The Left in Central Europe: A Wrong Turn
Across the region, the political left is struggling for survival and relevance, but small pockets of potential remain. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Mandates after Medals: Bulgarian Sport Stars Line Up for Parliament
With public trust in politicians at rock bottom, political parties in Bulgaria are seeking celebrity stardust from the world of sport ahead of elections in April. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Father’s Dying Wish: Albanian Sues Serbia in Strasbourg after Address ‘Erased’
A lawyer for ethnic Albanian Teuta Fazliu says Serbia’s practice of declaring the addresses of ethnic Albanians ‘inactive’ has chilling echoes of the ‘erasure’ of thousands of ethnic minorities in…
Choirboy, Gamer, Waiter… Spy? Alleged Serb Provocateur Surfaces in Moscow
BIRN has located one of the alleged ringleaders of a group of Serbs accused of staging stunts in Paris and Berlin to whip up social tensions on behalf of Russia.…
At Bulgaria’s Elections, is the EU Facing Another Digital Calamity?
The lesson of the anti-EU backlash following the annulled polls in Romania last year is that election-related social media manipulation must be identified swiftly, long before polling day in Bulgaria.…
Week in Review: Alignment, Collision and Scandal
From a political spying scandal to MAGA alignment and a brewing collision with the law, selection of BIRN Premium stories this week makes for an exciting read. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
ARTE Europe Weekly: Amid the Iran War, How Can Europe Cap Oil Prices?
The war in the Middle East is turning into a global oil crisis and fuel costs in Europe are escalating - sending governments scrambling to find solutions. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Democracy Digest: ‘Hungary’s Watergate’ as Intelligence Operation Alleged Against Opposition
Elsewhere, Brussels clears way for prosecution of Polish far-right MEP; scandal-tainted Kezmarok mayor accuses Slovak coalition of smear campaign; Czech authorities investigate attack on defence company warehouse as terrorism. KAYNAK:…
‘Degrading’: More Patients than Beds at Montenegrin Psychiatric Hospital
For years, there has been overcrowding at Montenegro’s main psychiatric hospital, where some patients are forced to sleep on mattresses on the floor, children are treated alongside adults, and forensic…
Kosovo MPs Get More Time to Elect President, But No Clear Way to Do It
With Kosovo trapped in political limbo, the Constitutional Court has given MPs another month to elect a head of state – but experts doubt that extending the deadline will deliver…