A collection of 232 posts
As Europe attempts a highly complicated manoeuvre to phase out Russian energy, two countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are taking very different roads. While EU member Slovakia is signing supply contracts for liquefied natural gas (LNG) from northern Europe, accession candidate Serbia has agreed a medium-term gas deal
The European Commission (EC) adopted a EUR 300bn proposal for the 27-country bloc to be entirely independent of Russian energy by 2027, on Wednesday 18 May. “We must now reduce as soon as possible our dependency on Russian fossil fuels. I’m deeply convinced we can,” EC President Ursula von
The EU failed to agree on its latest sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, as Hungary refused to drop its threat to torpedo the package. Consensus on a blanket embargo of Russian oil remains elusive and could take another “week or two”, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said on Monday,
G7 ministers expressed their concern about the “deepening political crisis” in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and support for the commencement of EU accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, following a meeting in northern Germany at the weekend. In a strongly worded joint statement, the foreign ministers of the US,
The EU on Monday failed to make headway on finalising a sixth package of sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, which includes a complete embargo on oil imports from the country. The first five rounds of EU sanctions included asset freezes and travel bans on Russian
French President Emmanuel Macron told Chinese President Xi that France expects China to reverse the sanctions it has imposed on Lithuania during a telephone call on Tuesday. China has removed Lithuania from its customs system over its recognition of the independence of Taiwan, which the superpower considers illegitimate. Lithuania’s
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen paid an unexpected visit to Budapest on Monday evening to discuss the EU’s proposed package of sanctions against Russia with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. After the meeting, von der Leyen tweeted: “This evening’s discussion with PM Viktor Orban was helpful
There were mixed messages from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) on Wednesday, when the European Commission (EC) announced plans for a Russian oil embargo. In CEE, two of the countries that would be most affected by the import ban had markedly different reactions to the announcement. While Slovakia merely requested
The European Commission (EC) may allow Hungary and Slovakia to opt out of the Russian oil embargo currently being drawn up, Reuters reports. The EU will on Tuesday finalise its sixth package of sanctions against Russia, and is aware of how dependent the two countries are on Russian crude oil,
Poland began operating a new pipeline that transits gas from Lithuania on Sunday, 1 May. The launch was particularly timely, as Russian state energy company Gazprom halted gas deliveries to Poland on 27 April. The 508-kilometre, bi-directional Poland-Lithuania Gas Connector (GIPL) had been under construction since 2020. The opening this
EU Commission President von der Leyen proclaimed “the era of Russian fossil fuel in Europe is coming to an end” on Wednesday, after Kremlin-owned energy firm Gazprom cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria. The news came after Russian President Vladimir Putin had warned countries refusing to pay for natural
The EU will extend EUR 130mn to Lithuanian companies affected by the trade restrictions China has imposed on the Baltic country, the European Commission (EC) announced on Tuesday afternoon. The scheme will run until 31 December 2027 or until the “discriminatory” restrictions are lifted, the EC wrote in a statement.
Estonia is providing the most aid to Ukraine by far in relation to its economic output, according to a new data tracker set up by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. The Baltic country has promised aid worth nearly 0.8% of its GDP, way ahead of Poland on
A coalition of 11 European Union states led by Denmark wants to accelerate the continent’s green transformation, in order to end the bloc’s dependence on Russian energy. EU governments last year commenced talks on reforms aimed at meeting 2030 emissions reduction goals. Now some countries including Poland want
The EU banned Russian seafaring vessels from entering European ports, as it approved its fifth tranche of sanctions against Russia on Friday. The bloc also embargoed Russian coal supplies from August and enforced restrictions on all transactions with four major Russian banks. “We are proposing a fifth package of sanctions,