The EU’s influence on its greater neighbourhood - from Eastern Europe to Central Asia and North Africa - is fading in some places but offers under-utilised potential in others, according to Richard Youngs, research director at a Spanish think-tank, who presented a new study this week in Brussels. (22.1.2010)
The European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) yesterday (19 January) agreed on a two-year programme of €2.65 million to boost macro- and micro-prudential supervision in the Western Balkans and Turkey. (21.1.2010)
Western Balkan countries have not yet found a modus vivendi on how to deal with Kosovo and its hybrid status. Serbia’s decision to call back its ambassador from Montenegro on Monday (18 January), following the latter’s decision to establish diplomatic relations with the would-be nation is only the latest in a series of examples.
Without Turkey bridging the gap between East and West on issues such as energy security, foreign policy and cooperation in the Middle East, the EU’s goal of exerting strong regional influence will be diminished, said Turkish Ambassador to Germany Ahmet Acet in a wide-ranging interview with EurActiv Germany. (19.1.2010)
Ukraine faces a 7 February run-off vote between opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich and populist Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko after a presidential election produced no outright winner, early official results showed on Monday.
Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine’s prime minister, has promised that her country will become an EU member if she is elected president in February, the press in Kiev reports. (15.1.2010)
In the immediate aftermath of Croatian presidential elections held on 10 January, authoritative Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera published an interview with newly-elected Ivo Josipovic who foresees a potential halt to the war between Croatia and Serbia at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague regarding genocide accusations.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko raised the temperature ahead of presidential elections on 17 January, warning her main rival she would challenge the result in court if she suspected the poll had been rigged. (12.1.2010)
Opposition Social Democrat Ivo Josipovic convincingly won the presidential election yesterday (10 January), promising to help the government’s efforts to complete European Union membership talks and join the bloc in 2012. (11.1.2010)
Iceland’s prime minister said on 8 January she was ready to put her trust in voters to ratify a deal aimed at repaying Britain and the Netherlands more than $5 billion arising from the country’s banking collapse. (11.1.2010)
Articles written by the EurActiv CrossLingual Network that relate to the enlargement of the European Union. Click here to read more.
