Accession talks opened in a celebratory atmosphere in Brussels this month, but the most demanding stage of the process – implementing high-quality reforms – has to begin.
Elsewhere, V4 “relaunches” at meeting of PMs in Hungary; Slovak government frames criticism of its economic management as a media problem; Czechia’s top court orders government to ensure president can participate in NATO summit.
The Serbian government has agreed to return and bury in Belgrade the remains of Blagoje Jovovic, who claimed he shot and wounded Croatian World War II fascist leader Ante Pavelic in 1957 in Argentina.
Press freedom organisations condemn refusal to accredit dozens of Turkish journalists for alliance summit, saying unexplained decision restricts media freedom and the public’s right to information.
After a wolf was found in a parking lot in Skopje, a persistent problem has been highlighted again: North Macedonia has no suitable place for rehabilitating wild animals kept illegally as pets or rescued from injury.
The possible collapse of the Vaclav Havel Library has sparked a wider debate about how to approach the legacy of Czechia’s first president and democratic icon - as his widow revokes her consent for his name to be used.
Amid continuing street protests, Albania is coming under increasing pressure to reverse its weakening of environmental protections in the interests of ‘luxury tourism’, or risk a setback in its pursuit of EU accession.
After getting frostbite while trying to hike across a mountain from Bosnia into the EU, three migrants from Sudan had their legs amputated – all seemingly failed by Bosnia’s healthcare system.
The war in Ukraine may be going badly – but in Bulgaria and Bosnia, Russia is making headway without having to take any action. Whether this will result in genuine gains is another question.
Just as Montenegro strives to prove its democratic credentials to the European Union, the head of its National Security Agency has filed a criminal complaint accusing two reporters of disclosing classified information in an investigative report.
Human rights NGO's report says routine denial of war crimes and glorification of convicted war criminals form part of deliberate strategy to sow division and undermine democratic values.
Hundreds joined marches in Sarajevo and Skopje, emphasising the ongoing struggles faced by LGBTQ+ communities despite steadily growing acceptance.
Elsewhere, Robert Fico is the great political survivor as he celebrates 20 years since winning his first election; strike by Czech public media staff called after government unveils reforms to funding model; and Hungarian PMs current and former in Brussels.
Former Bosnian justice minister Vesna Skare Ozbolt criticized the right-wing Homeland Movement for what she characterized as a clumsy attempt to bolster its nationalist credentials by interfering in the country's politics.
An analysis of judiciary proceedings involving the media shows a record rise in attacks on journalists in Serbia and the use of frivolous lawsuits aimed at silencing independent and critical voices, a new report shows.
Five years after the US declared him persona non grata, Donald Trump has given Sali Berisha a ‘waiver’. But how much does it really change for the opposition party Berisha leads?
Police suspect two recent murders in Barcelona are tied to Balkan crime groups. The shootings highlight the global repercussions of decade-long rivalries involving Serbian and Montenegrin drug clans.
Krunoslav Fehir was still in his teens when he witnessed the torture and murder of Serb civilians by a Croatian unit he was recruited into by his father in 1991. His decision to testify in 2005 would mark the start of a long and torturous road to the conviction of Osijek warlord Branimir Glavas, and to Fehir’s own vindication.
The draft law seeks to bring back journalistic independence, editorial freedom, unhindered access to reliable information and a space for open public discourse.
Those who have waited more than a quarter of a century to find loved ones still missing from the war in Kosovo take little hope from a new joint commission between Serbia and its former southern province.
With food inflation running at over 30 per cent, Turkey’s centuries-old relationship with olive oil is starting to sour.
North Korean hackers are stealing identities to land freelance work with Western companies, and some of the victims are in the Balkans.
Prompted by shocking murder case in May, Justice Minister proposes life sentences and continued detention of some offenders even after they have completed their sentences.
Our selection of Premium stories digs deep into a lively week, as Europe limps towards rebooting the enlargement system, votes in Kosovo are counted and Albanians throw off a reputation for apathy.
New ruling party confirms support for 'March of the Family' celebrating 'traditional' values on Saturday – coinciding with Sofia Pride parade.
State Department says removing Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha's designation, imposed in 2021 over alleged corruption, serves US 'national interest'.
Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Romania are racing to implement new EU asylum rules, as right-wingers demand crackdowns and campaigners warn of threats to human rights.
Elsewhere, Slovak president urged to halt controversial ambassador pick for Cyprus; Czech defence minister calls for increase in defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP; and Hungary's government submits omnibus bill designed to unlock frozen EU funds.
In the ongoing ‘Flamingo Revolution’ rallies against a planned luxury resort in Albania, satirical placards have become a key way to popularise protesters’ demands in the social media era.
Drone incursions have heightened fears that the war in Ukraine is spilling into Romania, exposing vulnerabilities in the NATO member’s air and maritime defences.
For many Bosniak survivors of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bajram) brings back painful memories of executions and burned homes in June 1992.
'Exodus '99', part of BIRN's Reporting House museum – and housed in a freight wagon – includes testimonies from some of the Kosovo Albanians deported in railway wagons by Serbian forces in 1999.
Right organisations call on President Zoran Milanovic to strip Branimir Glavas of his general's rank and other decorations following conviction over the wartime killings of Serb civilians.
Repairing Polish-Hungarian relations is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for resolving the broader challenges facing the V4 regional alliance of Central European states.
Protesting Albanians are not against tourist resorts or foreign investments, but they’re tired of being treated as passive subjects of decisions made by higher powers.
A political row has erupted in Bulgaria over who allowed an upscale coastal development to be built on protected land by a controversial businessman from Ukraine.
A Croatian court confirms seven-year jail sentence for wartime general Glavas for war crimes against Serb civilians, following almost 19 years of trials, retrials and appeals that may not be over yet.
Arrest of several members of elite Belgrade police unit suspected of trying to cover up restaurant shooting last year adds to woes of Serbian capital's police force – whose chief was arrested in May.
The national football team’s participation in the World Cup has the potential to generate shared public emotion in a country best known for intractable divisions.
Angered by the treatment of a protester at the site of a planned resort linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Albanians are taking to the streets, fuelled by long-standing grievances over the way their country has been run.
The government is stonewalling over revealing the funding details for ‘spectacular’ independence anniversary events planned for this summer in a typically ‘brazen’ way, claims watchdog head German Filmov.
Prosecution has dropped claim that former Belgrade police chief Veselin Milic aided a murderer after a killing – but not the allegation that he failed to report the crime, despite being told it had occurred.
A new Franco-German proposal is heralding a possible new approach to the European bloc’s enlargement process – and leaving the door open for Kosovo. But it was Serbia’s president who grabbed the headlines at the latest EU-Balkans summit.
A new State Department report, walking away from international oversight, risks placing Bosnia’s democratic order in the hands of whoever is strongest.
Construction workers from across the Balkans have flooded a small corner of northern Greece to help ready an expanded gold and copper mine for production; local resistance, driven by a fear for the environment, has given way to economic dependence.
Albin Kurti’s election gamble paid off – but he must take note of the signal the country sent in a lower turnout and a drop in his party’s votes, experts told BIRN.
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region.
Dario Ristic escaped charges of fighting illegally abroad by obtaining a Russian passport; some now urge Bosnia to change its laws.
Cases of non-consensual intimate image sharing in Greece are on the rise, but the perpetrators too often escape punishment amid widespread victim-blaming and social stigma.
Incumbent Prime Minister tipped to win Sunday's snap polls although his Vetevendosje party saw its level of support shrink compared to last December's elections.