All the news

The Balkan Florence Express film festival

07/03/2017 -  Giulia Blocal

Giulia is a blogger and she loves the Balkans. This time though she did not need to travel to much to find them. Her review of the 5th edition of the Balkan Florence Express Film Festival

Defending in Court the case of humanitarian visas for refugees

06/03/2017 -  Francesca Spinelli

The EU Court of Justice Advocate General Paolo Mengozzi demonstrated that governments are legally obliged to grant asylum to Syrian refugees. In a landmark verdict to be delivered on 7 March, the Court could decide to adopt Mengozzi’s arguments or to strike a blow to the hopes of so many Syrians

Romania and access to information: a law that works

06/03/2017 -  Stela Giurgeanu

In Romania, the law on access to information is a substantially effective tool in support of quality journalism

Bosnian ethnopolis in Strasbourg: a controversial resolution

03/03/2017 -  Alfredo Sasso

Tensions between Zagreb and Sarajevo over potential further decentralization of Bosnia Herzegovina, following the positions exposed in a resolution recently adopted by the European parliament

Montenegro, the silence of the public administration

02/03/2017 -  Ivan Čađenović Podgorica

Montenegro adopted a law on free access to public information 7 years ago, but in many cases the information required is withheld, and no one is sanctioned

Azerbaijan: a 21st century dynasty

01/03/2017 -  Arzu Geybullaeva

President Ilham Aliyev has recently appointed his wife to the position of vice-president of the country, confirming that Azerbaijan is, slowly but steadily, turning from a democracy into a monarchy

Novosti under attack

24/02/2017 -  Marzia Bona

A campaign launched by conservative organization “In the name of the family” threatens to shut down the magazine Novosti, example of pluralism and quality journalism in Croatia

A tale of 8 militant asylum seekers. Another episode in the Greek-Turkish relations drama

23/02/2017 -  Elvira Krithari Athens

After the July 2016 failed military coup, 8 Turkish servicemen requested asylum in Greece. The case sparked new tension in the traditionally strained relationship between Athens and Ankara

Serbia: how the authorities block access to information

23/02/2017 -  Simon Lenormand

Serbia has one of the best laws in the world to guarantee public access to information. The problem is, the state does not respect its own laws. And the situation may get worse in the future

The memory of courage and disobedience

22/02/2017 -  Marco Abram

A general who refuses to fight to the last man, a soldier who saves the life of a soldier considered an enemy. What space is there in the public memory for these testimonies?

Women are the first victims

21/02/2017 -  Sergio Cebrián

Trafficked women in EU countries most commonly end up in sexual exploitation. And Member States’ different legal processes and legislation are not helping to combat this evil

Croatia: above public opinion

16/02/2017 -  Toni Gabrić Zagreb

In Croatia, journalists and citizens have a hard time accessing information which should be of public domain

Serbia: the hard fight for information

13/02/2017 -  Maja Poznatov

Even though there is a good institutional and legislative framework defending the right to access information of public interest, some crucial issues are still unresolved

The EU opens to Georgians travellers

10/02/2017 -  Monica Ellena Tbilisi

On Thursday, February 2nd, the European Parliament approved visa liberalisation for Georgia. Now the formalities at the EU Council of Ministers, and by the end of March the first travellers

Bulgaria: every third institution is not transparent

09/02/2017 -  Tsvetelina Yordanova

According to a study conducted by a local Ngo, Bulgarian institutions are gradually improving their transparency when publicising the acts they issue. Nevertheless, much remains to be done

Kosovar journalists need to demand implementation of their access to information rights

08/02/2017 -  Furtuna Sheremeti

In Kosovo, access to information is well guaranteed in theory — in practise it’s a different story

Refugees in Europe: “Let's not make it a battle of the bottom feeders”

07/02/2017 -  Fazıla Mat

More Eu funds are needed to support reception measures for refugees as well as European citizens experiencing poverty. Interview with Brando Benifei, Italian MEP, on the management of the refugees crisis in Europe

Bulgaria, where the local press "can be bought for cheap"

06/02/2017 -  Francesco Martino Sofia

In Bulgaria, local administrations spend large sums to "finance" the media, thus influencing their editorial line – a concerning situation, especially outside Sofia

Reconciliation in the Balkans goes on air!

03/02/2017 -  Saša Kulenović

‘Okruženje’, the first and only regional TV current affairs talk show in the Western Balkans, awarded with the prize for ‘2016 Media Initiative of the Year’ at the European Citizenship Awards

Stalin, the big bang and quantum physics

02/02/2017 -  Piergiorgio Pescali

Scientific research in Soviet times had to face limitations imposed by the regime. The official ideology, in particular, could not tolerate the tenets of quantum physics