All the news

EU funds: absorption difficulties persist

12/03/2024 -  Maura Madeddu

A study by the European Parliament examined the use of cohesion funds in the seven-year period 2014-2020, highlighting a decrease in absorption rates. It is necessary to reform the administrative system at national level and simplify the rules governing cohesion policy

Ćerimagić: Regional cooperation to be linked to EU membership

11/03/2024 -  Gentiola Madhi

The EU has invested considerable efforts in stimulating regional cooperation in the Balkans over the last decades, yet the results are questionable. Which are the reasons behind such slow progress and where does Bosnia and Herzegovina stand? We talked about it with Adnan Ćerimagić analyst at ESI

The Armenian dream for Indians

06/03/2024 -  Armine Avetisyan Yerevan

The number of Indians moving to Armenia is increasing and for thousand of them Armenia is a dream, but not everyone's dream comes true right away

Romania, if delays slow down the photovoltaic sector

05/03/2024 -  Laura Popa

Romania produces more and more photovoltaic energy also thanks to the rapid increase in prosumers - consumers who resell excess energy from their panels to the grid. A virtuous process, but limited by long delays in payments and an unclear legal framework

North Macedonia: politics and toxic communication

04/03/2024 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

According to a recent study, public discourse in North Macedonia is saturated with toxic narratives: these are spread not only by political parties and characters, but also by the media, often incapable of carrying out their role as a filter and guarantor towards the public

Trieste, where the Balkan route ends solidarity continues

02/03/2024 -  Chiara Milan

In the 'Silos' area in Trieste, history repeats itself: in the places that once housed Istrian refugees, people arriving via the Balkan Route now live in degrading conditions. While waiting for a more dignified solution, the transnational solidarity network tries to make up for the ills produced by a short-sighted political vision of migration policies

European Union Mission in Armenia Marks First Anniversary

29/02/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

For a year, the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) has been deployed on the border with Azerbaijan, which it patrols regularly: a measure considered necessary by Yerevan - which fears a new conflict - but viewed with suspicion by Baku

“Green” airports: the goal of Puglia, Albania and Montenegro

28/02/2024 -  Paola Rosà

An Interreg cross-border cooperation project to reduce CO2 emissions at all levels, from aircraft engines to plastic consumption on the ground, has produced a practical handbook. We interviewed two of the main managers, Anita Maurodinoia and Vito Antonio Antonacci

KLIK, the Croatian energy cooperative

27/02/2024 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

A women's cooperative that serves as an information point for energy and climate issues: in 2023, KLIK received the European Commission's European Sustainable Energy award for developing an energy community in Croatia "that brings clean energy to citizens"

Greece, historic legalisation of same-sex marriages

22/02/2024 -  Mary Drosopoulos Thessaloniki

Greece has made history by becoming the first Orthodox-majority country to legalise same-sex marriage. A step that comes after a long journey, marked by strong opposition from the Church and conservative forces in the country

Montenegro rethinks airports in a European perspective

19/02/2024 -  Paola Rosà

Thanks to the cohesion funds of the European SOLAR project, carried out in collaboration by Montenegro, Italy and Albania, measures to contain greenhouse gases and improve energy efficiency are being studied, with a view to the EU accession process

North Macedonia, education system in disarray

15/02/2024 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

Among many problems, North Macedonia is trying to reform its education system, adapting it to the challenges of the present. The results, however, at least for now, remain disappointing

Armenia, Pashinyan pushes for new constitution, opposition screams foul

15/02/2024 -  Onnik James Krikorian

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan plans to change the country's constitution. According to some, any new constitution is linked to a potential peace agreement with Azerbaijan. The opposition, however, stands firm and screams foul

Montenegro: Jelena Jovanović, journalist targeted by the mafia

14/02/2024 -  Vukašin Obradović Podgorica

Dealing with organised crime and risking your life, needing police protection just to be able to do your job and live your everyday life. Jelena Jovanović, journalist from the Montenegrin newspaper Vijesti, explains what it is like to live under police protection

Romanian counties receiving over €2 billion from the EU for more green

13/02/2024 -  Laura Popa

In addition to EU structural and investment funds, from 2021 Romania also has access to money from the Just Transition Programme. What does this programme mean, how much money can Romania actually receive and what is it earmarked for?

Right to health: borders as opportunities

12/02/2024 -  Serena Epis

For citizens of border areas, accessing quality healthcare services can be difficult. Cross-border cooperation, also thanks to EU cohesion policy, can be effective in guaranteeing the right to health for all. An interview

Snap elections and “snapping” victory - Azerbaijan’s most embarrassing election to date

09/02/2024 -  Arzu Geybullayeva

Despite there being ample evidence that President Ilham Aliyev would have won in a snap presidential election on February 7, throughout the day, journalists and independent observers reported the same old election violations and fraud tactics that were in place

Balkans: save the vultures

09/02/2024 -  Marco Ranocchiari

Considered sacred by the Egyptians, despised in modern times, today vultures are present in all Balkan countries as a fundamental element of ecosystems. However, their future is put at risk by poisoning, transforming them into collateral victims of conflicts between man and nature

Serbia, no justice for the Ćuruvija murder

07/02/2024 -  Massimo Moratti

Twenty-five years after the murder of journalist Slavko Ćuruvija and nine after the start of the trial against the four accused of the murder, after a first conviction in 2019 and the repetition of the trial, on Monday 5 February the Court of Appeal of Belgrade acquitted the defendants

Armed conflict of the Dniester, thirty years later

07/02/2024 -  Giorgio Comai

A newly-published book explores the circumstances around the violence that accompanied Transnistria’s de facto secession from Moldova. Three decades later, finding new answers to old conundrums is key to preventing ongoing tensions from escalating