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…
Georgia does not need the EU’s rubber stamp to evince its European identity
Tbilisi is hell-bent on winning the hearts and minds of those at the helm in Brussels, albeit at the expense of parting ways with deep-rooted conservative ideals.Georgia is a poster child for the limitless heights sovereign states can set out to scale upon decoupling from a totalitarian bloc.It is one of the few ex-Soviet republics…
EU creating new incentive for illegal pushbacks
On the heels of one of the deadliest boat sinking of migrants off the Greek coast, with at least 78 dead and possibly many more, warnings are emerging that last week’s political agreement on asylum will compel EU states to engage in even greater numbers of illegal pushbacks.Those fears are embedded in a formula that…
It’s time for the EU and Three Seas Initiative to align their goals
The Three Seas Initiative offers its 12 members an opportunity to build resilience and increase foreign investment. But to truly succeed it needs to take a collective, cooperative approach that recognises each member’s individual strengths, says the head of Latvia’s investment and development agency. Ahead of the latest Three Seas Initiative (3SI) summit, held in Riga,…
No entry: Poland, Baltic states cut off key EU routes used by Russian tourists
The EU’s failure to implement a bloc-wide ban on the entry of Russian tourists has forced Poland and the Baltic states to take regional action. “You are not welcome here,” Estonia’s Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu told Russians this week. “Do not travel to Estonia.” Would that they could. From September 19, it will be all but…