Balkan rings of progress and political mines

The Balkans once again resemble a multi-move chessboard, where every move is accompanied by flashy press releases, judicial “comebacks,” and tech finales in the style of “just a bit more—and we’ll be first in the world.” Here they manage to negotiate with the EU, dodge sanctions, design racetracks, and swap routers as if they were gloves.

This overview is not a dry compilation of facts but a sarcastic guide to the region’s headline news: from new chapters in EU accession talks to debates over a seven-hour workday, from energy-storage records to plans to “chase the wind” in the Black Sea.

Albania is betting on a double leap: on one hand, Tirana proudly reported the opening of a new chapter in negotiations with Brussels on the “competitiveness and inclusive growth” cluster (22 May 2025), and on the other, together with the Italian Carabinieri, carried out a major anti-narcotics cartel raid that ended in 52 arrests and the seizure of millions of euros (OCCRP, 21 May 2025). While some officials tally up grant and reform deals, others near Elbasan are preparing the site for a racetrack – the parliament approved the expropriation of hundreds of hectares for a ring road (SeeNews, 22 May 2025). As a result, tourists may experience not only customs barriers but also new “flighty visions” of national development. 

But if Tirana is mapping out “rings of progress” and grant summaries, in  Belgrade and Pristina the game follows far more slippery rules.

In Belgrade and Pristina, the political game has no rules: Serbia enthusiastically announced its entry into the SEPA zone for cashless euro transfers, hoping to simplify payments with EU partners (EC Press, 22 May 2025), only to receive an ultimatum from Brussels the next day—“Moscow or Brussels?” (AP News). To avoid a show trial by investigative committees, the Constitutional Court in Novi Sad ordered some students accused of posting protest posters at the ruling party’s headquarters to be placed under house arrest—a decision President Vučić called “violence and savagery against justice,” accusing the court of “sponsoring a color revolution” (B92, 22 May 2025).

In Pristina, the EU began phased sanctions relief, promising “easier access” to European markets (Reuters, 22 May 2025), but in practice even these concessions may collapse amid an endless parliamentary deadlock. Deputies have now failed twenty times in a row to constitute the new Assembly since the February elections and still have not elected a speaker—none of the twelve secret ballots for Albulena Haxhiu secured the required quorum, and the procedure is now challenged in the Constitutional Court (RFE/RL, 22 May 2025). As a result, without forming the Assembly and approving the budget, millions of euros in aid risk getting stuck in bureaucracy (Reuters, 21 May 2025). Activists and NGOs already call this an “intolerable deadlock” and demand the immediate unblocking of funds to support business and social programs (Balkan Insight, 23 May 2025).

But while Serbia and Kosovo sink in geopolitical squabbles and parliamentary red tape, Moldova is ready to bet on a digital reboot and wine tourism…

In Chişinău, they are betting on a digital reboot and wine tourism: first, Moldovan authorities announced the termination of the agreement with the “Russian House,” stating that Moscow’s cultural projects would give way to “European platforms” for promoting national identity (RFE/RL, 22 May 2025). Next, Chişinău accepted bids to host the 46th World Congress of Vine and Wine under the auspices of the OIV—for 2026, plans include not only a vine exhibition but also business negotiations with European investors (PR Newswire, 19 May 2025). And so that all guests can not only taste wine but also upload photos to Instagram without lag, Orange Moldova launched FTTR and a Wi-Fi 7 network—so that the internet in remote villages is now “at the speed of light” (TechAfricaNews, 21 May 2025).

If aid is stuck in Pristina and geopolitical contradictions in Belgrade, in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina they are already investing in both children and precision medicine…

In the FB&H they are betting on both children and precision medicine: in Sarajevo, an International Conference on social protection reform declared the expansion of child benefits as an “investment in a sustainable future” (UNICEF, 19 May 2025), while simultaneously the clinical center implemented the ultra-fast QuickMIC® system for antibiotic-sensitivity testing—now therapy selection takes hours instead of days (Gradientech/Cision, 19 May 2025).

