Georgi Gotev
The Brief, powered by EK – No turkey please, we’re vegetarians
Believe it or not, EU leaders didn’t discuss Turkey’s war adventure in Syria at the two-day summit. War crimes are allegedly being committed by the Turkish army, ethnic cleansing is ongoing (obviously), but the leaders looked the other way. They...
All eyes on France after inconclusive enlargement summit debate
After a long night of inconclusive discussions, EU heads of state are set to return to the EU enlargement issue today (18 October). All eyes are on France, as Emmanuel Macron's position has so far been the major stumbling block for opening accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania.
Visegrad countries slam Finnish presidency MFF paper
Ahead of an EU summit starting on Thursday (17 October), diplomats from the four Visegrad countries harshly criticised the Finnish presidency of the Council of the EU for a paper it prepared to help the leaders’ discussion on the bloc’s...
Ukrainian oligarch linked to Zelenskiy suffers blow in London court
Ukraine’s new President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hardly expected to become a protagonist in a possible impeachment of his US colleague Donald Trump. On top of that, his name has now also appeared in the press in relation to a London court case of possible financial malpractice involving billions of dollars.
Romania’s President appoints Ludovic Orban as PM-designate
Romania’s centrist President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday (15 October) he had appointed opposition Liberal Party leader Ludovic Orban as prime minister-designate to form a transitional government until a parliamentary election next year.
France halts EU enlargement
France blocked the opening of accession talks with North Macedonia on Tuesday (15 October), despite the promise made by the EU to Skopje that its historic name deal with Greece, the Prespa agreement, would earn it a ticket to EU membership negotiations.
Erdogan thanks Orban for ‘support at the international stage’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met in Baku on Tuesday (15 October), on the fringes of the Turkic Council, a group of countries speaking the same family of languages, which Hungary wants to join.
Russia-backed Syrian army sweeps in to fill US-left vacuum
Russia-backed Syrian forces took rapid advantage of an abrupt US retreat from Syria on Monday (14 October), deploying deep inside Kurdish-held territory south of the Turkish frontier less than 24 hours after Washington announced a full withdrawal.
Bulgaria PM will ask EU leaders to stop criticising Erdogan
European Council President Donald Tusk strongly opposed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday (11 October), warning him to stop blackmailing Europe. That has prompted Bulgaria’s prime minister to reveal he will ask EU chiefs to tone down their stance against Erdoğan.
‘Almost impossible’ to rival China’s business clout in Central Asia
“China is coming with an offer nobody can refuse, while the EU is coming with an offer nobody can understand." For many in Central Asia, that phrase – although intended as a joke – best summarises the European way of doing business.
Two businessmen who helped investigate Biden in Ukraine arrested in US
A Ukraine- and a Belarus-born businessman who helped President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani investigate political rival Joe Biden were arrested in a scheme to illegally funnel money to a pro-Trump election committee and other US political candidates, prosecutors said on Thursday (10 October).
East-West corridor: ‘Hard’ versus ‘soft’ connectivity?
A conference organised by EURACTIV on ‘Global Eurasia – connectivity as a driver for peace, stability and security’ raised questions such as “greener” connectivity, in line with Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen’s priorities. But diplomats from the region were more focused on infrastructure.
Jourova: ’I don’t want us to come back to the pre-1989 era’
Věra Jourová, the European Commission's Vice-President elect for Values and Transparency, gave the good example on 9 October by meeting with Brussels journalists to talk about her future portfolio, answering their questions openly and making some strong political statements.
Belgian investors give feedback on their Kazakh experience
The deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan, Yermek Kosherbayev, met with a dozen Belgian investors in Brussels on Wednesday (9 October) to hear about their experience with his country and help solve potential issues.
EU concerned at migrant wave triggered by Turkey’s planned Syria invasion
Germany warned on Tuesday (8 October) of a repeat of the chaotic influx of migrants that caught the European Union unprepared in 2015, while Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus sounded the alarm over a resurgence of arrivals from neighbouring Turkey.
Trump reconsiders Syria withdrawal, strongly warns Turkey against military adventures
US President Donald Trump warned Turkey Monday (6 October) against going too far in Syria, one day after giving Ankara a green light to invade its southern neighbor, sparking panic among Washington's Kurdish allies.
Le Pen’s Bulgarian ally under the spotlight for cross-border medicine trafficking
Vesselin Mareshki gained international prominence when French far-right leader Marine le Pen chose him as her political ally in Bulgaria. But things started to go wrong when Mareshki lost the European elections in May. Now, judges have recognised him as the mastermind of a cross-border network of medicine traffickers.
Thousands rally in Kyiv to protest the ‘Steinmeier formula’ for eastern Ukraine
Thousands of people gathered in Kyiv's main square on Sunday (6 October) to protest against President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's deal with Moscow to grant autonomy to Ukraine's pro-Russian rebel-held east as part of efforts to end a five-year conflict there.
Schinas puts on good performance but MEPs want ‘European Way of Life’ title ditched
Margaritis Schinas put in a very good performance in his European Parliament hearing on Thursday (3 October), but liberal and socialist MEPs called for his title of Commission Vice President for ‘Protecting our European Way of Life’ to be scrapped because of its "toxic" far-right connotations.
EU Commission hopeful of Russia-Ukraine thaw as many in Kyiv denounce ‘capitulation’
The European Commission commended on Thursday (3 October) a recent diplomatic meeting in the Belarus capital Minsk, which gives hope for an international summit to stop the fighting in Eastern Ukraine. But many in Ukraine see the development as “capitulation”.
Romania’s government hurries to place a Commissioner before no-confidence vote
Romania's centrist opposition is seeking to topple the government in a parliamentary no-confidence vote next week, one year ahead of a general election, the National Liberal Party (PNL) said on Tuesday (1 October).
Wojciechowski’s poor performance adds to von der Leyen’s woes
If Polish Commission-nominee Janus Wojciechowski ultimately gets rejected by the European Parliament after his hearing on Tuesday (1 October), it will not be for political reasons, but simply because his performance was so disappointing.
The Brief, powered by ACCA – A €1-billion question for candidate Commissioners
German carmaker Volkswagen is nearing a decision to build a new plant in Turkey. Sources close to the company say the multi-brand factory would cost more than one billion euros.