Bosnia and Herzegovina
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European Union
An enlargement of illusions
13 October 20113Dagens Nyheter Stockholm -
Former Yugoslavia
Balkan delusions of grandeur
3 October 20115Jutarnji List Zagreb -
Bosnia and Herzegovina
What role for the European 'Tsar'?
10 August 20112Mladá Fronta DNES Prague -
Serbia-Netherlands
Mladić transferred to The Hague
1 June 20111PresseuropNezavisne Novine -
27 May 2011Nacional Zagreb
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Editorial
Balkan blues
27 May 20111Presseurop -
26 May 2011Politika Belgrade
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28 May 20102Irish Independent Dublin
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19 February 20101Trouw Amsterdam
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BALKANS
Kosovo, the problem neighbour
17 February 20101The Guardian London -
8 February 20103Globus-Skopje Skopje
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10 December 2009Presseurop
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Balkans
Hail Albania!
25 November 20091The Guardian London -
Enlargement
Bosnia on the brink
18 November 20093Die Tageszeitung Berlin -
30 October 2009
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22 October 20091Wprost Warsaw
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Accession
Zagreb and Ankara "must do better"
15 October 2009PresseuropZaman -
EU enlargement
Auditors find "black hole" of the Balkans
14 October 2009PresseuropTrouw -
13 October 20091Novi List Rijeka
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Bosnia-Herzegovina
Have passport, can't travel
3 September 2009BH Dani Sarajevo -
Turkey
Go East
19 August 2009The Guardian London -
EU enlargement
Never mind the Balkans, here's Iceland
31 July 20092El País Madrid -
War crimes
New age guru Karadzic “defended the bees”
27 July 2009PresseuropThe New York Times -
Balkans
Frustrated expectations
15 July 2009The Guardian London -
COMMEMORATION
Srebrenica, in the headlines once a year
13 July 2009Trouw Amsterdam
In opening up the prospect of accession to several candidate countries, the European Commissioner for Enlargement means to put on a show of optimism. But it only reinforces the impression that Europe doesn’t know where it’s going, writes the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. 
In a phenomenon that has emerged in cities as diverse as Skopje, Niš and Split, the states of the former Yugoslavia are been swept by a craze for megalomaniac monuments. Croatian writer Jurica Pavicic examines the vogue for these nationalist monstrosities, and concludes their goal is to rewrite history. 
Sixteen years after a bloody civil war, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a fragmented, divided and dependent country. The Office of the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, headed by the EU Special Representative, plays a vital role in the administration of the state. Is that good or bad? asks the foreign editor of MF Dnes. 
In arresting one of the generals responsible for the Srebrenica massacre, Serbian authorities have demonstrated their desire to close a dark chapter in their history. But several questions remain about Ratko Mladic’s flight from justice. 
The Eurovision Song Contest is not just a festival of tackiness, cheese and camp, argues Irish author Martina Devlin. It’s also a chance to have a look at the countries with whom we now have inextricable links. 
Violations of freedom of religion, equality before the law, human rights: a great many Turks bypass their own legal system to put their case directly to the European Court of Human Rights. A phenomenon that vexes jurists no end, but is gradually changing the Turkish mindset. 
Two years after Kosovo's declaration of independence, the Union is still unable to come up with a coherent policy for the western Balkans. This threatens not only to scupper Serbia’s accession to the EU, but also to destabilise the region itself. 
Five centuries of Turkish domination left their mark on culture, cuisine, language and even gestures in Balkan countries. It is an influence that is still apparent in attitudes that have affected the pace of integration in the European Union for a number of Balkan states. 
After years of gridlock, the EU 27 have now decided to get the Serbian accession talks going again. Whilst delighted by the EU’s green light for Serbia’s free trade agreement, the Serb press says Belgrade still has a long way to go before it can hope for accession. 
On 16 November the EU Council formally approved Albania’s application for accession to the Union. Guardian columnist Peter Preston argues in favour of an emerging country whose enthusiasm for the European project is a welcome antidote to eurosceptic cynicism. 
For Bosnia, the road to Brussels is paved with constitutional reform. But in the current talks between European, American and Bosnian leaders, Brussels has shown a dearth of discernment that could endanger the democratic process, worries Tageszeitung. 
Separated by wars which marked the 1990s, some citizens of the former Yugoslavia are attempting to rebuild the cultural ties, which were a feature of the Titoist state. Today, with encouragement from Europe, political leaders are also beginning to recognize this trend. 
Europe and America are trying to obtain an agreement between Bosnian leaders on the reform of the constitution of Bosnia-Herzegovina. However, the Croatian daily Novi List reports that the EU appears to be unable to exert much pressure in the negotiations, which may prove crucial to the future of the country. 
From 1st January, 2010, Muslim Bosnians and Kosovans will be the only citizens of the former Yugoslavia required to obtain visas to enter the European Union. Sarejevo daily, BH Dani, explains how impartial principles will result in discriminatory practice. 
The EU rose out of the ashes of war. Perhaps, with a little patience and pragmatism, a Middle Eastern Union is not such a distant fantasy. And Turkey, as East-West linchpin, is well-placed to be that unifying force. 
The enthusiasm with which member states have welcomed Reykjavik's request for accession to the EU is in marked contrast to the prudence — and in some cases hostility — which has greeted similar requests from the countries of ex-Yugoslavia and Turkey. But the EU cannot afford to give the impression that certain candidates enjoy special privileges. 
Croatia's prime minister resigned July 1 because his country's future accession to the EU had been called into question. In Macedonia too, the EU aspirant government is fragile. As the European dream recedes, the more Western Balkan states are destabilised, writes British researcher Ian Bancroft in the Guardian. 
Fourteen years after the massacre of more than 8,000 of its inhabitants, the Bosnian city, overshadowed by economic problems, is still struggling to get back on its feet. In a bid to dynamize the economy and build for the future, a multi-ethnic association financed by the Netherlands is training the town's young people, reports Trouw.