muslim pocket of Serbia face extinction. In mid-December, a group of men, some of them armed, set up a roadblock at a construction site in the southern Serbian town of Novi Pazar, where an Islamic …

Many migrants and refugees on the road to Western Europe have serious health problems – but for those staying outside official camps, especially, accessing proper treatment can be difficult.

Can Montenegro succeed where its Balkan peers failed in conducting a fair process of lustration? Not likely, say analysts and experts. Montenegro’s new coalition government is promising a law on lustration to weed out public officials guilty of past human rights violations, but political analysts and legal experts say it …

The fight against the spread of fake news is becoming more sophisticated in North Macedonia – but those involved in disseminating misinformation are upping their game as well. The day starts with coffee and unread messages: a few from friends, a few work related, a paid furniture ad, and one …