Our weekly digest of articles about emerging Europe published elsewhere this week, all of which caught our eye and all of which are well worth your time. Listing them here, however, does not necessarily mean that we agree with every word, nor do they necessarily reflect Emerging Europe’s editorial policy.
XXX
Profound changes in Bulgaria can take place only with a deep renewal of the Bulgarian political scene. In reality, the upcoming parliamentary elections may further increase the role of the nationalist rhetoric in Bulgarian politics. This will have negative reverberations for the EU’s relations with the countries of the Western Balkans.
Read the full story here
XXX
A Polish schoolgirl’s fake cosmetics site is helping hundreds of women as domestic violence rises during the Covid-19 pandemic. The page is so convincing that it receives messages about the natural cosmetics advertised, along with supportive and congratulatory notes from people who have heard about the initiative through word of mouth or women’s groups.
Read the full story here
XXX
The latest case of an actress naming her rapist makes it clear that, even in patriarchal Serbia, powerful men can no longer silence women.
Read the full story here.
XXX
A controversial new dam project will not bring energy security or investment benefits, as the government claims. There are alternatives.
Read the full story here.
XXX
Mistrust is rife in a country the EU has said is a launchpad for Russian disinformation and where mass vaccinations were mandatory in Cold War-era.
Read the full story here.
XXX
With good reason, Serbia appears convinced the US and EU are about to try again to force it to recognize Kosovo’s independence. President Joe Biden’s open letter to Belgrade jovially asked them to do so and the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs ordered the five EU members that also do not recognise Kosovo to do so – in not such nice terms. Recent US and European diplomatic contacts with Prishtina and Belgrade led media to anticipate yet another attempt to strongarm the two sides into accepting a deal made in Washington and Brussels.
Read the full story here.
XXX
Kyiv “needs to demonstrate” its resolve to eradicate graft, says prosecutor Iryna Venediktova.
Read the full story here.
XXX
Abkhazia, a formerly glamorous corner of the world has been cut off by conflict—but it still retains its beauty.
Read the full story here.
XXX
Quo Vadis, Aida? chronicles a 1995 massacre during a Bosnian war barely remembered in America and most of Western Europe. A genocide in the town of Srebrenica, where more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed by the Bosnian Serb army of Republika Srpska and its general, Ratko Mladić.
Read the full story here
XXX
Start spreading the news: Novhorodske, a town of just 12,000 people in eastern Ukraine, has just received preliminary approval to recover its historical name. The name in question? None other than New York.
Read the full story here.
XXX
Parliamentary elections will take place in Turkmenistan on March 28 and the outcome is already a foregone conclusion. The Democratic party will win. Although the constitution allows for multiple political parties, there is no effective opposition to the party of the president, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
Read the full story here.
Unlike many news and information platforms, Emerging Europe is free to read, and always will be. There is no paywall here. We are independent, not affiliated with nor representing any political party or business organisation. We want the very best for emerging Europe, nothing more, nothing less. Your support will help us continue to spread the word about this amazing region.
You can contribute here. Thank you.
