Blue Europe

China and EU compete for influence in Western Balkans: loans, infrastructure, geopolitics, and ESG risks.

Interviews & Discussions

Foreign Investment in the Western Balkans – an interview with Sonja Stojadinović

In a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, the Western Balkans have emerged as a focal point of strategic interest for both the European Union and China. A recent policy report by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw), co-authored by Branimir Jovanović and Blue Europe’s Sonja Stojadinović, provides a comprehensive…

B.F.G. Fabrègue2025-06-02

Interviews & Discussions

Is the EU (Dream of) Enlargement in the Western Balkans Fading? Discussion with Francesco Trupia

For decades, the prospect of EU enlargement in the Western Balkans (WB) was seen (and invested in) as a certain process (and return on investment) – one that would bring long-term stability and economic growth. Today's reality, however, tells a different story. While Brussels continues to reaffirm its commitment to…

Andrea Bogoni2025-02-07

Briefs & Commentary

Challenges of Chinese soft power in Western Balkans

Richard Straka – Center for monitoring, reporting and analysis Richard Straka is a graduate in International Relations and European Studies at the Comenius University, and currently PhD candidate at the University in Banská Bystrica. His research focuses mainly on conflicts, the far right, disinformation and the geopolitical situation in Eastern…

Guest Author2024-01-31

Briefs & Commentary

The end for Djukanovic’s era in Montenegro

Jakov Milatovic is the new president of Montenegro. In the run-off against the outgoing Milo Djukanovic, Milatovic – the candidate of the centrist “Evropa sad!” (Europe Now!) movement – won a landslide victory with over 60% of the vote, confirming the predictions made after the first round, when the 36-year-old…

Léo Portal2023-04-11

Hongrie, Serbie, économie, chemin de fer, Chine, connexion, investissement, voie ferrée

Briefs & Commentary

The Chinese’s Non-Business Influence in the Balkans

Since China's entry into the world market in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a result of Deng Xiaoping's de facto rule, for which he was known as the "Architect of Modern China," China has succeeded in developing a successful and comprehensive foreign strategy. Which has made the Balkans…

Avery Edwards2022-07-11

montenegro

Foreign Investment in the Western Balkans – an interview with Sonja Stojadinović

Is the EU (Dream of) Enlargement in the Western Balkans Fading? Discussion with Francesco Trupia

Challenges of Chinese soft power in Western Balkans

The end for Djukanovic’s era in Montenegro

The Chinese’s Non-Business Influence in the Balkans

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