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Enclaves of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo and ethnic Albanians in Serbia are contributing to tensions (Photo: UN Photo/Flaka Kuqi)

The Balkan powder keg

The stereotypical image of the Balkans as Europe's lethal powder keg has been changing in the 21st century. Given the lack of grassroots movements, capable of pressuring the governments in the region to further democratise and guarantee freedom and security for all, it is the EU that plays the key role through its mechanism of political conditionality.

The prospect of joining this exclusive entity, built on the ashes of the last pan-European interethnic conflict, is the driving force ...

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Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s, not those of EUobserver
Enclaves of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo and ethnic Albanians in Serbia are contributing to tensions (Photo: UN Photo/Flaka Kuqi)

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