Balkans and Serbia related content 

Delays by the European Union are an impediment to security in the western Balkans. The era of bloody inter-ethnic wars in the western Balkans ended in the last century;...

EU leaders should not be under any illusion about the nature of Serbia's new-found pragmatism on Kosovo. Serbia has made sufficient concessions over Kosovo to advance to the...

A delicate understanding of national identity in the Balkans helped Kiro Gligorov keep Macedonia out of the Balkan wars. Angelina Jolie's new film, “In the Land of Blood...

Recommending a book arguing that the EU places too much emphasis on non-governmental organisations in the Balkans yet also turns them into mere project managers. Behind the...

Testing the value of two hoary old clichés about the importance of keeping the European Union engaged in the western Balkans. Just because something is a...

Three books examine the complex system of war-crimes tribunals in the Balkans and further afield. Last June, the European Union's member states decided to proceed with...

Recent drug-seizures and arrests reinforce the image of the Balkans as lawless badlands. But the countries in the region are getting tough on crime. Herman Van Rompuy, the...

Engagement in the western Balkans shows that Turkey is not turning towards a more Islamic agenda. Future historians of reconciliation in the western Balkans could do worse...

The EU's decision to lift visa restrictions for citizens of three countries of the former Yugoslavia is a major step forward. This weekend the European Union will do...

The joint recognition of Kosovo by Macedonia and Montenegro will make the region a somewhat safer place. The Balkans is likely to be a bit safer following Montenegro's and...

And how it is playing on everyone's mind. It had long been foreseen that the major Western powers' decision to recognise Kosovo as a state would eventually be cited as a...

The eventful Balkan spring of 2008 saw Kosovo peacefully gain independence, pro-European forces in Serbia trump the isolationist nationalist opposition in two consecutive...

Croatia's president calls on Serbia to help stabilise Bosnia. Croatia's President Stjepan Mesi´c expects that his country will complete accession talks with the EU by the...

Inviting Slobodan Milošević's party to join the Serbian government was unavoidable; the dangers it poses may be avoidable. As expected, Serbia's new pro-EU government...

Ever since NATO's 1999 bombing campaign brought a form of resolution to the bitterest internal conflicts in the western Balkans, the EU's policy has taken the form of a grand...

Vojislav Kostunica, Serbia's prime minister, yesterday (5 March) sided with the opposition Radicals to demand that the EU withdraw its rule-of-law mission from Kosovo –...

The European Commission will next week (5 March) reaffirm the EU's commitment to enlarge to the countries of the western Balkans and will propose measures to help them...

Whatever passes for the current Russian establishment – be it the elite of the security services, Putin-faithful politicians or his close circle and loyal oligarchs –...

The top foreign policy priority of Slovenia's presidency is to support the countries of the western Balkans as they seek closer ties with the European Union. There is...

Next February, the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe will be replaced by a newly established Regional Co-operation Council (RCC). The move from Brussels to Sarajevo,...