EU rings the alarm bell for France, Italy, Spain and Slovenia
The European Commission has warned of deepening economic problems in France, Italy and Spain, and said Slovenia must take urgent steps to offset the risk of a wider destabilisation across the eurozone. READ MORE
South Stream shapes European Energy Security, Nabucco Falls Behind EU-, US-backed Nabucco gasline project trails Russia's South Stream
The Eastern Europe unanimously placed its bet on the South Stream. Plain fact is that the new Europeans chose to protect their national interests in spite of all temptations and threats from Brussels and Washington. Now the South Stream business blueprint is complete and it is entering construction stage. By the end of 2018 the pipeline is planned to reach a transport capacity of 63 billion cubic meters per year – enough gigajoules to supply energy needs of 38 million households. What has encouraged the pro-South Stream choice of Eastern European political elites presuming their frosty relations with Russia? Why did they not resort to broadly advertised alternatives? READ MORE
Revamping Euro-Atlantic Security
Security policies in the Euro-Atlantic region — an area that includes six of the world’s 10 largest economies, four of the five declared nuclear weapon states, and more than 95 percent of global nuclear inventories — are dangerously out of date and demand urgent attention. With a new approach that is grounded in today’s opportunities and challenges, the European community, Russia and the United States can chart a more secure path for their people and the world and avoid the risks and costs of a new downward spiral in relations between states. READ MORE
Asian countries can unite against protectionism through Boao Forum
The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference 2013 closes Monday. The theme of this year's BFA is "Asia Seeking Development for All: Restructuring, Responsibility and Cooperation." Given that economic recovery was not steady in 2012 and the outlook in 2013 is still not optimistic, all Asian countries have to search for common interests, transcend differences and seek common development. READ MORE
US Urges Balanced Economic Approach in Europe
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew is telling Europe it needs to adopt new policies to boost economic growth, but his advice has been met coolly in Germany. READ MORE
The Cypriot Euro Crisis is Also About Germany and Russia
There were messy and embarrassing mistakes along the way. But, in the end, German Chancellor Angela Merkel got what she wanted: an end to the endemic system of money laundering and corruption in Cyprus. READ MORE
Turkish minister Egemen Bagis in Vilnius: Islam is European reality
Turkey's ability to have Islam and democracy coexisting together can help fight extremism in Europe where the Muslim population will continue to rise, Turkish Minister for European Union Affairs Egemen Bagis says. READ MORE
Redefining the relevance of Europe in an Asian age
With China’s sights set firmly on taking over from the United States as the world’s largest economy in the next decade, Europe’s engagement with China is critical during this transition phase for a number of reasons, write Javier Solana and Kevin Rudd. READ MORE
A bailout for Cyprus, a geopolitical failure for Russia
Russia has a few interests at stake in the European Union bailout for Cyprus. The first and most obvious is that Russian citizens stand to lose billions of dollars worth of savings in Cyprus’s banking sector, which serves as a low-tax haven for Russian oligarchs. Those oligarchs, remember, wield outsize political power within Russia. The second is that Cyprus is a political client state of Moscow’s, a helpful little ally on such matters as sending arms to Syria. The third is symbolic, and doesn’t actually have that much to do with Cyprus itself, but with Russia’s standing in Europe. READ MORE
Nationalists in power
The rise of nationalism in that if a country or region depends on the level of drive people, their maturity and ability to develop independently. Without such a foundation in society there will be no national movement, no major party or leader. In this sense, the example of Belgium, is very significant. If you look at the composition of the Parliament, it contains powerful position of Flemish nationalists who want to separate and Francophone nationalists hopeless, despite the proximity to France, where densely rooted nationalism, including in the face of "National Front" Dynasty Le Pen. READ MORE