If Chişinău is preparing a “digital renaissance” and wine congresses for its guests, in the FB&H they have already made sure babies receive benefits and patients get precision therapy. Meanwhile, North Macedonia…

North Macedonia is betting on external inflows and internal growth: Skopje signed a €6 billion memorandum of cooperation with London—funds are promised for infrastructure, energy, and digitalization, which, according to authorities, “will transform the country’s economic landscape” (BTA, 22 May 2025). Citizens have already felt the impact: in March, real average wages rose by 7.6% year-on-year, though experts warn that without curbing inflation these gains may not last (SeeNews, 23 May 2025).

If Albanians have racetracks, Bosnians have child benefits and QuickMIC®, and Macedonians have billions and wage hikes, in Montenegro they are now laying down routes and discussing a shorter workday…

Montenegro is plotting a multi-road strategy and revisiting work hours: while Podgorica prepares to link the port of Bar and the Serbian border via the Bar–Boljare motorway—Monteput announced a €4.1 million tender for the design and drawings of Corridor XI (SeeNews, 23 May 2025)—Prime Minister Milojko Spajić’s government has nearly agreed to introduce a seven-hour workday. Next week, Labour Minister Naida Nišić will begin talks with unions and employers “to boost productivity and give people more time for life” (Reuters via TradingView, 23 May 2025).

If Montenegro balances between road maps and work schedules, in Romania they are already preparing to “catch the wind” in the budget and at sea…

Romania is catching the wind and cutting the deficit: President Nicușor Dan has promised to reduce the budget deficit to 7.5% of GDP without raising taxes by reallocating about 30 billion lei within the budget (Reuters, 22 May 2025), and the Ministry of Energy has already opened calls for bids to survey Black Sea areas for offshore wind installations totaling up to 3 GW by 2035 (Renewables Now, 23 May 2025). On one hand, an economic “scalpel”; on the other, a sea breeze in kilowatts—and in both cases Bucharest aims to seize the outcome: reins in the deficit and feeds “green” energy into the grid.

If Romania is already balancing budgets and wind maps, in Budapest meanwhile…

In Budapest they are playing at sovereignty and isolation: first the ruling party introduced a “foreign influence” law threatening NGOs with criminal liability for foreign funding, provoking a petition by European editors against a “threat to freedom of expression” (Reuters, 14 May 2025; Reuters, 20 May 2025), and soon after parliament voted to withdraw from the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court, citing “protection of national interests” but deepening the rift with the West (Reuters, 20 May 2025).

If Hungarian lawmakers are reshuffling international treaties, in Sofia they are already ramping up energy capacity and preparing for the euro…

Sofia is stocking up on kilowatts and euro-cars: Bulgaria launched the largest energy-storage system in the EU—a 124 MW/496 MWh battery capable of smoothing green-energy peaks and supporting grid stability (Renewables Now, 23 May 2025). Almost simultaneously, Bloomberg reported that the country has met most Maastricht criteria and expects approval to join the eurozone on 1 January 2026 (Bloomberg, 23 May 2025). To ensure Day X goes off without a hitch, the government allocated €4.9 million to modernize post offices: from banknote counters to vacuum packers (Novinite, 21 May 2025).

The Balkans in 24 May 2025 are simultaneously racetracks and autocratic laws, wind energy and budget deficits, Wi-Fi 7 and diplomatic ultimatums. In each country there is a mix of grand announcements and real projects; some chase innovation and European funds, others bypass sanctions and rewrite regulations. Yet behind all these flashy headlines, the main thing is lost: a clear roadmap and deadlines, without which even the most ambitious project risks remaining a beautiful illusion.

It’s time for the Balkans to slow down the press-release pace and focus on what will truly change people’s lives—whether it’s a road that won’t crumble in a year, energy that won’t vanish in the grid, or benefits that will last a whole family.