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).

Editor's choice
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.

Filter archive

Publication date
Editor's choice
News
GEU Podcast: How should the EU manage relations with its eastern neighbours? – with Viola von Cramon MEP

GEU Podcast: How should the EU manage relations with its eastern neighbours? – with Viola von Cramon MEP

It’s now nearly 12-years since the establishment of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) – a joint initiative bringing together the EU, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. In this episode, Will Murray speaks to Viola von Cramon-Taubadel MEP about the EU’s neighbourhood policy to the east and how it should move forwards.
Editor's choice
News
Ann Linde holds talks with Lavrov on European Security

Ann Linde holds talks with Lavrov on European Security

Sweden is trying to use its one year chairmanship of the OSCE to bring back focus to the organisation after a difficult period last year, and a growing sense that the organisation was drifting away from its original mandate on European security. Russia is central to this process, since it is seen as being at odds with the Helsinki Final Act - the OSCE's milestone document - in both its internal policies, as well as in its relations with its neighbours.
Editor's choice
News
Borrell sailing straight into a Russian storm

Borrell sailing straight into a Russian storm

The visit of the EU High Representative to Russia on Thursday will provide an opportunity to have wide-ranging discussions with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other Russian interlocutors ahead of the European Council’s strategic discussion on EU-Russia relations scheduled for March.
Editor's choice
News
GEU Podcast: How does Brexit affect Europe’s global ambitions? – with Dr Fabian Zuleeg

GEU Podcast: How does Brexit affect Europe’s global ambitions? – with Dr Fabian Zuleeg

It’s 2021 and the United Kingdom has formally left the European Union. In this episode of Global Europe Unpacked, Will Murray speaks to Dr Fabian Zuleeg, the Chief Executive and Chief Economist of the European Policy Centre in Brussels, about how the absence of the UK will impact the EU’s global ambitions and prospects for UK-EU relations going forward.
Editor's choice
News
Holocaust Memorial Day marked by warnings against modern-day antisemitism and intolerance

Holocaust Memorial Day marked by warnings against modern-day antisemitism and intolerance

President Joe Biden spoke of the influence that the ‘Unite the Right’ rally in 2017 in Charlottesville had on his decision to run for president – “the white nationalists and neo-Nazis spewing the same anti-Semitic bile we heard in the 1930s in Europe”. He referred to the Holocaust as “no accident” and that “Silence is complicity”.
Editor's choice
News
EU relations with Russia are at a delicate moment

EU relations with Russia are at a delicate moment

The European Union and Russia have both confirmed that EU High Representative Josep Borrell will travel to Moscow next week for meetings with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. The visit will go ahead despite increasing consternation within the EU following the arrest of Sergey Navalny and clampdown on peaceful protests that followed in many parts of Russia over the weekend.
Editor's choice
News
Intensive diplomatic activity as Turkey and EU seek ways to restart relationship

Intensive diplomatic activity as Turkey and EU seek ways to restart relationship

After meeting Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Brussels on Friday (22 January) European Council president Charles Michel tweeted that dialogue needs to produce tangible outcomes. Michel and Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are expected to visit Ankara soon at the invitation of president Erdogan.