Sunday, April 5, 2020
The European Commission says it has reallocated more than 140 million euros to help Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine in their fight against the coronavirus pandemic. In a statement on March 30, the commission said it would also “redirect the use of existing instruments” worth up to 700 million euros to help the six countries of the EU’s Eastern Partnership programme mitigate the socioeconomic impact of the…
The largest US exercises in Europe over the past 25 years, Defender Europe 2020 did not withstand the impact of the Сoronavirus and were canceled. 5.5 thousand American soldiers managed to arrive in Germany, but ships from the United States, which were sent to Germany, were turned around halfway. Defender Europe – 2020 exercises should have been given considerable attention to Poland and the Baltic states, however, the United States…
Democracy has also been infected by the coronavirus . All normal, everyday features of a healthy democracy are suffering from the pandemic, as checks on governments weaken due to the all-out fightback. Elections are being postponed across Europe, parliaments’ work has been streamlined, gone online or closed, some courts only deal with urgent cases, freedom of assembly has been suspended, and journalists are forced to work from home rather…
The EU is moving closer to opening accession talks with North Macedonia and Albania, at least in part because of a determination to show that the bloc can still function despite the coronavirus pandemic. The bloc’s foreign and Europe ministers will on Tuesday discuss a proposal, seen by POLITICO, on opening talks with the two Balkan countries and are expected to give their backing. The talks will be held by videoconference.…
The European Commission on Wednesday published five key priorities for the Eastern Partnership programme, one of key Lithuanian foreign policy priorities. Launched with six Eastern neighbours in 2009, EaP is often hailed as one of the bloc’s more successful foreign policy initiatives. Read more: EU signs visa agreement with Belarus, ending decade-long deadlock The proposal found that the current objectives of the EU’s policy for engagement with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus,…
Starting with the 50s years of the 20th century European countries has been taking efforts to unite. Europe has been living in the European Union format since signing the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. This treaty created the European Union with its pillars system, including foreign and home affairs alongside the European Community. The European states did their best to pursue an independent policy, develop collective responsibilities and rights. It was…
As the coronavirus pandemic is spreading worldwide, there is a growing risk of an economic recession in the European Union, Žygimantas Mauricas, an economist at Luminor bank, says. Past figures show that epidemic-hit countries often face recession, he says. The good new, however, is that in most cases does not last more than two quarters, according to Mauricas, and an epidemic’s economic impact is strongest during the first months. “If…
At the University of Latvia in Riga, the face of innovation is drastically changing. Experts from the Institute’s Solid State Physics department (ISSP UL) are revolutionising the way in which the field of solid-state physics is carried out and applied. Not only has it just been upgraded to what their managers claim is the “most advanced” Centre of Excellence for education, research, innovation and technology transfer in the Baltic States, but it…
A separate EU defence would duplicate NATO functions and lead to confusion, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda says. Addressing the Bucharest Nine meeting of foreign ministers in Vilnius on Tuesday, the Lithuanian president insisted that “the transatlantic link is by far the most important one” to ensure the region’s security. “We need the US to remain a European power. This is the only winning strategy. For all of us,” Nausėda said.…
Senior officials from the Baltic states and Poland on March 5 released a joint statement voicing their full backing for the European Union membership hopes of countries in the western Balkans. The statement was released at the end of a joint visit to the region and is reproduced below. We, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as well as the Estonian Undersecretary for European Affairs, having…
