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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).

Editor's choice
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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Editor's choice
Analysis
Analysis: The European Parliament approves by a huge majority visa liberalisation for Georgia. Why was this decision so important for Georgia?

Analysis: The European Parliament approves by a huge majority visa liberalisation for Georgia. Why was this decision so important for Georgia?

For Georgia this decision is a small step on a much longer journey. EU and NATO membership remain high on the agenda of the Georgian government, although there is also a realistic assessment that now may not be the time to push these forward. But with Georgians travelling freely in Europe that objective is now certainly one step closer.
Editor's choice
Commentary
Commentary: Armenia and the European Union try again

Commentary: Armenia and the European Union try again

The progress in the negotiations between the EU and Armenia on a new framework agreement is welcomed, but there are still “open issues”, and political hurdles to overcome; and whatever is agreed will still fall short of the Association Agreement envisaged in 2013.
Editor's choice
News
Azerbaijan pins hope of solution to Karabakh conflict on Russia's "serious engagement"

Azerbaijan pins hope of solution to Karabakh conflict on Russia's "serious engagement"

Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, said in an interview that that if there is serious Russian engagement with the Karabakh issue, "the status quo will change, stability will be restored in the region, and the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories will be ensured"