University of Pristina must push ahead with education reforms despite protests so Kosovo’s fragile economy improves. More than a week ago hundreds of Kosovo citizens – including prominent public figures such as artists, journalists, writers and civil society activists – rallied in support of granting greater autonomy to the University of Pristina. Gathered under the […]

Police forces in Montenegro have been accused of using excessive force after they moved to end what had been a predominantly protest on Saturday morning in front of the Montenegrin Parliament in Podgorica. Early Saturday morning, more than a hundred police officers entered the protesters’ camp in the street and public square in front of […]

Under investigation in connection with missing money from three banks in 2014. CHISINAU, Moldova—Moldova’s parliament on Thursday lifted the immunity of a former prime minister who was later detained and charged with being involved in a bank fraud of up to $1.5 billion. A total of 79 lawmakers out of 101 voted to lift the […]

As part of the ongoing efforts to end the political crisis that revolves around mass illegal surveillance claims, Macedonia is soon expected to adopt a law to protect whistleblowers. As efforts continue to put inter-party talks on ending the political crisis that revolves around mass illegal surveillance claims back on track, Macedonia is soon expected […]

Whatever they tell you, be sure it is about Schengen, because Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva has embarked on a mission impossible – to raise the question of Bulgaria’s Schengen membership at every European meeting. “Bulgaria not joining Schengen eight years into its EU membership is not only our problem. This is a problem of […]

Money went to 23 officeholders who held senior posts in eight state ministries. Twenty-three officeholders received nearly 346,000 KM in severance pay before retiring. Ministers, deputies, assistants and advisors to the ministers and secretary generals of the ministries got money from the budget of eight state ministries since 2006. According to the Law on Salaries […]

Bribery charges against employees of French water giant Veolia have raised questions about the role of corruption in Romania’s economic boom. Bucharest has rebuked the agency that brought it up, Luke Dale-Harris writes. A corruption crackdown that has shaken the Romanian government to its core over the past 10 months has now extended to the […]

Legal experts say trend towards passing laws in urgent procedure is stifling democratic debate and lowering the quality of legislation.   A marked rise in the number of laws passed  in urgent procedure in Serbia and without debate – often under the excuse of EU membership talks – is raising questions about transparency and the […]

Moldova has been rocked by mass protests for several weeks after a banking fraud scandal saw $1bn (£650m, €890m) of public money disappear from three of the country’s leading banks. This prompted the EU, IMF and World Bank to freeze financial assistance to the corruption-wracked eastern European nation. The protesters have formed two distinct camps; […]

Bucharest’s Court of Appeal has sentenced Romania’s former Agriculture Minister Stelian Fuia to four years in prison for abuse of office. He was convicted of illegally selling off state-owned assets, robbing the state’s coffers of more than € 362,000 (US$ 430,000). At the time of the offence, he was director of state-owned agricultural facility the […]