Home Page
 

Latest Blogs from the Balkans

/en/file/show/Kreshnik Hoxha-thumb.jpg
19 Sep 11 / 18:56:25

Customs Stamps: Serbia’s Choice, Kosovo’s Chance

Kreshnik Hoxha

It may come as surprise to you, but the ‘compromise’ reached between Kosovo and Serbia over custom stamps was not actually much of a compromise. In fact, Serbia agreed to the same stamp that Kosovo has been using since 2008.

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/file/show/juliana_koleva_pic-thumb.jpg
14 Sep 11 / 13:00:34

Sofia’s Schengen Compromise

Juliana Koleva, Sofia

Bulgaria is pinning its hopes on joining the border control-free Schengen zone in stages, as its ability to deal with the expected influx of asylum seekers remains in question.

http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/file/show/elira-canga-thumb.jpg
12 Sep 11 / 09:23:12

The Story Ends, Almost

Elira Canga, Gurre

Completing the Albanian part of her fellowship investigation has been far from easy, finds Elira Canga.

/en/file/show/dollores-benezic-thumb.jpg
09 Sep 11 / 11:12:33

The Final Countdown

Dollores Benezic Bucharest

Reducing an epic story to 2,500 words while sampling German sausages, Serbian cevapcici and British rain added up to “the most beautiful four months of my career”, says 2011 Balkan journalism fellow Dollores Benezic.

/en/file/show/Harald-Schenker-thumb.jpg
08 Sep 11 / 09:58:29

Time to Grow

Harald Schenker

At 20, you are not a child anymore. But nobody expects you to be mature, either. You are grown up, but you lack the patina of experience.

/en/file/show/Chris.jpg
05 Sep 11 / 11:26:58

Can’t Complain?

Chriss Farmer

What if it were all good? I have spent a lot of time cultivating the image of the Consumer Curmudgeon. I have griped and complained and waxed grumpy on everything from poor customer service to poorer customer service.

/en/file/show/Lawrence-Marzouk-thumb.jpg
05 Sep 11 / 11:18:53

Editor’s Word: “Qelloja kush?”

Lawrence Marzouk

To ease you back into the post-beach routine, let’s start with game of ‘guess who?’  or “Qelloja kush?”, if you prefer.

/en/file/show/Kreshnik Hoxha-thumb.jpg
02 Sep 11 / 13:26:36

EULEX: Selective Rule of Law?

Kreshnik Hoxha

EULEX received a warm welcome in the aftermath of Kosovo’s independence in 2008, but the growing agitation ever since demonstrates the corroding confidence in the European mission. But, did the recent Northern Kosovo drama add another nail to the coffin?

/en/file/show/jelena-kulidzan-320x240.jpg
16 Aug 11 / 11:40:11

UK Rape Survivors Demand Justice

Jelena Kulidzan London, Bristol

Women had to fight hard to reform the way the state handles sexual violence in the UK, but the results include specially trained police, prosecutors and judges, plus a rise in the number of reported rapes.

/en/file/show/Stevan-Dojcinovic-thumb.jpg
10 Aug 11 / 12:51:51

Privatisation and Crime: How Business is Done

Stevan Dojčinović, Belgrade

There will always be someone ready to abuse the privatisation process in Serbia, because the system itself is easily exploited.

/en/file/show/Ruzica-Matic-thumb.jpg
04 Aug 11 / 12:58:18

UK: The Right to Work After 65

Ružica Matić, London

The UK got a new law this year giving workers the right to keep their jobs after the age of 65, without having to pass medical exams proving they are physically capable of doing so.

/en/file/show/Lawrence-Marzouk-thumb.jpg
03 Aug 11 / 15:41:53

Plazma

Lawrence Marzouk

“Goodbye Plazma” joked the front page of Pristina daily Express last Friday.

/en/file/show/Selvije-Bajrami-thumb.jpg
02 Aug 11 / 12:38:19

Kosovo and Bosnia: ‘Like Comparing Apples and Pears’

Selvije Bajrami, Pristina

The European law and order missions in Bosnia and Kosovo have totally different mandates, staffing and funding – but they are both in place to help these two former Yugoslav states join the European Union

/en/file/show/Kreshnik-Hoxha-Thumbnail.jpg
01 Aug 11 / 16:17:31

Kosovo’s Northern Saga

Kreshnik Hoxha

With a week of fresh drama in the North, clashes in Jarinje & Brnjak, and a divided international stance on the latest developments, Kosovo has once hit the world media once again.

/en/file/show/Anastasijevic-Dejan-thumb.jpg
29 Jul 11 / 16:14:40

The Mad Crusader and the Serbs

Dejan Anastasijevic, Belgrade

The Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik had an obsession with the Balkans and Serbs yet, troublingly, his warped views on Islam and the West have been echoed in mainstream politics.