Zoran Radosavljevic Archives

The rollercoaster that is the Western Balkans is (almost) as unpredictable as the Brexit saga. Last week, the region's prospects appeared in the doldrums and there was little chance of a reversal of fortunes soon. Take a step back though and there is hope to be had.

The complexity of the Balkans and its European path needs no special introduction, yet it never ceases to surprise. The German Bundestag gave its green light last Friday for North Macedonia and Albania to open EU accession talks, but the story doesn't end there.

MEPs are ready to go on a Commissioner hunt, as next week’s hearings loom large. But amid the calls for heads to roll and retribution to be dealt, there are reasons for some of von der Leyen’s chosen few not to fear the Parliament boogeymen. 

The largely unconventional and disputed 1907 experiment by US physicist Duncan MacDougall postulated that the human soul weighs 21 grams, no more, no less. The valiant doctor measured the body weight of dying humans just before and after their passing and concluded that the soul does have exact physical weight.

The clock is ticking on agreeing on the new European Commission president and the once almighty European People's Party is having some tough choices to make in the next couple of days. The Mexican standoff between France and Germany, amplified and …

EU leaders wrapped up a two-day summit on a low note on Friday (21 June), having failed to agree on the distribution of the EU's top jobs for the next five years.

Decoupling North Macedonia and Albania’s EU path, by giving the green light to the former and holding the start of accession talks for the latter is not great, but is the only way forward, North Macedonia’s President Stevo Pendarovski told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview during his visit to Brussels on Thursday (13 June).

As EU leaders prepare for what is likely to be a protracted period of negotiating a majority in the fragmented new European Parliament,  EURACTIV looks at the winners and losers of the European elections held in the 28 member states.

The conservative European People's Party once again won the most seats in the European Parliament after EU elections on Sunday (26 May) but will face difficulties building a controlling majority as the Greens, the Liberals and the far-right posted big gains, reflecting growing political polarisation in the 28-country bloc.

Five candidates vying to become the next European Commission president sparred and bantered in the first European election debate, which fell flat in the absence of Manfred Weber, candidate of the largest political group.

Frans Timmermans, the Social Democrats' candidate to lead the next European Commission, will try to form a progressive majority after the EU elections but will need some of the 'progressive liberals' from the ALDE group and will extend a hand to the party of Emmanuel Macron.

Slovenia was the first Balkan country to join the EU, during 2004’s big enlargement round, after this was supported by a double referendum on both EU and NATO membership, which were supported by 89.6% and 66% respectively.

Croatia is the EU´s youngest member, having only joined in 2013 following a referendum in the country in which 66% voted in favour. Its membership was considered an important step for stabilising the Balkan region that experienced war and conflict between 1991-2001.

Romania's EU presidency will push to improve the prospect of membership talks for Western Balkan nations of Macedonia (FYROM) and Albania, but only after the European elections in May, the country's European affairs minister told EURACTIV in an interview.

Hungary's Central European University, founded by George Soros, said on Monday  (3 December) it has been forced out of the country in "an arbitrary eviction" that violated academic freedom, and confirmed plans to enrol new students in neighbouring Austria next year.

Talks between the European Parliament, Commission and Council about a mandatory transparency register - an attempt to regulate lobbying - have unfolded slowly. Parliament Vice-President Sylvie Guillaume explains her institution's position, after the Commission accused it of dragging its feet.

Once again, this Brief will stay away from the goings-on in the far far away kingdom that's desperately trying to leave the EU. Instead, let's look at another country that walked away from a different union 27 years earlier, resulting in chaos and bloodshed that caught Europe unawares and exposed it as a paper tiger unable to deal with conflict on its soil.

European border regions matter and the EU must continue looking after them despite planned cuts for Cohesion policy funding, particularly as some of them remain under-developed, participants at a recent EURACTIV event said, highlighting the example of Romania-Bulgaria cross-border cooperation.

The European Commission is unhappy with the lack of progress in negotiating its proposal for a mandatory transparency register with the European Parliament and Council and has urged the Parliament to consider making "meaningful" proposals before "our next political meeting", according to an official letter seen by EURACTIV.com.

Europe is seeing a resurgence of innovation and enterprise, but its education system is still too traditional and closed to changes, according to Johan Andresen, a Norwegian businessman working to promote entrepreneurial education.

Contenders to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker are coming in thick-and-fast. There's been a marked difference between how each candidate has chosen to kick-off their presidency bids, so what can we learn from their different styles?

3D animation, smart TV apps, content monetisation technology, big data analysis, online education platforms. If anyone ever doubted that the future of work is already here, the list of young European entrepreneur achievements presented in Brussels should be enough to convert even hardcore doubters.

Europe and the US should quickly sort out the current issues in their "long-term faithful marriage" so they can speak in "one powerful voice" and address China's global activities, US ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, said on Wednesday (3 September).

The United States is abiding by EU data protection rules and has an ombudsman to monitor complaints in the field, US ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, said on Wednesday (3 September).