Friendship Restored (?): Russian Oil Flows Resume
Recent developments around the Druzhba (Friendship) oil pipeline have highlighted just how vulnerable and politically entangled Central Europe’s energy supply remains.
EU
A collection of 81 posts
Bulgaria is turning – but in which direction?
The April 2026 Bulgarian election is not just another domestic political episode, but a turning point whose significance goes beyond the country’s borders.
Hungarian government change - Regional reactions
The Hungarian election results generated significant reverberations across the region. The reactions simultaneously reflected a sense of geopolitical realignment and each country's own domestic political considerations.
The Polish press is once again writing about “Polexit”
The question of leaving the European Union regularly resurfaces in Polish public life whenever political or rule-of-law disputes between Warsaw and Brussels intensify.
EU summit: V4 split over Ukraine
The European Union summit of March 19, 2026, clearly highlighted that the Visegrád cooperation can no longer be seen as a unified political bloc when it comes to the war in Ukraine.
What Druzhba broke: competitiveness and Europe's energy dilemma
A Russian drone strike on Ukraine's Druzhba pipeline in January 2026 has triggered a diplomatic crisis between Kyiv, Budapest and Bratislava - but the real damage runs deeper. The dispute has forced into the open a question: whether the EU can remain industrially competitive while paying two to
Romania sees US as strategic partner, but stands with the EU in the Greenland case
Nicușor Dan said the United States remained a vital strategic partner for Romania’s security.
Neptune, the Ray of Light for Romanian energy dependency
The Neptun Deep project is viewed as a pivotal opportunity for Romania's economy and energy independence.
Sanctions oil shock: What awaits Central Europe’s markets
The Central and Eastern European oil market is entering a new era as a result of the US measures aimed at restricting Russian crude exports.
CEE leaders split over Trump-Putin summit in Alaska without Zelenskyy
While Hungary and Slovakia welcomed the diplomatic efforts, fellow Visegrad Four members Poland and Czechia joined the Baltic states in rejecting any settlement that bypasses Ukrainian sovereignty.
Dan gov’t confirms Russian election hacking, citing NATO, EU
Romania’s 2024 presidential elections marked the first instance of a national vote annulled due to foreign interference within the EU, the European Commission noted. The episode has triggered renewed calls in the EU and NATO for enhanced cybersecurity capacity and democratic resilience across CEE.
CEE countries jointly oppose EU's 'flexible funding' plan
The signatories, including Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, said the policy’s “visibility and predictability” would be compromised if merged into a broader single investment fund.
CEE distillers pivot to domestic sales as exports fall, tastes shift
Producers in Poland, Czechia and Moldova are rebranding locally and pursuing new strategies to stay afloat after the collapse of major foreign markets, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions on premium alcohol.
Polish gov't wins confidence vote but presidential veto remains
Tusk acknowledged the expected use of veto by President-elect Nawrocki, as did outgoing President Andrzej Duda during the first 18 months of the KO's term. The KO does not have the 3/5 supermajority, or 276 out of 460 seats, needed to overturn a presidential veto.c
Lithuania steps up defence as ex-CIA chief cites Russian threat
“If Ukraine falls, Lithuania is next. That’s not speculative. It’s consistent with everything Putin has said and done,” Petraeus said.