"Well-designed safeguards are not obstacles to enlargement but conditions for its credibility. Moving from exceptional control to system integrity protects the Union’s legal order and the legitimacy of #Montenegro’s accession as an equal member." www.epc.eu/publication/...

The European Commission has convened an extraordinary meeting of its Oil Coordination Group, following a halt in diesel deliveries from #Hungary & #Slovakia to #Ukraine and threats that they could cut off electricity and gas supplies. www.intellinews.com/eu-calls-eme...

The #Bulgarian and #Romanian services of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) are set to cease operations on March 31, ending two of the most prominent Western-supported journalism initiatives active in the contemporary media environment. balkaninsight.com/2026/02/16/r...

#Bulgaria will hold new parliamentary elections on 19 April, and ex-president Rumen Radev is polling strongly, though he hasn’t taken sides yet. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

#Kosovo and #Albania were among the first five countries to commit troops to the International Security Assistance Force for #Gaza at the first meeting of Trump’s "Peace Board." www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/trump-gaza...

#Serbia's state-owned oil pipeline operator Transnafta said it has extended to February 26 the bidding deadline in a tender for the construction and supervision works on the 113-km Serbian section of the planned oil pipeline linking to #Hungary. seenews.com/news/serbia-...

The U.S. has lobbied to scale down #NATO’s peacekeeping operation in #Kosovo and keep #Ukraine and Indo-Pacific allies from formally participating in the alliance’s July annual summit in Ankara. www.politico.eu/article/us-p...

" #Serbia has ensured macroeconomic stability, an investor-friendly environment and competitive labour costs, attracting significant foreign direct investment, particularly export-oriented investment towards #Europe." www.serbianmonitor.com/en/serbian-e...

"EU membership without veto rights is acceptable for #Serbia. The most important aspects for us are the single market, as well as the free movement of goods, people and capital. These are the key values we wish to realise through EU membership." www.euronews.rs/srbija/polit...

The recent U.S. decision to withdraw approximately 1000 troops from #Romania changes the strategic outlook in the #BlackSea region. Countries like Romania will need to invest more resources in filling the deterrence vacuum. smallwarsjournal.com/2026/01/26/r...

Drawing on desk research & semi-structured interviews with journalists, media experts & civil society actors, a new research shows that disinformation in #Serbia is largely domestically produced, strategically targeted & embedded in state-media structures. geo-power.eu/portfolio/it...

#Bulgaria's caretaker government led by Andrey Gyurov, deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank, took over duty and pledged to secure conditions for fair elections on April 19. www.reuters.com/world/bulgar...

With no end to the four-year war in sight, Russian attacks on #Ukraine are unsettling the eastern regions of neighbouring #Moldova, where locals have repeatedly been disturbed by stray drones crashing. balkaninsight.com/2026/02/19/o...

Truck drivers from #Serbia, #Montenegro, #NorthMacedonia and #BosniaHerzegovina are considering new blockades of cargo border crossings after the EU rejected all proposals aimed at easing restrictions on their stay in the Schengen area. www.intellinews.com/western-balk...

The SafeJournalists Network strongly condemns a series of threats, harassment and attacks against journalists that have occurred in recent days in #Serbia, particularly during civic protests held on 16 and 17 February in Novi Sad and Belgrade. safejournalists.net/alert/safejo...

“The issues in the #WesternBalkans will not be resolved magically” simply by #Albania and #Montenegro joining the EU, as “everything is deeply interconnected in this region, particularly the extent to which #Serbia influences other countries”. newunionpost.eu/2026/02/17/n...

#Bulgaria has formally raised concerns about violence & hate speech targeting the Bulgarian ethnic community in #NorthMacedonia before the Council of Europe. A written question on the issue has been submitted to the Committee of Ministers. www.novinite.com/view_news.ph...

A new policy paper examines the evolving relationship between #Russia and #Serbia, and explores its meaning for the EU. It considers four dimensions of the relationship: political, the economy and energy, security and defence and societal linkages. www.clingendael.org/publication/...

#Albania's PM Edi Rama said his government would change the law to protect ministers from suspension while they are under criminal investigation, prompting the opposition to accuse him of trying to protect himself & harming judicial independence. www.reuters.com/world/albani...

#NorthMacedonia will begin purchasing US liquefied natural gas once the new gas interconnector with #Greece is completed, under a framework for a new Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair and Balanced Trade agreed with the United States. www.intellinews.com/north-macedo...

#Greece announced plans to send a battalion to the International Stabilization Force in #Gaza, marking a more active role in crisis management compared with its previous deployment in #Afghanistan. balkanview.com/greece-to-co...

Within this Citizens’ Assembly, implemented through the EU‑funded Možemo Bolje initiative, selected participants will explore ways to improve the environment that fosters reconciliation, strengthens trust & promotes social cohesion in #BosniaHerzegovina. sarajevotimes.com/the-citizens...

" #Europe will have to reconcile itself to the role of a regional player, protect what it already has, and emulate the carnivores roaming about by adapting to today’s dog-eat-dog geopolitics. The odds of success are not great, but they are far from zero." engelsbergideas.com/essays/europ...

Their chances of settling in the United States increasingly bleak, a growing number of Chinese nationals are travelling visa-free to #Serbia or #BosniaHerzegovina and crossing into the EU. balkaninsight.com/2026/02/13/a...

#Serbia’s total public debt amounted to €39.34 billion as of 31 December 2025, which represents 44.5% of gross domestic product, according to data from the Public Debt Administration. www.serbianmonitor.com/en/who-does-...

The European Union could withhold funds from a 1.6 billion euro allocation of loans and grants to #Serbia, after Belgrade passed laws that are "eroding trust" in its commitment to the rule of law. www.reuters.com/world/eu-rec...

#Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service has revealed that Russian security services have recruited around 150 people, who have received specialized training in #Serbia to carry out direct attacks on selected targets. thegeopost.com/en/ballkan/s...

On April 12th, 2003, Hungarians voted to join the EU. On April 12th, 2026, they will vote again, this time in a general election. Peter Magyar, who understands the power of symbolism, has already cast the choice as a referendum on #Hungary’s future. ecfr.eu/article/tisz...

According to Nino Doborjginidze, Rector of Ilia State University from #Georgia, the university community was informed, without any justification whatsoever, that 97-98% of Ilia University has effectively been dismantled and destroyed. 1tv.ge/lang/en/news...

“Legacy” is the word most often invoked when cities host mega sporting events. Few Olympic hosts, however, have faced challenges as devastating as #Sarajevo. Just eight years after hosting the 1984 #WinterOlympics, the city found itself engulfed in war. www.chrisleslie.com/sarajevo-buc...

Remembrance is not politicization. The IOC should know better and support athletes like Vladyslav Heraskevych, who dedicate their career not only to obtaining good results, but who also use the power of sport to promote peace, tolerance and to develop their communities and nations.

#Montenegro's state-owned motorway operator Monteput said it has hired Italy's IRD Engineering to supervise the design and construction of the 22-km Mateševo–Andrijevica section of the planned Bar–Boljare motorway. seenews.com/news/italian...

"Hate speech, offensive graffiti, Ustaše slogans, the desecration of religious buildings – the period behind us, as far as Serbs in #Croatia are concerned, is described by many as one of the more difficult in recent history." www.serbianmonitor.com/en/relations...

The solar energy revolution in #Albania arrived without warning last September in the village of Bocova, in the Fier region of western Albania, a few kilometres from the Adriatic Sea, when heavy machinery began digging alongside cultivated fields. balkaninsight.com/2026/02/12/s...

According to the European Parliament, the new-EU level list of safe countries of origin will allow for accelerated processing of asylum applications from nationals of #Bangladesh, #Colombia, #Egypt, #Kosovo, #India, #Morocco and #Tunisia. europeanwesternbalkans.com/2026/02/10/k...

Advisory Opportunity for #Serbia, #Montenegro & #NorthMacedonia. The European Fund for the Balkans is looking for three new experts to join the Engaged Democracy Initiative (EDI) Advisory Committee. Deadline: February 23, 2026 Details: balkanfund.org/general-news...

The Corruption Perception Index for 2025, published by Transparency International, shows that across the #WesternBalkans, opacity of decisions on high-value investment projects and about bilateral agreements with other governments is a common issue. www.linkedin.com/posts/drago%...

A new @biepag.bsky.social analysis by Jovana Marović & Odeta Barbullushi calls on the EU to turn accession treaties into robust instruments for reform & accountability, rather than pursuing solutions that lead to limited, “lighter,” or second-tier forms of membership. www.biepag.eu/publication/...

According to the EU Delegation in Belgrade, as many as 45% of #Serbia's citizens would vote to join the European Union if a referendum on the issue were held tomorrow, up by two percentage points compared to last year. seenews.com/news/public-...

In the month marking four years since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Latvian Public Media (LSM) in cooperation with ziedot.lv is organising its fifth support campaign for #Ukraine. eng.lsm.lv/article/soci...

Two unsolved but connected shootings in #Bulgaria’s mountains in recent days have left five men & a 15-year-old boy dead. Sparse official details have fuelled rampant speculation about the victims & suspicion that authorities are withholding details. balkaninsight.com/2026/02/09/m...

When foreign companies restarted mining operations that had been shuttered since the breakup of Yugoslavia, Vareš had high hopes of economic revival. But as the state fails to take a stand against pollution and deforestation, optimism has given way to nostalgia unbiasthenews.org/foreign-capi...

“According to official data from the International Olympic Committee, Vučko is still the most popular mascot of all time at this most important sporting event. And you know what they say in #Bosnia? ‘The one thing we all agree on, that is Vučko.’” vogueadria.com/vucko-joze-t...

"It is becoming quite clear that Belgrade is very nervous about the fact that #Montenegro is progressing much faster on the path to European integration, while #Serbia stopped moving in that direction more than three years ago." www.bgnes.com/no-filter/co...

The key question regarding #Albania’s EU accession aspiration is whether the country itself can be regarded as a “low-hanging fruit”, and whether the EU and Albania should both focus on the easiest, most accessible tasks for EU accession. ecipe.org/insights/alb...

In the #Balkans, #Ukraine & #Turkey, reactions to US President Donald Trump's plans to seize #Greenland have been barely palpable. In an area where violent border changes are either recent history or current events, apprehension and caution have prevailed. www.balcanicaucaso.org/cp_article/e...

The trial of #Serbia’s culture minister & other officials began this week. They’re accused of illegally stripping Generalstab building of its cultural heritage status, a move that was meant to clear the way for an investment project linked to Trump’s son-in-law. balkaninsight.com/2026/02/04/s...

#Estonia will shut two road border crossings with Russia at night from February 24, marking the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of #Ukraine, after repeated incidents involving Russian border guards. tvpworld.com/91445815/est...

Electoral issues in #BosniaHerzegovina remain a key issue in the country’s attempts to adopt wider European standards. While issues concerning corruption persist, there have also been calls to implement technology within voting. neweasterneurope.eu/2026/02/05/o...

Four parliamentary groups filed a motion with #Serbia’s Constitutional Court to challenge the legality of a new set of judicial laws passed just last week. n1info.rs/english/news...