Balkan Insight

20/12/2025

OPINION by Jonathan Terra I Trump’s ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine and the National Security Strategy treat European sovereignty with similar double standards.
Read the opinion:

Trump’s ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine and the National Security Strategy treat European sovereignty with similar double standards.

20/12/2025

There was success for the centre-right HDZ at local elections this year and a headline-grabbing mega-gig by nationalist singer Thompson, while consumers angry about the cost of living tried to hit back at the retailers.
Read more:

There was success for the centre-right HDZ at local elections this year and a headline-grabbing mega-gig by nationalist singer Thompson, while consumers angry about the cost of living tried to hit back at the retailers.

20/12/2025

Dragomir Bursac went to work in Croatia in 1991 – and vanished in the Yugoslav wars. The discovery of his remains far away in Bosnia allowed for a funeral that brought closure to his family, but what exactly happened remains a mystery.

Read more:

Dragomir Bursac went to work in Croatia in 1991 – and vanished in the Yugoslav wars. The discovery of his remains far away in Bosnia allowed for a funeral that brought closure to his family, but what exactly happened remains a mystery.

19/12/2025

Lancement: Smile! You're on camera – and you’re being scanned. Facial recognition technology is increasingly being used in surveillance systems across the world. Rights campaigners say it poses a serious risk to our privacy. The EU has banned the use of biometric identification in public spaces, but there are loopholes that some EU states have used to get round the rules.



Watch the video: https://balkaninsight.com/2025/12/19/arte-europe-weekly-are-we-in-a-new-era-of-mass-surveillance/

19/12/2025

A nightclub fire claiming 63 lives, the biggest tragedy in the country’s recent history, became a major national trauma and triggered protests against deep-seated systemic corruption.

Read more: https://balkaninsight.com/2025/12/19/north-macedonia-in-2025-deadly-nightclub-blaze-causes-nationwide-grief-and-fury/

19/12/2025

The new Czech PM Andrej Babis joined his two Central European counterparts Robert Fico of Slovakia and Viktor Orban of Hungary in deciding not to take part in a 90-billion-euro loan to Ukraine, which will secure the embattled country’s funding for next year to continue its defence against Russia’s invasion.

Read more:

Elsewhere, tensions in Slovak-Hungarian relations rise over Benes Decrees; Slovakia’s top court declares two pieces of coalition legislation unconstitutional; Polish president to meet Ukrainian counterpart in Warsaw on Friday; and new Czech foreign minister gets off to hapless start.

19/12/2025

OPINION by Olivera Simic I Eight years after the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal closed, as the memory of its work fades, new generations know increasingly little about even the worst wartime atrocities.

Read more:

Eight years after the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal closed, as the memory of its work fades, new generations know increasingly little about even the worst wartime atrocities.

19/12/2025

During more than a year of anti-government protests in Serbia, there have been multiple reports of police taking away phones from people detained or questioned, whether they have given consent or not.

Read more:

During more than a year of anti-government protests in Serbia, there have been multiple reports of police taking away phones from people detained or questioned, whether they have given consent or not.

19/12/2025

Three years after an unprecedented refugee response, hate crimes against Ukrainians in Poland have doubled, while political rhetoric and coordinated disinformation is transforming the public discourse.

19/12/2025

OPINION by Mladen Bubonjic I This year saw a final court verdict convicting Bosnian Serb strongman Milorad Dodik, but far from showcasing how strong Bosnia’s institutions have become, it only underlined their weakness and vulnerability to pressure.

Read more:

This year saw a final court verdict convicting Bosnian Serb strongman Milorad Dodik, but far from showcasing how strong Bosnia’s institutions have become, it only underlined their weakness and vulnerability to pressure.

19/12/2025

Following reports of labour exploitation at the Linglong tyre factory in Zrenjanin, US Customs said it was halting all shipments of its tyres from Serbia - although the company has denied wrongdoing.

Read more:

Following reports of labour exploitation at the Linglong tyre factory in Zrenjanin, US Customs said it was halting all shipments of its tyres from Serbia - although the company has denied wrongdoing.