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2010
Breaking the Macedonian deadlock - the mystery of Belgian politics and the enlargement debate in Brussels
3/2010 10 July 2010To those in EU capitals who prefer a slowing down of the enlargement process the fact that Macedonia, a Western Balkan front runner and candidate, is stuck is even welcome.
Georgia and Freedom: from liberalism to libertarianism? - portraits of member-state builders
2/2010 28 April 2010What has come of the Rose Revolution almost six years later? And what is at stake in Georgia today?
Turkey's friends and the international debate on the Armenian Genocide
1/2010 12 March 2010To suggest that Sweden, Germany, the US and other countries are motivated by spite, enmity or an all-powerful Armenian Diaspora is not serious.
2009
Ergenekon and the Secret History of Turkey – Who is Who in the Russian Caucasus Debate
10/2009 10 December 2009In Turkey, both secrecy and impunity for those defending the state against its enemies at home and abroad were long taken for granted.
1989 and donkeys in Baku – Visa decision day in Brussels – ESI in Harvard
9/2009 24 November 2009The non-violent revolutions of 1989 were the result of huge crowds driven "by a desire to be normal". One aspect of this normality is the ability to openly criticize authorities.
Bosnia's visa breakthrough and the power of Europe
8/2009 29 September 2009Far from being exhausted, the EU's soft power and conditionality remains a powerful tool to bring about far-reaching changes that are in the interests of citizens across Europe.
Visa and Balkan Muslims - Kosovo Appeal by Amato and Schily - 10 years ESI
7/2009 21 July 2009The importance of visa free travel for the people of the Balkans has been a constant theme of our work for years. It also runs like a red thread through all the films of our Balkan series Return to Europe.
Western Balkans Visa Grade Reports - Albanian Elections June 2009
6/2009 26 June 2009The idea that Albania is somehow un-European – Europe's own Heart of Darkness – has only recently begun to fade. It is high time.
Manual for the Swedish EU presidency – Watch the ESI Balkan Series for free on the internet
5/2009 5 June 2009As part of our contribution to broaden and deepen the European debate on future enlargement, we are glad to offer you a manual to the Swedish enlargement debate as background to the upcoming Swedish EU presidency.
ESI White List Visa Project – Exclusive Scorecard of Balkan Progress
4/2009 22 May 2009This is a time for taking concrete decisions concerning visa free travel to the EU for the citizens of Western Balkan countries.
Noah's Dove Returns – Armenia, Turkey and the Debate on Genocide
3/2009 22 April 2009No single topic poisons relations between Turks and Armenians more than the 1915 destruction of the Armenian communities of Anatolia, and the question of whether it constituted genocide.
"The EU is not a Belgian company" and other European visa stories
2/2009 20 March 2009Applying for a Schengen visa remains time-consuming, costly and stressful. People throughout the region perceive the visa requirement as personal rejection. They are unable to reconcile it with the offer of a future in the EU.
ESI recommended books and films on South East Europe
1/2009 24 January 2009Our aim is to offer you a familiar experience, but online: you visit a friend and soon find yourself spending an hour in front of her shelf, making a list of all the interesting books which you might want to get.
2008
Czechs, Swedes and how the Balkans might miss another chance
6/2008 16 December 2008Committed EU presidencies can make a difference, as Germany and Finland (in 1999) and Greece (in 2003) have shown. But will the Balkan countries play their cards right?
Istanbul and the battle for truth
5/2008 17 October 2008This film explores the beauty of Istanbul as well as the tensions which lie just underneath the surface of this glittering town.
The heirs of May 1968? - Protest and Progress in the Balkans
4/2008 21 May 2008In recent years, one of the most interesting protest movements in Europe has emerged against all odds in Albania, on the very periphery of the continent, and still little noticed in the rest of Europe.
Montenegro, Albania and the Adriatic push for a larger Europe
3/2008 1 May 2008it is possible that this year all Western Balkan states who have not done so already might formally apply to become candidates to join the EU.
Turkey's Dark Side - Deep states from Ankara to Belgrade
2/2008 2 April 2008Those who argue that Turkey will never reach European standards of democracy and development ignore the fact that societies can change. At this moment, however, it is difficult to be upbeat about Turkey's democracy.
French crossing the Rubicon - Austria and the unknown Turk - Joschka and the Balkans
1/2008 1 February 2008That enlargement has a future has recently also been stressed in Paris. A few weeks ago French Minister for Europe, Jean Pierre Jouyet, announced that France had "crossed a very important Rubicon":
2007
New ESI Bosnia report - Balkan energy - Vacation in Kosovo
9/2007 19 December 2007Things change in the Balkans. First images are often misleading. It is vital to look again, and not fall victim to preconceived ideas.