CEE diversifies on gas, as Merz decries Nord Stream 2 'mistake'

4 min read Merz, Tusk, Paluckas, Dan, Nord Stream II, Zelenskyy, Baltic Pipe, Baltics, TurkStream, Gazprom, Putin, REPowerEU, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Federation of BiH

In late May, Merz said Nord Stream 2 must stay closed to “weaken Moscow's war machine” and also declared that his government would “do everything” to prevent the pipeline from going online.ce

CEE leaders push for more weapons, NATO spending, at Vilnius summit

2 min read Bucharest Nine, NATO, Rutte, Kallas, Nauseda, Duda, Zelenskyy, Rinkevics, Pellegrini, Dan

The summit reflected growing urgency in CEE ahead of the NATO meeting in The Hague scheduled from June 24-26. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the meeting in The Hague would demonstrate the alliance’s commitment to collective defence.c

Far-right candidate leads in polls ahead of Romania presidential election rerun

4 min read Politics, Romania, Ukraine, V4 & Romania, Antonescu, Dan, Georgescu, Lasconi, Ponta, Russia, Simion, TikTok, Vance, von der Leyen

Romania will hold fresh presidential elections on 4 May, after its Constitutional Court annulled November's vote, citing Russian interference. However, the decision to disqualify nationalist frontrunner Calin Georgescu has seemingly propelled far-right leader George Simion into a commanding position, fuelling concerns about the direction of Romanian democracy. Generational