Georgi Gotev
Romania’s Schengen perspective in jeopardy over rule of law
The European Commission said on Monday (13 May) that Romania is close to being hit with Article 7 of the EU treaties, the heaviest punishment for a member state deviating from rule of law fundamentals. Losing the chance to join the Schengen zone any time soon would be one of the consequences.
#EU2019 – Bulgaria’s Borissov says won’t resign if he loses EU elections
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, who has governed the country with small interruptions for ten years, said on Wednesday (8 May) he will not resign following the European elections. According to opinion polls, Borissov’s GERB party (EPP-affiliated) may lose to his arch-rivals, the socialists.
Ambassador: For Georgia, the Eastern Partnership means a lot
In a wide-ranging interview, the Ambassador of Georgia to the EU talked about the lessons learned from 10 years of Eastern Partnership, her country’s reforms, relations with neighbours, including the biggest one – Russia.
Juncker regrets not intervening in Brexit referendum campaign
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said Tuesday (7 May) he regrets not intervening in the Brexit referendum, insisting the EU could have "destroyed the lies" that led to Britain voting to leave.
Pro-European candidates for EU election identify Council as the ‘common enemy’
An oddly uncontroversial debate between the lead candidates of the four major pro-European political families at this month's EU elections took place in Florence on Thursday (2 May).
Greens: Bulgarian media mogul ‘the kind of people we are fighting against’
Ahead of the World Press Freedom day, the European Greens presented on Tuesday (30 April) proposals for how to guarantee media freedom in Europe. The real question, however, will be how to deal with 'rogue elements' from inside the EU institutions.
Kazakhstan elections puzzle the world
New candidates have emerged for the 9 June presidential elections in Kazakhstan, which take place after the first president of the country, Nursultan Nazarbayev, surprisingly resigned on 19 March. But many observers believe the long-serving leader is still calling the shots.
Juncker looks back on 15 years of ‘big bang’ EU enlargement
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker offered interesting comments on present-day leaders of member states from Central Europe, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the 1 May 2004 accession of 10 countries, known as “the big bang”.
The Juncker Commission won’t lift the monitoring on Bulgaria
Vĕra Jourová, the EU Commissioner for justice, said on Friday (26 April) that the Juncker Commission will not lift the monitoring on Bulgaria under the so-called Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).
Macron pleads for Schengen renegotiation, possibly with fewer members
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday (25 April) that he was in favour of renegotiating the internal-border-free Schengen area, even if the result would be a “Schengen space with less countries”.
Report: Some countries clearly under-represented in outgoing European Parliament
The think-tank ‘Fondation Robert Schuman’ has published a policy paper, analysing the work of the outgoing European Parliament. One of its findings is that some member states are under-represented in the EP bodies, many of them being the countries with the lowest turnout at the last European elections.
Weber seeks powers to stop Nord Stream 2
The lead candidate for Europe's conservative bloc in next month's EU elections has said he would try to stop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if he becomes European Commission president, according to an interview published Tuesday (23 April).
Kazakhstan’s transition takes place according to Nazarbayev’s plan
Kazakhstan’s ruling Nur Otan party unanimously nominated on Tuesday (23 April) Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as its candidate for the 9 June presidential election. The first President of the country Nursultan Nazarbayev said he had planned this move for years.
German far-right AfD party invites Bannon to Berlin
Germany's far-right party AfD has invited Donald Trump's former advisor Steve Bannon to a media conference in Berlin next month.
Juncker vows to fight Brussels-bashing before European elections
EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has vowed to crack down on Brussels-bashing in the run up to next month's European elections.
Journalist killed after shots fired in Londonderry riot
Journalist Lyra McKee was killed after shots were fired during rioting in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry on Thursday (18 April) that saw police attacked by petrol bombs and other missiles.
Flagship study exposes decline of press freedom in Europe
Reporters Without Borders published their flagship annual ‘World Press Freedom Index’ on Thursday (18 April), revealing that worldwide, authoritarian regimes continue to tighten their grip on the media, while in Europe, decline of press freedom goes hand in hand with...
EU27 is now free to hold summits without the UK
The EU27 will be free to hold official Council meetings and make decisions without the UK despite the country still being a member of the Union, in a move seen as a success for France’s President Macron, who led calls for the restrictions.
Kazakhstan to hold early presidential elections on 9 June
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev set on Tuesday (9 April) the date for the early presidential election for 9 June and said the vote was “absolutely needed” to ensure “continuity, predictability and stability” after the long-serving President Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned.
EU voices concern as Libya strongman Haftar orders ‘advance’ on Tripoli
Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar ordered his troops Thursday (4 April) to "advance" on Tripoli, seat of the internationally-recognised unity government, as world powers warned of consequences for military action.
Mogherini: ‘Inshallah, EU and Azerbaijan will soon finalise their agreement’
EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini expressed hope on Thursday (4 April) that the EU and Azerbaijan would conclude a new trade and political agreement very soon, using the Arabic expression Inshallah (God willing).
Narbaeva: Uzbekistan is determined to reform and put an end to negative stereotypes
Tanzila Narbaeva, the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, told EURACTIV about her country's efforts to develop modern agriculture, eliminate child or forced labour and invest in human capital, especially women.
Timmermans invites EU members to ‘bite the bullet’ on rule of law
The European Commission launched on Wednesday (3 April) a process of reflection about whether member states would agree to be supervised on possible breaches of rule of law. The Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans said it is now up to the capitals to decide if they want to “bite the bullet”.