Balkan Insight

The Dutch city and the war crimes court are on alert, with thousands expected to gather in support of former Kosovo Liberation Army leaders ahead of their trial verdict.

Erion Veliaj suffers major legal setback as High Court rules that he should stay in pre-trial detention on corruption and money-laundering charges – even though he is still Tirana's acting mayor.

Political crisis worsens as opposition PDK contests legality of Albin Kurti's re-election as Prime Minister, and Bekim Sejdiu withdraws his bid to become President.

Thousands of supporters joined the student movement as it officially filed its registration with the electoral commission for the October elections on Monday evening.

As the Kosovo Specialist Chambers prepares to deliver its verdict in the case of Hashim Thaci and his co-accused, the stakes could hardly be higher – for the defendants, the court, Kosovo, and transitional justice itself.

Peter Magyar’s extension of the ‘State of Crisis Due to Mass Migration’ has upset human rights experts concerned about the misuse of emergency powers.

Thousands of hectares burned in wildfires this summer in Albania, demonstrating the state’s lack of readiness and coordination to confront the challenge, experts say.

BIRN’s reporting on the high-profile trial of four wartime Kosovo Liberation Army leaders and in-depth analysis articles about the implications of the case have been compiled on a new focus page ahead of the trial judgment this week.

Authorities launched a wide-ranging crackdown on crime under the slogan 'The Streets are Safe', timed to coincide with the beginning of the school year.

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

North Macedonia plans to scrap an investment threshold for citizenship after EU criticism over potential security risks to the Schengen Zone, but individuals of ‘special interest’ may still be granted passports.

Villagers in the wartime stronghold areas of the Kosovo Liberation Army express outrage and loyalty as a verdict nears in the war crimes trial of four of their own.

With the support of Prime Minister Rumen Radev, acting President Iliana Iotova is chasing a full presidential term, promising to reopen diplomatic channels with Russia - but faces a challenge from opposition hopeful Andrey Gyurov.

Defence teams for Hashim Thaci and four co-defendants charged with obstruction of justice called for their acquittal, insisting they were charged over 'conversations' that did not result in witnesses being intimidated.

Parliament faces new impasse over election of deputy speakers – with the state president's election also unresolved – as an opposition party says it will lay the issue before the country's top court.

Prosecutors charge seven people over the blaze at a Tuzla care home last November that killed 15 elderly residents.

A series of sabotage attacks in the EU all point back to Russia.

Government belatedly admits price tag for 35th independence anniversary festivities headlined by star DJ David Guetta – one day after BIRN revealed state-owned lottery's key role in managing events.

Historical narratives, political systems, institutions and economies across the region are being put to the test as old problems collide with new pressures, our selection of Balkan Insight’s Premium stories this week shows.

The use of the former World War II concentration camp at the Mamula Island fortress as a luxury hotel and recently as a fashion runway obscures the suffering of those who were detained and died there.

The student-led opposition began its campaign to unseat President Alexander Vucic’s government in October’s parliamentary polls with a rally in Novi Sad, where a fatal disaster in 2024 triggered the protest movement.

Elsewhere, EU suspends subsidy payments to Czech PM’s business; Slovak PM pressures prosecutor general to resign; and Tusk ally elected to Poland’s constitutional court.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has presented a multi-year package of economic measures promising “progress and prosperity”.

A court in The Hague will soon issue its verdict in the war crimes trial of former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three co-accused amid prosecution claims of an “historic” climate of witness intimidation.

An analysis of recent gang-related killings in Serbia and Montenegro reveals the prevalence of hired assassins and accomplices in their teens or early twenties, given empty promises of big money but ultimately treated as ‘disposable goods’, unable or too…

Croatia unveils deal adding 18 Chunmoo launchers to its arsenal, after Serbia says it plans to begin producing long-range ballistic missiles.

Prosecution in closing statements demands six years' prison for Thaci, claiming he told his co-defendants to instruct witnesses what to say while testifying in his war crimes case.

Mico Stanisic, the wartime Bosnian Serb interior minister – sentenced to 22 years in prison by the Hague Tribunal – has again requested early release, after being rejected in 2024.

Claims that wealthy Europeans paid to shoot at civilians during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s have made international headlines.

Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu tells BIRN that Moldova has contracted most of the gas it needs, is preparing to consolidate Moldovagaz’s 12 distribution companies, and is telling breakaway Transnistria to build its own reserves.

A new proposed privately-operated security system raises important questions about who should be keeping Serbia’s capital safe.

After more than five years in detention at The Hague on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three other wartime guerrilla leaders will soon hear their verdict.

As Serbia mourns Ratko Mladic, how far will Brussels go in defending its principles on the glorification of war criminals?

President sets October 25 election date, saying Serbia needs an end to a year-and-a-half of 'turbulence' - referring to student-led protests that have rocked the country.

Opposition pushes for removal of Andrija Mandic as speaker of parliament after he expressed public condolences following death of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic.

Bosnia's expulsion of two Serbian embassy staff, in response to the honours given to Ratko Mladic's funeral, draws angry response from Serbia and Bosnian Serb officials – who questioned its legitimacy.

As the LGBTQ+ Pride marching season ends for the year, we can continue to draw inspiration from the classics of Balkan queer literature – so here’s a reading list of some of most interesting titles available in English.

While all eyes are on the damage caused by tourism construction on Albania’s coast, the government has passed a law designed to boost investment in the mountains too, much to the concern of environmentalists.

Serbia and Montenegro are hosting crucial nodes in the complex infrastructure of Russian cybercrime and disinformation operations in Europe, according to the findings of a BIRN investigation.

Four experts told BIRN that ‘state-sponsored event’ should not be taken as representative of all Serbian society – even if it sent a disturbing message.

Serbian Orthodox Bishop who hailed convicted war criminal's 'wonderful and holy qualities' faces charges of inciting national, racial and religious hatred.

President Erdogan's ruling party takes back control of Istanbul’s Uskudar municipality – a key district that it lost to the opposition in the 2024 local elections.

There is very little certainty about what will happen when Kosovo’s parliament resumes its inaugural session on Wednesday.

Ukraine welcomes Albania’s ‘demonstration of solidarity’ in blocking the ‘Hanuman’ tanker, whose operator, it believes, is linked to Kremlin allies.

Thousands of people have been queuing in Bucharest to venerate the relics of Saint Anne, who, according to Christian tradition, was the Virgin Mary’s mother and Christ’s grandmother.

European Commission and European Council presidents voice dismay over convicted war criminal's glorification at his funeral, as US lawmakers and Turkish officials also said scenes undermined regional peace and reconciliation.

Turkey continues to attract millions of tourists, but falling shrinking profit margins reveal an industry under pressure despite the healthy numbers.

Official boasts about the number of projects completed under the EU’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan conceal a more complicated picture.

At a time of growing threats from Russia, any hasty expansion of the EU’s border-free zone would not only be politically unfeasible and technically impracticable but also dangerous.

The funeral of Ratko Mladic was held in Belgrade with thousands of mourners including senior officials from Serbia and Bosnia’s Republika Srpska – defying EU warnings about glorifying the Bosnian Serb war criminal.