
balkan-insight1d ago
Croatia Mulls Life Prison Terms – Indefinite Detention of ‘Socially Dangerous’
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.
balkan-insight1d ago
Brussels Scrutinises Serbian Airline Regulation after Wizz Air Complaint
Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has warned changes to an air transport regulation in Serbia may force it to quit Belgrade.
balkan-insight2d ago
Democracy Digest: Poland and Ukraine Seek to Contain Fallout from WWII Dispute
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.
balkan-insight2d ago
For Some Bosnian War Survivors, Muslim Festival is Wrapped up in Grief and Trauma
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.
balkan-insight2d ago
Can Central Europe Once Again Punch Above its Weight?
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.
balkan-insight3d ago
Croatian Court Upholds Conviction of Branimir Glavas for Osijek War Crimes
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.
balkan-insight3d ago
Gamechanger? Bosnia’s World Cup Participation Could Create Moment of Collective Pride
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.
balkan-insight4d ago
Serbian Prosecution Drops Charge Accusing Ex-Police Chief of Assisting Killer
Prosecution drops claim that former Belgrade police chief Veselin Milic was aided a murderer after a killing – but not the allegation that he failed to report the crime, despite being told it had occurred.
balkan-insight4d ago
Greek Gold: From Resistance to Dependence in a Halkidiki Mining Region
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.
balkan-insight5d ago
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: June 8, 2026
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region.
balkan-insight5d ago
Image-Based Abuse on the Rise in Greece, But so Often Unpunished
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.
balkan-insight8d ago
Week in Review: Knots and Pivots
While Kosovo is tying itself up in political knots, Serbia is eying a possible pivot to the (far) East. BIRN’s selection of Premium stories tackles these issues and more.
balkan-insight8d ago
Europe Using ‘Healthcare Denial’ to Stop Migrants Reaching West, Report Claims
Report by activist group No Name Kitchen accuses European countries of systemically denying healthcare to migrants to deter them from reaching the EU.
balkan-insight8d ago
Europe’s Enlargement’s Bargain on Ukraine, Balkans, Risks Backfiring
As EU moves to prioritise geopolitical needs over old merit-based approaches, the concern is that rushed membership for Ukraine and Albania could come at a cost.
balkan-insight9d ago
Romania’s President Taps Independent Candidate to Form Govt
PM-Designate Eugen Tomac has only ten days to try to form a government and present it to parliament for approval, which may prove difficult.
balkan-insight9d ago
Osim, Dzeko and Bosnia’s Valiant World Cup Football Odyssey
Bosnia and Herzegovina will compete in the World Cup this month. Can they take inspiration from the legacy of legendary manager Ivica Osim? Lida Hujic meets Osim’s illustrious son Amar to find out – and asks team captain Edin Dzeko too.
balkan-insight10d ago
Montenegro Bars Entry to 87 Serbian Nationals Ahead of Summit
Authorities block 87 Serbian nationals from entering country ahead of EU-Western Balkans Summit, amid heightened security measures surrounding regional and European gathering.
balkan-insight10d ago
Letter from London: Close to Boiling Point
The thermometer’s risen sharply, both literally and politically, this spring - but even with so much else to preoccupy Britons, the Balkans hasn’t quite slipped off the radar.
balkan-insight11d ago
Greek Leftist Party Loses Parliamentary Group as MPs Quit
Nea Aristera, [New Left] party loses its right to parliamentary group after most of its MPs resign – a decision linked to former PM Alexis Tsipras' formation of a new party.
balkan-insight11d ago
Kosovo Parties Have Way to Go on Women’s Representation – Expert
Ahead of new snap elections, Rrezarta Krasniqi of Democracy for Development, D4D, says Kosovo parties are still failing to go beyond the legal quota when it comes including women on candidates lists.
balkan-insight1d ago
Week in Review: Flamingos, Think Tankers and Returning Radicals
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.
