Ukraine’s Crimea Platform: A small but welcome step in the right direction
The Crimea Platform – held by Ukraine on the 30th anniversary of the country’s independence – demonstrated that the world has not forgotten about Russia’s illegal occupation of Crimea – but also highlighted the international community’s ongoing inability to do anything about it.It has been over seven years since the first Russian troops poured out…
EU states need to step up rescues, says EU commissioner
The European Commission says national capitals need to increase migrant rescue missions, following the 14 June sinking of a fishing trawler off Greece that likely drowned over 500 people.”Member states should step up on search and rescue. It is their core responsibility and they must take it,” said EU migration commissioner, Ylva Johansson, on Wednesday…
Albania’s EU hopes caught in crossfire of Bulgaria-North Macedonia dispute
Since 2020, Bulgaria has been vetoing the start of North Macedonia’s EU accession talks. Albania, a country with strong and widespread support for EU integration, has been caught in the crossfire.Relations between North Macedonia and Bulgaria hit a new low last year, when their longstanding dispute over language and national identity resulted in Sofia vetoing…
As Bulgaria finally submits recovery plan to EU, campaigners point to ‘inadequate’ coal exit date
A coal exit date of 2038 or 2040 is ‘inadequate’ say environmentalists.Hit by a political crisis that has left the country without a government for more than six months, Bulgaria last week finally submitted its National Resilience and Recovery Plan (NRRP) to the European Commission, a prerequisite for receiving financial support from the European Union’s…
Macedonian PM resigns following heavy defeat in local elections
The resignation of a reformist prime minister leaves North Macedonia facing an uncertain future.The prime minister of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, resigned on October 31 following heavy losses for his Social Democratic party in local elections.Zaev told a press conference at his party’s headquarters on Skopje that he felt obliged to take responsibility for the…
Frontex chief ambivalent on pulling out of Greece
The head of the EU’s border agency Hans Leijtens is making a case for Frontex to remain in Greece.His comments on Thursday (6 July) came after Jonas Grimheden, the agency’s fundamental rights officer, reportedly recommended operations be suspended. Published by: euobserver.com
Depriving migrants of food is policy in an EU member state — Greece
Beginning on May 18, the EU-funded Lesvos “Closed Controlled Access Centre” (CCAC), which houses over 2,000 asylum seekers, stopped providing food and water to adults residing in the camp that have either received international protection status or a final rejection of their asylum application.This policy resulted in approximately 300 people being denied these basic necessities…
Bosnia and Herzegovina is not at war, but that’s as good as it gets
Apocalyptic headlines have this week warned of the imminent descent of Bosnia and Herzegovina into a new war. That outcome remains unlikely, but there’s little else to be positive about.The European Union’s token military presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina can stay, at least for another year.On November 3 the United Nations Security Council unanimously renewed…
Greek shipwreck ‘cover-up’ fears prompt call for outside probe
Doubts have been cast on whether Greece will carry out a proper criminal investigation into the 14 June sinking of the Adriana trawler that has likely killed over 500 people.”In this particular case, facts must be cleared out by all means,” said Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar, a Spanish socialist MEP who chairs the European Parliament’s…
Can the retreat of democracy be reversed?
For Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy to succeed, the US must work closely with NATO and the EU to take concrete measures to stop the erosion of democracies from within.The Summit for Democracy that US President Joe Biden is spearheading in December, at which scores of countries will be in in attendance, is certainly timely…