Bulgaria, Romania, and Cyprus strengthen the EU while Albania’s democracy unravels

Although the official decision on Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro is expected on 8 July, the country’s entry into the eurozone is scheduled for January 1, 2026 — as announced by Nikolay Stoyanov on Capital at the start of June. However, this news was not welcomed by everyone in Bulgaria, particularly the far right. The leader of the ultranationalist Vazrazhdane party, Kostadin Kostadinov, sent letters “to all the presidents and Prime ministers of the European Union member states” in an attempt to prevent Bulgaria's “illegal integration into the eurozone”, Mediapool reports.

Bulgaria is not the only Southeastern European country that will bring the EU community closer in 2026. As quoted by Tom Cleaver in the newspaper Cyprus Mail, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides announced that Cyprus will join the Schengen Area next year, just one year after Bulgaria and Romania. “I assure you that by the end of 2025, we will complete all the technicalities we need to ensure that our country will be in the Schengen zone in 2026,” said Christodoulides after meeting the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

Another signal of EU unity came from the region when Romanians elected pro-European candidate Nicușor Dan as president, rather than the far right candidate George Simion. Shortly afterwards, the former ultra-nationalist presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, who had triggered the cancellation of the 2024 presidential elections, announced his withdrawal from politics. "Political history shows us that [figures like Georgescu] often reappear in times of crisis, as ‘marginalised prophets’ or voices of resentful nationalism. If the current parties fail to provide credible answers, and the socio-economic and geopolitical crises deepen, then Georgescu may become attractive again for a part of the radicalised electorate, especially in online environments, where he has not truly disappeared," warned political analyst Cristian Pîrvulescu, as quoted by Denis Grigorescu in Adevărul. As proof, Luiza Popovici on PressOne documented the “TikTok delirium” among Simion’s supporters following his defeat. Picturing apocalyptic scenarios, they circulated messages such as “the war is coming” and “we sold our country”.

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If Nicușor Dan fails to put Romania on the right track, the country could fall into the hands of the extremists in the next elections. Mihnea Lazăr of PressOne analysed: “Seven out of the nine counties where Simion obtained a majority of over 55% attracted the fewest European cohesion funds in the last eleven years.” Nicușor Dan acknowledged the existence of a “deep Romania,” admitting in a CNN interview quoted by Digi24 that the country’s problems are more social than ideological.

Nicușor Dan faces no easy task. Alongside the government coalition – which is still being debated – he must improve the quality of life for Romanian citizens while tackling the EU's largest deficit (9.3%) and investing heavily in military modernisation. “The growing number of extremist nationalists in Romanian politics, the possibility of the US recognising Russia's annexation of Crimea, and a budget deficit reminiscent of times of crisis or war create a very risky context for Romania. All of this also endangers its strategic importance at the mouth of the Danube for the European Union,” argues PressOne’s editorial director Adrian Mihălțianu. In a recent analysis of Ukraine’s viral drone attack on Russian bombers, Mihălțianu also suggests that Romania could learn how to modernise its army from “the ones who can teach us the most: the Ukrainians.” 

Protests continue in Serbia while Albania’s democracy weakens

Students in Serbia continue their months-long protests against President Aleksandar Vučić’s regime. They received support from all political groups in the European Parliament, asfrom the onset reported by Danas. “We have certain differences between us here. However, when it comes to some basic values, such as fighting corruption and upholding the rule of law and the like, we are mostly united here and, in that sense, the students have received support,” said MEP Biljana Borzan.

However, when it comes to the rule of law, Albania presents a worrying contrast. Led by Prime Minister Edi Rama for two decades, the Socialist Party won the Albanian parliamentary elections on 11 May with an overwhelming majority (48.7%). Commenting on the results, the Tirana Times could not decide whether to describe the outcome as a “Triumph of the Socialists” or the “Fall of Democracy” itself.

“International observers from the OSCE/ODIHR emphasised the massive use of state resources by the governing party, its near-total control of the media, and the absence of a clear line separating party from state. In fact, this was not the first time these concerns were raised: in the 2021 elections, OSCE/ODIHR concluded that no genuine separation existed between the ruling party and state institutions,” the newspaper noted. Sali Berisha, the leader of the Democratic Party – which obtained 46.5% of the votes – described Albania as the “land of cocaine” and promised to present evidence of election fraud, as reported by A2. 

Although journalists should strive to expose electoral fraud, this is difficult when the media are not independent. A positive example are Moldovan investigative journalists Măriuța Nistor and Natalia Zaharescu of Ziarul de Gardă, who won the 2025 European Press Prize for investigative reporting. Their investigation, “Serving Moscow”, uncovered significant Russian interference in Moldova’s 2024 presidential elections and national referendum by infiltrating the network behind the fraudulent activities.