European Union

A delegation of the EFJ met EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn to discuss how to improve working conditions of journalists in the Western Balkans

The justice reform, approved on July 21^st, amends as many as 45 articles of the Albanian Constitution. Citizens, however, still know little about it

The economic crisis and the cold international attendance at the Baku European Games are some possible explanations for the partial change of diplomatic strategy of Azerbaijan

The results of the referendum held in the UK will have significant consequences for the process of European integration of the South-Eastern European countries

The second EU Investigate Journalism Awards in the Western Balkans and Turkey have been announced in Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Turkey

A review of some conflictual issues dividing Member States dealing with the refugee crisis. Interview with Irene Wieczorek, researcher at the Institute for European Studies

The EU Award for Investigative Journalism has been granted so far in Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia, acknowledging investigations on corruption and social exclusion

The migration deal between EU and Turkey is illegal and must be changed, says CoE Commissioner for Human Rights. There are other ways to address the migrants crisis, complying with the member States obligations to protect those who flee wars and persecution

With its ruling on the "AUK deal", EULEX saved Kosovo’s budget from losing €18 million. Unfortunately, in these years, such effective action was often missing. The two faces of the EU mission. A comment

In October 2014, the EU launched its Macro-Regional Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian area, EUSAIR. One year later, OBC and CeSPI analysed its first steps, challenges and opportunities, in the frame of the project “The Adriatic-Ionian macro-region: a hurdle process. The start of the Adriatic-Ionian Regional Strategy in the perspective of Italian foreign policy and the European integration of the Western Balkans”, funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).

Dramatic days in the history of the Union have disturbing similarities with the early '90s, when everything changed very quickly and Yugoslavia collapsed

Greece has the opportunity to attract Russian tourists seeking an alternative to the Turkish and Egyptian beaches. The Hellenic bureaucracy, though, appears incapable of accepting the challenge

Bosnia Herzegovina and the challenges ahead, twenty years after the signing of the the Dayton Peace Agreement. Interview with the Italian Ambassador in Sarajevo, Ruggero Corrias

At the border between Serbia, Hungary, and Romania, where the EU geographically begins but morally ends

Chronicle of a journey along the border between Hungary and Serbia in late June and early July, a week from the building of a new wall in Europe. Second Episode

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe sent a letter to the president of Ossigeno per l'Informazione on the occasion of today's conference “Protect who reports inconvenient truths”, taking place in Rome

The path of the migrants towards the EU is full of risks. Following the Balkan route, the 200 km crossing Macedonia can be the most deadly. Our report

By July 1^st, the 74 Serbian media still owned by the state or local governments will have to be privatised, but some say the deadline could slip to October

EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn told a BIRN conference that media freedom in the Balkans has become a major concern that must be addressed urgently

Serbia's Prime Minister paid a historic visit to Albania last week. Major disagreements remain, especially over Kosovo, but great cordiality was expressed. In the background, the need for collaboration on major infrastructure projects for the region

A Special Court should deal with alleged war crimes committed by KLA officials, but analysts in Kosovo are skeptical about its scope

Bulgaria is among the few European countries that have announced the achievement of the objectives of the "Europe 2020" strategy on renewable energy. At the same time, the sector is said to be in crisis and unsustainable. Our report

After years of extreme hostility, PDK and LDK strike a power sharing deal creating a government which will have to tackle the huge unemployment problem, and make progress on the normalisation of relations with Belgrade

The Maria Bamieh revelations on corruption inside the European rule of law mission in Kosovo, although not promptly investigated, appear to lack any real basis. Clearing the mission on a circumscribed scandal, however, will likely reduce the urgency for a much needed audition of its record overall

The recent allegations on EULEX seem too selective to be of much assistance for an analysis of the European mission’s performance. The whole mission, starting from its judicial functions, should be thoroughly scrutinized

The EU is struggling to save the credibility of its Kosovo mission, but is walking on thin ice. Our report

Yesterday we published the opinion of US judge James Hargreaves on EULEX failure. A reply

Changing laws in a country is often relatively easy; changing the culture in regard to the application of those laws is never easy. To date, EULEX has done nothing to attempt to address this fundamental problem and now it is too late according to the author, a US judge who spent the last year in the mission

The decision to hand over the judicial system to domestic authorities, cutting Eulex’s mandate before its objectives were achieved, will not help Kosovo in the long term. Analysis of the recent EC report

Media concentration and lack of ownership transparency are a major obstacle to media pluralism and freedom in Bulgaria. According to media law expert Nelly Ognyanova, neither of these obstacles can be removed without political will. Interview