Interviews

Castaldo: Western Balkans, the beating heart of the EU

19/05/2021 -  Paolo Bergamaschi

"The Western Balkans are not and must never be a defeated periphery of the West, but they are and must remain the beating heart of the present and future of the great European family". Interview with Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Vice President of the European Parliament

Inzko, the future of Bosnia and the Balkans

12/05/2021 -  Giovanni Vale Zagabria

According to Valentin Inzko, High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the country is at serious risk. The idea of ​​its "peaceful dissolution" would also begin to take hold in Brussels circles. For this reason, in his opinion, it is necessary for the EU to quickly change its approach with respect to the Balkans and Bosnia and Herzegovina

France, the Western Balkans, and the EU: on the wave of scepticism

30/04/2021 -  Antoine Laurent

Together with Christine Hübner, Jan Eichhorn, and Luuk Molthof, political scientist Srdan Cvijic recently published a report that analyses the French point of view on the enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans. We interviewed him

Jens Woelk: Status quo in Bosnia and Herzegovina is an illusion

22/03/2021 -  Lejla Gačanica

Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot wait any longer. It must embrace the constitution, which can no longer be just an "annex" to the Dayton Peace Accords. The opinion of the jurist Jens Woelk

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

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

Mostar's divers

07/01/2021 -  Veronica Tosetti

Starting from those moments of precipitous flight towards the Neretva, the first long feature directed by Daniele Babbo shows both the love for a city and how hard it is to live in it. An interview

Battle for “Košutnjak”, Belgrade's green lung

06/11/2020 -  Nicola Dotto Belgrade

The possible destruction of almost 35 hectares of forest and green areas of "Košutnjak", a protected natural asset regarded by many as the "lung of Belgrade", has given way to a new environmental battle in the Serbian capital

Hydroelectric power in Bosnia: between moratorium and abuse during lockdown

28/07/2020 -  Marco Ranocchiari

To defend the Balkan rivers, it was first necessary to make people aware that they were in danger. An interview with Ulrich Eichelmann, founder of the NGO RiverWatch and one of the coordinators of the campaign Save the Blue Heart of Europe

Malafekas: pulp is the genuine product of a country in crisis

27/07/2020 -  Elvira Krithari Athens

Times of crisis generate pulp characters, immersed in the need for action, armed with a realist language and no frills. An interview with Greek writer Makis Malafekas, author of “Athens Undocumented”

Two voices on Kosovo

08/07/2020 -  Paolo Bergamaschi

A real diplomatic race between the US and the EU has recently started on the Serbia-Kosovo negotiations. The opinion of Lulzim Peci of the Kosovar Institute for Political Research and Development and Sonja Biserko, founder and president of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia

Kosovo, Brussels, and the enlargement process

16/06/2020 -  Paolo Bergamaschi

The EU enlargement process in general and the recent developments in Kosovo, this is what we've talked about with Viola von Cramon-Taubadel, German Green/EFA Member of the European Parliament and rapporteur for Kosovo for the European Parliament

Željko Bodrožić: the state of emergency smothers the Serbian media

17/04/2020 -  Dragan Janjić Belgrade

According to Željko Bodrožić, president of the Association of Independent Journalists of Serbia (NUNS), the state of emergency has only worsened the situation of non-aligned media, often subject to the discredit of the media controlled by power

Saša Ilić, deconstructing institutions

07/04/2020 -  Francesca Rolandi Belgrade

Writer and journalist Saša Ilić was awarded the prestigious NIN literary prize for best novel of the year in 2019. We interviewed him and talked about psychiatry, Yugoslavia, the Divine Comedy, and refugees

Albania in the history of Venice

30/01/2020 -  Giovanni Vale

Albania played a leading role in the history of the Serenissima Republic. Suffice it to say that the Albanian School was the first school of "foresti" (foreigners) opened in Venice, way back in 1448. Professor Lucia Nadin talks about these relationships

Azerbaijani elections, for Rasul Jafarov this time is different

16/01/2020 -  Claudia Ditel

Well-known human rights defender, lawyer, and former political prisoner Rasul Jafarov intends to run for the next parliamentary elections with the REAL party – only if the regime allows him to. An interview

Rijeka, when history goes public

21/11/2019 -  Marco Abram

Combining scientific research, dissemination, and participation; telling the story of Rijeka in multiple languages. These are the objectives of an international project of which OBCT is a partner, in view of Rijeka – European Capital of Culture 2020

Political theatre in Kosovo: a fight on many fronts

12/11/2019 -  Valentina Vivona Lyon

An interview to playwright Jeton Neziraj on the power of political theatre, on Kosovo-Serbia relations, on the recent EU enlargement veto, and much more

Turkey: freedom of expression is still possible

22/07/2019 -  Francesco Brusa

Şükran Şençekiçer, host of online television channel Medyascope, is certain: in Turkey – despite government repression – some have survived and do good journalism. And here we must start again, with courage and enthusiasm

Dejan Jović, an alarm call for Croatian society

24/06/2019 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

What is the situation of the Serbian minority in Croatia? We talked about it with Dejan Jović, university professor and recent candidate in the European elections

Montenegro: the swamp of politics

13/06/2019 -  Milena Perović Korać Podgorica

Montenegro remains plagued by major issues of crime and corruption, which directly involve the ruling elite. An interview with Dejan Milovac, deputy director of the MANS NGO

The truth about Jasenovac

23/04/2019 -  Giovanni Vale

Between historical revisionism and divided memories, the Jasenovac concentration camp (Croatia) keeps fostering division and debate in the communities of the region. Ivo Goldstein, a well-known Croatian historian, explains the reason for a long-standing dispute

Kosovo: economic growth does not (yet) create job opportunities

19/02/2019 -  Majlinda Aliu Pristina

Strong economic growth that does not affect the high unemployment rate, an economic model that must change to meet the challenges of globalisation. Kosovo's economy as seen by Marco Mantovanelli, country manager for the World Bank

Serbia, media and power

13/02/2019 -  Francesco Martino

More and more power in the hands of President Aleksandar Vučić, mainstream press too friendly with power, growing difficulties for independent journalism. Serbia's media today, told by Stevan Dojčinović, director of the KRIK investigative portal

Albania, it had to happen sooner or later

30/01/2019 -  Nicola Pedrazzi

A rush of vitality for Albania's society and future. An interview with Gresa Hasa, an activist of the student movement that is giving the Albanian government a hard time

Pollution in Sarajevo, interview with Anes Podić

16/01/2019 -  Alfredo Sasso Sarajevo

Last December, Sarajevo was the most polluted capital in the world. What are the main causes of pollution in the Bosnian capital? An interview with Anes Podić, coordinator of Eko Akcija

Cowboy Makedonski

18/12/2018 -  Francesca Rolandi

A documentary tells the story of a young Macedonian who arrived in Italy in the 1990s, looking for a job. We talked with the authors of this Italian-Macedonian production

Media in Croatia, defeated by the economy

14/12/2018 -  Giovanni Vale Zagreb

What is the state of the Croatian media? And what could the government and the institutions do to improve the situation? We asked Hrvoje Zovko, the new president of the Association of Croatian Journalists (HND)