Eastern Europe Archives
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Russia says it returns some troops to base in areas near Ukraine
Some troops in Russia's military districts adjacent to Ukraine are returning to their bases after completing drills, Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday (15 February), a move that could de-escalate frictions between Moscow and the West.
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The Brief – How (not) to solve a problem
The new prime minister of North Macedonia, Dimitar Kovachevski, is making his first visit to Brussels on 3 and 4 February. In view of Skopje's stalled EU accession bid, this could mean a groundbreaking visit, but it probably won't be. What can we realistically expect from it?
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Poland begins work on new EU-Belarus border wall
Polish contractors began work on Tuesday ( 25 January) on a 353-million euro wall along the Belarus border aimed at deterring migrant crossings following a crisis in the area last year.
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Expert: NATO membership is not an option and arming Ukraine is a tricky issue
NATO membership in the near future is not possible for Georgia and Ukraine, and the alternative - arming Ukraine - is a tricky issue, ECFR expert Kadri Liik told EURACTIV in an interview.
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Medical charity pulls team from Poland-Belarus border migrant crisis
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has withdrawn its team on the Belarus-Poland border after Warsaw repeatedly blocked access to migrants there trying to enter the European Union, it said Thursday.
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Interview: Why did so many Kurds go to Belarus?
Political disillusionment, lack of economic opportunities and dreams of a better life are reasons why many asylum seekers that enter Lithuania from Belarus originate from Iraqi Kurdistan, a region considered one of the wealthiest and most stable in the region.
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Radev: North Macedonia must change its constitution
In a wide-ranging exclusive interview, Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev explained at length the reasons behind his country’s veto which prevents North Macedonia from starting EU accession negotiations, and suggested the way forward to solve the issue, which includes a change in this country’s constitution.
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Lightning fast annulment of Serbia’s decree restricting academic freedoms
Only days after its adoption, the Serbian government abolished a decree that would have prevented independent research in numerous areas, thereby calling academic freedoms into question and violating the constitutional right to freedom of expression.
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EaP Summit – Why the Trio initiative should finally find its way
The upcoming EaP summit (15 December) will be a watershed to either push for a visionary policy or to play “business as usual”, write Teona Lavrelashvili and Ramūnas Stanionis, who share their ideas how to boost the ‘Associated Trio’ format.
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Georgia wants ‘new elements’ in Eastern Partnership, its ambassador says
In an exclusive interview Vakhtang Makharoblishvili, Georgia’s Ambassador to the EU, discussed his country’s political situation and EU agenda, the upcoming Eastern Partnership summit on 15 December, and the more ambitious format of Associated Trio.
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EU meets troubled Eastern Partners in run up to leaders’ summit
Despite proclamations of “strong commitment” to Eastern partners, the EU’s reluctance to fast-track integration for its most ambitious next-door neighbours is causing increasing frustration as top diplomats met in Brussels on Monday (15 November) to chart the policy’s future. EU top …
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The Brief, powered by The Martens Centre — Games politicians play
The current stand-off at the Belarus-Polish border will enter geopolitics textbooks. At least we hope so, because the alternative is that it might trigger an outright war, and then we will forget about textbooks.
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EU accused of disregarding human rights when supporting law enforcement abroad
The EU has been accused of contributing to the development of ‘surveillance’ capacities in third countries without considering fundamental rights and data protection; according to a complaint filed with the European Ombudsman by a coalition of privacy NGOs.
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The Brief, powered by APPLiA — Can conservatives bring back central eastern Europe?
The defeat of Andrej Babiš in Czechia and the resignation of Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz were hailed by many as a win for Europe’s progressives. What is missed in these arguments is that there are only conservatives in line to replace the populists.
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EU to Poland: protect human lives, allow Frontex to Belarus border
The EU executive asked Warsaw on Friday to allow Frontex staff on the Polish-Belarusian border where four migrants died while trying to cross into Europe amid an increase in irregular immigration the bloc blames on Minsk for orchestrating.
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Fifth migrant dies on Poland-Belarus border
An Iraqi migrant has died in Poland after being found near the border with Belarus, bringing to five the death toll this week on this eastern EU frontier.
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Digital connectivity can fix the EU’s faltering Eastern Partnership
Relations between the EU and its eastern neighbours a going backwards. But a combination of renegotiated trade agreements and digital connectivity could reverse the tide, writes Dan Dalton.
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The stability question: EU’s foreign policy choices
On June 26th, a visit mandated by the EU High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr Joseph Borrell, took place in Georgia. Vlad Olteanu is the founder of I3pact EU. Alexander Schallenberg, Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria, …
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EU, US, NATO ‘enormously grateful’ for Georgia’s role in Kabul evacuations
As the dust settled following the dramatic evacuation at Kabul airport, the role of Georgia which provided critical assistance to the US and the Western partners is getting acknowledgement and praise.
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Ukraine vows to bring Crimea back as international leaders affirm support in Kyiv
An international summit initiated by Ukraine reaffirmed on Monday (23 August) international commitments to de-occupy Crimea, seven and a half years after Russian troops occupied the strategic Black Sea peninsula.
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Thirteen years on – 20% of Georgia is still occupied by Russia
It is crucial that the EU beefs-up its presence in South Caucasus more broadly, particularly on security and conflict related issues, write Amanda Paul and Iana Maisuradze in an analysis of the situation in Georgia 13 years after the 2008 war which depleted the country of 20% of its territory.
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Ukrainian president orders review of protection measures for Belarusians after activist’s death
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday ordered a review of the risks to Belarusians in Ukraine following the death of an activist.
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Ukraine vows to probe case of hanged Belarusian activist
Ukraine will do its best to investigate the death of Belarusian activist Vitaly Shishov who was found hanged in a Kyiv park, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Tuesday.
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Newer EU members support Associated Trio as ‘champions’
Though vast majority of EU countries welcome deeper integration with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, their "Associated Trio" initiative finds more support within Eastern and Central Europe, while the Commission and Western member states remain hesitant to adopt the term.