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The European Green Party, bringing together all Green parties across the EU, is the first European political family to make an explicit political invitation for the UK to rejoin, 10 years after Brexit.  The Green party leaders, united on Friday at the Green Leadership Council in Brussels, and stated in a common Declaration that the way forward for the EU is to enlarge to the East and the West, and to roll out a radical move towards renewable energy to ensure European autonomy.  Vula Tsetsi, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, said:  'On the eve of Europe Day, we European Greens are clear: the European Union must enlarge and its doors should be re-opened for the United Kingdom. If, in the future, the people of the UK choose this path, we are ready to welcome them back. Ten years after Brexit, it is increasingly clear that Brexit weakened both the UK and the EU. Any political process must begin with a political signal, and today, the European Greens are the first European political family to say clearly that our door is open to a future return of the UK in the EU. We now call on the other European political families to follow.’ The European Green Party fully supports enlargement across Europe, from the Western Balkans and Ukraine to any European country that chooses a shared democratic future within the European Union, as a more united Europe is a stronger Europe. Ciarán Cuffe, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, added:  'Europe’s dependence on oil and gas is keeping it weak, exposed and vulnerable. If we are serious about peace, security, and independence, we must break free from fossil fuels and go all in on renewable energy. Wind and solar are not just climate solutions, they are the foundation of a stronger, independent and ultimately free Europe. Investing in renewables will protect us from the price spikes linked to fossil fuel.' (click the image to read the full report).

The rise of Péter Magyar has transformed Hungarian politics from a stagnant contest into a genuine struggle over the country’s geopolitical future. Once associated with the orbit of Viktor Orbán’s ruling system, Magyar now presents himself as the figure who can bring Hungary back into the European mainstream. His message is direct: Hungary must strengthen its position within the European Union and secure its place in the West, “where it has always belonged.” Yet, no matter how compelling this western pivot sounds, Magyar would inherit a state whose institutions and energy system remain deeply entangled with Russia. For years, Orbán silently intensified relationships with Moscow. Hungary has benefited from cheap gas and oil contracts, with Russian crude making up 93% of Hungary’s oil imports in 2025, representing a 32% increase from 2021. Another key project is the Paks II nuclear power plant, agreed upon in 2014 by Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin, with the Russian Rosatom acting as the main contractor. Lastly, the leaked conversation between Putin and Orbán, as well as Péter Szijjártó’s, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, calls to Sergey Lavrov, his Russian counterpart during breaks in EU Council meetings, have resulted in Fidesz being viewed by many Hungarians (and others) as catering to Russian interests. (Read the full article by clicking on the image above.)

This article is part of the "Armenia Season", featuring on commonspace.eu from 1 May -15 June 2026. It was first published on Armenia Elections Monitor - a LINKS Europe initiative - on 8 May 2026. The registration process for parties and blocs participating in the elections has been completed. A total of 19 political forces—two blocs and 17 parties—will participate in the election race, which begins on May 8 and concludes on June 5. The electoral threshold is set at 4% for parties and 8% for blocs. Although the official campaign starts on May 8 according to electoral law, many parties de facto launched their campaigns long ago, at least since January of this year. The primary political struggle is unfolding between Nikol Pashinyan on one side and three pro-Russian forces—those of Karapetyan, Kocharyan, and Tsarukyan—on the other. Effectively, a bipolar model has emerged in Armenian domestic politics. (Read the full article by clicking on the image above.)

This week, commonspace.eu speaks with Mehman Aliyev, a co-founder of the Turan İnformasiya Agentliyi (Turan Information Agency), Azerbaijan’s first independent news agency, established in 1990 after the Soviet crackdown in Baku known as Black January. Turan has long been one of Azerbaijan’s few independent media voices, reporting on political, economic and social developments in the country. Aliyev himself was detained in 2017 on charges that international watchdogs linked to pressure on Turan’s work; his detention prompted concern from the EU, Council of Europe, Human Rights Watch and press freedom organisations. He is also member of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Expert Strategic Platform, a LINKS Europe initiative to support dialogue in the South Caucasus. Aliyev reflects on the origins of Turan, the difference between independent and opposition media, and the pressures created by Azerbaijan’s media law. He also discusses the importance of Western pressure in protecting journalists, and looks at the prospects for a durable Armenia-Azerbaijan peace following the initialling of the Washington peace agreement in August 2025. (Read the full interview by clicking on the image above.)