balkan-insight1d ago
US Lifts Albanian Opposition Leader Berisha’s ‘Persona Non Grata’ Status
State Department says removing Albanian opposition leader Sali Berisha's designation, imposed in 2021 over alleged corruption, serves US 'national interest'.
balkan-insight2d ago
Protest Memes Bring Political Satire to Albania’s Streets
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.
balkan-insight2d ago
BIRN Launches Exhibition on Wartime Expulsion of Kosovo Albanians by Rail
'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.
balkan-insight2d ago
Albania’s ‘Flamingo Revolution’ is About More Than Kushner and Birds
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.
balkan-insight3d ago
Western Balkans Youth Need More Skills to Recognise Online Fakes: BIRN Report
New report concludes that young people in the Western Balkan need enhanced practical skills to detect fake news on the internet and social media, but also improvements in online platforms' standards and transparency to make false information easier to recognise.
balkan-insight3d ago
Last Straw: Albania’s ‘Flamingo Revolution’ Fuelled by Long-Standing Grievances
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.
balkan-insight4d ago
Letter from Brussels: Getting Creative about EU Enlargement in the Balkans
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.
balkan-insight4d ago
Kosovo Election: Kurti Must Heed Message of Voters Tired of Crises
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.
balkan-insight5d ago
Nobel Laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk: ‘Justice Is Not the Privilege of Winners’
The human rights lawyer has spent her career documenting Russian war crimes. Now she’s trying to ensure they are punished – whether Russia wins or loses on the battlefield.
balkan-insight6d ago
Kurti’s Vetevendosje Set to Win Kosovo Election on Low Turnout
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.
balkan-insight8d ago
ARTE Europe Weekly: How Botox Has Hit the Mainstream
Black market Botox clinics and DIY injections are putting people’s health at risk.
balkan-insight8d ago
Democracy Digest: Czechia and Poland Urge Ban on Russian Tourist Visas
Elsewhere, Czech police charge four in OnlyFans human-trafficking case; Hungarian PM raises pressure on president to quit; fresh dispute over wartime history frays Polish-Ukrainian ties; Slovak government defends overdue package of measures to support growth.
balkan-insight8d ago
Slovenia Braces for Veteran Right-Winger’s Radical Agenda
Critics fear Janez Jansa’s new government will be ideologically driven, copy-pasting policies from Trump’s America and Orban’s Hungary.
balkan-insight9d ago
Hungary Drops EU Veto to Open New Chapter in Relations with Ukraine
Deal between Ukraine and Hungary’s new government over minority rights clears way for Kyiv to start EU accession talks.
balkan-insight9d ago
Kosovo Leaders Again Bid for Power Amid Vote-Influencing Claims
As Kosovo heads toward its third election in 16 months – with few signs that it will resolve the political deadlock – acting PM Kurti faces accusations of using public money to swing voters.
balkan-insight10d ago
Romania’s President Struggles to Name PM as Political Deadlock Persists
A month after the fall of Romania’s coalition government, President Dan has still not named a new prime minister, leaving the country in political limbo.
balkan-insight10d ago
Rama’s Arguments with RSF Draw Attention From Albanian Media’s Problems
Edi Rama’s public exchanges with Reporters Without Borders, RSF, over its latest Freedom Index are part of a familiar pattern of redirecting attention away from real problems in society, experts say.
balkan-insight11d ago
Asylum, Bulgarian-Style: Deterrence Has Turned Into Abuse, Corruption and Crime
On paper, Bulgaria’s policy offers asylum claimants protection – but in practice does the exact opposite.
balkan-insight12d ago
Monday Briefing from the Balkans: June 1, 2026
Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region.
balkan-insight1d ago
Bulgarian Ruling Party Backs ‘Family’ March on Same Day as LGBT Pride
New ruling party confirms support for 'March of the Family' celebrating 'traditional' values on Saturday – coinciding with Sofia Pride parade.
balkan-insight1d ago
Balkan States Scramble to Act as EU Migration Pact Takes Effect
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.
