Latest Articles about Europe's East
Gazprom Enlists More Western Allies in South Stream
On June 19, at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Gazprom announced the appointment of Marcel Kramer as chairman of the board and CEO of South Stream AG, the company designated to build and operate the pipeline in the Black Sea (the overland sections are separate... MORE
Gazprom Again Reconfigures the South Stream Project
Bulgaria’s suspension of the South Stream project on its territory is forcing Gazprom to reconfigure South Stream’s overall geography, with uncertain options and prospects (EDM, June 14, 18, 22). Gazprom is also reconfiguring the project’s technical and economic features. Moscow is enlisting influential allies in... MORE
The “Putinization” of Ukraine’s Security Forces
The “Putinization of Ukraine’s media policy” is taking place at the same time in Ukraine’s siloviki (security forces). Both steps lead Ukraine closer to Kuchma’s semi-authoritarian regime and Vladimir Putin’s “managed/sovereign democracy” in Russia.“Putinization” is occurring in both the Interior Ministry (MVS) and Security Service... MORE
Gazprom Play Map Games in the Balkans With South Stream
Romania’s economy ministry announced on June 16 that it had persuaded Gazprom to include Romania, instead of Bulgaria, in South Stream and other gas projects on Romanian territory. The Romanian ministry sounded self-congratulatory about replacing Bulgaria, following Sofia’s suspension of South Stream and other Russian... MORE
Belarus Demands More Concessions From Russia on Oil and Gas
During a visit to Mahileu on June 18, Belarusian President, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, expressed his frustration over his country’s obligatory payment of customs duties for oil and oil products to Moscow, which has delayed the ratification of the Customs Union between Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan that... MORE
Will Yanukovych’s Reform Plan Convince IMF?
Ukrainian President, Viktor Yanukovych, launched his long-awaited reform program with great fanfare, addressing the nation and parliamentarians from the lavish Soviet-style Ukraina palace in central Kyiv on June 3. The document, which details reform plans in the economic sector for 2010-2014, prepared with the help... MORE
More Presidential Candidates Selected in Belarus
Four new candidates have been chosen to run for the Belarusian presidency after congresses and meetings among some of the major opposition parties. They bring the number of declared and potential candidates to around fourteen, and reflect some of the differences and anxieties facing politicians... MORE
First 100 Days of Viktor Yanukovych Explodes Six Myths
Viktor Yanukovych was elected on February 7 and inaugurated as Ukraine’s fourth president on February 25. June 5 marks his first 100 days in office.Yanukovych won the 2010 Ukrainian presidential elections by the lowest margin in Ukrainian history (3.5 percent, compared to the traditional 8... MORE
EU’s Special Representatives’ Posts Need Strengthening in Moldova and South Caucasus
Abolishing the EU’s Special Representative posts in Moldova and South Caucasus, as proposed, would look like de-prioritizing the solution of frozen conflicts, and the European neighborhood’s security (“The EU’s Declaration of Impotence,” RFE/RL, June 2).Since their inception in 2003 and 2005, respectively, these posts are... MORE
Ashton’s Office Proposes Abolishing EU’s Special Representatives for Moldova and South Caucasus
The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, has proposed abolishing the posts of EU Special Representative for Moldova and for the South Caucasus region, the scenes of “frozen” conflicts in the EU’s neighborhood. Scrapping the two posts would reduce the... MORE