Week in Review: Cocaine Busts, Changing Goals, Tourism Woes

Wheel of fortune US President Donald Trump with the football World Cup trophy in the Oval Office, August 2025. Photo: EPA/ANNABELLE GORDON. Democracy promotion is out and energy and commercial interest are in. That, in a nutshell, sums up the Trump administration’s policy towards the Balkans. In her latest ‘Letter from Washington’ column, Jovana Djurovic takes a look at what the recently initiated “strategic dialogue” between Belgrade and Washington is all about. The latest twists and turns in Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik’s efforts to ingratiate himself with the MAGA world also receive scrutiny. Read more: Letter from Washington: US Seeks to Score Material Goals in the Balkans (July 28, 2026) What’s in a flag? Packages of cocaine decorated with Serbian flags, seized in Italy this week. Photo: Italian Financial Police. The Italian police’s seizure of a container of bananas from Ecuador, which concealed 650 packages holding 770kg of cocaine, on July 21 has created quite a stir. Even more intrigue and suspicion were sparked by the Serbian flag displayed on the packages. In his opinion piece for Balkan Insight, Sasa Djordjevic looks at what can be deduced from this. While a Serbian, or Balkan link, seems likely, he explains, the use of flags, or even pictures of celebrities, to mark drug packages is not unique – or proof of a link with Serbia. Read more: Serbian Flag on Cocaine Haul from Ecuador is a Clue – Not Proof (July 28, 2026) Faking it Albanians protest outside the Prime Minister Edi Rama’s office in May 2026. Photo: BIRN. Frustrated by the continuing protests which have gripped Albania – demanding, among other things, the resignation of his government – Prime Minister Edi Rama has taken to blaming social media for his troubles. Algorithms, Rama claims, are fuelling the “Flamingo Revolution” as the protests are nicknamed. BIRN’s own investigation suggests things aren’t so simple. Hundreds of fake social media accounts appear to have been created to attack the protest movement – and push the government’s own line. Read more: Fake Social Media Accounts Target Albania Protest Supporters (July 24, 2026) Much to be desired A statue of Justitia, also known as Lady Justice, in a Skopje court. Photo: Vasko Magleshov/BIRN. The European Commission’s latest rule-of-law report on North Macedonia does not paint a rosy picture of the state of its judiciary. A mix of political pressure and underfunding, it warns, is pushing the system to the brink of collapse. In our interview this week, we talk to Ivana Petkovska, a programme coordinator at North Macedonia’s leading judicial monitoring organisations. She points out that these are all familiar themes, which her and similar organszations have been warning about for years. The country’s legal framework, she says, is not as much of a problem as poor implementation of existing laws. Read more: North Macedonia’s Judiciary ‘Nearing Collapse’, Rights Monitor Warns (July 27, 2026) Soaring prices New apartment buildings under construction in Prague, April 2026. Photo: EPA/MARTIN DIVISEK. Across Eastern and South-eastern Europe, real estate prices have for some time been on an upward march. Good for owners but bad for buyers, many of whom are increasingly frustrated about their inability to buy homes. Many observers are puzzled about what really is behind this price boom. In his opinion piece for Balkan Insight, Velimir Sonje takes a look at the factors fuelling rising real estate prices in several countries of the region. Read more: What’s Driving the Real-Estate Price Surges in Eastern and South-East Europe? (July 27, 2026) Under threat The beach at Zvernec, site of a controversial planned resort project linked to Jared Kushner, where tyre tracks indicate the recent presence of heavy machinery. Photo: BIRN/Vladimir Karaj. Albania’s long, unspoiled coast has gone from relative anonymity to growing prominence, regionally and beyond. The latest saga over a luxury tourism development linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has further highlighted its place on the map. Alongside its undiscovered potential, however, our analysis shows that many problems dog Albania’s coastal areas. Among them, uncollected rubbish, untreated wastewater and construction debris threaten to undermine the country’s efforts to become the next big tourist destination on the Adriatic. Read more: On Albania’s Adriatic Coast, Tourism Ambitions Put at Risk by Pollution (July 28, 2026)