For several months now, the region “breathes” in emergency circumstances caused by COVID-19. To prevent the virus from spreading, governments in the region are taking a number of measures. Citizens, institutions and the private sector face a number of different challenges. We know the situation at home, but how do neighboring countries deal with the pandemic? What are their challenges? What lessons can we learn from this health (and economic) disaster?
To answer these questions, we launched a blog initiative with seven organizations and authors from the region (Albania, BiH, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia). During two weeks (June 24 - July 6), we will read how COVID-19 attacked the countries in the region, what measures were taken by their local and national authorities and how the citizens reacted to these measures. We will learn from their successes, but also from their mistakes.
By sharing their "tales", we learn about the challenges the region faces in the coming months, and we learn what the “new normal” will look like for all of us.
The initiative "Tales From the Region" is implemented by the academic blog Res Publica in cooperation with the Institute of Democracy and Mediation (Albania), Analiziraj.ba (BiH), Radio KIM (Kosovo), Sbunker (Kosovo), the civic initiative "Ne Davimo Beograd ”(Serbia) and PCNEN (Montenegro).
The initiative is implemented within the project "Connecting the Dots: Improved Policies through Civic Engagement" implemented by the Institute of Communication Studies, with the support of the British Embassy Skopje.
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Alban Dafa, Redion Qirjazi
COVID-19 was met with a quick response by the Albanian government, yet, it presented opportunities for the Executive to expand its power by sidelining criticism, dominating public perception, disrupting institutional checks and balances, and ignoring due democratic process.
Igor Todorovic
Serbia's state leadership, including a group of MDs who are in the forefront in the fight against the spread of the corona virus, to say the least, ignored the deterioration of the situation until the voting was over.
Mersiha Drinjaković
How did Bosnia and Herzegovina cope and how is it still coping with the crisis caused by the pandemic? Why didn't we have a singular state-level crisis headquarters? How were the scandals produced, caused by irregularities and abuse of the system thanks to shortened procedures during the state of emergency? What caused our greatest fears? Will the November elections bring about change, at least at the local level?
Ksenija Milovic
On June 2nd, Montenegro declared the end of the epidemic. Coming out of the first wave, the country’s balance was the following: 324 infected and 9 deceased. Now Montenegro is facing economic challenges and there is great uncertainty regarding the tourist season. Initial estimates clearly show that revenues from tourism will be reduced by 70 percent!
Anastas Vangeli
The trend of putting up walls between states and the shaky confidence in the multilateral order suggests that the pandemic, instead of being resolved as a global crisis, will continue to be resolved as a national crisis in each country of the world. Taking all this into account, COVID-19 is also the biggest test of how much and how successfully Macedonia can act as an independent state in the world that is ever so rapidly changing.
Join our team of authors by proposing a topic or submitting a text, along with your photo and short bio on info@iks.edu.mk.
The blogs should be between 900 and 1300 words long, and written in concise and short paragraphs in an informal style.
The content on Res Publica is free for sharing and readers can leave constructive and reasonable comments on the published products.
Instutute of Communication Studies
"Jurij Gagarin 17/1-1, Skopje
info@iks.edu.mk
+389 2 30 90 004
Овој производ е подготвен во рамки на проектот „Поврзи ги точките: подобрени политики преку граѓанско учество“ финансиран од Владата на Обединето Кралство, со поддршка на Британската амбасада Скопје. Мислењата и ставовите наведени во оваа содржина не ги одразуваат секогаш мислењата и ставовите на Британската Влада.
