Unfounded hopes

Bulgaria is still trying to get a sense of what the next government, likely led by Rumen Radev, will be all about – as is the EU. And one neighbouring country has a particular interest in this – North Macedonia.

After years of Greece holding up its EU accession process, a start to North Macedonia’s accession negotiations is now being held up by Bulgaria. The government in Skopje has professed hope that a new Radev government might renegotiate the deal which obliges North Macedonia to amend its constitution to include Bulgarians as a recognised minority. Most experts see little sign of this happening, however.

Read more: Radev’s Victory Unlikely to Resolve Bulgaria-North Macedonia Dispute (April 29, 2026)

Upside down

Washington is now primarily preoccupied with the war with Iran, in which the US has become bogged down under a president who once pledged to end America’s history of getting embroiled in “forever wars”. The Balkans seems even further from the Trump administration’s agenda.

In her latest dispatch from Washington, Jovana Djurovic takes a look at how Trump is turning Washington upside down, and how Balkan leaders are trying to position themselves amidst all this – and win Trump’s favour.

Read more: Letter from Washington: Living in Trump’s Topsy-Turvy World (April 27, 2026)

Looking back

As Croatian Prime Minister from 2009 until the end of 2011, Jadranka Kosor took over running her country at a difficult time – amid an economic downturn and with EU accession talks stalled. By the end of her term, Croatia was close to full membership of the EU.

In an interview with Balkan Insight, Kosor talks about her time in power, being underestimated by many, and Croatia’s worrying drift rightwards under her party colleague, current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. She also mentions her one regret.

Read more: Ex-PM Jadranka Kosor: Croatia Risks Becoming ‘Scorched Earth’ with Current Politics (April 28, 2026)

Subduing universities

A year and a half after the Novi Sad Railway station disaster, which blew the lid off Serbia’s political stability, a political war of attrition continues in the country. The ruling Serbian Progressive Party is trying to claw back its grip, but with limited success.

In the ruling party’s crosshairs are the universities, which have become a focal point for the student movement leading opposition to the regime. Academics across Serbia are warning, meanwhile, that the screws are being turned on them.

Read more: Taking Back Control: Are Serbia’s Authorities Trying to Subdue State Universities? (April 29, 2026)

Flickers of light

Much has been written about the “brain drain” on the region’s talent pool and its impact on economic growth and stagnation. Kosovo is no exception in this sense.

Yet amid the doom and gloom, there are flickers of light. Our “reality check” analysis looks at Kosovo’s ICT sector, which is showing signs of a shift away from brain drain towards “brain circulation”.

Read more: BIRN Reality Check: Kosovo’s ICT Sector Looks Beyond ‘Brain Drain’ (April 28, 2026)

Persistent scandals

Albanian politics over the last few years has been marked by a drip-feed of corruption scandals and prosecutions. Among the latest is the one in which Mirlinda Karcanaj, the head of AKSHI, a public body tasked with handling digital public services, has been charged with corruption, abuse of power and money laundering in December last year. She denies the allegations.

In our report, we look at the prosecution allegations of an elaborate corruption scam and zoom in on the small number of people who allegedly made millions in the process.

Read more: In an Albanian Graft Case, Fake Buyers, ‘Friendly’ Rates, Cash in Crates (April 28, 2026)