Balkaninsight.com

Foreign policy is a key issue in any Russian presidential election – but in this one, the once important Balkan region appears to be a non-issue.

Faced with internal discord, and with some partner parties leaving the opposition alliance, Macedonia’s new opposition leader, Hristijan Mickoski, is having hard time getting his MPs behind him.

The European Court of Justice is to rule on whether Romania should grant equal rights to same-sex couples that have married abroad, despite its own non-recognition of same-sex marriage.

A new study has revealed young Croats' very mixed ideas about whether they feel 'European' or 'Balkan' - and what those perceived identities mean to them.

Macedonian MPs on Thursday adopted an eagerly anticipated law that extends the official use of the Albanian language across the country.

Bosnia's state court has confirmed an indictment against four former Bosnian Serb fighters accused of killing 28 Croat and Bosniak civilians in a village near Donji Vakuf in 1995.

The presence of the South Ossetia President at the Republika Srpska statehood day celebrations has caused some diplomatic embarrassment to Bosnia after Georgia protested.

Russia will open 24 polling stations for its citizens in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria, where Vladimir Putin is expected to triumph in the Russian presidential elections.

An array of demonstrations will cast their shadow over the opening ceremony of Bulgaria’s EU presidency – but beyond embarrassing the government, it is unclear what they will achieve.

German and French envoys are adding to diplomatic pressure on Kosovo not to try to stop the new Specialist Chambers – which will try former Kosovo guerrillas – from coming into operation.

New Congressional report claims Russia is aggressively targeting countries in Central and Eastern Europe that want to join the EU and NATO – and urges the US to re-engage with the region.

A musical staged by a Serb theatre ensemble from Kosovo about the 1999 war and Serb-Albanian relations will feature late Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic as the “tragic protagonist”.

Issues that piled up in 2017 – starting with the army, the border with Montenegro, relations with Serbia and the Serbian municipal association – will all come back to haunt the government in 2018.

While Europe focuses on the threat of Russian penetration in Eastern Europe, it is neglecting the subtler dangers than come from China’s growing influence in the region.

The journalist, editor and one of the founders of the legendary anti-establishment magazine Feral Tribune, has gone – but leaves behind a rich legacy of satire, laughter and songs.

As Macedonian cities endure another smoggy winter, environmental inspectors say they intend to get help from flying drones, which will search urban areas for secretive polluters.

While Bulgaria sees the EU Presidency as a chance to transform the country’s image, a wave of critical foreign media reports – focusing on corruption – suggests this will be much harder than Sofia expected.

The Moldova's pro-Russian President's calm response to his suspension from office has put him at odds with the Socialist Party’s calls for street demonstrations.

The arrest of policeman suspected of having sexually assaulted children has shaken Romania’s police and exposed rifts inside the country’s Social Democrat-led government. 

With a general election looking in 2018, pressure is increasing once again on Bosnia's quarrelling parties to change election laws that have left the city of Mostar without a local election since 2008.