Balkan Insight

At a meeting at UN headquarters with chair of Bosnia and Herzegovina's presidency, secretary-general Antonio Guterres says glorification of war criminals is a threat to regional reconciliation and stability.

Ahead of Croatia's annual Day Against Violence Against Women, protests staged in 17 towns and cities called for a stronger institutional response and a specific law against gender-based violence.

The monitor appointed by the Hague tribunal to check progress of the contempt-of-court case against ultranationalist Vojislav Seselj said she has not received a single response to her inquiries from the Serbian Justice Ministry.

Far-right firebrand Calin Georgescu faces fresh legal troubles as police investigate organised criminal group that allegedly defrauded a businessman of a million euros.

Catch up on the weekend’s most important developments with Balkan Insight’s digest of news from countries across the region.

Brussels has confirmed its desire to explore an “associate membership” status for Ottawa.

Children in Montenegro are already using AI to help with schoolwork, even as parents and teachers wait for guidelines from the state.

As Moldova consolidates its municipalities on its path to EU membership, the minority-populated, Russian-speaking regions in the south present challenges as questions of administrative efficiency, minority identity and territorial politics clash.

Climate change has contributed to a surge in cases of West Nile virus in North Macedonia, prompting calls for better monitoring and more targeted mitigation measures.

The EU said Ursula von der Leyen's Balkan visit will miss Serbia and Bosnia – citing elections – but Serbia's president dismissed this as ‘elegant’ excuse for a no-show after controversy over Ratko Mladic's funeral.

With elections approaching in Bosnia and Serbia, rhetoric is heating up, while in Turkey and Albania, campaigners are feeling the pressure, as our round-up of Balkan Insight Premium stories shows.

Protesters filled the main square in Pristina as demonstrations continued against this week's verdict in The Hague convicting four Kosovo Liberation Army leaders of war crimes.

Record-breaking penalties imposed by Bosnia’s Central Election Commission for campaign violations will not change the main parties’ ways, fair-elections campaigner warns.

American-born wife of former Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou who played pivotal role in supporting women's rights in her adopted country, dies just before turning 103.

Authorities arrest fund managers suspected of manipulating markets and liquidate 130 troubled investment funds as turmoil roils country's financial industry.

Seventy-five years-old and expelled from his party, former Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras shows no sign of going quietly into the night. Should Kyriakos Mitsotakis be worried?

As Montenegro gets ever closer to EU membership, Brussels’ seeming determination not to acknowledge the gang warfare still plaguing the country is puzzling – and irresponsible.

Far from isolated incidents, experts say the targeting of social media accounts linked to anti-government protesters in Albania is part of a ‘coordinated pattern’ of censorship.

Elsewhere, Poland and Russia trade threats after drone strike on Ukrainian train bound for Warsaw; Slovak Defence Minister under pressure to explain dealings with Czech arms tycoon; and Czech PM floats idea of creating ‘Euro Patriot’ joint missile defence program.

MEP Siegfried Muresan has accepted the challenge of becoming Romania’s prime minister-designate, but his prospects for forming a new government are poor, experts said.