Tag "Kosovo"
A Never-Ending Saga: Kosovo’s Elections
On February 14th, 2021 Kosovo held its sixth parliamentary election in fourteen years. The result was a resounding victory for Albin Kurti and his left-leaning Vetevendosje party, gaining just over 48% of votes. This will likely transform the tone of Kosovo’s domestic politics, but Kurti’s ability to deliver on his wide-ranging promises may be limited by the state’s difficult realities. More definitively, his pro-Albanian stance makes it highly unlikely that Kosova-Serb relations will see any meaningful improvement.
Can the EU work with Biden in the Balkans?
The Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) signed in December provides access to the Chinese market for European investors while protecting China’s existing rights in EU trade. However, US national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, voiced concern over the deal, stating Washington would welcome early consultations with Brussels when addressing Beijing’s economic relations. The lack of coordinated EU-US strategic thinking on China poses a risk to Euro-Atlantic integration in the Western Balkans.
Kosovo: Government toppled over Coronavirus
On 25 March the smaller party in Kosovo’s ruling coalition, the LDK, won a vote of no-confidence in the government of which it was a part. The vote was initiated over the government’s handling of the coronavirus, but this was not the only reason that the government fell.
Parliamentary elections in Kosovo
On 7 October Kosovo went to the polls. Vetëvendosje was the single largest party. Meaning ‘self-determination’, Vetëvendosje has a history of being a protest movement that has criticised the role of the international community in Kosovo.
Western Balkans: A ‘Mini-Schengen’ Zone
Leaders of Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia declared they would implement a mini-Schengen zone with free movement of goods, capital, services, & people
Serbia takes to the streets
Since November 30, anti-government protests have been held across Serbia, including seven in the capital city of Belgrade. Thousands of people have attended. Previous protest campaigns against the current government have failed to bring real change. Will these protests be any different?
Kosovo: Creating a full army out of its security force
Last December, the Government of Kosovo declared that it is turning the Kosovo Security Force into a fully fledged army. This development greatly concerns Serbia, which still maintains that Albanian-dominated Kosovo is Serbian territory.
Can Kosovo’s tariffs on Bosnia and Serbia last?
On 21st November, Kosovo imposed a 100% tariff on all goods produced in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, increasing the 10% tariffs that were imposed on 6th November. The tariffs contradict the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA) of which all three territories are signatories. Kosovo has issued similar tariffs before and regularly claims that its products are not treated equally in other CEFTA members’ markets, but it is also seeking to use tariffs for political purposes.
Kosovo and Serbia: is a land swap a real possibility?
Both President Vučić of Serbia and President Thaçi of Kosovo have recently mentioned a land swap as a way of resolving their territories’ long standing dispute. So what would a land swap involve, and how likely is it to happen?
Turkey’s expedited European extraditions
Turkey’s ongoing effort to dismantle the supporters for Fethullah Gülen has underlined its influence in southeast Europe, where multiple countries have hurried to comply with requested Turkish extraditions. This raises hard questions
