Enlargement
Montenegro PM: ‘We are looking for a new opportunity with the EU’
EU membership candidate Montenegro is carrying "a heavy legacy, plagued with low standards and weak institutions", but it has already made progress and its EU orientation is "clear and strong", its prime minister told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.
#EU2019 – Though not a member, Serbia eyes EU polls carefully
EU candidate Serbia is carefully watching this week's European Parliament election as its result may impact Belgrade's progress towards EU membership. Though Brussels is not expected to abandon enlargement, the process is almost certain to slow down, at least this year.
Domestic challenges overshadow ten-year anniversary of EU’s Eastern Partnership
The strategic interests of Ukraine and the EU are "exactly the same", European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday (14 May) on the sidelines of a jubilee summit marking a decade of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) in Brussels.
Kosovo’s Haradinaj wants Mogherini out of dialogue with Belgrade
Kosovo PM Ramush Haradinaj has asked that EU diplomacy chief Federica Mogherini be excluded from the Belgrade-Priština normalisation dialogue, after saying earlier that under her guidance, the presidents of Kosovo and Serbia, as well as Albania's prime minister had "probably" negotiated a division of Kosovo.
Albanian protesters hurl petrol bombs, seek snap polls
Albanian opposition protesters hurled petrol bombs at the entrance of Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office on Saturday (11 May), after three months of demonstrations calling for him to quit over alleged election fraud and corruption.
Montenegro sentences Russians, opposition leaders for failed 2016 coup
A Montenegrin court sentenced 14 defendants, including two opposition leaders and two Russians, to prison terms on Thursday (9 May) over of a failed coup in 2016 that aimed to overthrow the government and install a pro-Russian alliance.
Dialogue on Kosovo dominates Western Balkan summit in Tirana
Leaders of the six Western Balkans countries, plus Croatia, Slovenia and the EU, discussed regional cooperation at a summit in Tirana on Thursday (9 May), as well as ways to bring the region closer to the EU.
Montenegro court to deliver verdicts over ‘pro-Russian coup plot’
A Montenegro court is set Thursday (9 May) to deliver verdicts to 14 people accused of planning to violently overthrow the government with Russian help in 2016, an alleged plot whose details remain murky even after a lengthy trial.
In North Macedonia, Pope urges Balkans to embrace diversity
Pope Francis urged the Balkans to embrace its patchwork of faiths and ethnicities during his visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday (7 May), where he delivered prayers and speeches that kept returning to the legacy of an illustrious Skopje native: Mother Teresa.
North Macedonia’s pro-Western candidate wins presidential vote
North Macedonia's pro-Western candidate, Stevo Pendarovski, won a run-off presidential vote after a campaign dominated by divisions over a change to the country's name that was agreed to mollify Greece and open the way for EU and NATO membership.
Presidential poll threatens crisis for pro-West North Macedonia government
North Macedonia goes to the polls on Sunday (5 May) in a presidential run-off vote that will be a litmus test for the pro-Western government, which has warned low turnout could invalidate the vote and trigger a general election.
The Brief – EU enlargement, the untold story
Isn’t the EU schizophrenic? Jean-Claude Juncker has just given a very positive assessment of the 2004 “big bang” enlargement. At the same time, older EU members don’t dare mention the prospect of new countries from the Western Balkans joining the...
Kosovo and Serbia agree to resume talks after Macron, Merkel push
Kosovo and Serbia have agreed at a summit in Berlin to resume talks, after the leaders of France and Germany warned the bitter foes that resolving their dispute was crucial to future ties with the European Union.
The Brief – An afternoon in Berlin
Today is one of those days when it’s nice to step outside the EU bubble, leave behind the whole election spiel and walk into the cool shade of the Western Balkans, where things unfold at a more leisurely pace.
Juncker looks back on 15 years of ‘big bang’ EU enlargement
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker offered interesting comments on present-day leaders of member states from Central Europe, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the 1 May 2004 accession of 10 countries, known as “the big bang”.
Macron and Merkel try to resurrect Serbia-Kosovo talks at Berlin summit
European leaders will try to bring bitter foes Serbia and Kosovo back to the negotiating table at a regional summit in Berlin on Monday (29 April), hoping to reboot a dialogue over one of the Balkans' thorniest disputes.
Greek centre-right party accused of ‘censoring’ EPP’s Weber
The leftist Syriza government and centrist Potami have accused conservative main opposition New Democracy party (European People’s Party-EPP) of “censoring” EPP Spitzenkandidat Manfred Weber during his election campaign launch in Athens this week.
North Macedonia candidates tied in first round of presidential vote
North Macedonia's pro-Western candidate, Stevo Pendarovski, and his main nationalist rival Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova emerged tied in the first round of a presidential vote on Sunfay (21 April) dominated by deep divisions over a change of the country's name under a deal with Greece.
Bosnian Serbs vote to form reserve police seen as threat by Muslims
Bosnian Serb lawmakers voted on Thursday (18 April) to introduce reserve police forces, a move seen as a security threat by Muslim Bosniaks living in Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic.
North Macedonia presidential vote imperils Prespa agreement gains
North Macedonia holds the first round of its presidential election on Sunday (21 April), the country's first vote under a new name as it struggles with enduring economic problems, cronyism and corruption.
Greek business chief: North Macedonia deal diminished Turkey’s influence
The North Macedonia name change deal, also known as Prespa Agreement, helped diminish Turkey’s influence in the country and simultaneously upgrade Athens’s role in the Balkan region, Greek business chief Konstantinos Michalos told EURACTIV.com in an interview.
Serbia’s civil sector, NGOs demand more rights
NGOs in Serbia have adopted a joint document aimed at preserving the civil society and its freedoms in the EU candidate country, after seeing a growing number of physical assaults on their activists and verbal abuse in pro-government media. EURACTIV Serbia reports.
Dubrovnik 16+1 summit rolls the red carpet for China
From coal plants to airports and bridges, China is forking out for investments across the Western Balkans, laying groundwork for a new battle for influence on the European Union's fringe.
Ukraine elections elephant in the room ahead of Eastern Partnership talks
Ahead of the Eastern Partnership's (EaP) tenth anniversary in May, EU foreign ministers are next week set to review the progress of the bloc’s framework with the six countries, with the situation in Ukraine being the elephant in the room.