In recent decades North Macedonia has been affected by a very strong emigration trend and today more and more companies struggle to find staff. Among the solutions proposed, there is that of encouraging the arrival of workers from non-European countries
The warm season will be an opportunity to test the new infrastructures and strategies of an EU-funded project in the municipalities of Gorizia, Nova Gorica, and Šempeter-Vrtojba, a border area that conceives itself as a single, homogeneous territory along the river Soča
As in other areas of the Croatian coast, also in Baška, a municipality on the southern tip of the island of Krk, the local administration is facing depopulation in the winter months and saturation in the summer ones. We talked about it with its mayor, Toni Juranić
Few cities can boast of being crossed by four rivers. Karlovac is one of them. Kupa, Dobra, Korana, and Mrežnica. A river city that saw its golden age towards the end of the eighteenth century. Our reportage continues along the Kupa River
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
Local official in the morning, farmer in the afternoon. Franjo Toic is the emblem of what Europe can be: local, global, with a strong civic and community sense. An encounter
In Europe, Romania has one of the lowest general unemployment rates and one of the highest youth unemployment rates. And the trend is not getting better
We were in Kryvyj Rih, an industrial city in central Ukraine, to investigate what the workers' organisations are doing and how they have reacted to the conflict
In Slovenia, the healthcare system, once a flagship of the country, seems to be on the verge of an irreversible crisis that risks leading to the dismantling of the public system in favour of the private sector
Twenty-one years after the serious economic and financial crisis of 2001 that accompanied its rise, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) presents itself for the electoral appointment in June in a context of full economic and social turmoil
For the Croatian government, 2022 was the year of the objectives achieved: entry into Schengen, the single currency, and the Peljesac bridge. But if the Croatian authorities celebrate the treble, the population looks with concern at the arrival of the single currency
Civil society organizations in North Macedonia have been fighting against the opening of new copper and gold mines for years. Citizens have collected documentation and evidence that mining will seriously damage the environment
This year, the number of people who left Armenia to work in Russia decreased by 20,000. The number of migrant workers leaving for Russia from Georgia has also decreased slightly. The main reason is war
The start-up sector in Albania is relatively young, yet it has big innovation potential, especially in the ICT industry. An interview with Arjan Ymer, director of the business incubator Oficina
Kosovo is growing fast in the field of innovation, but the strong potential of the sector is currently not being used as much as it deserves. We talked about it with Uranik Begu, director of the Innovation Center Kosovo
Τhe islet of Revythoussa is a small, barren piece of land in the Gulf of Megara, west of Athens. There would be nothing special about this place, except it has become the only LNG terminal in Greece and a strategic energy stronghold for the wider Balkan region
Supporting the development of young and innovative businesses in the Western Balkans. This is the objective of the Star Venture programme of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. We talked about it with regional coordinator Dejan Tonic
RuralAlbania, a project to support small agricultural producers in northern Albania, started in September. It follows up on strong preexisting relationships, and one of the first initiatives was a study visit
Innovation clusters that involve relevant stakeholders, from public authorities to the private sector and academia are key to reducing brain drain and promoting local development. We talked about it with Jolta Kacani, professor at the University of Tirana
Croatia is preparing to become a regional gas supply centre thanks to the regasification plant inaugurated on the island of Krk in 2021. The Plenkovic government rejoices over Zagreb's renewed strategic-energy role, but environmentalists disagree entirely
The gaming industry in Serbia is growing exponentially. More and more companies in the sector are growing thanks to mutual collaboration. We interviewed Kristina Janković Obućina, director of the Serbian Game Association
Against the backdrop of growing tensions between Greece and Turkey, a positive counter-signal comes from the sea: the first regular ferry was recently launched between the cities of Thessaloniki and Izmir
Injection of new money into local economic systems, inflation of the real estate market, inaccessible rental houses: the Russians on the run are already changing the Armenian and Georgian economies
In the last seven-year period of European cohesion funds, many billions of Euros have already been allocated to environmental protection. 9 went to the EU countries of South East Europe
After Belgrade, Novi Sad. The new urban plan threatens the banks of the Danube and a natural area that "lets the river breathe", essential in case of flooding. The city administration continues at full speed along the concrete road
On a remote island of the Aegean, thanks to a public-private collaboration and European funds, an innovative sustainable mobility system is being developed
Two-thirds of pledges to go greener on plastic fail or are dropped, a DW investigation has found. Here's how European food and drink companies break their own commitments, and how legislation might hold them accountable
Over the past year, many EU countries have signed partnership agreements with the European Commission for cohesion. What is it about? How are the countries of Southeast Europe doing?
The Balkan countries are struggling to keep up with the rest of Europe in terms of Internet connection speed. The only exception is Romania, which - not surprisingly - is the country in the area that is best able to spend cohesion funds on ICT
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