Few would be surprised in Brussels or Skopje if the allegations against Macedonian PM Nikola Gruevski and his VMRO-DPMNE party - of corruption, electoral fraud, manipulation of judges and media - are true.
Abuse is so widespread in the Western Balkans that even EU personnel are becoming balkanised - just look up the scandals at Eulex, the EU mission in Kosovo.
It’s hard to find any politician who isn’t tainted.
Ever since the end of the Balkan wars in the 1990s and the 200...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.