Where is Europe set to go after the 2004 and 2007 enlargement waves? Are the Western Balkans next to join? Can the other ex-Yugoslav republics be kept out once Croatia has become an EU member state? And most controversially: What future for Turkey and Europe?

I was quite impressed by the statement made by Hido Biščević, secretary-general of the Regional Cooperation Council for South Eastern Europe (RCC) in an interview, that the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is “extremely worrisome” and now appears to be turning into a “dormant frozen conflict”.
“To be very honest, I think [...]

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This question was recently raised at round tables held in Paris and Berlin.
My short answer is no. Bulgaria and Romania are countries with a more difficult transition, but keeping them out for longer would have been a worse choice. I didn’t say a worst mistake.
Let’s not forget that Sofia and Bucharest were promised accession on [...]

The Dutch extreme-right Freedom Party, led by controversial anti-Islamist Geert Wilders, looks set to make large electoral gains at the upcoming general election in the Netherlands. And it could well become part of the next government coalition.
Even the outgoing government of Jan Peter Balkenende was creating enough obstacles for further enlargement. Dutch opposition [...]

Turkey is sailing to the European Union slowly, but it is sailing. That is very important. The Finnish Mr Olli Rehn (a friend of the turkish president Mr Abdullah Gül) does know that many politicians in the EU are subjective regarding the negotiations between Turkey and the EU. But he repeated a few times that [...]

I find it weird. Yanukovich, whom the Western press tagged as pro-Russian, is reportedly getting more support from Brussels compared to his pro-NATO predecessor Yushchenko.
In any case, this is a good development, as I see it. the EU has to be more explicit on what it can offer to Ukraine. And if Russia raises the [...]

Last few weeks have shown the real face of Montenegrin political system once again. Opposition leader Mr Nebojsa Medojevic was attacked on the street because he publicly spoke about top crime boss in Montenegro, whom he accused to have power over Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic. The police arrested the perpetrator, who is said to be family-related to an [...]

Ironic that the European Commission’s positive report on Iceland’s application to join the EU, produced in just six months, should have coincided with the breakdown of talks over the €3.9 billion which the Netherlands and the UK are demanding from Iceland for the collapse of the Icesave bank. It is widely predicted that Icelanders will [...]

The V4+ Energy Summit held in Budapest on 24-26 February ended in a joint declaration signed by the V4 plus Austria, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, and the perspective member state Croatia (along with Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina). If these countries show such unity as they had in the March 2009 economic crisis summit, it can put a great empire back on the power equation of Europe. The former Habsburg Empire had stretched over (most of the current territories) of these countries. The combined voting or market power of this 8 + 1 member states could hardly be excluded from any EU deal - theoretically. What political and economic forces can help and undermine this new regional block within the EU?

As I wrote in my previous article, the ones within the military who planned a coup not only do not represent the turksih army, but also are traitors against the republic and Atatürk. They are traitors against Atatürk because a coup would have only caused huge damage to Turkey. So I do believe that those [...]

Sir,
Regarding ‘EU ponders ‘what to offer’ to Ukraine‘:
According to the employee of the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and Eastern European Studies of the University of Georgetown (USA), Mr. J.Kulhanek, and the scientific employee of Association of Foreign Affairs in Prague, Mr. M. Larish, after the first round of elections in Ukraine it became clear that [...]

This story about EU accession for Icleand was published by EurActiv on 25th February 2010.
Iceland yesterday (24 February) took an important step towards EU accession, as the European Commission officially recommended opening membership talks with the island country.
As expected, Czech Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle said Iceland had been given the green light by the Commission [...]

Author: Katka Karcolova (EVS volunteer in Macedonia)
Photos: Katka Karcolova
Macedonia? Hmm, that might be too much. That was the first idea, which came to my mind when I found my hosting organisation. It is true that I wanted to go to the Balkans from the beginning, but I had never thought about [...]

Bulgarian agriculture minister Miroslav Naydenov described the ’swaps’ as “the biggest theft” in Bulgaria’s tormented transition from communism to a market economy.
I agree with him.
Under the so-called ’swaps’, local authorities authorise the exchange of privately-owned low-rated land with state-owned parcels located in the most attractive tourist locations.
Those who benefited from the scheme [...]

Today, I couldn’t help but remember the days when French President Nicolas Sarkozy was campaigning to become President in 2007, his speeches then and on the day he was elected. You could disagree with him politically, but no one can deny that he had charisma, and when listening to him, I had but one reaction: [...]

In Iran the Islamic Revolution (1979) is the most significant political development in the second half of the twentieth century and the event which led to the formation of the political system of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is commemorated annually with a march to the Freedom Square (Meidan-e Azadi) in Tehran [...]

Author: Agnes Lima
It’s raining again this morning and the wind makes a rustling noise when it rubs against the windows. It’s the second week that I refuse to carry my umbrella with me and I seek shelter under the eaves of the buildings stretching along the way to my office that is [...]

Consider for a moment the following scenario. The leaders of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Sudan decide to create an African economic comunity. By putting aside their historical differences, they adopt the necessary institutional framework, prompting a boom in investment, exports and jobs. These developments attract resource-poor, cash-rich Britain. On the basis of its colonial past [...]

The EU has failed its first test of external unity under the Lisbon Treaty. It is normal for governments to address messages of congratulation to heads of government/state after being democratically elected or confirmed. Such messages are usually synchronised in the EU, and this was agreed last week by EU ambassadors in Kiev in the [...]

I observed one week of post-election commentaries (some more sources here): this is my short ‘net take’.
But before attempting to answer this question, let’s get rid of one frequent misconception in Western reporting: that the Presidential elections was a choice between Russia and Europe.
Here is a clear quote from an interview by www.EurActiv.sk of Dr [...]