Southeast Europe geopolitics and policy. Analysis of diplomacy, negotiations, and strategic shifts across the Balkans and the wider region.
Joined April 2013
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Romania has a government again. After six months of deadlock, parliament backed Luca Niculescu's cabinet with 280 votes, 47 more than it needed.
His first job is a budget by late November, so the honeymoon lasts about five weeks.
Serbia's student marchers reach Belgrade for tomorrow's Slavija rally, four days before the vote.
A US Navy P-8A now patrols the Black Sea out of Varna after drone strikes on merchant ships.
Türkiye gave Sergen Yalçın a four-year deal as national coach.
In this region, only the football coach gets four years guaranteed.
#Romania #Serbia
Yandex runs about 60% of Moldova's taxis. Fares go to the UAE, subscriptions to Kazakhstan, and driver data may have gone to Russia. Chisinau gave it 20 days to say who owns it. Latvia and Estonia banned it in 2022 and skipped the waiting.
#Moldova #Yandex
Moldova has announced an investigation into concerns that Russian tech giant Yandex has been harvesting the personal data of its citizens by sending it directly to servers in Russia rather than storing it in the Netherlands as previously believed.
rferl.org/a/moldova-russian-…
Eurostat, August: Romania's construction output jumped 39% on a year earlier, the fastest in the EU. Bulgaria +4.2%, Slovenia +3.6% after +33% in March, EU +2.6%. Last August was weak for Romanian builders, and the EU recovery fund's deadline for finished works was 31 August. Concrete sets faster near a deadline.
#Construction #SoutheastEurope
OKTA has been idle since 2012, and its Greek owner already pumps Thessaloniki's fuel up the same pipeline. Mickoski wants a refinery again. His energy minister wants a spreadsheet first.
#NorthMacedonia #Diesel
Prime Minister of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski has instructed the competent authorities to consider the possibility of restarting production at the OKTA oil refinery. @VladaMK
balkangreenenergynews.com/no…
Tommy, Dalmatia's leading supermarket chain, has filed for a Zagreb IPO. Up to 27% for €180 to 200m puts the group near €670 to 800m, on €807m of yearly sales. The money buys new stores and more Bobis bakeries. Loyalty card holders get special terms. Finally, points that pay a dividend.
#Croatia #IPO
Libya's parliament just approved the 2019 maritime deal with Turkey that it refused to ratify for six years. The line still runs as if Crete weren't there, so expect Athens to write to the UN before the ink dries.
#Greece #Turkey
Libya parliament approves maritime deal with Turkey, lifts 2020 boycott
ekathimerini.com/politics/fo…
Greece can veto Turkey's formal seat in SAFE. It can't stop up to 35% of a weapon's parts coming from outside the club, Turkish ones included. Thirty-one years on, the 1995 casus belli is being negotiated like a supplier contract.
#Greece #Turkey
Greece has a direct stake in SAFE, the European Union’s joint military procurement scheme, with €787.7 million allocated to it; Athens has made Turkey’s participation conditional on Ankara lifting the casus belli it has maintained since 1995.
ekathimerini.com/opinion/131…
Kosovo was allotted €882.6 million from the EU Growth Plan and has drawn €61.8 million. Three elections in two years will do that. Now 16 laws by December, or another €90 million slips away. Brussels pays by the reform. Campaigns, sadly, don't count as milestones.
#Kosovo #EU
Kosovo is failing to access hundreds of millions in EU funding after two years of political wrangling left Brussels-mandated reforms on hold.
balkaninsight.com/2026/10/20…
Health ministry figures via Euronews and AFP: 272 injured from Tuesday to Sunday, 169 of them police. A court, banks and a post office were torched or wrecked on Saturday. City workers lifted paving stones on Sunday so nobody could throw them. Some got pulled up anyway.
Montenegro legislated a swimming pool rename and a plaque freeze to keep its EU path open. Croatia still has eight grievances and Germany is already asking for the key.
#Montenegro #Croatia
Montenegro has moved to address Croatia’s wartime grievances as it seeks to keep its EU accession bid on track for 2028, amid growing pressure from Germany for a swift resolution. #EuropeNews
➡️ l.euronews.com/dPdt
Montenegro's AIM investment conference opens tomorrow at Portonovi with about 30 projects in the pipeline and 14 new MoUs planned. Ten flagships are already marked investor-ready across renewables, agri-food, logistics and data centres. The Bay of Kotor finally brought a pitch deck to the marina.
#Montenegro #Investment
The old Horizons plants already take about four billion cubic metres a year from the Neretva, and Upper Horizons wants two billion more. The Adriatic has offered to make up the difference, in salt.
#Bosnia #Neretva
The Upper Horizons hydropower scheme threatens to forever alter the vital Neretva river that flows from Bosnia to the Adriatic via Croatia, threatening ecosystems, communities and a centuries-old way of life.
balkaninsight.com/2026/10/19…
