The success of the EU’s 2004 enlargement must drive a new wave of expansion
The EU’s poor record in the Western Balkans over the past decade does not bode well for further enlargement. As we remember the success of 2004, it’s time to remember that the EU once openly embraced a large part of the European continent. It can do so again.On May 1, 2004, the European Union embarked…
Don’t kill cohesion policy
Many think of Frankfurt as the financial centre of the EU and, therefore, as its economic beating heart. One can also say the same about our national capitals and two or three of the largest cities in every member state. Indeed, most Spanish wealth is concentrated in Madrid and Barcelona. But does the future of…
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…
EU ‘ready’ to support Cyprus on Lebanon migration
The EU is ready to offer extra support to Cyprus as the Mediterranean island faces a sharp increase in refugees arriving from Lebanon, a spokesperson for the EU executive told reporters on Thursday (4 April).”The European Commission is in close contact with Cyprus at the highest political and technical levels and stands ready to further…
EU navies in Red Sea escorted some 70 ships
EU frigates have helped 68 merchant vessels get through the Houthis’ Red Sea blockade, but shipping is still down by half as attacks continue.”So far, all commercial vessels have been safeguarded and all ships that requested [EU] protection have been escorted,” said Greek rear admiral Vasileios Gryparis, in overall charge of an EU naval operation…
How migrants risk becoming drug addicts along Balkan route
Hassan turns a blister pack of tranquilisers over in his fingers. It contains tablets of Xanax, one of the few objects he still has after his stay in one of the many refugee camps scattered around the Greek islands and the mainland.He obtained tranquilisers even though he neither asked for them nor knew what effect…
Frontex defends not issuing Mayday alert on Pylos shipwreck
The EU’s border agency Frontex has defended its position of not issuing an alert on an overcrowded fishing vessel that sank off the Greek coast last year, which claimed over 600 lives.”The simple fact that it is crowded does not qualify it as a distress case,” said Hans Leijtens, the agency’s director on Tuesday (5…
Taking stock in Ukraine: Two years of inspiring resilience
The stakes of the upcoming US presidential election cannot be overstated for Ukraine. In the meantime, it’s up to all of Kyiv’s allies to match its inspiring resilience. I write this in Bucharest, less than 200 kilometres from Romania’s border with Ukraine. Ever since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, pieces…
EU deal on new gig-workers rules unlikely before June elections
No EU deal on platform work directive was reached on Friday (16 February), as four member states decided not to support the latest agreement to improve conditions for gig workers in Europe — making the chances of a directive before the elections unlikely.Germany, France, Greece, and Estonia formed a blocking minority, preventing the EU Belgian…
Pylos shipwreck — Motives of Greek coastguard put in doubt
An independent Greek authority probing the deadly Pylos shipwreck is posing questions eight months later on whether the Greek coast guard had even been tasked to carry out a search and rescue.”You take it for granted that the operation was a search and rescue operation,” Andreas Pottakis, the Greek ombudsman, told MEPs in the civil…