The Russian delegation has returned to the PACE, riding a triumphant propaganda tide, as if they’re winners on a white horse, and to some extent it really was the case. After all, the very heart of Europe, the PACE session hall, was penetrated by representatives of the aggressor state, shedding blood from Ukraine to Libya, […]
Executive Summary The role Belarus plays in energy geopolitics is one of the most unusual in the world. While not a petroleum supplier, it sells refined oil products to many countries. And while not a natural gas producer, it delivers the fuel to numerous countries via pipelines built during Soviet times. Its unique situation stems […]
A member of the Russian State Duma has called the European Union “Hitler’s coalition”, where all member states had once worked for Nazi Germany. Such a statement was voiced by head of the State Duma Committee on Education and Science, chairman of the board of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, MP Vyacheslav Nikonov (United Russia), who […]
The restrained criticism by President Ilham Aliyev of the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) project, voiced by him in an interview at the end of 2019, had its impact on decisions of European institutions. We should recall that speaking about the future of the EaP, the president raised serious questions regarding the non-obviousness of the prospects […]
This paper outlines how it might be possible to open accession talks with both countries in 2020, restore credibility to the accession process for the benefit of all Western Balkan countries, establish a meaningful interim goal that depends on merit – joining the EU Single Market and the EU in a two-step process, like Finland did […]
The pipeline route goes through the wintering areas in the Baltic Sea. German environmentalists say the government should turn down the request by the Nord Stream 2 operator to pursue with construction through the winter, a time when migrating birds choose their wintering grounds. Kim Detloff, an activist with the Union for Conservation of Nature […]
On an official visit to oil-rich Azerbaijan – the largest economy of the South Caucasus – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was given the red-carpet treatment by his Azeri counterpart, encouraged businesses of the host nation to invest in his country. Though the spotlight was on expanding and further deepening business relations, the two leaders, whose […]
Solving humanitarian problems and stabilizing the area around the line of contact is the bare minimum outcome of talks on Ukraine that all sides consider necessary. At the same time, each side suspects that for its opponents, this minimum is also the maximum in terms of what is politically acceptable. This week’s Normandy summit on […]
The clock is ticking. The long-term gas transit contract between Russia and Ukraine expires on 31 December. Chances that the two sides could reach a comprehensive agreement before this date are slim. EURACTIV looks behind the scenes of the dispute. Ukraine is a key transit route for Russian gas to reach Europe. A current deal […]
The Greens achieved excellent results in the last European Parliament elections, receiving the fourth largest faction. They finished third in France and the second in Germany and gained significant success in Finland, Portugal, Ireland, and the UK. This clearly indicates that Europeans are aware of the importance of environmental problems and wish to solve them. It would […]