Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić bases his power largely on media influence. In this respect, state-owned cable and broadband provider Telekom Srbija is used as a political weapon, writes Darko Čačić.
The EU has lost the battle for the Balkans, where Russia and China are offering bonuses without asking for reforms, geopolitical experts told an online conference organised by EURACTIV.bg this week, proposing increased cooperation and a Balkan common market as the best way forward.
TV showman Slavi Trifonov, whose party narrowly won Sunday’s snap general elections in Bulgaria, surprisingly proposed on Monday (12 July) a minority government led by a former minister in Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's cabinet.
The anti-elite party “There is such a people”, founded by Bulgaria's popular TV showman Slavi Trifonov, is in pole position ahead of Sunday’s (11 July) snap parliamentary elections. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports.
Serbia's progress towards the EU should not be expected as long as Aleksandar Vučić is the most powerful politician in the country, writes Darko Čačić, in an article he submitted to EURACTIV Bulgaria.
In the two months before the 11 July parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, a series of corruption scandals have shed light on the country’s governance during the rule of Boyko Borissov’s GERB party. According to the latest polls, support for GERB is falling.
In Serbia, corruption is investigated only in rare cases when it suits the country’s president, Aleksandar Vučić, as the Krušik arms export scandal shows, writes Svetla Miteva.
Fish stocks in the Black Sea are dwindling and commercial fishing is causing more and more environmental damage, causing concern that has grabbed the attention of NGOs and EU lawmakers. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports.
The European Parliament is taking a close look at China's high-tech present to Serbia, a mass surveillance system that involves the installation of thousands of smart surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition features, MEP Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield (Greens/EFA, France) told EURACTIV in an interview.
United Group, a leading multi-play telecoms and media provider in South-East Europe, announced in April it was launching a daily newspaper in Serbia with a responsible editorial concept, to counter the bad situation with print media in the country. However, no printing house in Serbia has so far accepted to print the new daily, called Nova.
Bulgaria could take advantage of financing available under the EU Green Deal to solve the most pressing challenge the country is currently faced with – the demographic crisis. But is it really that simple? EURACTIV Bulgaria discussed the issue with leading economist Krassen Stanchev.
Two recent reports focusing on democracy and media freedom by the international NGOs Reporters Without Borders and Freedom House went almost unnoticed in Belgrade. On World Press Freedom Day (3 May), EURACTIV Bulgaria looked at their Serbian neighbour, an EU candidate since 2012.
In its latest report published on Wednesday (28 April) the NGO Freedom House warns of an "antidemocratic turn" throughout Europe, “fuelling a deterioration in human freedom with global implications”.
The Bulgarian prosecution announced on Wednesday (28 April) it suspects sabotage carried out by Russian intelligence as the probable reason behind four blasts in Bulgarian military depots. The blasts appear similar to the one in the Czech Republic, which recently led to a major diplomatic scandal with Russia.
The big surprise of the pivotal Bulgarian elections held on 4 April was the performance of showman Slavi Trifonov’s party, "There is such a people", which captured 17.66% of the vote and is likely to go on to form a government. But who is Stanislav Slavi Trifonov?
EURACTIV Bulgaria’s investigative journalist Valia Ahchieva depicts in her latest production on YouTube a sad reality: a plant protection product called Mocap containing an EU-banned active ingredient is not only being used but also subsidised by Bulgaria's ministry of agriculture.
The Bulgarian prosecutor's office announced on Friday (19 March) that it had broken up a Russian spy ring which includes officials of Bulgaria's defence ministry and its intelligence services, after an extensive police and counter-intelligence operation in and around Sofia.
Six central and eastern European Union heads of government urged Brussels on Tuesday (16 March) to find a "correction mechanism" to fix what they called the unfair distribution of coronavirus vaccines within the bloc.
Bulgarian political parties are showing an uncharacteristic interest in green policies ahead of elections on April 4, not least because the country is one of the largest per capita beneficiaries of EU funds and is now required to invest in climate and environmental issues.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Friday (12 March) suspended use of AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine, following similar steps in Denmark, Iceland and Norway over safety concerns.
Bulgarian doctors who gained media prominence during the COVID-19 health crisis are sought after by political parties ahead of the 4 April general elections, and the names of many medical professionals appear on the slates of different political forces.
Bulgaria keeps delivering “golden passports” to wealthy non-EU foreigners in return for 'investment', but it turns out that in most cases, such investment does not materialise, so the country gains little and may even risk an infringement procedure from Brussels. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports.
United Group, a leading multi-play telecoms and media provider in South-East Europe, has bought a large chunk of the Bulgarian media, as its latest acquisition was cleared by the country’s anti-cartel body on Monday (18 January).
Pop-up stores and restaurants using converted shipping containers are a growing trend in Europe and across the world, apparently boosted by behavioural changes caused by the Covid pandemic. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports.
