A new military build-up in the Balkans
Around the world, countries are spending more on their militaries, a trend that is already evident in the Western Balkans. In 2018, global military expenditure rose to 1.7 trillion US dollars, its highest level since the end of the Cold War. At a NATO summit in July, United States President Donald Trump insisted that the alliance should double…
North Macedonia has a name. What’s next?
Now that one of the silliest international disputes of recent decades has been resolved, Greece will no longer veto Macedonia’s (now officially North Macedonia) membership of international organisations. But while NATO membership could happen relatively quickly, nobody should expect EU membership anytime soon.NATO, when it wants to, can act very quickly. Less than a week…
Greece set to ask for EU aid over floods amid mounting anger
Greece is set to request EU aid following deadly floods from Storm Daniel amid mounting criticism against the centre-right government in Athens.But as of Monday (11 September), a European commission spokesperson told reporters in Brussels that such a request has yet to materialise. Published by: euobserver.com
The Balkans: The feast feeding Russia and Turkey’s hunger
The political tension between Kosovo and Serbia is creating a perfect environment wherein Turkey and Russia can lure the two countries into their respective spheres of influence. High-ranking US and EU envoys are trying to resolve the long-standing dispute, urging Serbia and Kosovo to normalise relations when in fact they are becoming increasingly more tense.…
Connecting emerging Europe
In many places, getting around emerging Europe remains as difficult today as it did 30 years ago. In January, in a bid to boost connectivity and economic growth in emerging Europe’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine), the European Commission and the World Bank co-authored a Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T)…
Stevo Pendarovski elected president of North Macedonia
Stevo Pendarovski (above, left), the candidate backed by North Macedonia’s ruling Social Democratic party, has won the country’s presidential election, taking just under 52 per cent of the vote. Opposition candidate Gordana Siljanovska Davkova won 44.5 per cent, with more than three per cent of ballots declared null and void.The two politicians had each received about…
China and CEE: 16+1 is here to stay
Cooperation between China and its 16 partner nations in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region has been a subject of strong criticism since its very inception in 2011. European Union institutions – and many of western EU member states – assumed that the real intention of Beijing was to divide and rule Europe through…
Life in Albania
When most people think of Albania, they probably think of the Liam Neeson film Taken. Hollywood and the media have done a very good job at painting this Western Balkan country as a hotbed of criminality and violence, but is that really the case?The short answer is no.Whilst the country struggles internally with organised crime…
Erste sees North Macedonia reaping name dispute dividend
With North Macedonia’s almost three decade-long dispute with Greece over the country’s name now over, the country can expect a period of accelerated growth in the medium-term, driven by an end to political uncertainty, consumption, and renewed investment activity, according to a new report from Erste Bank.The bank expects GDP growth of 2.9 per cent…
Fifteen years of Poland thriving in the EU
Of the 10 countries that joined the European Union 15 years ago, Poland is definitely an EU success story: it has become more outward-looking and confident as well as being socially and economically transformed. That is why 91 per cent of Poles support Poland’s membership of the EU.The 2004 European Union enlargement, which allowed Poland…