Latest Articles about Europe
Tymoshenko Defeats Yanukovych in Parliament
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on February 5. The motion was backed by 203 votes, 23 short of the number required in the 450-seat chamber to oust the government. This was another victory of this kind for Tymoshenko, who... MORE
Will Lukashenka Be Welcomed in Prague?
Since last October, the European Union, through an Eastern Partnership Program originally initiated last summer by Poland and Sweden, has taken several steps to normalize relations with Belarus. For some members of the opposition, the maneuvers appear to abandon the EU's former insistence on democratization... MORE
The Russian-Central European Gas Conflict Continues
While the Ukrainian-Russian gas conflict appears to have been resolved, its fallout is still reverberating throughout Central Europe. In Poland, RosUkrEnergo (RUE), the Swiss based middleman that was dropped from the Ukrainian-Russian-Central Asian gas trade on January 20, has failed to meet its contractual obligations... MORE
Who Owns the Gas in Ukraine’s Underground Reservoirs?
The gas dispute that left half of Europe without gas in early January was officially settled by accords signed by Gazprom and Naftohaz Ukrainy in Moscow on January 19 and 20. The clash, however, is apparently not over. Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash, who owns the... MORE
New York Times Provides Fresh Details of Accusations against Kadyrov
The New York Times on February 1 provided fresh details about the accusations made against Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov by Umar Israilov, the ex-rebel fighter that became Kadyrov's bodyguard who was murdered in Vienna on January 13 (North Caucasus Weekly, January 15, 23 and 30).... MORE
Chancellor Merkel’s Letter Perturbs EU’s Energy Debate
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reacted negatively to the high-level meeting in Budapest, which improved the prospects for European Union funding of the Nabucco gas transport project (see EDM, January 29, 30). Merkel has taken a contrary position in a confidential letter to EU Commission... MORE
Slovak Government Invites Gazprom into the Country
On January 23 in Bratislava, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Gazprom Vice-President Aleksandr Medvedev announced the intention to create a Slovak-Gazprom joint enterprise. Fico stated specifically that he wanted such an enterprise to compete against SPP (Slovensky plynarensky priemysel--Slovak Gas Industry), the joint company... MORE
Gazprom to Reduce Gas Transit to Europe on Ukraine-Slovakia Route
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and Gazprom Vice-President Aleksandr Medvedev have launched talks about creating a Slovak-Gazprom joint enterprise. They announced on January 23 in Bratislava that the proposed new entity would compete against SPP, a company that is owned jointly by the Slovak state... MORE
Ukrainian Chief Banker in Legal Limbo
The Ukrainian parliament has exacerbated both the political and economic crises in Ukraine by voting to dismiss National Bank (NBU) head Volodymyr Stelmakh. Consequently, it is not clear who is running the central bank in a country that has been among the hardest hit by... MORE
Nabucco Conference in Budapest, Part Two: Gas Supply and Transport—Diversification’s Twin Sides
The high-level conference in Budapest on the Nabucco gas project (see EDM, January 20, 22, 23, 27, 29) underscored a reality that seems to slip from the conceptual grasp of some influential West European circles. This reality is that diversification of supply sources and transport... MORE