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European Leaders Agree To Czech Demands Over Lisbon Treaty

EU leaders have agreed to allow the Czech Republic to opt out of a part of the EU's reform treaty, removing one of the last barriers to ratification. The Swedish EU presidency says talks must now shift to the climate. READ MORE

Power Struggle Defines Debate Over Europe's New Foreign Service

By Michael Knigge

Everyone agrees that the EU needs a powerful diplomatic corps to pull its global weight. But when it comes to creating the new service old turf battles could undermine a debate over the role of the new body. READ MORE

Demands For More Reform By Turkey Lessen EU Membership Chances

By Dorian Jones

The European Commission's annual progress report on Turkish membership says Ankara has improved its handling of human rights issues and the Kurdish minority. But it says that a lot more work needs to be done for it to become an EU member. The report is being met with little enthusiasm in Turkey as doubts over its bid to become a member continues to grow. READ MORE

The promise of emerging democracies

By Nursultan Nazarbayev

The world is remaking itself. Amid pressing economic challenges and multinational security concerns, new alliances are forming. Global commerce along with governments are bringing down borders, opening relationships and creating opportunity. Kazakhstan, like most emerging democracies, is cautiously optimistic, with a pragmatism steeped in the hard lessons of history. Policies have consequences; alliances can liberate as well as captivate. With the stroke of a pen, superpower leaders like Presidents Obama and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia can reverse a decade of tepid relations to put forces and agendas into motion that affect all of us. READ MORE

Astana and the EU Intend to Intensify Bilateral Cooperation on the Eve of Kazakhstan Presidency in OSCE

The Ambassador of Kazakhstan, the Head of the Mission of the Republic to the EU and NATO Erik Utembayev met the Secretary General of the European Union Javier Solana in Brussels. READ MORE

Estonia and Kazakhstan Agreed on Cooperation

During an official visit to Kazakhstan, Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip signed two bilateral agreements within the meeting with Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Massimov.  According to the news agency REGNUM Novosti, on September 7th Estonian Government Office received the both agreements – one on the issue of visas abolishment for diplomats of both countries, and on the issue of economic, scientific and technical cooperation. READ MORE

Lithuania and France as Strategic Partners

President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė and President of the Republic of France Nicolas Sarkozy signed a strategic partnership agreement which is the first document of this kind in the history of the two countries. READ MORE

Can Belarusians Expect Fair Play on the Issue of Visas?

By Yekaterina Glod

The thesis that the EU is perceived by citizens of Eastern Europe in the light of its visa policy towards them is hardly a new one. Indeed, for most applicants, a meeting with a consular officer constitutes their first opportunity to come face to face with those representing the EU. In this regard, the way in which this process is carried out can either contribute to a positive image of the European Union in the eyes of the outside world, or on the contrary it can significantly diminish the reputation of EU Member States, particularly when the visa application process could become, as stated by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, a “bureaucratic and costly nightmare.” READ MORE

Transformation Without Revolution

Will Astana Become a Unique Basis for Dialogue of the Heads of OSCE States? READ MORE

Caspian Passions

By Elem Rustamov

The new round of Russian Government attention to the issue of the Caspian Sea legal status determination, specified by President Dmitry Medvedev during the recent meeting in Astrakhan, called a disruptive reaction among pre-Caspian states. READ MORE