Southeast & Eastern Europe

Enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of Ukrainian civilians by Russian authorities are systematic and widespread, yet severely underreported. Germany and the EU must use diplomatic leverage to counter this deliberate tool of war.

The latest publication by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Sarajevo Office, maps eight key cases of socio-ecological conflicts linked to extractive industry projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina – from Majevica to Kupres and Ozren. 

Concerns about Serbia’s Jadar project grow due to irregularities by authorities and Rio Tinto. Issues like sustainability failures, activist repression, unlawful assessments, corruption, and political influence, erode trust. This briefing covers the developments, concerns, and implications.

This study  by the Belgrade Center for  Security Policy examines the political debate around Serbia's Jadar Project, exploring its global significance, key actors, and evolving narratives. It details the debate's stages, its impact on Serbian politics, and the potential future of environmental discourse.

Germany is dependent on labour migration from the Western Balkans. However, the emigration of young, educated people in particular is slowing down both economic and democratic progress in the region.

This revived hopes in the Western Balkans that the more than decade-long stalled process would finally start to move faster. 

At the request of the Serbian Ministry of Environment, the Renewables and Environmental Regulations Institute (RERI) comments on the environmental impact study prepared by Rio Tinto for underground lithium and boron exploitation in the Jadar region.

Russia's all-out war against Ukraine has been ravaging the country for more than two years now. It creates a multitude of new challenges that need to be adequately taken into account when planning and implementing Ukraine's reconstruction strategy. A fair and sustainable reconstruction requires gender-sensitive decision-making and implementation of measures.  

In his book, author Vedran Horvat takes a personal journey through the last two decades of politics in the Western Balkans and sheds light on the potential of green politics under extremely difficult conditions.