Political Tensions Rise As Croatia Allegedly Breaks the Dublin III Refugee Regulation
In late July 2017, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Croatia had broken the Dublin III Regulation during mass-arrivals of refugees and forced migrants in 2015/2016. The rule was supposedly broken by allowing the refugees to cross over Croatian territory. This lead to the refugees ‘irregularly’ travelling further to Slovenia and Austria without…
Is there any prospect of ‘Polexit’?
Its opponents accuse Poland’s right-wing government of undermining confidence in, and weakening the country’s ties with, the EU. The government’s supporters argue that the ruling party is committed to defending national interests and sovereignty within a reformed Union. Poles are still overwhelming pro-EU but this support is shallow and increasingly instrumental.Conflicts with the EU establishmentOn…
CEE Is Key to China’s Belt and Road Initiative
With deep government pockets, technical sophistication and a comprehensive investment plan behind it, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can have a big impact on the transformation of the Western Balkans. There are caveats, not least debt dependency on cheap Chinese loans, but a proactive approach throughout the region could bring welcome development for many…
Albania’s Economy Booms Despite Political Infighting
The leader of Albania’s Democratic Party, Lulzim Basha, has accused the country’s new government of being “the result of drug money,” going on to say that prime minister Edi Rama had killed, via June 25th’s elections, an agreement made jointly with the Democrats to enact constitutional and electoral reform.“During these elections, every possible method and…
The Problem With Central European City-States
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a city-state is “an autonomous state consisting of a city and surrounding territory.” It is a type of small independent country frequently also referred to as micro-state. There are multiple examples of such entities in the modern world, such as Qatar, Brunei, Kuwait, Bahrain or Malta. Historically, cities such as…
Macedonia Mulls Name Change
The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is considering renaming the country, its airport and national motorway in order to resolve one of the world’s most vexing disputes. Among the new names being considered are Upper Macedonia, New Macedonia, Northern Macedonia and Macedonia (Skopje). The country’s Skopje Alexander the Great airport would become Skopje International Airport, and…
EU-Azerbaijan Relations Set for Bright Future
There has been an increase in the volume of dialogue between the EU and Azerbaijan of late, notably the visits of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev’s to Brussels in February, and before that in November of last year. After the 15th meeting of the Azerbaijan-EU Cooperation Council in Brussels on February 9, the EU’s High Representative…
EU and G7 tankers facilitating Russian oil exports, report finds
A new report has found that EU countries are facilitating circumventing oil sanctions against Russia on a grand scale.Greek-owned ships in particular stand out, and have transported nearly a third of all Russian oil shipments between December 2022 (when the oil cap was implemented) and the end of July. Published by: euobserver.com
Why Greek state workers are protesting new labour law
Thousands of Greek public sector workers have marched towards the Greek parliament to protest against proposed changes to the country’s labour laws by the conservative government of prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.The one-day strike, on Thursday (21 September), was prompted by a parliamentary discussion over a new labour law. One that comes as the government’s (delayed)…
Maintaining Relationships
Alexander Manolev, the Bulgarian deputy minister of economy, speaks to Andrew Wrobel about the country’s stability and potential.Andrew Wrobel (AW):In April 2016, I spoke to Bojidar Loukarsky, the then minister of economy, who told me that Bulgaria was an island of stability in Europe. Is it still?Alexander Manolev (AM): It is, and several facts strongly…