Tensions erupted during this summer in the Balkans after the government’s declaration that identity documents and vehicle license plates issued by Serbia would not be valued in Kosovo, as the Kosovo-issued documents are not valued in Serbia. The Serbs who live in the north of Kosovo and have Belgrade-issued plates and documents have strongly reacted to such a decision, although …

En of august, the EU foreign ministers have agreed to restrict the entry of Russian citizens into Europe in the future. How far this should go, however, remains controversial. Foreign ministers are somewhat of the chief diplomats of their countries, and this is usually reflected in their language. But when EU foreign ministers discussed a visa ban on Russian tourists …

Giorgia Meloni could become head of government in Rome this Sunday 25th of September. Are the worries about Italy turning away from Europe justified ? Almost 3 weeks ago, the election program of the right-wing conservative party “Fratelli d’Italia” (Brothers of Italy) was published. In recent polls, the party led by Giorgia Meloni has a 25 percent approval rating and …

Sweden saw itself as an open country, a humanitarian world power. Now that the right-wing populists gained influence on the government for the first time, the new prime minister bears a great responsibility. The Swedish prime minister has initiated the change of power with her withdrawal. That’s how it’s been done for a long time, and that’s how it’s always …

According to a report from the European Parliament, Hungary is challenging the fundamental values of the EU treaties. However, the EU is partly to blame by letting it slide for too long. Hungary is no longer a full-fledged democracy. Instead, conditions in the central European country have deteriorated so much that it has become an “electoral autocracy”, according to a …

Because many things in Hungary can only be decided by a two-thirds majority, Viktor Orbán does  not concentrate all his attention to centrist voters when courting support. The result is almost inevitably populism. The good(ish) news first. There will be no exit of Hungary from the EU, not with Viktor Orbán, who, on the contrary, is preparing for a stronger …

Italy’s role and reputation on the international stage have been unstable – to say the least. The rapid alternation of coalition governments and their inability to come to full term, as well as the long history of scandals and criminal activity tied to the political elites have often made the country a laughingstock for its European neighbours and the rest …

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Romania said they were in favor of granting Ukraine immediate official status as a candidate for European Union membership. Shortly afterwards, the European Commission announced on June 17 that it had validated Ukraine’s application for membership. This declaration is a very strong message from three major Western European countries and Romania in favor …

Croatia will be the 20th European country to enter the Euro zone as of January 2023, following its application to adopt Euro currency in 2013. While Euro currency has been devalued and reached equal exchange rate with US dollar for the first time since its implementation in 2002, on Tuesday 12 July 2022, the Council of the European Union approved …

            First of all, the good personal chemistry between the two presidents plays its role. Putin and Erdogan are both adepts of speaking frankly, and they present this as an asset in inter-state relations, making it possible to overcome differences and blockages. In fact, each time the different stands they have on Syria, Armenia, NATO, Libya… threatened to reach the …