The rule of law is not defined through the adopted laws, but through their implementation and practice, and the current approach of the European Union is not sufficient to help the countries of the Western Balkans in transforming themselves. This is the conclusion of the panel discussion “Why the EU should care for the rule…
Balkans in Europe Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and the Institute for Democracy ‘Societas Civilis’ (IDSCS) titled ‘The Western Balkans beyond resolution of bilateral issues’ are organizing the panel discussion “The Western Balkans beyond resolution of bilateral issues” in Skopje on March 29,2019. EU’s credible enlargement perspective has put the resolution of bilateral issues in the Western Balkans at…
The infographic is prepared by Marika Djolai and Zoran Nechev and it is based on their BiEPAG policy brief “Bilateral Disputes conundrum: Accepting the past and finding solutions for the Western Balkans”, which is available at the following link: https://biepag.eu/2018/04/28/bilateral-disputes-conundrum-accepting-the-past-and-finding-solutions-for-the-western-balkans/
Strolling through Baščaršija, Sarajevo’s old bazaar and cultural legacy of the Ottoman Empire, on any given day, you will probably encounter more Turks than any other nationality. Last weekend was no exception to that. Yet in addition to the tourists coming from Turkey, thousands of diaspora Turks from Germany, Austria, France, the Netherlands and the…
While the Western Balkans countries are focused on negotiating their accession to the European Union, they must not overlook proposed potential structural changes in the EU that would have a profound impact on Enlargement Policy and fostering regional connections. With the vague future of the Western Balkans countries’ accession prospects, reform of the functioning of…
Despite the progress made within the EU accession process and the gradual harmonization of the institutional framework with the acquis and European standards in this field, media freedom remains at an unsatisfactory level in all states in the region. While in some of them there is a slow process of improvement towards the desired standards, in others…
Photo: Adam Jones Adam63 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons The fact that the EU’s newly released Enlargement Strategy for the countries of the Western Balkans mainstreams regional reconciliation and transitional justice (TJ) as one of the three crucial areas that require comprehensive and convincing reforms should not come as a surprise. This emphasis on reconciliation and…
Photo: Medija centar Beograd [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons In his last interview, published in the magazine Vreme in September 2017, Oliver Ivanović stated: “Let me be clear. The people (the Serbs in the northern Kosovo) are not afraid of the Albanians, but of the Serbs, the local strongmen and the criminals, who drive around in…
