A press review of the Balkans prepared in partnership with Le Balkan Mail.
3 mins
While the grimacing masks of the extreme right strut across almost all of Europe, the National Rally seems able to take power in France. Faced with the dangers posed by this rise in power, it is more urgent than ever to inform and resist. The RN in fact uses rhetoric that has already proven itself elsewhere, notably in the Balkans. Our editorial.
In Serbia, it is a formation from the extreme right which has been in power since 2012. Since then, it has certainly put on the clothes of respectability, but it suffocates pluralism, freedoms and prevents any alternation, even at the cost of fraud electoral. Interview with the historian Roland Vasić.
In Croatia, the legislative elections of April 17 showed young people voting increasingly to the right, while sociological surveys confirm the prevalence of traditional and conservative values. Our hasnalyse.
In Bulgaria too, the extreme right is taking on a new face. Absent from billboards during the campaign, the Grandeur party went under the radar of sociologists, opinion polls and traditional media. However, he obtained 4.65% of the votes and thirteen seats in Parliament in the early legislative elections of June 9. Decryption.
Settling scores in the stands
Six Balkan teams were in the running for Euro 2024 in Germany. The opportunity for certain supporters to proclaim their nationalist speeches in the stands. Albania and Serbia have already been fined for provocative chanting, use of pyrotechnics, throwing objects and pitch invasion. After the hate speech chanted during the match Croatia-Albania on June 19, Serbia demanded sanctions from UEFA and threatened to leave the competition.
In Turkey, is Fenerbahçe, the legendary club from Kadıköy, a district on the Asian side of Istanbul, in the sights of those in power? Equipped with “the best team in its history”, the club failed to win the Turkish Championship. Some denounce a “plot” by the Football League, close to the Erdoğan regime, against the club of secular billionaire and Kemalist Ali Koç. Decryption.
Serbia sells weapons to Israel
Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Serbia has increased its arms sales to Israel. A way for President Aleksandar Vučić to strengthen his position with Westerners. In the 1990s, Israel sold weapons to the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. And in May 2024, the Jewish state refused to vote on the United Nations resolution on the Srebrenica genocide. Analysis.
After announcing that his party had won the new municipal elections held in Belgrade at the beginning of June, the Serbian president promised a “leap towards the future”, by launching an investment program with a view to Expo 2027 which will take place in the Serbian capital. Economists estimate that the country will fall into even greater debt, while companies close to power will launder money. Cross interview.
Kosovo: who is afraid of single mothers?
Kosovo is not close to authorizing medically assisted procreation (MAP) for all: on the contrary, deputies from both the majority and the opposition are united to denounce the “danger” that unmarried women represent . Chronicle of a reactionary offensive.
From Trieste to Rijeka, a train of reconciliation
This summer, Turkish citizens will be able to travel to ten Greek islands in the Aegean Sea with simplified visa procedures. A sign of warming in Greek-Turkish relations and a boon for vacationers: despite the fall of the Turkish lira, prices would remain much lower in Greece. Explanations.
The first train connecting Trieste, Italy, to Rijeka, Croatia, via Slovenia, was inaugurated on April 24. It will connect the two cities until the end of September in two hours for a journey of 71 kilometers through three countries with often contested borders. Reporting.