Latest Premium Articles from the Balkans
Hilltop University ‘Threatens Ohrid’s UNESCO Status’
Prominent architects say plan to build a university in the heart of the town, called Plaosnik 2014, could jeopardise Ohrid’s place on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites.
Kosova Petrol “Occupying” Croatian Property
Lobbying by Croatian leaders and legal action have failed to prise more than 20 petrol stations away from Kosova Petrol, owned by a former advisor to PM Hashim Thaci, and back to its pre-war Croatian owners, INA.
Banja Luka Residents Fear For Kastel’s New Look
While most people want to see Banja Luka’s medieval fortress rebuilt, some fear that letting private companies open hotels and other facilities in the site may damage it.
Vukovar Still Imprisoned by its Bloody Past
Two decades after a Serbian siege almost reduced the town to rubble, Vukovar is an unsettled place, home to two communities that face separate ways.
Margarita Tsatsa – Nikolovska: Discontent in Macedonian Judiciary is Permanent
In an exclusive interview for the Balkan Insight, Judge Margarita Tsatsa – Nikolovska discusses the current hot legal topics in Macedonia, from lustration process to the shape of the nation’s judiciary.
Prison Drug Abuse is a Ticking Bomb
Prison management cannot tackle this growing problem in the Balkans simply with repression; more comprehensive approaches are required.
Privatizing Albanian Castles Worries Heritage Experts
Historians and archeologists oppose plans to let entrepreneurs turn ancient monuments into bars, cafés and motels.
Serbia’s Ageing Ballerinas Stifle Young Dancer’s Hopes
Dancers in the National Theatre have to stop dancing after 40 but can’t retire until they turn 50 – and while they spin out the years, a new generation has to wait.
Macedonia Needs Cultural Understanding, Not Just Peace Pacts
The mocking of Muslims by men dressed in burqas at a carnival in the village of Vevcani in Macedonia last month, and the reprisals and counter-reprisals it provoked, illustrate the dangerously frail state of ethnic relations in Macedonia.
The mocking of Muslims by men dressed in burqas at a carnival in the village of Vevcani in Macedonia last month, and the reprisals and counter reprisals it provoked, illustrate the dangerously frail state of ethnic relations in Macedonia.
Foes Reunite after Albania Corruption Scandal
A political feud with more twists than a Hollywood thriller has ended happily for the main protagonists – but ordinary Albanians feel less delighted with what they have discovered about their political bosses.
Bujanovac Remains Town Where Streets Have no Name
A plan to rename streets after Albanian heroes instead of Serbian seems futile in a town where no one knew the old street names to begin with.
Secret Indictments Offend Victims
Victims see the decision to keep indictments secret as offensive, while NGOs worry it will make the monitoring of trials impossible.
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Croatia Unveils First Spending Cuts Since Independence
Government plans to shave 4 per cent off budget to calm concern about Croatia's ability to pay its debts - but some say the planned cuts are not nearly deep enough.
Serbia Runs Risks in Racing For UN Post
If Vuk Jeremic succeeds in obtaining the presidency of the UN general assembly, it will be a welcome boost for Serbia - but if he fails it will set back the Tadic government at an uncomfortable time, just before an election.
Artists Long to Escape Kosovo Ghetto
Artists hope that long-promised visa liberalisation with the EU will help end their enforced isolation from European culture.
