Democracy

Why EU-integration? Why should the Western Balkans, a region where criminal networks have been gaining ground and corrupt elites have systematically captured state institutions for the benefit of their own criminal business models, enter the EU? Why, when human rights are trampled upon in the region, with manifestations of nationalist radicalization overall? One can hear these questions repeatedly in the political discourse.  

When the European Council decided to grant the status of a candidate country for EU membership to North Macedonia in 2005, nobody could have expected that almost 15 years later the country would still be in the waiting room for the start of accession negotiations for EU membership. In 2009, the European Commission adopted its first recommendation for the start of accession negotiations between the European Union (EU) and North Macedonia. Eleven consecutive recommendations later, North Macedonia is anxiously waiting for the October 2019 meeting of the European Council as the first plausible opportunity in more than a decade to reach the much-coveted goal.

„Interference is the only way to stay realistic“ – Heinrich Böll On September 7th, 2019, the Heinrich Böll Foundation celebrated the 20th anniversary of it´s existence in BiH. For this occasion,  Nihad Kreševljaković created the movie "A Single Battle of Six" which was first shown to the guests of the celebration.  The following speakers in the movie will be sharing the problems and challenges they encounter on a daily basis: Miroslav Andrić and Muamer Čivić (Srebrenica Wave), Štefica Galić (Journalist and Human-Rights-Activist, Mostar), Maida Bilal (Activist and Member of the Ecology Assocoation BISTRO, Kruščica), Emina Bošnjak (Sarajevo Open Centre) and  Jakob Finci (President of the Jewish Community and President of the Interreligious Council of BiH).

According to the left wing Rama government, the plans to demolish the old National Theatre came to life upon the sudden concession proposal send by a private developer, Fusha shpk. The company, who already held the title to a small patch of land in the area, offered to build a new theatre amidst a slew of commercial buildings on the condition that he should receive in exchange the public land upon which the theatre stood and its surroundings, majorly owned by the Municipality of Tirana and a couple of other institutions.

Objectively speaking, the entire socio-political situation in BiH is much worse today than it had been in the period prior to the previous war which was a project, a domestic and foreign one. Facts show that, before the victory of this “project” with its bloody consequences, fewer citizens used to contest the country they were living in, its Constitution and established institutions, laws and the system. It was more difficult even to imagine the ongoing routine contestation of the state and its institutions, also coming from political leaders, which mostly remain unaddressed and unsanctioned.

In anticipation of the upcoming European Parliamentary elections, the Europhobes of the far right have been warming up to launch an attack on the major achievements of the union. Some of these parties have established their electoral bastions almost everywhere.

There are countless examples that genocide denial as well as celebration and affirmation of war criminals are basis for the disturbance of security and spreading the Great Serbia and Great Croatia projects in BiH, and the recent activities of the RS authorities to arm auxiliary police forces, announcing that Russian volunteers will participate in them (and also get citizenship and documents of the RS) are more than alarming proof of sabre-rattling in the Balkans, followed by loud war threats.

Sexual Harassment of women and girls is a form of violence against women and girls broadly spread, and in some cultures hard to recognize and define as a form of violence rather than a cultural norm. Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

State capture by private interests is not a new phenomenon in Albania, but never in its short history as a semi-democratic country have public money, assets and space been given away in such a blunt way, with nothing in it for the citizens. This will be the first of a three-part series of articles to help the reader understand exactly what happened and how.

After the elections last October, the nationalist parties are still primarily shaping the political discourse. But there is hope: the nationalist narratives that have led Bosnia into war and keep actively blocking the development of the country are being countered by a new generation of female politicians