Letter from Eastern Europe: Western Balkans a test for energy diplomacy

Common energy projects appear to be holding a famously fractious Balkan peninsula together—for now

The Balkan peninsula was once described as the powder keg of Europe, and despite furious diplomacy in recent weeks by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and other leading EU figures, conflicts in the western part of the peninsula continue to simmer. Energy is right at the heart of heated intrigue. But while elsewhere around the globe it often divides neighbours, here it is a major factor holding peace together. With oil and gas prices skyrocketing, Russian supplies in doubt and winter descending fast upon the region, a billion-euro energy fund consisting of grants and budget aid may go a long way to patch rising neighbourhood tensions, at least temporarily, and to put a lid o