Week in Review: Failures and Flops

General

General End of the road?

A Kosovo parliament session on July 21, 2025. Photo: BIRN

Friday could be make-or-break day for Kosovo’s parliament as it meets for a 52nd attempt to complete the process of constituting itself by electing a speaker. It might turn out to be the last attempt as well.

On June 26, Kosovo’s Constitutional Court gave parliament 30 days to elect a speaker and so complete the process of constituting the legislature. But the court failed to spell out what would happen if this deadline was not respected. Observers have been watching to see whether Friday brings any change or, failing that, whether the court orders an early election to be held.

General ‘Predictable tragedy’

A view of the nightclub where more than 30 people lost their lives in a fire in Kocani, North Macedonia, 16 March 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/GEORGI LICOVSKI

Just over four months ago, a devastating fire ripped through a nightclub in the small town of Kocani in North Macedonia. In its wake, 62 people were left dead and more than 220 were injured, including 20 minors.

North Macedonia was left reeling – and demanding justice. BIRN has now obtained a copy of the indictment for the tragedy, charging all those deemed responsible in one way or another. We look at the details of what the indictment calls a “predictable tragedy”.

General Mounting pressure

Thousands gathered in front of Sofia’s Judicial Palace on July 16 for an anti-government protest led by the We Continue the Change party in response to the detention of Varna mayor Blagomir Kotsev. Photo: Michaela Vatcheva

Aside from the hot weather, Bulgaria’s reformist opposition is feeling another kind of heat. Opposition parties We Continue the Change and Democratic Bulgaria are facing legal assaults, with various leading figures charged with corruption and other abuses.

Observers worry that if these parties falter, the only opposition to the current GERB-led government will be the nationalist, pro-Russian bloc. As our analysis shows, the situation looks precarious.

General Migrant tensions

Rescued migrants are transferred from Crete to the port city of Lavrio, Greece, 10 July 2025. Photo: EPA/YANNIS KOLESIDIS

Tensions have risen this month on the island of Crete, as Greek authorities struggle to find a way to deal with thousands of migrants arriving from north Africa. Local communities are increasingly up in arms about where to house them.

But there is more to this story than just another wave of migrants arriving on Europe’s shores – the recent spike in arrivals seems to have been spurred by a downturn in relations between Greece and Libya.

General Choppy waters

The Montenegrin Adriatic coast in Budva, September 2016. Photo: EPA/KOCA SULEJMANOVIC

Montenegro has always been a popular summer destination for tourists from the region, as well as from Western Europe and Russia. But while overall tourist numbers are solid this season, alarm bells are ringing in the heads of many involved in the industry.

They fear this season will be a relative flop compared to previous years. Our analysis takes a look at the missed opportunities and failures holding back a sector that is vital to the country’s economy.

Read more: Trouble in Paradise? Cracks Start to Show in Montenegro’s Tourism Boom (July 23, 2025)

General Hollow victory?

Ohrid’s old town. Photo: BIRN.

Authorities in North Macedonia are quietly celebrating the fact that UNESCO has again failed to add the town of Ohrid to its list of “endangered” World Heritage Sites. They argue that such this would tarnish Ohrid’s prestige.

An “endangered” listing would also affect business interests. Activists working to protect the town and its priceless heritage argue that overdevelopment and business interests are being put ahead of the vital work of preservation.

General Peace hopes

Supporters of the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) hold a flag of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) during a rally in Diyarbakir, Turkey, March 2025. Photo: EPA/METIN YOKSU.

Emotions ran high at a ceremony where the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK burned some of its weapons earlier this month after more than four decades of fighting against Turkey.

With peace finally on the horizon, the ball is now in the court of Turkish state to take the necessary steps, argues Dutch reporter Frederike Geerdink, who attended the weapons-burning ceremony. In her opinion article, Geerdink urges the Turkish state to make serious changes if “peace” is to mean anything more than a cessation of the PKK’s 40-year-long armed struggle.

Read more: Kurdish Fighters Burn Weapons, But Turkey Needs to Make Peace Happen (July 25, 2025)