Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a test for the EU’s economic resilience
Inflation will be high across all of the European Union in 2022, with the countries of emerging Europe particularly vulnerable to rising prices.The European Commission has been forced to revise the EU’s growth outlook downwards, and the forecast for inflation upwards following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The outlook for the EU’s economy before the outbreak of…
Europe’s tolerance of refugee abuse ‘alarming’
Acceptance of refugee abuse in Europe is alarming, a top human rights defender has said after a Greek sinking tragedy.Dunja Mijatović, the commissioner for human rights at the Strasbourg-based watchdog, the Council of Europe, said she was “struck by the alarming level of tolerance to serious human-rights violations against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants that…
EU’s Just Transition Fund: Is it really helping workers and SMEs?
The European Union’s Just Transition Fund (JTF), which allocates €17.5 billion for carbon-intensive regions to implement a fair and sustainable ecological transition by 2027, faces issues of delayed disbursement and accessibility for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). This creates uncertainties about the future of workers and companies in these regions.Our international team investigated the implementation…
As prices rise, economic fallout of Russia’s Ukraine invasion is a test for European unity
Two major new reports suggest that the economic impact of Russia’s war on Ukraine, particularly increases in the cost of living, are beginning to have an effect on public opinion across the European Union. The slowdown in growth brought about by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is particularly pronounced in countries in close proximity to Ukraine,…
Orbán still vetoing EU’s Russia sanctions over bank insult
Greece and Hungary are still blocking EU sanctions on Russia, as talks drag out into their third month.They want Ukraine to first delete Greek shipping firms and a Hungarian bank from Kyiv’s list of “international war sponsors”. Published by: euobserver.com
North Macedonia – and with it Albania – might finally have overcome key obstacle on EU path
A deal between Bulgaria and North Macedonia should see Sofia drop its veto preventing Skopje – and Tirana, which has been caught in the crossfire – starting EU accession talks. Formal membership negotiations could begin as early as this week.MPs in North Macedonia voted on July 16 to back a controversial French-brokered deal that aims…
Georgia, once a beacon of democracy, is fading away
In May 2005, speaking to an enthusiastic crowd in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, then-US President George W. Bush hailed the country as a “beacon of democracy”. Since then, however, Georgia’s trajectory has changed.The Greek statesman Alcibiades cut off his dog’s tail so the public would talk about the animal’s deformity, rather than his incompetence. It is the oldest…
EU denies colluding with Libyan smugglers despite UN report
The European Commission denies helping smugglers in Libya, following a deadly Pylos shipwreck near Greece that reportedly sailed from the Tobruk area of the north African state.”We are not helping smugglers in Libya. We are fighting against smugglers,” Eric Mamer, the European Commission chief’s spokesperson told reporters in Brussels on Friday (16 June). Published by:…
Political instability and economic uncertainty stalk Bulgaria, again
Bulgaria will on October 2 hold yet another parliamentary election, its fourth in two years. With an economic crisis looming and deep divisions over Bulgaria’s approach towards Russia’s war on Ukraine, it is likely to change little.When a fragile coalition which had led Bulgaria for less than eight months officially collapsed in June, it was…
And then there were 14: China’s CEE dreams begin to crumble
China’s dreams of increasing its influence in Central and Eastern Europe through the so-called 16+1 initiative are crumbling. This offers a real opportunity for the Three Seas Initiative to finally make a real impact. Estonia and Latvia last week formally pulled out of China’s 16+1 initiative, joining their Baltic neighbour Lithuania which left last year amid…