Games of hunger

The Serbian political discourse features opposing nationalist factions: the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and protesting students. Both groups blame external forces like the EU and scapegoat opposition figures such as Dragan Djilas. A potential scenario suggests emigration may lead to a regression to the economic turmoil of the 1990s.

Marta Kos on Serbia: You cannot sit on two chairs – ask for money from the EU and ask the other side for gas

"If you [Serbia] participate in the action of the army that kills people in Ukraine, forget the accession process, the chapters, such a country can never become a member of the EU, but that is your choice", Marta Kos, the European Commissioner for Enlargement of the European Union said at a meeting with journalists on the sidelines of the EU Enlargement Forum in Brussels.

The best protests Vučić could hope for

Serbian student and civic movement protested this week against the deal that would allow Jared Kushner to develop real estate in Belgrade at the site of the bombed-out General Staff or Generalstab. The protests and counter-protests are marked by similar tactics employed by both opposed camps, which keep evoking nationalism and try to elicit sympathy through hunger strikes.

Diella the pregnant AI minister and the high-tech Potemkin villages of Balkan

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama's announcement of an "AI minister" named Diella, described as "pregnant" with 83 AI assistants for parliament, highlights absurdities in addressing corruption. Meanwhile, Serbia's government announces an AI factory, echoing past unfulfilled industrial promises. Both efforts showcase populist strategies that distract from real issues and governance failures.