Georgi Gotev
The Brief – Waiting for the next wave
There is news you want to hear, and news you will ignore. These days, Europeans are packing for their summer vacations. The news we don’t want to hear is that by the time we return from well-deserved holidays, the next wave of COVID-19 will have gathered force.
Ruling party in Georgia dumps Charles Michel’s agreement
Georgian Dream, the ruling party in Georgia, withdrew on Wednesday (28 July) from the agreement to put an end to the protracted political crisis in the country, brokered in April by European Council President Charles Michel.
Interpol nets 286 in global operation against human trafficking
Criminal groups behind human trafficking and migrant smuggling have been hit hard in a 4-day operation coordinated by Interpol with 286 suspects arrested worldwide, the international criminal police organization announced on Tuesday (27 July).
The Brief – Go home Erdogan
Cyprus is an excellent destination for holidays, but it is also a geopolitical volcano. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who doesn’t miss an opportunity to annoy the EU and infuriate Greece, is very active during this holiday season. Among other...
Georgia FM: We need a post-2020 Eastern Partnership agenda perspective
In an exclusive interview, the foreign minister of Georgia, David Zalkaliani, discussed this week's Associated Trio summit in Batumi, relations with Ukraine, the internal political process and the country’s EU ambition.
Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova seek acceptance of their EU membership perspective
A summit between Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova in the Georgian Black Sea city of Batumi culminated on Monday (19 July) with the signature of a declaration calling for the EU to acknowledge the perspective of these countries to become full EU members one day. EURACTIV reports from Batumi.
Charles Michel heralds more EU involvement in the South Caucasus
European Council President Charles Michel will attend a regional summit in the Georgian Black Sea city of Batumi on Monday (19 July), after a weekend visit of Armenia and Azerbaijan, in what appears as an attempt to keep the region closer to the EU. EURACTIV reports from Batumi.
The Brief, powered by Greens/EFA – It’s the youth, stupid
It’s summertime and the livin’ is easier. Fish are jumping and although COVID is high, and a nasty variant too, it's not yet at everyone's doors, at least for the time being.
Human Rights in Kazakhstan – The road ahead
In June 2021, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree “On further measures of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of human rights”, which he said represents an important step in the political modernisation of the Central Asian country....
The Brief, powered by Greens/EFA – James Bond movie script
What are the main ingredients for a James Bond movie? A handsome actor to impersonate the main hero, and a script involving a villain plotting a novel scheme to blackmail and subjugate the world.
Bulgaria’s Trifonov makes ‘take it or leave it’ cabinet offer
TV showman Slavi Trifonov, whose party narrowly won Sunday’s snap general elections in Bulgaria, surprisingly proposed on Monday (12 July) a minority government led by a former minister in Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha's cabinet.
The Brief, powered by UNESDA – Three Seas riddle
Sofia hosts a summit of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) on Thursday and Friday (8-9 July) at a very inconvenient time – just before the snap general elections to be held in Bulgaria on Sunday. It’s not great when geopolitics interferes with politics.
Central Asia-South Asia Connectivity Summit – Why it matters in the region and beyond
An international connectivity summit named "Central and South Asia: Regional Connectivity. Challenges and Opportunities" will take place in Tashkent from July 15-16 as an initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, a double land-locked country.
French champagne houses cry foul over Russian label rule
Champagne houses in France issued a plea for diplomatic help over a new Russian law reserving the term "champagne" for Russian-produced sparkling wines, which led to a temporary interruption of supplies from the market leader Moët Hennessy.
The Brief, powered by UNESDA – Far-right political genetics
In the latest tweak to Europe's political map, far-right parties from 16 EU countries, including France’s Rassemblement National, Poland’s PiS, Hungary’s Fidesz, and Italy’s Lega, united on Friday (2 July) with the aim of making themselves heard in the debate on the future of Europe.
Orbán, Le Pen, Salvini, Kaczyński join forces to impact on the future of EU
Far-right parties from 16 EU countries, including Frances’ Rassemblement National, Poland’s PiS, Hungary’s Fidesz, and Italy’s Lega, united on Friday (2 July) with the declared objective of making their voice heard in the context of the debate on the future...
The Brief, powered by ESA – Black Sea sabre rattling
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday (30 June) that Russia could have sunk a British warship that, according to Moscow, had illegally entered its territorial waters.
The Brief, powered by ESA – In the ghetto
A glance at a map of Europe shows that the European Union is strangely absent in one corner, known as the Western Balkans. And though the region's six countries have been promised they will one day join the bloc, they appear to be growing steadily further away from the EU, rather than closer, with each passing year.
Bulgarian president: A summit with Putin is a matter of realism
Bulgarian President Rumen Radev told reporters after an EU summit on Friday (25 June) that he had strongly supported the proposal of French and German leaders to hold an EU summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it would help the bloc's ambition to become a global player.
Presidential envoy: For Kazakhstan, the EU is a neighbor
In a wide-ranging interview, Yerzhan Kazykhan, special representative of the president of Kazakhstan for international cooperation, discussed the state of play of the Central Asian country's relations with the EU, its international initiatives and new projects, such as joining the EU’s battery alliance.
The Brief, powered by Martens Centre – Rainbow EU, divided EU
Who would have thought it? With such big issues like Russia and Turkey on the EU summit agenda, not to mention the COVID-19 travel certificate, without which our holidays will be spoiled, LGBTQI+ rights would eclipse both geopolitics and our sacrosanct lifestyle?
After ‘negative spiral’, EU summit seeks the Russian algorithm
European Union leaders will on Thursday (24 June) consider whether to seek a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a new strategy to manage relations with Moscow that the EU says are in a "negative spiral".
Sven Giegold: ECB should start ‘digging into’ financial crime in Bulgaria
To join the Euro, Bulgaria needs to tidy up with financial crime, and the European Central Bank (ECB) should be doing its job and finally start “digging into this”, MEP Sven Giegold told EURACTIV in a telephone interview.