Kosovo
Central and Southeast European economies remain fragile, says Vienna Initiative of banks
Banks may be tested by the withdrawal of government help to companies, particularly as infection rates begin to soar again.
Bulgarian software company Melon signs strategic deal with Kosovo’s Frakton
Bulgaria-based software development services company Melon signs strategic investment deal with Frakton as part of its expansion in the Southeast Europe region.
THE VIEW FROM MITTELEUROPA: German traffic light coalition could worsen frictions with CEE
A new centre-left government in Berlin could help create a two-tier Europe, especially if it promotes rule of law penalties.
Prices of bread and flour products in Kosovo jump by up to 50%
PM Albin Kurti says the sudden hike in prices is linked with developments in the countries from which Kosovo imports products.
bneGREEN: Energy crisis sends Western Balkans back to coal
Serbia and North Macedonia are raising coal power generation in response to the energy crisis that has seen electricity prices soar.
wiiw hikes 2021 CEE growth forecast to 5.4%
Growth is predicted to fall to 3.7% in 2022 and 3.5% in 2023 because of base effects, monetary tightening and more significant external headwinds.
Kosovan police clash with Serbs in Mitrovica in anti-smuggling operation
Police and smugglers injured in shootout as officers seize smuggled goods worth hundreds of thousands of euros.
Rooting out corruption proves a tough job in North Macedonia
The Social Democrat-led government came to power pledging a vigorous and transparent fight against corruption, but tackling entrenched corruption has not been easy.
Kosovo raises tensions again with new anti-dumping measures on Serbia
Measures on some products imported from Serbia imposed shortly after Belgrade and Pristina reached a temporary agreement to ease the crisis sparked by new rules for car number plates.
Von der Leyen says EU has to deliver on enlargement
EU leaders reaffirmed their support for enlargement at summit in Slovenia, but they did not set any firm timeline.
Western Balkans falling further behind eastern EU members
Neither regional integration nor closer ties with EU have led to increased trade, investment or overall prosperity in the region, says a new report from wiiw and Bertelsmann Stiftung.
Threat of new EU travel restrictions looms ahead of Western Balkan summit
Ahead of the EU-Western Balkans summit on October 6, a leaked EU document revealed that several EU member states are seeking to restrict visa-free travel for some nationals from the region as well as other East European countries.
BALKAN BLOG: Elusive enlargement and a reignited conflict
Despite the positive words from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, it was clear that the accession of counties from the region to the EU remains elusive and has no clear timescale.
Kosovo’s parliament expects to approve law on cryptocurrency by year-end
Crypto mining is popular in northern Kosovo, where citizens have received free electricity since the end of the Serbia-Kosovo war.
Serbia and Kosovo strike temporary deal
Standoff to end in northern Kosovo after officials reach agreement ending crisis sparked by Kosovo's new rules for car number plates.
EU and US officials try to defuse Kosovo-Serbia tensions
Representatives of both sides in Brussels for talks after Pristina's decision to make Serbian drivers to replace their plates with temporary ones to enter Kosovo elevated tensions in northern Kosovo.
Kosovo’s economic growth speeds up to 16.3% y/y in 2Q21
Strong performance in retail, hospitality and construction sectors drove up Kosovo's GDP.
COMMENT: New skirmish between Serbia and Kosovo threatens the future of dialogue
Without a comprehensive normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, tensions will continue to fester and the daily lives of Kosovo’s Serbs and Albanians alike will be sorely affected.
Croatia reports dozens of state-sponsored cyber attacks in 2020
Most attacks were attempts to break into the information and communication systems of the foreign and European affairs ministry and the defence ministry.
Nato troops step up presence on Kosovo-Serbian border
Tensions have reached a 10-year high since new rules set by Pristina forced Serbian drivers to change their number plates to enter Kosovo.
