Latest Articles about Europe
UKRAINE’S 2007 ELECTIONS WILL ALSO DECIDE UKRAINE’S NEXT PRESIDENT
Ukraine’s September 30 parliamentary elections will decide the country’s next government and most likely determine the outcome of the presidential elections two years later. As seasoned Zerkalo nedeli commentator Serhiy Rakhmanin pointed out, the “pre-term parliamentary campaign gives [President Viktor] Yushchenko a great opportunity to... MORE
BALTIC STATES CLOSE RANKS WITH GEORGIA, JOIN U.S. TO INVESTIGATE MISSILE INCIDENT
The Baltic states spoke out on Georgia from day one of the crisis triggered by the Russian missile drop on that country. On August 7, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Artis Pabriks “strongly condemned the violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Pabriks assured his... MORE
BELARUS PROPAGATES ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC SUCCESSES
In the aftermath of the latest round of the ongoing gas dispute with Russia, the Belarusian Ministries of Labor and Social Protection and Statistics have provided figures on the economic and demographic situation in the country that shed a favorable light on living standards and... MORE
YUSHCHENKO, YANUKOVYCH, TYMOSHENKO CONTESTING ELECTION AGAIN
The campaign for the September 30 parliamentary elections officially kicked off in Ukraine on August 2. This campaign will see the same contenders as in the March 2006 election: President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine-People’s Self-Defense bloc (NUNS), except last year it was just Our Ukraine,... MORE
AQIM Renews its Threats Against France
In July, newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Algiers to reaffirm France's "deep friendship" with the Maghreb and present his project of a "Mediterranean Union" designed to promote a strong and durable relationship between the Maghreb and Europe. In the aftermath of Sarkozy's visit,... MORE
HUNGARY’S MOL ENERGY COMPANY GROWS IN CENTRAL EUROPE AND BEYOND
Hungary’s national energy company, MOL, is mounting an effective defense against a hostile takeover by its Austrian counterpart, OMV, which could lead to Russian takeover of Hungary’s energy sector (see EDM, July 24, 25). As part of its defense -- but also in the course... MORE
PACE CHAIRMAN BENDING TO THE KREMLIN WIND AGAINST ESTONIA
The Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Chairman, Rene van der Linden, fell into line with Moscow’s anti-Estonia propaganda during his just-completed visit to Russia. He was accompanied by Konstantin Kosachev, head of Russia’s delegation to PACE, during this trip, which included a visit to... MORE
GAZPROM’S CHALLENGE TO BELARUS: INTERNAL REACTIONS
On August 2, Belarusian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka declared that his country would dip into its reserves to pay its existing debt to Gazprom of $456 million (Itar-Tass, August 2). His decision brought a temporary halt to the current crisis raised by Belarus's failure to meet... MORE
The Threat of Islamic Radicalism to Greece
Al-Qaeda and affiliated Islamist terrorist organizations have extended their reach to many countries in Europe, including Greece (To Bhma, April 20). The war on terrorism has turned Greece into a key entry and transit point for Islamic fundamentalist networks. This is partly due to Greece's... MORE
MOLDOVA’S PRESIDENTIAL INSTITUTION INCREASINGLY DYSFUNCTIONAL
“Politics in Moldova is in fact Geopolitics” (Flux, July 20). This recent observation by a pro-Western party leader in Chisinau has quickly become common wisdom. It defines the real stakes in the political changes resulting from President Vladimir Voronin’s non-transparent negotiations with the Kremlin and... MORE