Latest Articles about Europe's East
EUROPEAN UNION PUTS A TOE IN MOLDOVA
Responding to Moldova's appeals after years of procrastination, the European Union has decided to institute an EU Special Representative to Moldova, with a focus on Transnistria conflict settlement (AP, February 8). The decision must be welcomed as progress. But it follows the EU's style of... MORE
UKRAINE HAS NEW CABINET
On February 4 Ukraine's parliament approved President Viktor Yushchenko's choice for prime minister, his populist ally Yulia Tymoshenko. She mustered 375 "yes" votes in the 450-seat body, beating the record set by Pavlo Lazarenko, whose bid for prime minister was supported by 344 parliamentarians in... MORE
THE RISE AND FALL OF UKRAINE’S SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Ukraine's Social Democratic United Party (SDPUo), the oligarchic party that gained the most from Leonid Kuchma's second term in office, is now faced with a deep crisis that will ultimately be its undoing. Unfortunately for Viktor Medvedchuk, its leader and the former head of the... MORE
PORA! TAKES TWO DIFFERENT PATHS
The radical youth group and anti-Leonid Kuchma youth movement PORA! (It's Time!) has been acclaimed for its contribution to Viktor Yushchenko's victory in Ukraine's recent presidential elections. The two wings of the group, known as "Black" PORA and "Yellow" PORA, held a united congress on... MORE
TYMOSHENKO STEAMS ONWARD TO PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE
Ukraine's new president, Viktor Yushchenko, nominated his populist ally, Yulia Tymoshenko, for prime minister on January 24 (see EDM, January 26) and submitted her candidacy to parliament on January 28. The Ukrainian constitution requires that a simple majority in the legislature, that is 226 votes... MORE
THE RISE AND FALL OF SOCIAL DEMOCRACY IN BELARUS
On January 18, the organization "Free Belarus" nominated Mikalay Statkevich as a candidate for the next presidential election, stating that its campaign must adopt the flag of the European Union and that its symbol should be a cornflower. The nomination followed two others from the... MORE
YUSHCHENKO OUTLINES UKRAINE’S DESIRE TO “RETURN TO EUROPE”
This week the EU finally came round to the conclusion that Viktor's Yushchenko's support for Ukraine "returning to Europe" is no hollow rhetoric. Former president Leonid Kuchma also spoke of "returning to Europe" in 1998, when he first outlined plans for Ukraine to join the... MORE
YUSHCHENKO IN STRASBOURG: EUROPEAN ASPIRATIONS VERSUS ZERO-SUM GAMES
Addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on January 25, President Viktor Yushchenko defined "Ukrainians as a European nation that could not tolerate an assault on its freedoms, [and] stood up and defended their right to a free and fair election."... MORE
YULIA TYMOSHENKO TO BECOME UKRAINIAN PRIME MINISTER
One day after he was inaugurated as Ukraine's third president, Viktor Yushchenko appointed a powerful and radical triumvirate. Yulia Tymoshenko, of the eponymous bloc, was named prime minister; businessman Petro Poroshenko secretary of the National Security Council; and Oleksandr Zinchenko, the head of the Yushchenko... MORE
YUSHCHENKO IN MOSCOW
On January 24, one day after his inauguration as President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko paid a visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Yushchenko thus fulfilled a campaign promise to head for Moscow on his first presidential trip abroad, as a reassuring gesture to opponents in... MORE