Southeast Europe / Opinion
20 years after accession 'big bang' wiiw economists say CEE needs a new model to catch up with the West
Eastern EU members are growing much faster than the eurozone, but must focus more on innovation for a full catchup.
COMMENT: Testing the limits – the politics of EU membership in CEE 20 years after accession
Apathy and lack of trust in national institutions, combined with ‘convergence fatigue’, have created favourable conditions for populist forces that have degraded the quality of institutions in many of the CEE states that joined the EU in 2004.
COMMENT: Aliyev continues to block the chance of peace in the South Caucasus
Although Armenia and Azerbaijan are now the closest they have been to signing a peace treaty in the last 30 years, there is a high probability that it will not be signed.
COMMENT: The Three Seas Initiative's digital imperative
While digital infrastructure in the region is growing, support infrastructure designed to handle the growth in demand is what requires investment.
Crisis Group warns resolution of conflict between Serbia and Kosovo increasingly distant
There is “scant hope” of Belgrade and Pristina overcoming their difficulties and normalising relations, says a new Crisis Group report.
CENUSA: Geopolitics prevails in the EU accession agenda for Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova
The destabilisation of Eastern Europe created a paradigm shift in terms of EU enlargement.
COMMENT: Overheating in Russia and Turkey, but CEE recovering
The economies of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), which experienced a period of stagnation last year, are poised for a modest revival in 2024, but both the Russian and Turkish economies are already overheating.
Illiberal axis between Budapest and Balkans threatens regional stability, analyst warns
Hungarian PM Viktor Orban’s close ties with leaders of Serbia and Bosnia’s Republika Srpska have encouraged nationalism and authoritarian tendencies with negative consequences for stability, says paper published by EPC.
With Russia and Serbia distracted, Montenegro takes aim at EU accession progress
Milojko Spajic's government tries to seize window of opportunity, but still risks derailment by domestic political conflicts.
CENUSA: Europe needs to reduce the risks of destabilisation in its eastern neighbourhood
Candidate states for EU accession such as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia remain in a zone of insecurity where Russia can intervene minimally in a hybrid way.
How Albania went from isolated basketcase to diplomatic powerhouse
Albania has been transformed from an isolated country whose name evoked poverty, drugs and crime to an increasingly prominent player on the world stage.
Balkans a prime target for Russia's unconventional warfare tactics
Moldova and Montenegro already targets of Russian destabilisation efforts, says RUSI report.