A collection of 134 posts
While most Europeans believe a new ‘Cold War’ between the United States and China and Russia has begun, they do not think their own country is involved, a new poll by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) concludes. European citizens consider EU institutions more likely to enter a global
The contentious Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline will commence gas transits from Russia to Europe next month, according to the Russian state-owned Gazprom. This massive infrastructure development will not only impact European energy supplies, but could also have geopolitical effects. After years of debate and delay, the final sections
Hungary will start producing Sputnik V, the Russian Covid-19 vaccine, in the city of Debrecen starting at the end of 2022, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and Hungary’s minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, announced at a joint press conference in Budapest on Tuesday. Hungary is
Hungary will allow Russian visitors to visit if they possess a Covid-19 immunity certificate as of Tuesday, 3 August, foreign minister Péter Szijjártó has announced. The measure comes in response to Russia’s recent decision to resume issuing tourist and business visas to Hungarian citizens who hold a negative PCR
Russia is ready to supply Europe with what it considers the energy of the future: hydrogen. According to media reports, Russia immediately saw an opportunity to replace the oil and natural gas sales it makes to the EU, which will decline in the forthcoming decades, with deliveries of hydrogen. The
The United States and Germany issued a joint declaration in which the two countries agreed to complete Nord Stream 2 and voiced several initiatives to support Ukraine and counter Russian attempts to use energy as a weapon. They promised an extension of the agreement with Russia on gas transit through
In Moldova, president Maia Sandu’s Action and Solidarity party has garnered the greatest share of the vote, 52.8%, in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections. Based on the results, the pro-European party will have 63 of the 101 seats – and that the country with a population of 2.6
Activity attributed to Russian internet trolls dropped significantly in the Czech Republic after some workers at the Russian Embassy in Prague were deported, according to a report by the Seznamzpravy.cz news site. Czech authorities’ expulsion of 18 people described as officers of the Russian secret services occurred in April
On Monday, Belarus’s government announced the suspension of its participation in the European Union’s Eastern Partnership, which is a cooperation vehicle between Brussels and ex-communist countries in the region. The Eastern Partnership is perceived by many countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia as a precursor to a
Despite Serbia’s aspirations to join 27 member states as a fellow member of the European Union, Belgrade is refusing to back any EU policies that go against Russia, absolutely refusing to support sanctions against Moscow following its actions like the annexation of Crimea. Russia is Serbia’s friend, speaker
The future of natural gas and how it is funded by the EU are deepening the divide between eastern and western Europe. Countries in Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) like the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania continue to see natural gas as a key energy source and would
China poses security challenges to NATO, which will engage the country to address them, according to an official statement from the organization following US president Joe Biden’s first NATO summit as president on 14 June. The Atlantic defense alliance also recognized Beijing’s nuclear military buildup as a threat.
The EU was unusually unified and prompt in condemning Belarus for “hijacking” the Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair plane. The European Council has imposed new sanctions including banning Belarus’s airlines from using EU airspace and airports. Yet, it is still questionable whether tougher sanctions could force Lukashenko to change his
Two European airlines, Austrian Airlines and Air France, have had to cancel flights to Moscow after Russian authorities denied permission for them to divert around Belarus to be in line with new EU sanctions. Russia’s ambassador to Austria, Dmitry Lyubinsky, justified the move on Facebook, writing that the “politicization”
After being halted in April due to environmental concerns, the construction of 2 km of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline has been given the go-ahead by the German maritime authority (BSH) with the continuation of works in Danish waters. Two German environmental NGOs, Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union