About: bad governance
The long decline: mass migration batters Balkans
Abandoned shops and mostly empty streets offer few signs of life in North Macedonia's Valandovo, where young people are fleeing in large numbers hoping to find a better life abroad.
Erdogan unbowed by critics, leaving little stopping lira’s collapse
Little stands in the way of Turkey's currency collapse expanding into a deeper economic crisis after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ignored appeals, even from within his government, to reverse policy, according to top officials and analysts.
Lebanon restores power supply after complete halt
Lebanon’s power supplies were back to normal on Sunday (10 October) after a blackout the previous day when the country’s two biggest power stations shut down because of a fuel shortage, the Energy Ministry said. The closure piled further hardship...
EU, UN, US condemn the coup d’état in Guinea
The EU, the UN and the United States on Sunday (5 September) condemned what appears to be a military coup d’état in Guinea.
Lebanon donor conference exceeds aid target
An international donor conference collected hundreds of millions of dollars in urgent aid for Lebanon on Wednesday (4 August), exceeding an initial target, co-hosts France said.
Macron hosts new Lebanon fundraiser a year after port blast
French President Emmanuel Macron will seek to raise more than $350 million in aid for Lebanon at a donors' conference marking the anniversary of the Beirut port blast, and send yet another warning to its squabbling political class.
Tunisia president sacks defence minister amid political turmoil
Tunisian President Kais Saied sacked the defence minister Monday (26 July), a day after ousting the prime minister and suspending parliament, plunging the young democracy into constitutional crisis in the midst of a pandemic.
EU calls on Lebanon to form government quickly
The European Union on Monday (26 July) urged Lebanon's political elite to form a government without delay, following the nomination of Lebanese businessman Najib Mikati to be designated as prime minister.
Political scientists say EU has lost the battle for the Balkans
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.
EU wants Lebanese sanctions regime framework by end July
The European Union said on Monday (12 July) it wanted to agree by the end of July the legal framework for a sanctions regime targeting Lebanese leaders, but cautioned that the measure would not be immediately implemented.
Haitian president assassinated at home, sparking fears of widespread turmoil
Haitian President Jovenel Moise was shot dead by unidentified attackers in his private residence overnight in a "barbaric act", the government said on Wednesday (7 July), stirring fears of escalating turmoil in the impoverished Caribbean nation.
Integrity compliance in Western Balkans infrastructure projects
Civil society has an important role to play to make sure that corruption in infrastructure projects and wrong prioritisation do not derail a €30 billion EU financial plan for the Western Balkans, a group of authors write.
Lebanon’s crisis caused by feud over power, says Borrell
The EU's foreign policy chief said a fight among Lebanese leaders is at the heart of its government crisis and he urged them to set their feud aside and form a cabinet or risk a total financial crash and sanctions.
Bulgaria wrongly strips mother of residence rights, detains her and baby
The latest video report by EURACTIV Bulgaria investigative journalist Valia Ahchieva reveals the brutality, incompetence and unaccountability of the country’s bureaucracy.
Bulgarian doctors exhausted as COVID deaths hit EU record
With coronavirus death rates surging to record levels in Bulgaria, doctors and nurses in a health service already weakened by decades of emigration to the West say they are exhausted.
Nigeria president warns protesters as unrest flares
Nigeria's president has urged an end to unrest sweeping the country but avoided mentioning the police shooting of unarmed demonstrators that sparked international condemnation and unleashed chaos in Africa's biggest city.
Tired but defiant: 100 days of protests in Bulgaria
In a hundred days of sweeping and at times violent protests, thousands of Bulgarians have tightened the screws on the political elite -- but this, they say, is only the beginning.
After two months of protests, Bulgaria is on the brink
The protest rally in Sofia on Wednesday (2 September) marked the peak of two months of demonstrations demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev. EURACTIV's Kalina Angelova was there and captured the mood.
France creates reform roadmap for crisis-ridden Lebanon
French President Emmanuel Macron has created a roadmap for Lebanese politicians outlining political and financial reforms needed to unlock foreign aid and rescue the country from multiple crises including an economic meltdown.
Biggest Thai protest in years puts pressure on government
More than 10,000 Thai protesters chanting “down with dictatorship” and “the country belongs to the people” rallied in Bangkok on Sunday (16 August) in by far the biggest anti-government demonstration since a 2014 coup.
Lebanon’s leaders warned in July about explosives at port, documents reveal
Lebanese security officials warned the prime minister and president last month that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored in Beirut’s port posed a security risk and could destroy the capital if it exploded, according to documents.
World pledges €250 million to Lebanon, to be delivered ‘directly’ to population
World leaders on Sunday (9 August) pledged more than €250 million for disaster-struck Lebanon, conference host France said, with the emergency aid to be delivered "directly" to a population reeling from the deadly port blast in Beirut.
In Beirut, Macron says Lebanese leaders need to hear ‘home truths’
Lebanon mourned on Thursday (6 August) the victims of the most powerful blast to hit a country that has already been struck down by an economic crisis, as rescuers searched for those missing since the explosion flattened Beirut port and devastated the city.