All the news

Autumn in Toledo

11/02/2021 -  Božidar Stanišić

A trip to Toledo, Spain, on the trail of the Sephardic Jews who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century and arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A chance for a reflection on memory, the Holocaust, the tragedies of history

Ukraine, not (yet) a country for journalists

10/02/2021 -  Oleksiy Bondarenko

Ukraine has gained some positions in the global ranking of media freedom – sadly, only because of demerits of others, as the situation in the country shows no improvements

From Brazil to Bulgaria: the giants we ignore at our peril

09/02/2021 -  Marco Ranocchiari

Tailing ponds are among the largest and most dangerous structures engineered by humanity, but their operation is virtually unknown to those who don’t live in their vicinity. Europe is no less at risk from incidents than the rest of the world

Serbia: the battle for the TV market

09/02/2021 -  Vukašin Obradović Belgrade

An agreement between Telekom and the Telenor company threatens to completely alter the media market in Serbia. Telekom – with public money and agreements with other groups – threatens to become the dominant actor in Serbian media landscape, penalising media critical towards the government

New elections in Kosovo, stability remains a dream

05/02/2021 -  Arta Berisha Pristina

Kosovo once again goes to early elections, confirming profound political instability that risks having negative repercussions, especially during the pandemic. Early polls give Vetëvendosje a large advantage

Plastic waste: Europe is not recycling enough

05/02/2021 -  Antoine de Ravignan

As a result of more stringent standards, recycling of plastic packaging is set to fall in the EU. Without better industrial capacity, the EU will not reach its 50% target in five years' time. And illegal exports are likely to increase

Co2: the EU disincentives are not working

04/02/2021 -  Ornaldo Gjergji

The EU Emission Trading System, the EU’s main mechanism to disincentivise CO2 emissions, seems not to have had the desired results. Major industrial groups, often with the support of their own governments, profit from systemic weaknesses while continuing to produce energy using fossil fuels

MEPs, migrants, and the Croatian police: tensions at the Croatian-Bosnian border

03/02/2021 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

On Saturday 30 January, on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Croatian police blocked a group of Italian MEPs – an event that highlights how explosive the situation is and how much the solution can only be a European one

Serbia, the future on hold

02/02/2021 -  Francesca Rolandi

Why do people emigrate from Serbia? What are the feelings, desires, and perceptions behind such a decision? A study goes to the bottom of these questions

Turkey: Boğaziçi University says no

29/01/2021 -  Francesco Brusa

Since the beginning of January, students and faculty of the University of Boğaziçi in Istanbul, one of the most prestigious in the country, have contested the irregular appointment of the new rector by decree of President Erdoğan himself. An interview

Armenia: domestic violence and the pandemic, houses are a prison

28/01/2021 -  Armine Avetysian

Armenia is unfortunately no exception - as in many other countries in the world, the lockdown has led to an increase in cases of domestic violence. Anna's story

A historic verdict: Italy's pushbacks to Slovenia are illegal

26/01/2021 -  Nicole Corritore

The application of the readmission agreement between Italy and Slovenia is illegitimate. This was confirmed by the Court of Rome, that accepted the appeal of a Pakistani citizen who had arrived in Trieste via the Balkan route and was then pushed back to Slovenia and then Bosnia and Herzegovina

European banks are still major backers of the fossil fuel industry

25/01/2021 -  Gianluca De Feo

As public institutions struggle to implement their plans effectively, private banks are still not pulling their weight. With the slowness and mounting obstacles facing public finances, combined with the unreliability of the private system, how secure is the future of energy transition?

Migrants and refugees’ health in the wake of Covid-19

25/01/2021 -  Emanuela Barbiroglio

With COVID-19 in the spotlight, refugees and undocumented migrants disappeared from public attention. Precisely what swept these communities away from the agenda, however, disproportionately affected them. An analysis by Emanuela Barbiroglio, making use of a survey by the World Health Organisation

Vaccines and Covid-19: the Western Balkans feel excluded

22/01/2021 -  Francesco Martino

Doubts, controversies, delays. Vaccination campaigns against Covid-19 in the Western Balkans have only started in Serbia and Albania, while the other countries in the area risk dangerous delays, despite some support initiatives promoted by the European Union

Serbia: denouncing sexual violence, a matter of courage

21/01/2021 -  Antonela Riha Belgrade

With great courage and determination, Serbian actress Milena Radulović publicly denounced being raped as a child by her then acting teacher Miroslav Mika Aleksić. Her gesture encouraged more testimonies and Aleksić is now under investigation

Ethos: Turkey looks in the mirror

19/01/2021 -  Filippo Cicciù Istanbul

The Turkish TV series Ethos (Bir Başkadır), launched by Netflix, is enjoying enormous success in Turkey, but also abroad. Through its complex characters, the country looks itself in the mirror, suspended over the invisible moat that separates the religious part of society from the beyaz türkler – the westernised, secular "white" Turks

Emissions in Europe: how much CO2 does energy cost us?

15/01/2021 -  Ornaldo Gjergji

In terms of CO2, energy production is the human activity with the worst impact on the environment in Europe. Emissions in the EU may be falling, but there are still major obstacles to achieving climate neutrality. Meanwhile, to the east, dozens of new coal plants will be built in the near future.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, from ethnocracy to feasible reforms

14/01/2021 -  Alfredo Sasso

25 years after Dayton, Bosnia and Herzegovina discusses the discriminatory nature of its constitution and its possible reform, but also possible alternatives for a change in the country's institutional system. We talked about it with Nenad Stojanović

Kosovo: infant-toddler centres and preschools are not yet a priority

07/01/2021 -  Arta Berisha

Not all municipalities in Kosovo have their own infant-toddler centre, and the public resources invested in the sector are minimal. Yet, at the Faculty of Education in Prishtina, efforts are being made to train teachers who put the needs of children first. An interview