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Macedonian viewers on Wednesday tuned into the first live televised debate between a Prime Minister and an opposition leader in 16 years to hear them thrash out the big issues of the day.

382309 Željka Šulc

The first OSCE Model workshop concluded on Wednesday, 23 May 2018 in Banja Luka. Over 25 participants from Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the host-country Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) gathered to enhance their theoretical and practical knowledge about the history, role and functioning of the OSCE, its Permanent Council and field operations, particularly with regards to conflict prevention.

The event was organized by the OSCE Mission to BiH, its Youth Advisory Group and the Students’ Organisation of the School of Political Science of the University of Banja Luka.

“We are hopeful that this activity will motivate young people in BiH and in the wider region – particularly students of political science and law – to learn more about the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Our workshop participants studied how  international organisations work and co-operate to enhance regional and global security,” said Dmitry Iordanidi, Head of OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina Field Office in Banja Luka of the.

Ismet Bolic, a student at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Banja Luka, said: “The Model OSCE simulation was an opportunity to bring together different competent and capable young people from all over BiH and the region to network and exchange views and experiences.”

Matteo Pugliese, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Special Representative on Youth and Security stressed that “youth mainstreaming is one of the key elements of the Italian 2018 OSCE Chairmanship programme. Thanks to the commitment of the OSCE Mission to BiH and its Youth Advisory Group, this Model OSCE in Banja Luka represents a landmark initiative in the Western Balkans.”

This activity is the first in a series of simulations in BiH meant to provide students with a unique opportunity to explore various aspects of the OSCE’s work across the politico-military, economic–environmental and human dimensions.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect in the EU on Friday. It is meant to standardise data privacy in the EU and strengthen consumer rights - particularly in regard to US companies. While some commentators see the EU as a pioneer in data privacy, others say the regulation could end up hurting those it is meant to protect.

Italy's President Sergio Mattarella has tasked Giuseppe Conte, a jurist with little experience in politics, with forming a government, freeing the way for the future prime minister to form a cabinet made up of ministers from anti-EU parties the Five Star Movement and the Northern League. Commentators speculate on the impact of this decision for Europe.

154 economists have warned in a joint article against further integration of the Eurozone as proposed by Macron, Juncker and in the Berlin coalition government agreement. They criticise the planned introduction of a European monetary and investment fund and fear that money could be paid to countries that have failed to undertake reforms. Are they right to oppose the reform proposals?

Turkey's central bank has reacted to the drop in the value of the lira by raising key interest rates. The Turkish currency had already lost roughly a quarter of its value since the start of the year when it came under additional pressure on Wednesday morning after Japanese investors divested en masse. What are the factors behind the slump?

Pablo Iglesias, head of the left-wing Spanish party Podemos, is under fire for buying a country house that costs over 600,000 euros for his family. The party's grassroots will now vote on whether he and his wife Irene Montero will be allowed to keep their leading posts in the party. Should a man in Iglesias' position own such a property?