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Tag: Western Balkans

Signals of power: Telekom Srbija and the geopolitics of influence in the Western Balkans

The politics of broadcasting is by no means straight forward in South-Eastern Europe. While pluralism may be practiced on an official basis, the spirit of this ideal may be sidelined by political necessity. The recent moves undertaken by Telekom Srbija highlight such risks.

May 5, 2026 - Blerim Vela

The Balkans in the multipolar moment

Wider shifts in the global order are challenging the foreign policy trajectories of Balkan states. While expectations have existed of a clear integration into western structures, the current reality reveals a variety of relationships with powers outside the region. Credible action by the West is necessary if a feasible model of development is to persist among local states.

March 3, 2026 - Blerim Vela

Macedonians seek justice to heal Kočani’s wounds

Every Saturday in Kočani, North Macedonia, looks the same since last year’s tragedy. Parents gather for a weekly march across the small town. It usually starts at the city park, continues to the police headquarters and ends in front of the local court – a reminder for the institutions to do their job. The marches continue, driven not by the promise of answers, but by the fear that those answers may never arrive.

February 23, 2026 - Jovan Gjorgovski

Shoring up the Balkans: NATO infrastructure and a warning for democracy

Recent shifts in US foreign policy are placing the Western Balkans in a difficult position. While internal issues are challenging a delicate peace, outside forces are only exacerbating these issues. It now falls to the European Union to provide a clear path forward amidst such uncertainty.

January 30, 2026 - Zach Rogers

Western geopolitics and Balkan corruption: How US and EU justice reform efforts fuelled power centralization and failed justice 

The prospects for European integration in the Western Balkans remain difficult to measure. While regional capitals continue their attempts to show progress in various fields, related actions often present only a facade of reform. This is particularly true in the highly contentious spheres of the rule of law and corruption.

January 29, 2026 - Luka Petrović

Embargo on democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The resumption of the annual Western Balkans Summit offers an opening for change regarding the internal situation in Bosnia. Despite this, numerous obstacles remain. The event’s hosting in London now offers a unique opportunity for the United Kingdom to re-assert its role in the country concerning democratization.

November 4, 2025 - Ismet Fatih Čančar

EU enlargement: enhancing support while countering scepticism

Surveys on support for the accession of new member states highlight the need to rethink the way the benefits of enlargement policy are discussed, both inside and outside the EU, so as not to miss yet another opportunity. An interview with Bojana Zorić, analyst at the EU Institute for Security Studies. Interviewer: Federico Baccini.

August 19, 2025 - Bojana Zorić Federico Baccini

Fire in a Macedonian nightclub. A tragedy forged in corruption

On March 16th in the small town of Kočani in North Macedonia, a massive fire erupted in a well-known nightclub, killing 59 and injuring 196 young people. Soon it became clear that the fire at the club was a disaster waiting to happen. The nightclub had a forged licence and there were no alarms, no sprinklers, and no emergency exits – it was a death trap that had been allowed to exist. The deadly fire became not only a national tragedy, mourned by the whole of Macedonian society, but a rallying point for answers, similar to what is happening next door in Serbia.

The fire at the Pulse nightclub in the city of Kočani in North Macedonia did not begin with a spark. It began long before, in the quiet exchanges of power and with the ink of fraudulent permits. It began in the silence of bribed officials and the indifference of those who were meant to be protected. It was nurtured by a system where sometimes backroom deals carry more weight than laws, where safety can be just an afterthought, and where lives are measured against profit. On the night of March 16th 2025, the lives of 59 young people were swallowed by the flames of this corruption that had been growing for years.

May 5, 2025 - Jovan Gjorgovski

Multiculturalism in the Balkans. Prospects and perils

In the Balkans, multiculturalism has come to represent a defining feature and a cause of conflict simultaneously. The region, shaped by centuries of migrations, conquests, political upheavals and civil wars, with its complex mix of cultural diversity and political instability, serves as a global example of the failure of multicultural policies. Consequently, “Balkanism” and “Balkanization” have emerged as technical terms denoting conflict driven by identity-based fragmentation.

Multiculturalism refers to 1) the coexistence of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious communities within a society, and 2) the social and political theory that promotes cultural diversity. It uses legal and administrative logic that seeks to regulate the coexistence of different cultures within a polity, as well as social theory that addresses the plurality of perspectives on society, the state, science, education and culture itself. It is most commonly understood in two primary ways: descriptively, as a characterization of cultural diversity, and normatively, as a theory asserting that culture plays a significant role in politics and as a practice of granting culturally distinct groups (for instance, minorities) certain special rights. Ideally, it seeks to enable their full equality. In this sense, multiculturalism has captivated generations of academic authors, journalists, politicians, NGO workers and human rights advocates. 

February 28, 2025 - Miloš Milenković

Edi Rama’s illiberalism is flying under the EU’s radar

The European Union’s relations with Albania are often viewed as overwhelmingly positive. This is especially true when compared to the bloc’s rather troubled links with other states in the Western Balkans. Despite this, overlooking the autocratic practices present in Tirana could cause problems in the future.

December 17, 2024 - Alejandro Esteso Pérez

In the Western Balkans, Brussels must side with North Macedonia in its dispute with Bulgaria

North Macedonia’s path to the EU has now been stalled by a dispute with Bulgaria related to language and identity. Such issues have now become embedded in the integration process. The bloc must do everything it can to make sure that this problem does not hold up other discussions related to Skopje’s accession.

November 22, 2024 - Bojan Lazarevski

Why Serbia is a country of contradictions

Serbia has become well known for its geopolitical position between East and West. Despite this, sharp divides also exist at every level of the country’s society. While Belgrade has eagerly embraced a neoliberal model, it still promotes its role as a defender of traditional values. The effects of such contradictions can be seen throughout Serbia.

Serbia is a country of contradictions. It is very close to the European Union, in fact almost in the centre of Europe, but at the same time it is very far from it. Serbian labour migrants have always chosen Western Europe as a destination for emigration, but the heart of the nation beats in the East, with a cultural and sentimental link to Russia. In Serbia, joining the EU is more a matter of national and social prestige – joining a club of rich and well-ordered countries – than a necessity. To the contrary, many of the rules laid down by the EU are seen as an obstacle and a hindrance to EU candidates.

November 21, 2024 - Christian Eccher

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