• Insight by Katinka Barysch, 19 July 2010

    The US is withdrawing from the former Soviet space; the European Union struggles to be taken seriously there. Does that leave Russia free to strengthen its influence in the countries around its borders? Not necessarily, for the situation in the region is complex.

  • Policy brief by Katinka Barysch, 05 May 2010

    Nabucco - a pipeline to bring Caspian and perhaps Middle Eastern gas to Europe - is the flagship project of the EU's fledgling energy diplomacy. Nabucco would add to the EU's energy security, strengthen its neighbourhood policies and improve relations with Turkey.

  • Opinion piece by Tomas Valasek
    Financial Times, 27 April 2010

    The new Ukrainian president has got off to a bad start in foreign policy terms. Last week, Viktor Yanukovich signed a lease agreement with Moscow that will allow the Russian Black Sea Fleet to stay in Ukraine for at least another 32 years.

  • Bulletin article by Tomas Valasek, 01 December 2009

    There is no rule for how a government desiring to join the EU should make its case. But countries that managed to accede in recent years had done so by observing a few simple guidelines: cultivate friends among EU governments, be prepared to make painful sacrifices and, above all, show patience and good faith.

  • Insight by Katinka Barysch, 11 November 2009

    It is 20 years since the Berlin Wall crumbled and political and economic freedom started spreading through Eastern Europe. Today, however, the region is mired in deep recession.

  • Opinion piece by Tomas Valasek
    The Wall Street Journal, 24 August 2009

    The European Union just helped put together a consortium of international banks to offer Kiev up to $3.6 billion in loans to buy Russian gas.

  • Opinion piece by Katinka Barysch
    Time Europe, 13 July 2009

    Russia's economy - until recently one of the fastest growing in Europe - is in dire straits. In the first three months of this year, output fell by 10% compared with a year earlier.

  • CER - University of Birmingham, Essay by Clara Marina O'Donnell, 01 May 2009

    Sluggish economic growth, high unemployment, ageing populations, climate change and security challenges on the borders of Europe have been some of the top priorities on the European agenda since the early 1990s. The EU has tried to tackle these issues, notably through its commitments to reduce greenhouse gases and its Lisbon strategy for economic growth.