On 13th of April, Macedonia had its first round of the Presidential elections. The incumbent, Professor Gjorgje Ivanov, supported by the conservative VMRO-DPMNE, faced three challengers: Stevo Pendarovski supported by the former communist SDSM; Iljaz Halimi from the ethnic Albanian opposition party, DPA and Zoran Popovski from the newly founded GROM. Turnout was 49%, less…
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In its Enlargement strategy 2013-2014, the European Commission emphasised the need to address fundamentals first. Particular importance has been given to taking a new approach to the economies of the enlargement countries. In light of the global economic crisis, and in particular public dissatisfaction with the general socio-economic situation, as so visibly demonstrated by the…
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The Ukrainian crisis will have significant consequences for the future of the European periphery, which is now increasingly becoming an arena for competing powers. The game started with EU and Russia, but it quickly involved the United States too. In its foreign policy, Russia seems to be unimpressed with the EU, but not with the…
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With all eyes on the referendum in Crimea, few fellow political buffs outside the Balkans have taken note of the general elections held in Serbia last Sunday. For good or for ill, Belgrade is not the epicentre of European politics that it was two decades ago. By the standards of days gone by, the snap…
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During the past few years, the European Commission initiated numerous programs with the goal of successfully reforming the legal and institutional framework related to competitiveness in the Western Balkan region. These changes have often been counter-effective in certain areas, which has been negative on the overall business environment, for instance unpredictability, legal uncertainty, increased regulatory…
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Last November, the Council of Europe marked the fifteenth anniversary of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (FCNM) – still the only legally binding document on minority protection in the contemporary international community, and still a document that is persistently ignored by eight (of the 47) member states of the Council of…
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Efforts to come to terms with the conflicts of the 1990s and achieve genuine reconciliation are progressing extremely slowly in the Western Balkans. Compared to other post-conflict situations – such as the post-WWII period – the record is, frankly, disappointing. At the same time, however, relations among the Western Balkan countries have become considerably more…
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When it comes to the western Balkans and European integration, certain metaphors come in and out fashion. It used to be said that Balkan countries were like cyclists; they had to keep moving forward, otherwise if they stopped, they would fall off. This went out of fashion when it was realised that actually, if a…
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