Analyses

The Price of the Orbán Era

And yet, this moment carries a paradox. The possibility of change has returned, but so too has a clearer understanding of how much has already changed. The Hungary approaching this election is not the Hungary that brought Orbán to power in 2010, nor the Hungary that joined the European Union with confidence in its democratic […]

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IFCN Statement: U.S. visa bans on international researchers undermine press freedom

The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) at the Poynter Institute strongly opposes the Trump administration’s recent decision to deny U.S. visas to European public officials and civil society leaders. This action, which includes the blacklisting of individuals for their professional contributions to information integrity, represents a disturbing departure from historic principles of free expression. These bans […]

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Brnabić Finds the “Brighter Side” of an EU Resolution – That Doesn’t Exist

For the European Parliament’s resolution “on polarization and growing repression in Serbia, one year after the Novi Sad tragedy,” described as the harshest to date toward the Serbian authorities, Brnabić told reporters: “I wouldn’t agree that this is the harshest resolution ever. We’ve had much worse ones from the European Parliament. I think the previous […]

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Is Vučić Still Comfortable in the “Serbian Chair”?

During her visit to the Western Balkans, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also stopped in Belgrade. On that occasion, Vučić declared: “For Serbia, EU membership is a strategic commitment and a priority of its foreign policy.” Yet the facts tell a different story: Serbia has been stuck on its European path since December […]

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Neither peace, nor stability – Vučić

  Unrest at home   The protests that began in November 2024, after the collapse of the canopy in Novi Sad, were not extinguished by the repression that was visible at every step. Over the summer, a new phase of suppressing civic resistance began – both propaganda and physical violence escalated, we noted hundreds of […]

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Government vs. Sound Cannon: What’s the Verdict?

After thousands of people witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon, a sound, and the medical effects they felt on Saturday at 19:11, and after the public was flooded with dozens of recordings clearly showing the spontaneous panic reaction of the peaceful and still crowd, claims on the potential use of  “sonic weapons” against protesters emerged.  Sonic weapons […]

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The authoritarian playbook: How governments in Georgia, Slovakia and Serbia employ same narratives and tactics against protests

Governments that are openly distancing themselves from the EU, leaning toward Russia, or doing so less openly while employing Russian propaganda tactics – this is exactly what we are witnessing on the political scene in Georgia, Slovakia, and Serbia. Mass protests by dissatisfied citizens on one side, and politicians in power who seem to be […]

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