Latest Articles about Europe

GAZPROM HALTS GAS SUPPLIES TO MOLDOVA

On January 1, Russia's Gazprom imposed a total halt on gas deliveries to Moldova. The management in Moscow issued an internal order to its dispatchers on Ukraine's territory to reduce the supplies to Moldova to "zero level" (Moldpres, January 2). Gazprom has not officially announced... MORE

YUSHCHENKO CHALLENGES CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

On January 1, 2006, Ukraine began its transformation from a semi-presidential republic into a parliamentary democracy. The reform is in line with the constitutional amendments that the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) passed at the height of the Orange Revolution in late 2004. This was a compromise... MORE

“Mujahideen of the Lowlands” on Trial in the Netherlands

The trial of 14 young radical Muslims is attracting widespread attention in Holland and elsewhere. This article examines the network and explains how young second-generation immigrants are radicalized to pose an unprecedented security threat to the Dutch state. Mohammed Bouyeri, who is already serving a... MORE

OSCE-RUSSIA MILITARY PLAN FOR MOLDOVA CRITICIZED IN VIENNA

Moldova remains at the top of the European security agenda in the aftermath of the OSCE's year-end ministerial conference. On December 8 at OSCE headquarters in Vienna, Russian special envoy Valery Nesterushkin, the OSCE Moldova Mission's American chief William Hill, and that Mission's Military Consultant,... MORE

TYMOSHENKO FACES RIVAL CLAIM TO BE ANTI-YUSHCHENKO ORANGE FACTION

The youth group Pora (It's Time), which played an important role in Ukraine's Orange Revolution in November-December 2004, is set to contest the March 2006 parliamentary elections in an alliance with the Reforms and Order (RiP) party (pora.org.ua). The once united Orange coalition will now... MORE

BELARUS FACING SEVERE DEMOGRAPHIC PROBLEMS

The image of Belarus propagated for domestic consumption by the authorities is one of relative prosperity, civil peace, and stability. However, that image is increasingly belied by the evident failure to take adequate measures to offset a looming demographic crisis. According to some analysts, the... MORE

TYMOSHENKO COMES UP WITH ELECTION STRATEGY

Former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has formed an electoral bloc on the basis of her Fatherland party for next year's parliamentary polls. Tymoshenko apparently believes that her own high popularity should be enough for a good performance in the election -- there are no... MORE

KREMLIN HAS UPPER HAND IN GAS NEGOTIATIONS WITH UKRAINE

President Vladimir Putin's December 8 televised argument for tripling the price of Russian gas to Ukraine, in cash only, as of 2006 (see EDM, December 9) in effect rejected President Viktor Yushchenko's plea by telephone the previous day for moving slowly to market terms over... MORE

DOES UKRAINE REALLY HAVE COUNTER LEVERS FOR GAS SUPPLIES?

As tensions increase on all sides of the Ukrainian gas delivery dispute, each player must review its strategic assets. Kyiv may have at least three forms of counter-leverage at its disposal to prevent bankruptcy or the need to surrender partial control of its transit pipeline... MORE