Beyond Western Europe: The Balkans Are Calling

Stari Most Bridge in Mostar is just one of the amazing sights in the Balkans. Image by MEHMET KAYNAR from Pexels via Canva Oftentimes, the best places to visit aren’t the ones plastered across travel ads or trending on TikTok. My favorite memories are from …

Letter from Washington: US Seeks to Score Material Goals in the Balkans

Greetings from America, which this month celebrated 250 years of independence from the British crown under a president who has called himself a king – and is also seen that way by the many thousands of people who have joined the “No Kings” protests in the …

Bulgaria's Security Agency Warns Russian and Chinese Arms Buildup Is Destabilising the Balkans

The Bulgarian Council of Ministers has published the 2025 annual report of the State Agency for National Security, known by its Bulgarian acronym DANS. The agency is Bulgaria’s main counterintelligence and national security service. The report highlights …

Migrant smuggling network using rental cars dismantled across the Balkans | Europol

Seven suspects arrested in Europol-supported hit targeting organised crime group transporting migrants towards Italy. Authorities in Bulgaria, Greece, the… Seven suspects arrested in Europol-supported hit targeting organised crime group transporting …

EU billions expose a two-speed Western Balkans

PRISTINA – More than a year into the EU’s €6 billion growth plan for the Western Balkans, only Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia have secured more than one reform-linked payment. The uneven progress shows how political instability is holding some …

Child Maintenance Systems Failing Single Mothers in the Balkans and Beyond

“According to the French census of 2020, 76 per cent of children under 18 live mostly with their mother, 12 per cent live alternately with each of their parents [shared physical custody], 12 per cent live mostly with their father,” said Emilie Biland, a …

"We are one of the top five banana suppliers to the Balkans"

For almost 20 years, Kika Holland, based in Cuijk, has specialised in exporting fruit and vegetables to the Balkan countries. In its early years, the company also imported large volumes of stone fruit from the Balkans into the Netherlands. Still, it soon …

Lukoil sale window closes with no deal for Balkans’ largest refinery

SOFIA – A US licence allowing negotiations over the sale of Lukoil’s international assets expires on Saturday, but Bulgaria’s petrol stations and the Balkans’ largest refinery are not expected to stop operating. US sanctions are pushing the Russian oil …

Tradition survives in the Balkans

Opinion: A Partnership Whose Time Has Come

Bulgaria, Albania, and Kosovo enjoy relations that are unhindered by the types of conflict often seen in the Balkans. Now is an appropriate moment to give this favorable foundation a more coherent strategic direction. From Mr.East.eu via the German …