All the news

Cyprus: halloumi diplomacy

16/08/2022 -  Mary Drosopoulos Nicosia

In Cyprus, cooperating across the lines that divide Greeks and Turks is always complicated. Also thanks to EU intervention, however, halloumi cheese – one of the symbols of the island – is once again a heritage shared by the two communities

North Macedonia: EU membership remains a never-ending challenge

11/08/2022 -  Aleksandar Samardjiev Tetovo

After accepting the compromise proposed by France, North Macedonia has opened EU accession negotiations. To make progress, however, it will be necessary to change the constitution and overcome the opposition of neighbouring Bulgaria

Economy and morality on the long way towards reconciliation in Cyprus

09/08/2022 -  Mary Drosopoulos Nicosia

First the pandemic, now the price crisis have been increasingly pushing the Greek and Turkish communities of Cyprus to cross the de facto boundaries that divide them and to interact, despite the persistence of prejudices and mutual distrust. A reportage from the island

Slovenia: shaping the future sustainability of mountain areas

04/08/2022 -  Gentiola Madhi

Cohesion funds can generate a new momentum for the development of mountain areas in Slovenia. Two out of five policy objectives in force until 2027 provide an important financial stimulus to improve public services and life quality of local communities, while preserving nature

Croatia, Peljesac bridge open to traffic

04/08/2022 - 

Since Tuesday 26 July, the Peljesac bridge is officially open to traffic. The impressive infrastructure connects Croatia without passing through the coastal border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, along the Neum corridor

Serbia, more violence against protesters

03/08/2022 -  Antonela Riha Belgrade

The recent events in Novi Sad, where a citizens' protest against the application of the new Master Plan was severely repressed by the police and private guards, confirmed the tendency of Vucic's regime to use violence to suppress dissent

Turkey, all citizens under surveillance

01/08/2022 -  Dimitri Bettoni

For almost two years, the Telecommunications and Information Technology Authority, a Turkish ministerial body, has been requesting the metadata of all their customers' traffic from Internet service providers. This mass surveillance operation was revealed by an investigation by journalist Dogu Eroglu

Albania: A step closer to the EU

26/07/2022 -  Gentiola Madhi

On 19 July, after eight years of waiting, Albania finally participated in the first intergovernmental conference as a candidate country for the European Union. Thus the accession negotiation process begins, but unresolved bilateral issues with Greece could already get in the way

Romania: democracy without participation

22/07/2022 -  Serena EpisMaria Francesca Rita

The Resource Centre for Public Participation is an NGO that seeks to promote citizens’ participation in the decision-making process. This is particularly difficult in Romania. We interviewed director Oana Preda

Zagreb: "Zicer", where startups grow up

21/07/2022 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

In 2017, "Zicer" was born in Zagreb, the Center for Innovation, a municipality space designed to develop and support innovative companies. Zicer is now home to about eighty companies and is the flagship of the city. We talked about it with director Frane Sesnic

Armenia, becoming a single mother

20/07/2022 -  Armine Avetisyan

More and more women in Armenia are choosing to have a child alone, through artificial insemination. A meeting with Nona and Lilit

Turkey’s LGBTI+ movement resists despite the odds

18/07/2022 -  Kenan Behzat Sharpe Istanbul

Istanbul celebrated its annual LGBTI+ Pride March in late June under the shadow of intense police repression, in line with Turkish government’s growing intolerance for any form of LGBTI+ expression, from public marches to popular media

South East Europe: investments in innovation are not enough

14/07/2022 -  Gianluca De Feo

Within the EU, the Balkan countries are among those that invest less in research and innovation. European funds make a positive contribution, but the gap with the rest of Europe still tends to widen. The reasons are manifold

Alexander Langer and Bosnia: a book and an educational project

13/07/2022 -  Sabina Langer *Giulia Levi

In the 1990s Alexander Langer, a South Tyrolean politician and MEP, devoted a great deal of effort to seeking peaceful solutions to the conflict in Bosnia. His writings have now been translated into Bosnian and will be the core of meetings for young people on human rights, ecology, and activism

Srebrenica: denial in the European public narrative

11/07/2022 -  Marco Siragusa

Almost thirty years after the genocide we are very far from starting a dialogue and a public discussion – in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Europe – on the memory of what happened in Srebrenica. An interview with Andrea Rizza Goldstein

Synergies and training are needed against SLAPP, or gag complaints

08/07/2022 -  Paola Rosà

Media expert lawyer Andrea Di Pietro positively comments on the anti-SLAPP package of the European Commission and stresses the need for training initiatives aimed at legal practitioners, to recognise and combat the gag complaints that threaten freedom of expression and the right of citizens to participate in the public debate

Digital Fortress Europe #3: dystopic surveillance

06/07/2022 -  Kostas ZafeiropoulosJanine LouloudiNikos Morfonios

Artificial intelligence and algorithms are at the heart of the EU’s new mobility-control system. High-risk automated decisions are being taken on human lives. It is an emerging multi-billion-euro unregulated market with dystopian 'smart' applications

Digital Fortress Europe #2: Trapped in a digital surveillance system

06/07/2022 -  Kostas ZafeiropoulosJanine LouloudiNikos Morfonios

The second of a series of insights into the digital aspect of the so-called 'Fortress Europe' and of existing and potential abuses: the impact of surveillance systems on vulnerable populations, money for Frontex drones, and monitoring the movement of citizens within the European area

Romania: abortion, mission (almost) impossible

04/07/2022 -  Florentin Cassonnet

In Romania, having an abortion has become increasingly difficult. Under the pressure of the Church and pro-life NGOs – and with the complicity of the state – women are losing this fundamental right. A reportage

Digital Fortress Europe #1: The ecosystem of European biometric monitoring and surveillance data

04/07/2022 -  Kostas ZafeiropoulosJanine LouloudiNikos Morfonios

The first of a series of insights into the digital aspect of the so-called 'Fortress Europe' and of existing and potential abuses: we start from a description of the main systems in use in Europe to manage the mobility of people across its borders and countries