Balkaninsight.com

Kosovo and Albania condemned the arrest of former Kosovo PM Ramush Haradinaj in France over Serbian war crimes allegations, as French officials started considering Belgrade’s extradition request for the ex-guerrilla commander.

The Serbian Ombudsman’s office has launched an urgent probe of the arrests of two officers for passing official secrets to media about their covert and allegedly illegal assignment in Srebrenica in 2015.

As the deadline for the formation of new government after December's election draws near, both the ruling and opposition parties have reiterated their determination to lead it.

The EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo expressed disappointment after the Supreme Court ordered a retrial of three men convicted of involvement in organ-trafficking from the Medicus clinic near Pristina.

A bitter dispute over fees with the Bulgarian copyright society has forced the national radio to play only music produced before 1945 – and some listeners are quite happy about it.

Balkan Insight brings you a selection of images that grabbed our attention in 2016, whether for the historic events captured in them or just the beauty of the photo.

Monday's historic performance of the Vienna Philharmonic Ensemble in Tirana was a sell-out - but critics of Prime Minister Edi Rama's cultural policy say the attention being given to such European stars is excessive.

A right-wing NGO and an obscure Orthodox church group have been accused of deliberately provoking the country's Serbian community as it gets ready to mark Orthodox Christmas Eve.

Political leader and former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj was arrested in France on a Serbian warrant that alleges that he committed war crimes during the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo.

Moldova's combative new pro-Russian President, Igor Dodon, has stripped Romania's former president Traian Basescu of his citizenship, accusing him of having pushed for Moldova to become part of Romania.

The Croatian culture ministry demanded the return of over 1,000 artefacts taken to Serbia from Orthodox churches and monasteries during the 1990s wars and thousands of items that went missing from its museums.

A Belgrade court has ordered the weekly NIN to compensate Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic for defaming him in an article about the mysterious demolitions in Belgrade's Savamala district. 

'Get married or pay more tax' could become the choice facing unmarried people in Republika Srpska, if its government accepts a proposal from the local Employers' Union.

After the Jesuit Refugee Service accused the Croatian authorities of illegally deporting refugees, the Croatian Interior Ministry has denied that such expulsions are against international law.

Pictures of Albanians having a good time in an English prison have not amused everyone in the country.

An alleged plot aimed at overthrowing the pro-Western government and killing the Prime Minister overshadowed all other events that year, further clouding relations with Russia.

The UN war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia will shut down in 2017 after more than two decades, but a handful of unfinished cases will continue, including the landmark case of Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic.

The year saw the resignation of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, early elections that did not end the political standoff - and almost endless protests.

Cities across the Balkans rang in the New Year with grand firework displays and family friendly music concerts, welcoming 2017 in style.

The year in Albania saw big green protests, fierce political disputes over judicial reform and over cannabis cultivation – while a royal wedding provided light relief and Catholics had reasons to celebrate.