Former communist countries in Southeast Europe face catastrophic depopulation, with far-reaching social and political consequences.

Young people are leaving. Fertility rates have collapsed. Societies are ageing. And though hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants have tramped through much of the region, few want to stay.

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With the US stepping up its involvement in the Balkans, Belgrade and Pristina need to clarify their negotiating positions for a compromise solution to normalise relations, analyst Johanna Deimel tells BIRN.

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Ahead of next year's Academy Awards, Bosnia, Croatia, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia have already chosen the movies they are nominating as national contenders for the Best Foreign Language Film category.

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A new book, ‘Living with the Memories of the Missing’, shows the traumatic reality of families’ long search for loved ones who disappeared two decades ago during the war in Kosovo.

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For a decade, Serbian citizens resident in Kosovo have been treated differently from other Serbian citizens when it comes to passports and residence papers, leading to complaints of discrimination.

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Neither Serbia nor Kosovo will emerge victorious against the other from the continued pursuit of their acrimonious recognition battle – especially if it spills over into other areas.

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The latest Freedom House report says Serbian leader Aleksandar Vucic is following the example of Viktor Orban in Hungary, in consolidating media ownership in the hands of cronies and using them to smear opponents.

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As Vladimir Putin visits Belgrade, BIRN journalists have used the occasion to call on the Kremlin leader to release imprisoned journalists in Russia and respect human rights.

BIRN journalists in Serbia on Thursday displayed banners asking Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had arrived in Belgrade, to release imprisoned journalists in Russia and to respect human rights.

Russia's President is to bestow the Alexander Nevsky award on Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, putting him in the company of a number of world leaders not known for their democratic principles.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has been awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky by Russian President Vladimir Putin – which testifies to the warm links between Belgrade and Moscow but also puts him in the company of a number of leaders not known for respecting democratic values.

Serbian Radical Party leader Vojislav Seselj was found guilty by the Hague war crimes court but remains an MP, while other war criminals continue to play public roles despite their convictions.

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