All the news

Sarajevo: lime trees in flower

11/07/2011 -  Azra Nuhefendić Sarajevo

It is a place to meet, a place for friends, for lovers. It is Vilsonovo Avenue, in Sarajevo, shaded by four rowes of age-old lime trees that survived even the 90’s war. When the lime trees are in flower, it is time to go back

Eurovision 2012 in Azerbaijan, Triumph or Trap?

08/07/2011 -  Arzu Geybullayeva Baku

The Azeri duo “Ell and Nikki” won the 2011 edition of Eurovision. Eurovision 2012 will thus be held in Baku. Some believe that the international attention brought by the event will push the Azeri authorities to democratic openings, while others are convinced that the tourism sector will be the only beneficiary of the event

Kosovo: PTK or how not to manage a public company

07/07/2011 -  Andrea Lorenzo Capussela

PTK, the Kosovan pubblic telephone company, has seen its proceeds and earnings collapse. Andrea Capussela, ex-director of the economics unit of ICO explains the controversial Dardafon operation to Obc. Eulex is now investigating, but the problem of lack of responsibility remains.

Macedonia: Here Comes Alexander

30/06/2011 -  Risto Karajkov Skopje

On 21 June, a controversial, colossal monument to Alexander the Great was erected in Skopje’s central square. Strongly supported by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, the bronze giant stirred heated international debate (Greece, of course, officially protested) but also split the Macedonian public opinion. A commentary

Turkey: why the constitutional-reform process matters

28/06/2011 -  Francesco Martino Sofia

After Erdogan's victory in the elections of 12 June, Turkey is entering a difficult and important constitutional-reform process. We talked with the analyst Dimitar Bechev of the European Council on Foreign Relations

Ivica Osim, the Yugoslav

24/06/2011 -  Massimo Moratti Sarajevo

A sport’s legend is able to solve the Bosnian soccer crisis, banned from international competitions because incapable of electing just one President for its football federation rather than three. An injection full of trust that could contaminate its politics

Is Greece going to be saved by China?

20/06/2011 -  Gilda Lyghounis

Greece has not emerged from its economic crisis. If the European Union stops signing " blank cheques” in order to save Greece, many Greeks will start hoping that China soon becomes a lifebuoy to keep them afloat. In the meantime, economic relations between Athens and Bejing keep increasing at a very fast pace, even if relations between the two countries has some friction

Kids Across the Caucasus

20/06/2011 -  Amanda Wilson Budapest

Ngos in the Caucasus often fill the gap left by the state in areas related to children care, including basic education and assistance to the disabled. The Open Society Foundation supports local Ngos active in these fields in both the Northern and Southern Caucasus. Journalist Natasha Yefimov told their stories in a book, Kids Across the Caucasus. An interview with the author

The Hague after Mladić

16/06/2011 -  Andrea Rossini

The enthusiasm for Ratko Mladić’s arrest has generated a mission accomplished climate with regards to justice for the crimes committed in the ‘90s. There are still, however, many ongoing trials, both at The Hague and in the local Courts, and many cases still to investigate

Mind the Gap: Micro Enterprises and ICT in Macedonia

16/06/2011 -  Risto Karajkov

ICT is fundamental for enterprise productivity. In Macedonia, statistics on its use are weak. For an effective government strategy a much more accurate data collection system is needed

Balkan organic produce hits the trade fairs

14/06/2011 -  Matteo Vittuari

The growth of organic agriculture in the Balkans is inevitably tied to an increase in consumer awareness. Trade fairs in this sector therefore become an indispensable medium. Something has started to move. An interview

Umar Israilov's killers sentenced in Vienna

13/06/2011 -  Majnat Kurbanova Vienna

Heavy sentences for the three Chechens accused of murdering Umar Israilov, former body guard of Ramzan Kadyrov, killed in Vienna in January 2009 after denouncing the Chechen leader to the Strasbourg Court

The secret languages of the Bazaars

07/06/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj Tirana

They were multilingual places where secret languages were spoken. What has remained in the Balkan Bazaars of these codes, invented in order to understand each other and yet not be understood by outsiders? Our analysis

Belgrade and Pristina off the beaten tracks

06/06/2011 -  Marjola Rukaj Belgrade

Belgrade goes to Pristina and Pristina goes to Belgrade free of cold diplomatic formalities and extenuating negotiations. No political misunderstandings, no definitions: here is how two young photographers from the two cities achieved this goal

The Mladić case

03/06/2011 -  Andrea Rossini

Carla Del Ponte, former Head of the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Tribunal of the Hague, comments on the position of the defendant and on the possible development of the case. Interview

Mladić’s arrest: good news for Serbia

03/06/2011 -  Petra Tadić Belgrado

It isn’t enough that Mladić’s arrest was one of the international conditions for Serbia. Belgrade will still have to wait a long while before it can enter the European Union. What’s important is that Mladić’s arrest opens the path towards reconciliation and that it’s possible to look into each other’s eyes again. A comment

After Mladić – dealing with the past

02/06/2011 -  Cecilia Ferrara Belgrade

Now that Ratko Mladić has been arrested and extradited to the Hague, Serbia needs to come to terms with a history the country has not yet dared to deal with. An interview with Nataša Kandić, director of Belgrade's Humanitarian Law Centre

Water in the Balkans – too much, yet not enough

01/06/2011 -  Laura Delsere

Despite the great availability of water – higher than the European average, the region finds itself unprepared for climate change, risking both droughts and floods

Romania: spooky tourism

31/05/2011 -  Mihaela Iordache

Inspired, not by the nightmare investigator Dylan Dog, though it could seem so, but by schemes already running in cities like Paris and London, the administrators of the Romanian capital Bucharest have decided to look to their cemeteries to revive tourism in the city

Bosnia: an End to the Storm?

30/05/2011 -  Christophe SoliozWolfgang Petritsch Geneva, Paris

The umpteenth crisis fifteen years after Dayton. Nationalisms are destabilizing the State, while the International community seems powerless and confused. Bosnia is seeking its way into the EU amongst many difficulties and wounds that are still open. A comment