This week's Balkan Legal News: a rare rift between Washington and its European allies over Bosnia's next High Representative deepens, Albania faces continued EU pressure over the Vjosa-Narta protected area, and North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia see fresh friction over EU talks, judicial appointments and prosecutorial independence.

This week's Balkan Legal News: Albania's SPAK extends its investigation into former Deputy PM Belinda Balluku, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers postpones its Thaçi war crimes verdict to September, and EU member states remain split over advancing Serbia's accession talks.

For two decades, Daniel Ortega preserved the appearance of democracy while systematically dismantling its foundations. With the announcement that Nicaragua will no longer hold elections, the pretence has ended. Toby Cadman examines how constitutions, courts, the legal profession and civil society are captured before the ballot box itself disappears, and why the rule of law must confront autocracy before its final stage

The European Commission's 2026 Rule of Law Report leads this week's Balkan Legal News, alongside key EU accession developments in Montenegro, Albania and Serbia, and the appointment of a new Head of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX).