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Reflections from our correspondents on the ground in Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia and Romania.
BALKAN BLOG: Where are Serbia's protests headed?
February 23, 2025
What the protesters demand is simple yet elusive: transparency, accountability and a functioning rule of law.
BALKAN BLOG: Upended world order enables Russia’s return to Southeast Europe
February 19, 2025
The US’s distancing from its traditional democratic allies and embrace of the far right paves the way for the return of Russian influence to a region from which it has long been in retreat.
BALKAN BLOG: Kosovan PM’s likely re-election challenges Trump administration’s Balkan ambitions
February 7, 2025
Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s reluctance to compromise for the sake of diplomatic expediency is likely to be as irksome to the new Trump administration as his left-wing politics.
BALKAN BLOG: Serbia’s student protests are a call for change, not a colour revolution
January 27, 2025
Protesters are fighting for societal change and an end to government corruption, nepotism and perceived institutional incompetence, but they aren't seeking to oust the president.
BALKAN BLOG: Polluted Balkan capitals choke on winter smog
January 22, 2025
Winter has earned the grim moniker of “choking season” across the Balkans as cities in the region grapple with hazardous levels of air pollution.
BALKAN BLOG: Trump’s annexation remarks risk reigniting Balkan border disputes
January 12, 2025
Talk of the US annexing Greenland and Panama have already encouraged one far-right leader to propose that Bulgaria annex North Macedonia and parts of Ukraine.
BALKAN BLOG: Giving free energy to Transnistria could thwart Russia’s plans for Moldova
January 9, 2025
Energy crisis threatens to undermine confidence in the pro-EU government in Chisinau, paving the way for a Kremlin-backed party to take power after the 2025 general election.
BALKAN BLOG: Mass shootings become a powerful impetus for protest in the Western Balkans
January 8, 2025
Civic activists and protesters are calling for stricter gun control and broader societal changes to combat what they describe as a culture of violence.
BALKAN BLOG: What Grenell’s return means for US diplomacy in the Balkans
December 19, 2024
The US is likely to take a more hands-on approach in negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo after diplomat Richard Grenell’s appointment as Trump’s ‘envoy for special missions’.