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The doors of the Schengen area will open ajar for Bulgaria and Romania in March 2024, but only air and sea borders will initially be affected. Sofia and Bucharest still claim full membership.
Since January 1, Kosovo has finally benefited from the long-awaited liberalization of visas forSchengen areabut not all communities prepare for it in the same way. For young Serbs, will this be a departure without return? The concerns of Dušica Jovičić, sociologist at CASA in Mitrovica.
Meanwhile, for fear of massive arrivals of exiles from the Near and Middle East, Africa or Asia, the borders of the Schengen area remain closed. Katya Mikhaylova had fled the Transnistria to escape military service, then left Chișinău for the Netherlands for fear that the services of the Tiraspol regime would find her. She committed suicide at 21 after her asylum request was refused.
The false rumor of January 1 in Zagreb
In Zagreb, Croatia, the far right is spreading false rumors on attacks committed by foreign workers, particularly Nepalese, who are increasingly numerous in this country, on the night of New Year’s Day.
Migrations: no, Albania owes nothing to Italy
While Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni plans to transfer asylum seekers to the other side of the Adriatic, it must be remembered thatbetween Italy and Albania, there is an old history of neighborhoodbut also migrations, dependence and (neo)colonial projection.
Mobilization continues against “election theft” in Serbia
In Serbia, a large crowd marched on December 30 to denounce the “theft” of the December 17 elections, and the opposition announces new actions at the start of the year. However, President Vučić assures that the country will soon have a new government. For that, the Union of Hungarians in Vojvodina will once again be an essential partner. This formation serves as a bridge between Belgrade and the regime of Viktor Orbán.
Threats to journalists and independent media
In Greece, the government uses tax audits to silence independent media. The investigation site Documento has just been condemned to pay an exorbitant fine. He notably revealed the Predator spyware scandal. Throughout the Balkans, threats and pressures multiply on journalists and independent media.
Birth of the first Roma municipality in North Macedonia
In North Macedonia, Šutka offers the iconic but often caricatured image of the Roma. The municipality of Šuto Orizari, on the outskirts of Skopje, was born in 1963, after the earthquake which devastated the Macedonian capital. Far from the “slum” imagined by some, travel to discover the many faces of the neighborhood.
North Macedonia: when schools divide communities
And in the country, inter-community relations remain tense. Thus, since November 22, parents have been blocking the Todor Janev primary school in the village of Čaška, because of the introduction of lessons in the Albanian language… Or how ethnic differences are always staged by the political parties.
A bear dance to chase away evil spirits
Every year, residents of the Comănești region in northeastern Romania welcome the New Year with the traditional bear dance. Dressed in skins, they roam the streets dancing to the rhythm of drums and flutes to chase away evil spirits.
In the Balkans, animals have a hard life
In the Balkans, “real” animals often have a hard life. Cats, dogs, horses, cows, geese or turkeys… Amer Beganović’s refuge accommodates nearly 500 residents. On the mountainside, a few kilometers from Zenica, the small country house has become a vast refuge for animals abandoned by humans.
► A press review presented in partnership with The Balkan Courier