Latest Blogs from the Balkans
Customs Stamps: Serbia’s Choice, Kosovo’s Chance
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.
Sofia’s Schengen Compromise
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.
The Story Ends, Almost
Completing the Albanian part of her fellowship investigation has been far from easy, finds Elira Canga.
The Final Countdown
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.
Time to Grow
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.
Can’t Complain?
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.
Editor’s Word: “Qelloja kush?”
To ease you back into the post-beach routine, let’s start with game of ‘guess who?’ or “Qelloja kush?”, if you prefer.
EULEX: Selective Rule of Law?
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?
UK Rape Survivors Demand Justice
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.
Privatisation and Crime: How Business is Done
There will always be someone ready to abuse the privatisation process in Serbia, because the system itself is easily exploited.
UK: The Right to Work After 65
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.
Plazma
“Goodbye Plazma” joked the front page of Pristina daily Express last Friday.
Kosovo and Bosnia: ‘Like Comparing Apples and Pears’
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
Kosovo’s Northern Saga
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.
The Mad Crusader and the Serbs
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.
Fellowship 2010: Taboo
The Fellowship 2010 e-book available now
Report Links Top Kosovo Officials to Organ Harvesting
Kosovo Journalist Wins 2010 Balkan Fellowship Prize
Serbian Church Accused of Sex Abuse Cover-up
Pill Addiction Grips the Balkans
Women Head East for Wombs to Rent
Kosovars Turn Blind Eye to Fake Foreign Marriages
Battered Wives Shunned in the Balkans
Trapped in Black: Balkan War Widows
Freed Prisoners Remain Caught Behind Bars
Cult of Virginity Fades Slowly in Albania
Premium Selection
Foreign Soaps Push Out Kosovo Productions
Kosovo’s domestic soaps are falling victim to cheap imports from Turkey and Latin America.
"Croatia’s Putin" Takes Over Tudjman’s Party
Football Wins Amid Political Row over Kosovo Status
Klecka Outcome Embitters Both Serbs and Albanians
Serbia’s New Govt Faces Deficit Challenge
Symbols Row Holds Montenegrin Reforms Hostage
Igor Mandic: Serbs and Croats Belong Together
Social Networks Mobilise Army of ‘White’ Voters
Belgrade Weighs Up Hopes of City’s New Bosses
New Party Freshens up Montenegro’s Old Politics
Hague Ruling Won’t Help Macedonia in Chicago
Dacic as PM Would Take Serbia Backwards
Bosnia is Learning Wrong Counterterrorism Lessons
World Awaits Start of Srebrenica Butcher’s Trial
