The United Nations Climate Conference COP29 begins today in Baku, Azerbaijan. The following is a message to the international public: take a moment to remember Azerbaijan's political prisoners and the many human rights violations
After the disputed victory of Georgian Dream in Georgia's parliamentary elections, the pro-European opposition is seeking international support to call for a new vote and is mobilizing public protests, though it seems to be aiming for a non-violent parliamentary boycott. Photo and text by Onnik James Krikorian.
After the breakup of Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia - known for their extraordinary natural resources and biodiversity - have been facing environmental crime and the devastation of nature
Last August, the One Caucasus Festival brought together Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia through music, culture and educational and participatory projects. An example of how communities can build a peaceful future together
"We must go beyond the idea that the Western Balkans are a sort of ghetto made up of non-EU countries. This would contribute not only to the Europeanisation of the Western Balkans, but also to overcoming some disagreements between candidate countries and EU member states". Ana Krstinovska, founder and president of the think tank Estima based in Bitola, in North Macedonia and research fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP)
Media outlets in the country are increasingly exposed to cyber attacks, online threats and manipulations. We talked about digital security and its impact on independent journalism in Serbia with Bojan Perkov, digital policy coordinator at SHARE Foundation
Ado Hasanović, a director of Bosnian origin living in Italy, interviewed on his way back from Cannes, talks about his next projects, which also directly involve his Srebrenica. An interview
In Albania, when the protection of the Vjosa river and its tributaries seemed almost guaranteed, a project aimed at tourism development has once again called everything into question, threatening an area with a population of over 50 thousand people
In Albania, a project that aims at boosting tourism in the coastal town of Himarë is putting at risk over 50,000 people living in the Shushica Valley, a tributary of the Vjosa river.
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
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
The ruling party “Georgian Dream” acts on the basis of the obsessions of its founder, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, who sees threats to his interests coming from the West and from a potential change of government. The risk is an authoritarian turn, not a pro-Russian course
the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights calls the European states to end the repression of human rights defenders assisting refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in Europe, following the recently published Recommendation on the topic
In the 'Silos' area in Trieste, history repeats itself: in the places that once housed Istrian refugees, people arriving via the Balkan Route now live in degrading conditions. While waiting for a more dignified solution, the transnational solidarity network tries to make up for the ills produced by a short-sighted political vision of migration policies
Trieste, a border city, is the last stop on the Balkan route. In 2023 the data recorded an increase in the arrivals of unaccompanied minors. What does it mean to grow up along the Balkan route? What happens once in Trieste? An analysis
What is the impact over the Western Balkans of the Russian invasion of Ukraine? What are the possibel future scenarios in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina? Analysts, activists and area experts discussed it in a webinar organized by OBCT and CeSPI
When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, a segment of Serbian society - traditionally pro-Russian - took to the streets to protest against the Kremlin. Among the first demonstrators there were many Russian citizens, including Sasha Seregina. We interviewed her
After the massacres of the recent weeks, street demonstrations continue against the government and above all the media, which according to critics have created a climate of intolerance and violence over the years
Serbia and Ukraine used to have close geopolitical positions, but such friendship has been jeopardised by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A study tries to take stock of the bilateral relations between Kyiv and Belgrade. We interviewed author Kateryna Shymkevych
OBCT joins media freedom and human rights organisations calling for Turkish authorities to stop systematic harassment and intimidation of Kurdish journalists, media workers, media outlets, the lawyers that defend them, and Kurdish political party officials
In Lubenice, a tiny village in the heart of the island of Cres, there is a museum devoted to sheep farming. Symbol of a territory that, telling about itself, wants to reinterpret and continue in its traditions. We met Marijana Dlačić, its president
The international conference "Bosnia and Herzegovina: Constitution and EU Accession", which concluded the international project within the CEI Know-how Exchange Program, financed by the CEI Fund (EBRD), was held on April 12, 2023 in ceremonial hall of the University of Sarajevo
Energy communities are projects in which citizens associate both as producers and consumers of clean energy at a local level. There are already many of them, including in South-Eastern Europe. They could be supported by EU cohesion policy, but that is not the case yet
Eight years ago Mohammed had pitched a tent in Idomeni, he was one of the many Syrian refugees travelling on the Balkan route. Today he is a Belgian citizen with an EU passport. He has recently returned where this story began, in Idomeni, a place that occupied European chronicles for a long time
Following two nights of protests that saw riot police use tear gas and water cannon, the Georgian government announced that it has withdrawn controversial legislation that critics say would set back democratic development in the country and reverse the country’s stated policy of joining the European Union. Photos and text by Onnik James Krikorian, from Tbilisi
In 30 of Europe's biggest cities, streets named after women make up only 9 per cent of the streets dedicated to individuals. The imbalance has started to narrow in some places, but progress is too slow: at this rate, it would take centuries to really close the gap.
OBC Transeuropa joins European civil society organizations drawing the attention of the European Commission to a set of concerns on the situation of the rule of law across the EU that should urgently be addressed ahead of the 2023 Rule of Law Report.
Also in Bosnia and Herzegovina one of the major obstacles to the exercise of the journalistic profession is represented by the so-called SLAPPs, lawsuits seeking to silence or limit the work of journalists and civil rights activists
