Will parliamentary election bring a new dawn to Kosovo?
Most Kosovars hope that a parliamentary election on February 9 and the formation of a new coalition government will usher in a promising new era that will substantially improve the day-to-day lives of ordinary people. Will the new government be in tune to meet much of the public’s expectations?In any fair and free national election…
That was the year that was: Emerging Europe in 2024
From Ukraine’s ongoing resilience in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression to rigged elections in Georgia, political stalemate in Bulgaria, and the shooting of Slovakia’s PM, this is Emerging Europe’s review of 2024.Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August, taking both its western allies and Russia by surprise. By the end…
Bulgaria, Romania finally make it to Schengen
Border controls between the two countries, as well as Romania-Hungary and Bulgaria-Greece will end on January 1, 2025.On December 12, at a meeting of EU interior ministers, news that had been circulating for a week or two became official: Bulgaria and Romania have finally become full members of the Schengen passport-free travel area.“It is a…
The network takeover
Throughout CEE, we can see that the monopolistic nature of digital hubs such as eMag, Allegro, Vinted and OLX are creating information bottlenecks that are concentrating value in the hands of a small number of firms.What is really interesting about the digital economy is not the opportunities that it might create for efficiencies or cost…
Has the United Nations outlived its usefulness?
The UN, which was established to foster global peace and stability, has now become a paralysed institution that inadvertently contributes to raging conflicts because it is constrained by an archaic structure that no longer meets the dramatically changed world order.The United Nations, established in 1945 at the end of World War II, has sadly virtually…
Falling demand slows Europe’s dash for LNG
With energy prices stabilising and European gas consumption decreasing, LNG terminals risk becoming costly, stranded assets.In the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Europe witnessed a rapid surge in liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal construction, not least in Central and Eastern Europe. As countries scrambled to wean themselves quickly off Russian…
Carrying the torch: How a Ukrainian Baptist convention upholds a legacy of activism
At the height of the Cold War, the Ukrainian diaspora played an active role in influencing public opinion regarding the Soviet Union. What is seldom mentioned is the role that Ukrainian evangelicals played in this period. One Ukrainian Baptist convention has not forgotten its history and continues the previous generations’ legacy today.The Seventh World Congress…
Kosovo needs NATO protection
To join NATO, Kosovo needs the approval of all 32 members, only 28 of whom recognise Kosovo as an independent country.As Kosovo commemorates the 25th anniversary of NATO’s intervention against Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War, the country has embarked on a new chapter by gaining acceptance as an associated member state by NATO’s parliamentary observers.This…
In Brussels, agricultural policy is becoming an afterthought
Of the EU’s 27 member states, 23 have seen protests by farmers in 2024. Despite this wave of action by the agricultural sector, not a single candidate has been nominated for chair of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee.Of the nearly 400 million eligible voters in the European Union, only about nine million work directly in…
Bulgaria’s unlikely quest to form a stable government
In order to end years of political instability, Bulgaria might need to start thinking seriously about changing its electoral system.Following the announcement of the results of the June 9 elections for the 50th National Assembly of Bulgaria and European Parliament, the constitutional procedure for forming a new government was set into motion. Last week, the…