Albania’s future depends on giving a voice to those who have lost hope
Three decades after its birth, Albania’s Democratic party must become able again to win over the minds and hearts of the voters, reform itself and offer a new kind of democratic model, for Albania and for the future of all the Albanian people.Albania’s recent parliamentary elections, held on April 25, represented a critical juncture in…
The new ‘digital normal’ is a task for both governments and the private sector
Covid-19 has brought home the necessity of speeding up the process of digitalisation of government and public services. But the transformation must be carried out with the active participation of all stakeholders.Ever since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in late 2019, optimists looking for silver linings have pointed to the opportunity that it has…
Don’t mix politics with aviation safety, says IATA after Belarus flight ban
The International Air Transport Association is unhappy with the European Aviation Safety Agency’s ban on flights over Belarus, calling “the politicisation of aviation safety”.The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to maintain what it says is a “critical separation” between politics and aviation safety issues.The call follows a move…
On the Balkans, Biden is stuck in the 2000s
Joe Biden needs to remember that the process of EU accession is matter for EU members alone.Half a year ago in an op-ed for Emerging Europe, I warned the administration of Joe Biden that in US foreign policy towards the Balkans, the US has to remember that it’s no longer the 2000s. I knew what…
CEE vaccine leader Hungary steps back from mass inoculation
With more than half of its population now vaccinated with at least one dose of a Covid-19 jab, Hungary says the time has come to switch responsibility from the state to the individual.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that Hungary would be winding down its mass inoculation campaign, switching instead to what he called…
Together Again: Bulgaria looks to schoolchildren to relaunch tourism
Bulgaria is hoping that an initiative offering free holidays to schoolchildren will relaunch its tourism industry. But for the sector to fully recover, foreign tourists need to return in large numbers.Bulgarian tourism – such a key sector of the country’s economy – had a poor 2020.As a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the…
EU Ombudsman opens probe into Frontex role in Greece boat tragedy
The EU Ombudsman on Wednesday (26 July) launched an investigation into the role of the bloc’s border agency Frontex in the 14 June sinking of the Adriana trawler that led to more than 500 people drowning — one of the single death-tolls in the Mediterranean Sea.”A tragedy of this magnitude requires all those involved to reflect on their…
Has North Macedonia’s PM backed the wrong side in Bulgaria’s election?
North Macedonia’s prime minister, Zoran Zaev, could have made a tactical blunder in meeting with former Bulgarian PM Boyko Borissov on a visit to Sofia.North Macedonia’s path towards the EU appeared to have been cleared in 2018 when it agreed a deal with Greece to end a 30-year dispute over the use of the term…
Macedonians frustrated by slow pace of EU accession, reveals new poll
Unemployment, a lack of Covid-19 vaccines, and the prevailing economic situation are the most pressing concerns of people in North Macedonia, but they are also troubled by a lack of progress towards EU accession.According to major new nationwide opinion poll published by the International Republican Institute (IRI), Macedonians still overwhelmingly support European Union accession but…
Why Belarus is weaponising irregular migration
The government of Belarus is becoming increasingly isolated, sealing its borders with Ukraine and Poland while – allegedly – encouraging illegal migration into Lithuania.Throughout the whole of 2020, there were 81 reported irregular crossings from Belarus to Lithuania.Since the beginning of June this year, there have been over 1,000, according to Lithuania’s prime minister, Ingrida…