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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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Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner exchange but no progress made in peace talks
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Russia and Ukraine agree prisoner exchange but no progress made in peace talks

17 May 2025
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failed to reach a breakthrough during their first direct peace talks since 2022, held in Istanbul without either Vladimir Putin or Volodymyr Zelensky. Sitting down under pressure from the US president, Donald Trump, Ukraine had pushed for a 30-day ceasefire before the talks. Moscow rejected this, appearing to stick to its maximalist demands, including sweeping restrictions on Ukrainian sovereignty.
commonspace.eu
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Leaders meet in Albania to debate European security concerns
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Leaders meet in Albania to debate European security concerns

16 May 2025
The leaders of 47 European countries and organizations are gathering Friday 16 May for a one-day summit in Albania’s capital Tirana to discuss security and defense challenges across the continent, with the Russia-Ukraine conflict at the top of the agenda. The theme of the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Tirana is “New Europe in a new world: unity - cooperation - joint action.” The gathering will also address ways to improve the continent’s competitiveness and tackle unauthorised migration.
commonspace.eu

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Sweden takes over chairmanship of the OSCE
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Sweden takes over chairmanship of the OSCE

1 January 2021
“Our priorities as Chair will be to emphasize the fundamental tasks of the OSCE; defending the European security order, upholding the OSCE concept of comprehensive security and to contribute to resolving the conflicts in our region", said incoming OSCE Chairperson Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde.
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New chapter in EU-UK relations
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New chapter in EU-UK relations

30 December 2020
Charles Michel, President of the European Council: "On major issues, the European Union stands ready to work shoulder to shoulder with the United Kingdom. This will be the case on climate change, ahead of the COP 26 in Glasgow, and on the global response to pandemics, in particular with a possible treaty on pandemics. On foreign affairs, we will seek cooperation on specific issues based on shared values and interests."
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EU countries start mass vaccination against covid-19
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EU countries start mass vaccination against covid-19

27 December 2020
A Europe-wide mass vaccination against the covid-19 virus started on Sunday (27 December) as part of an EU-wide effort co-ordinated by the European Commission. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Saturday the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had been delivered to all 27 member states.
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"Sad, fateful day, for religious freedom in Europe"
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"Sad, fateful day, for religious freedom in Europe"

19 December 2020
In a recent controversial decision, the European Court of Justice has upheld a ban on kosher and halal slaughter in Belgium.  Deutche Welle's religious affairs expert, Christoph Strack says that bans on such forms of animal slaughter in Belgium, and elsewhere, arose over debates over the way Islam is practiced in Europe. Individuals sought to impose tighter rules on Islam on the continent — yet also hit Europe's Jews.
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GEU Podcast: What's going on with the OSCE? – with Dr Walter Kemp
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GEU Podcast: What's going on with the OSCE? – with Dr Walter Kemp

17 December 2020
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was established in the 1990s as a multilateral security organisation for Europe and Eurasia. Following an organisational crisis this year, Will Murray speaks to Dr Walter Kemp about the organisation's history and approach to security, and what can be done to ensure its effectiveness going forward.
William Murray
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