balkan-insight2d ago
Stray Drones, Rising Anxiety: How the Ukraine War Is Testing Romania’s Defences
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.
balkan-insight2d ago
Croatian President Urged to Strip Convicted War Criminal Glavas of Rank
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.
balkan-insight2d ago
Political Row Flares in Bulgaria Over ‘Illegal Estate’ Linked to Ukrainian Tycoon
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.
balkan-insight3d ago
Serbian Police Unit Members Arrested Over Alleged Cover-Up of Restaurant Shooting
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.
balkan-insight3d ago
North Macedonia is Splurging on Independence Parties – But Who’s Paying?
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.
balkan-insight4d ago
Washington’s Retreat from its Bosnia Policy Leaves Country Adrift
A new State Department report, walking away from international oversight, risks placing Bosnia’s democratic order in the hands of whoever is strongest.
balkan-insight5d ago
EU Congratulates Kurti on Kosovo Election Win, Urges ‘Compromise’
Vetevendosje hails another election victory - but its reduced vote points to likely need to cooperate with other parties to form government.
balkan-insight5d ago
Fight for Russia, Skip the Trial: Bosnia’s Legal Loophole Exposed
Dario Ristic escaped charges of fighting illegally abroad by obtaining a Russian passport; some now urge Bosnia to change its laws.
balkan-insight8d ago
Decade of Pride: Tenth Pristina Parade Makes Call for Equality
Hundreds of citizens, activists and diplomats marched through Kosovo’s capital on Friday celebrating the city’s 10th Pride Parade under the slogan ‘Equality or Revolt’.
balkan-insight8d ago
US Blames ‘European Divisions’ for Failure to Elect Bosnia High Representative
US warns it might have to 'reconsider' its role in Bosnia after talks to appoint successor to Christian Schmidt as High Representative failed.
balkan-insight8d ago
From Street Names to Textbooks, WWII in Kosovo is Not What it Once Was
Yugoslav authorities marginalised and airbrushed the Albanian experience of World War Two in Kosovo; today, new forms of historical revisionism overlook the cooperation of Albanian Partisans with the Yugoslav Partisans and the complexity of the conflict.
balkan-insight9d ago
Serbia President Attends Summit in Montenegro Despite Intelligence Warnings
Despite alleged security threats and a ban on 87 Serbs entering Montenegro, Vucic travels to EU–Western Balkans Summit, saying it is 'important to represent Serbia there'.
balkan-insight9d ago
Greek Police’s ‘Unlawful Force and Impunity’ Criticised in Amnesty Report
Watchdog's new report says routine use of 'unlawful force' during demonstrations combined with high level of impunity has 'chilling effect on right to protest'.
balkan-insight9d ago
Behind a Trump-Linked Albanian Resort Project, a Host of Murky Interests
Donald Trump’s son-in-law is headlining a planned luxury development in Albania’s protected Narta Lagoon, but behind him lies a web of colourful business interests knee-deep in controversy.
balkan-insight10d ago
Albanian Protests Mount Against Kushner-Linked Luxury Resort
Protests intensify against planned upscale resort in protected area, linked to Trump's son-in-law – which Prime Minister Edi Rama has strongly defended.
balkan-insight10d ago
Why Bosnia Still Needs a High Representative
The rule of thumb should be to do the opposite of what the leading ethnic separatists are advocating – which is closure of the OHR.
balkan-insight11d ago
Hungary Shows Limits to Central-Southeast Europe’s ‘Nuclear Renaissance’
Nuclear power remains attractive from an energy security and decarbonisation perspective, but as Hungary is showing such projects have become more complicated economically and geopolitically to build than a decade ago.
balkan-insight12d ago
Four Scenarios for Democracy in the Western Balkans: From Hope to Disenchantment
By the year 2040, will countries in the region choose to consolidate democracy, settle for ‘stabilitocracy’, or descend into full-blown authoritarianism?