Tag "Serbia"
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.
The Pipeline No One’s Celebrating: Balkan Stream’s Operability and the Future of Europe’s Energy Security
The competition of the ‘Balkan Stream’ (BS) extension to the Turk Stream pipeline has received little attention. This holds true strangely even in the countries through which it runs: Bulgaria and Serbia. Nevertheless, the pipeline has the potentiality to change the geopolitics of natural-gas supply. How will South Eastern Europe exploit this opportunity — if at all?
The EU tries to revive Western Balkan Enlargement in Midst of a Pandemic
Russia, China, and the EU have tried to use the Covid pandemic as an opportunity to strengthen their influence in the Western Balkans. An Economic and Investment Plan announced by the European Commission is an attempt by the EU to revive the enlargement process after stalling following the French veto of accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania. The risk for the EU lies in whether the Investment Plan will be enough to help resolve the region’s issues of corruption and internal disputes as well as meet the geopolitical challenge presented by Russia and China.
Serbia: Robust Q1 Performance Unlikely to Continue
The Serbian economy performed well during the first quarter of 2020. Structural factors, such as a smaller dependence on tourism, as well as effective fiscal and monetary responses, have significantly alleviated contractionary pressures. However, guiding the economy throughout the rest of the year will be a more laborious endeavour.
Serbia: Between Russia and the West
The recent exposure of a Russian intelligence operation in Serbia highlights the dual strategy that Russia pursues towards its neighbours.
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
A Balkan ‘Spring’ or Protests Doomed to Fail?
Since late 2018, the main opposition parties in Albania, Montenegro and Serbia have been boycotting their respective parliaments. Public protests have supported this, initiating a Balkan ‘spring’. Will the protests succeed or fail?
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?
