Latest Interviews from the Balkans
Prosecutors Renew Hunt for Kosovo Organ Traffickers
As the EU rule of law mission in Kosovo stages a new organ-trafficking investigation, prosecutor Jonathan Ratel discusses the recent Medicus clinic convictions and the suspects who remain at large.
Macedonia Refuses to Face Its Troubled Past
Macedonia has yet to face up to what happened in its 2001 conflict with Albanian rebels, says Biljana Vankovska, an advocate for Balkan reconciliation initiative RECOM.
Ivanovic: Belgrade Must Sell Deal to Kosovo Serbs
Serbia’s former top official for Kosovo says only Belgrade can pursue Serbs in North to respect EU-brokered agreement.
Clearing the Cultural ‘Mines’ of the Balkan Wars
Kosovo playwright Jeton Neziraj discusses his work on such topics such as nationalism in art, Kosovo-Serbia relations, the links between religion and terrorism, and his new play on the possible independence of Wales.
Teaching Serbia to Love Modern Dance
The festival that introduced contemporary dance to Serbia is preparing its tenth anniversary with a prestigious programme.
Albania Ready to Face Czech Power Giant in Court
The head of Energy Regulatory Agency, Sokol Ramadani, tells Balkan Insight that CEZ damaged Albania to the tune of nearly €600 million through mismanagement.
The Balkans Face Unique Challenges in Europe
Questions of democratic development are more complex in the Western Balkans than elsewhere in Eastern Europe.
Sparkes: Kosovo Politics Weigh on EULEX
EU rule of law mission’s former deputy chief says successes in fighting corruption are underplayed – but pressures to preserve Kosovo’s stability have sometimes got in the way.
Milorad Novkovic: Prosecuting War Crimes Costs Money
The president of Bosnia’s highest judicial authority says that failure to secure resources will hold up prosecutions of alleged war criminals.
ICTY Prosecution Blamed for Controversial Acquittals
The Hague Tribunal has taken flak for recent high-profile acquittals but prosecution errors have helped the accused go free, says Balkans expert Eric Gordy.
Bekim Fehmiu ‘Ended Life as He Lived it’
The widow of the Yugoslav-Albanian acting legend recalls her late husband’s film successes, love of tango, pride in his roots - and, finally, the resolve with which he took his own life.
Macedonia’s ‘Indiana Jones’ Scorns Retiring at 65
Pasko Kuzman, Macedonia’s excavator in chief, says he is not putting down his shovel until he finds the tomb of Alexander the Great – even if it takes him till he is 99.
Simic: No Peace Without Transitional Strategy
The former Yugoslavia is effectively still at war, and will stay that way until the countries of the region deal with the legacy of the past, claims Goran Simic, a Bosnian Transitional Justice expert.
To Be Yugoslav Now Requires a Footnote
One of the loudest opponents of nationalism, Dubravka Ugresic spoke to Balkan Insight about identity, the media’s responsibility for the conflict and the criminalisation of former Yugoslav society.
Financial Sword Hangs Over Roma Theatre
Roma Theatre ‘Suno e Romengo’ has brought Roma culture closer to Serbian audiences with sell-out shows - but its future is threatened by financial crisis, the founder and manager Zoran Jovanovic, says.
