Region

EU plus

Stories in this section cover the EU-27 countries plus the UK, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra and the Balkan Countries (Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia).

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News
EU to push for sanctions on Israel ministers and suspend bilateral support

EU to push for sanctions on Israel ministers and suspend bilateral support

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated she would push to sanction "extremist" Israeli ministers and curb trade ties over Gaza, as she warned famine should not be used as a "weapon of war". Addressing the European Parliament on 10 September in the annual State of the Union, von der Leyen lamented that divisions among member states were holding back a European response but insisted the European Commission "will do all that it can on its own". "What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic," von der Leyen said. The German politician said the Commission would put its bilateral support to Israel on hold, stopping all payments, but without affecting work with civil society groups and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
Editor's choice
Opinion
What role for the EU in the post-Washington South Caucasus?

What role for the EU in the post-Washington South Caucasus?

The agreements reached in the US-mediated summit of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Washington on August 8 are poised to fundamentally reshape the region's future. Particularly, the deal concerning the Zangezur corridor – rebranded as the “Trump Route for Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) – holds significant geopolitical importance. If implemented, the TRIPP agreement would deal a severe blow to the regional standing of Russia and Iran. More importantly, it would pave the way for a strategic U.S. presence in this critical geography. This outcome represents a success that few would have predicted for the United States, especially for the Trump administration, given the region's notoriously complex and volatile geopolitics.

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Editor's choice
Opinion
Opinion: Will Putin allow Belarus to play a balancing act?

Opinion: Will Putin allow Belarus to play a balancing act?

With Pompeo due in Minsk this week, and the Belarus presidential elections on the horizon, Moscow and Minsk have some difficult decisions to take. Benyamin Poghosyan discusses the state of Russia-Belarus relations in this op-ed for commonspace.eu
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News
Merkel in Turkey for talks with Erdogan

Merkel in Turkey for talks with Erdogan

The German Chancellor joined the Turkish president on Friday morning for the official opening of the new German-Turkish University in Istanbul. The two leaders were expected to hold talks later on a range of regional and international issues.
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Commentary
Monday Commentary: It's time to talk!

Monday Commentary: It's time to talk!

Recent events in the Middle East are the latest flare-up in an arc of crisis around Europe. The EU needs to push ahead with a structured dialogue to explore solutions, argues Dennis Sammut in this week's Monday Commentary.
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News
Happy New Year

Happy New Year

The editorial team of commonspace.eu wish all our readers and subscribers in the Caucasus region, Europe, the Middle East, and beyond, sincere best wishes for the new year 2020.