Balkans

Rise to the top
The foundation of the leftist movement in Greece is the SYNASPISMOS coalition, which was established in 1991. SYNASPISMOS was also one of the founders of the Party of the European Left (PEL) in Rome in 2004. In Greece, the successor of SYNASPISMOS is the radical-left coalition named SYRIZA, which is actually the syllabic abbreviation of the full name of the coalition in Greek. SYRIZA was established in 2004 by several leftist and extreme-left parties. The first president of SYRIZA was Alekos Alavanos (1950). He is a moderate left-wing politician and was the party leader until 2008. These years were filled with numerous tensions between the coalition partners and marked by modest results at parliamentary and local elections. Many in Greece associated these two parties with anarchist groups, which frequently caused unrests in Greece.

Over the past decade, Greece has experienced a major wave of outward migration, with more than half a million people leaving the country out of a population of around 11 million. This exodus was driven by Greece’s prolonged economic crisis, which erupted in 2009 in the context of the eurozone debt crisis and technically ended in the late 2010s, but whose impact is still being heavily felt in Greece’s society and economy today.

The 17-hour war that took place in Banjska village of Zveçan, in the north of Kosovo, proves that Serbia is completely immersed in the obsession for the annexation of the north of the Republic of Kosovo.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić never seems to understand the fact that the independence of Kosovo does not depend on the political will of Serbia and the mythomania of the Serbian Orthodox Church on Kosovo, but above all on the political will of the citizens of Kosovo materialized with the declaration of independence on 17 February 2008, of course this is also in line with the strategic interests of the West, first of all the USA, Great Britain and Germany.

Se mențin tensionate relațiile dintre Serbia și Kosovo, înregistrându-se violențe semnificative care au avut ca rezultat victime umane.

1. Noi conflicte etnice care tensionează și mai mult situația în nordul Kosovo și sensibilizează semnificativ situația generală din întreaga regiune a Balcanilor de Vest

În dimineața zilei de 24 septembrie (la ora 3 a.m.), un grup de 30 de sârbi înarmați au atacat o patrulă de poliție kosovară în apropierea satului Banjska (conform unui recensământ efectuat în 2011, ar avea o populație de 465 de locuitori), unul dintre polițiști fiind ucis și un altul rănit. Banjska este un sat situat în regiunea orașului Zvečan, una din cele patru municipalități majoritar sârbe din nordul Kosovo, la 55 de kilometri nord de capitala Priștina. În zona din jurul Mitrovica, din nordul Kosovo, locuiește cea mai mare parte a minorității etnice sârbe din Kosovo.

The EU does not know what to do with the Western Balkans

The 20th anniversary of the signing of the Thessaloniki Declaration[2] was recently celebrated in Thessaloniki, followed by the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF), and the summit of the Brdo-Brioni process in Skopje, while the summit of the Berlin process will be held in October in Tirana.

When

September 12, 2023
10:00 am – 11:00 am

Where

Zoom Webinar

Russia’s aggression in the Black Sea countries has targeted societal vulnerabilities and exploited ethnic tensions in the Black Sea region for decades. Russia’s full-scale war has further exploited these vulnerabilities. But slow and imperfect democratization processes, economic hardship and inequality have also had long-lasting effects on societal resilience and the formation of national identities that are inclusive and democratic.

Abstract: The Western Balkans region is both politically and economically significant for Europe. This article examines the security issues and further identifies development issues that threaten the stability of this region as it finds itself at a dangerous crossroads between the West and the East. As of 2022, the influence of the Russian Federation and the war in Ukraine have evoked some of the most important security questions not just in Europe but worldwide.

Abstract: Despite the war ending in former Yugoslavia, which resulted in newly proclaimed nations, the drums never ceased. There have been endless initiatives to stabilise the region, such as the Thessaloniki Summit and the Berlin Process, which can now be considered attempts in vain. One of the biggest issues remains the spread of terrorism in the wider area. Reports indicate that the Western Balkans proved themselves to be an excellent hideout and base of operations for many terrorists planning attacks worldwide. Most decision-makers lack an understanding of the region’s past, resulting in unnecessary delays to the European Integration of the Western Balkans.

Prime Minister Kurti was elected on the premise that he would attend to Kosovo’s socio-economic malaise, lift its people from the ashes of the war, give them hope, and restore their dignity. Sadly, more than two years later, Kurti has little to show for his promises.