Birn

This alternative road allowed freight carriers to pass for free and then pay custom's fees at the customs terminal of their choice.

The road was constructed in 2014, by the Kosovo Ministry of Infrastructure on the property of a company, Terminali L.L.C, which immediately sued the ministry for removing the barriers and constructing a free-of-charge road.

As Western Balkan and EU leaders meet in Slovenia to discuss the stalled European integration process, experts told BIRN how the frustrations caused by the stalemate could jeopardise essential reforms, exacerbate authoritarian tendencies and endanger regional security.

The exhibition begins with the garments that Josip Broz Tito's wife wore at her first public appearance after their marriage and ends as she withdrew from public life with the conclusion of the Yugoslav President's rule four decades ago.

That lump of plaster fell from one of the many old and unmaintained houses of the neighbourhood of a town with a long history as a centre of trade and administration.

Over those centuries, many large walled houses were built. However, scores of these buildings are collapsing one after another due to abandonment, bureaucratic obstacles and lack of attention.

Polish medical workers have been in conflict with the government for years, beginning in 2017 when a residents' hunger strike forced the government to make concessions. But the promises have not been kept, these frontline staff argue, pushing them back onto the streets. Photo: BIRN.

So when Amazon set up shop on the outskirts of the capital, Prague, in 2015, many Most residents rushed to apply; the hourly pay rate of 6.5 euros, Amazon's willingness to overlook bad credit when hiring and the offer of free transport to and from work was compensation enough for the 160-kilometre round trip each day. Máková, 53, joined in 2017.

Screenshot: Kosovo War 2033 game. Source: https://www.warofkosovo.com/

"For us it's like real war; it's a chance to redeem our name and intimidate them, show them we are strong," he told BIRN, speaking on condition of anonymity.

This video has been produced by ARTE and published by BIRN, as part of the publishing collaboration.

Strolling among the olive trees, the Adriatic Sea on the horizon, Dervishi said he planned to revive his family's olive oil tradition.

"My grandfather had more than 200 olive trees in Valdanos and he was known as a respectable olive oil producer," he told BIRN. "I can't achieve his level of production but at least I will try to make our olive grove sustainable."

As a Russian-Chinese resolution seeking abolition of the High Representative falls into the water, BIRN examines the conditions for getting rid of this domestically and internationally divisive institution.