Also thanks to European cohesion funds, Bulgaria has recently equipped itself with an innovative research centre for clean technologies, to connect the Bulgarian scientific world and help citizens and institutions comply with the new ecological standards
The dispute over the modifications to the Armenian Constitution requested by Azerbaijan continues to hinder the normalization of relations between the two countries and the achievement of peace agreements
The case of Abdulrahman al-Khalidi, a Saudi human rights activist, held in the Busmantsi detention center in the Bulgarian capital since October 2021, highlights state inaction and human rights violations when it comes to refugees and migrants
A new Slovenian research centre is operational in the capital Ljubljana. It is the Biotechnology Hub of the National Institute of Biology (NIB), created thanks to European funds and inaugurated last February, which seeks to study and provide answers to the environmental challenges that await us
Are the Western Balkans becoming a mine of raw materials needed for the upcoming “green revolution”? Civil society organisations and many citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and North Macedonia answer resolutely: NO! The battle to protect the environment and health continues
Almost non-existent professional ethics, capture of the media by politics and financial unsustainability are just some of the main issues that make the Albanian media landscape particularly alarming. An interview
The Italian-Albanian activist Arbër Agalliu has been advocating for more than a decade for a reform of the obsolete Italian citizenship law, which not only makes life impossible for aspiring Italian citizens, but also makes many young people feel like foreigners in their own country. Our interview
One year ahead of the next general election, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has embarked on a tour across Europe to make citizens living outside the country “Proud of Albania”. But the issue remains the electoral code, which currently does not allow people to vote from abroad
Despite joining the European Union more than a decade ago, Croatia has struggled to meet European Union standards for environmental protection, especially in water and waste collection, management and treatment
From 2020 to 2022, nine countries participated in an Interreg project to improve the safety of those who use bicycles to get around in everyday life or for leisure. Two years of research to promote the use of bicycles while reducing the number of casualties
Tens of thousands of people fled to Armenia last year from Nagorno Karabakh, reconquered by arms from Azerbaijan: many are now asking for Armenian citizenship, to be able to start rebuilding their lives again
Peaceful, picturesque and full of history, the hilly regions between Slovenia and Croatia have become a destination for sustainable, cross-border tourism. The transformation was driven by Ride&Bike, a European Cohesion policy project
A media analysis of Transnistria’s main news agency and TV station shows just how insistently local media and politicians talk about being “under blockade”. The expression is exceedingly dramatic. But Chișinău should do more to allay immediate and pragmatic concerns of local residents
Increasing political and financial pressure threatens the independence and editorial autonomy of many media outlets in Serbia. We interviewed Irina Milutinović, Senior Research Associate at the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade and co-author of the Country Report on Serbia of the Media Pluralism Monitor 2023
For the Serbian leadership, the recent adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution on Srebrenica was unnecessary, as the country has already tried those responsible for war crimes. A careful analysis, however, shows a very different reality
Since April, thanks to EU cohesion funds, the Trieste-Rijeka route has been open: a railway connection with symbolic value is back, decades after being interrupted at the end of the Second World War. We boarded the train on opening day
Violence against older people is a real and little-studied problem globally, but also felt in countries like Armenia and the Caucasus in general. Also because the elderly tend to live isolated, and struggle to find help
After the overwhelming victory in the political and presidential elections last May 8, VMRO DPMNE and its new allies are starting to outline the priorities of the new government. The future of the country's European integration, also linked to difficult constitutional reforms, remains a puzzle with a difficult solution
Betting and gambling companies have gained enormous influence in Bulgaria and Romania. Not only on the people who slip into gambling addiction, but also on the media, which suffer from their economic power. New laws seek to contain this influence, but their impact is unclear
