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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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Monday Commentary
NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

NATO Summit in The Hague II: everyone survived, now all eyes on Türkiye

The Nato Summit held in The Hague on 24-25 June was a failure, wrapped in success. It was a success because it avoided public display of divisions, mainly by avoiding issues: it was the shortest summit anyone can remember; it also had a very short final statement that basically had two points, the first a re-commitment to article 5 of the North Atlantic Charter and the principle that an attack on one will be considered an attack on all. The fact that Nato leaders in the Hague had felt the need to re-emphasise this should be a cause of worry not celebration, but in the end, it is good that it was said. The second outcome, the one that received most attention, was the commitment of European countries to spend more on their defence: 5 per cent of GDP, of which 3.5 per cent on hard defence, and 1.5 per cent on related ancillary areas such as infrastructure. You may, if you want, believe that this was a response to US President Donald Trump's insistence. Or, if you are more prudent, understand that countries that matter – Germany, France, Poland and the Scandinavian countries had decided on this course of action quite separately, and as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was a wake-up call. Finland and Sweden’s decision to abandon their neutrality, and join NATO was taken long before Trump returned to the White House. The EU’s decision to spend massively on defence was always to ensure that other European countries are part of this process, willy-nilly.

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Italy takes over the chairmanship of OSCE for 2018

Italy takes over the chairmanship of OSCE for 2018

In the usual international musical chairs at the end of the year a number of countries have assumed responsability for different international organisations. Italy assumed the chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for 2018.
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Pope highlights plight of refugees during Christmas mass

Pope highlights plight of refugees during Christmas mass

In the traditional Chritmas mass on Sunday night in Rome's St. Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis focused on the world refugees and displaced, saying that their footsteps followed those of the holy family during the night of the nativity
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European Court rules on the case of Armenian refugee

European Court rules on the case of Armenian refugee

It held, unanimously, that the Azerbaijani Government had to pay the applicant 5,000 euros (EUR) in respect of pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage. The Court said that it was the responsability of the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments to find a solution on a political level to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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European Court rules on case of Azerbaijani IDPs

European Court rules on case of Azerbaijani IDPs

It held, unanimously, that the Armenian Government had to pay 5,000 euros in respect of pecuniary and non-pecuniary damage to each of the applicants. The Court said that it was the responsability of the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan to find a solution on a political level to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.