Grasp the pattern, read the trend
No. 6, June/2022
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Dear Readers,
Welcome to the June issue of Europe in Review (EiR), in which we provide you a thorough briefing on the latest developments in constitutional affairs, domestic politics, international relations, geopolitics, defence, collective security and human rights in Europe.
Kind wishes,
Henning Glaser
Editor in Chief
Webpage: www.cpg-online.de, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CPGTU
Main Sections
Top 5 Stories - Editors’ Pick
EU, International Relations and Geopolitics
Constitutional Law and Politics in Western Europe
Constitutional Law and Politics in Northern Europe
Constitutional Law and Politics in Central Europe
Constitutional Law and Politics in Southern Europe
Constitutional Law and Politics in Eastern Europe
Constitutional Law and Politics in Southeastern Europe
Top 5 Stories - Editors’ Pick
War in Europe: Russia advancing in south and east of Ukraine
Russia’s assault on the south and east of Ukraine is making slow but steady progress. Moscow’s February 24 flash-fire invasion has become a grinding war of attrition which is threatening global food supplies and testing Ukraine’s economy and resolve to the limit. [Ukrinform] [The Guardian] [The Economist]
Russia has almost gained full control of the Luhansk region in the east. A handful of cities represent the last pocket of Ukrainian defence – tens of thousands of civilians are without water or electricity, trapped under a storm of shelling as Russian forces fire indiscriminately at homes, hospitals, and civilians. [BBC] [EuroNews] [The New York Times] [Ukrinform] [Ukrinform] [NY Post]
Ukrainian troops managed to force Russia’s offensive out of the eastern city of Kharkiv on May 16 – but shelling has continued in Ukraine’s second biggest city as Russian troops appear to have halted their retreat. Kharkiv’s Governor Oleh Synehubov said: “It’s too early to relax. The enemy is again insidiously hitting the civilian population, terrorising them.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky visited troops in Kharkiv on May 29 to thank them. Zelensky also dismissed the city’s security chief “for not working to defend the city from the first days of the full-scale war.” [NY Post] [Reuters] [BBC] [The Moscow Times]
Russia finally took the southern port city of Mariupol on May 20 after a three-month siege. Civilians and final-stand soldiers were evacuated along humanitarian corridors, but some of these troops were taken to Russian-controlled zones, where President Vladimir Putin said they would be treated “in line with the relevant international laws.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with Putin on May 28 calling for the release of these troops. Control of Mariupol means that Moscow now has a land corridor linking mainland Russia and Crimea with southern Ukraine, as well as a launch-pad to drive its war machine north. [BBC] [NY Post] [Forbes]
Ukraine mounted a major counter-offensive to retake Kherson on May 29. The Ukrainian military told the southern port city on Twitter: “Hold on Kherson, we’re coming.” Russia captured Kherson in March after heavy fighting as Moscow forces pushed north from Crimea. [Ukrinform] [The Telegraph]
Writing for Atlantic Council, British academic and Ukraine expert Taras Kuzio believes that Russia’s campaign in the south of Ukraine will “determine whether Vladimir Putin is able to achieve his goal of extinguishing Ukrainian statehood and incorporating large parts of the country into a new Russian Empire.”
Rouble rebound
The Russian economy is so far standing up to the test of Western sanctions. Despite low imports and high consumer prices, the rouble is now the best-performing currency in the world after a bounce-back from its all-time low in March. Russia is pocketing nearly USD 20 billion a month in energy exports, and business from China and India has helped counter declines from Europe and the US. But experts say that sanctions could hit Russia’s economy harder in the long-term. [Markets Insider] [The Economist] [FT]
More than 4,000 civilians have been killed in the war, according to the United Nations, but the actual toll is likely higher. Nearly 12 million people have fled the Ukraine conflict – more than the population of Sweden – including 7 million displaced inside the country. Meanwhile, Ukraine has conducted two war crimes trials: three Russian troops have been handed jail sentences. Kiev consistently accuses Russia of committing genocide. [Fox News] [Al Jazeera] [FT] [Sky News] [Ukrinform] [Reuters]
The UK ministry of defence says that the death toll which Russia has suffered so far in Ukraine is similar to that which the Soviet Union experienced in its 1979-1989 war in Afghanistan. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said between 50 and 100 of Ukraine’s soldiers are dying every day – a further 1,000 are likely wounded in battle each day. [Reuters] [CNN] [FT]
Putin had hoped to annex all of the eastern Donbas region in time for a May 9 Victory Day parade held in Moscow commemorating Russia’s 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany. However, the goose-stepping and trumpet-tooting of the ceremony belied the reality of Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, frustrated and pushed back to the south-east by Ukrainian defence efforts. [The New York Times]
Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist at the Financial Times, said: “The image of this pretty invincible, very tough Russian war machine has taken a huge knock. Even Western intelligence analysts expected Russia to win pretty easily.” [FT]
Reports also suggest that Russia has begun wheeling out Soviet-era tanks as Russian stocks appeared to diminish. These tanks could be more vulnerable to Ukraine’s modern anti-tank weaponry. [Business Insider]
But a flurry of missiles from Russian warships descending on western cities like Lviv, as well as the inch-by-inch gains made by Moscow in the south and east of Ukraine are a reminder of Russia’s might and will to win. Samuel Cranny-Evans, a military analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, a London think-tank, said: “The Russian army is not a spent force yet. It is still fighting, still making advances and still causing Ukrainian losses.” [The New York Times] [FT]
Peace talks remain stalled. Zelensky insists that Kiev wants to regain all its territory from Russia. Zelensky vehemently rejected May 25 suggestions from former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger that Kiev should cede territory in eastern Ukraine to Russia as a means of ending the conflict. Kissinger said: “Negotiations need to begin in the next two months before it creates upheavals and tensions that will not be easily overcome […] Pursuing the war beyond that point would not be about the freedom of Ukraine, but a new war against Russia itself.” US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on May 15 urged his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu to implement an “immediate ceasefire.” [CNN] [Reuters][CNN] [Newsweek] [CNN]
Cracks across the EU
Finding a path to peace has also caused cracks to appear across the European Union, observers note. French President Macron has floated the idea of a “two-tier Europe”; Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s idea of “federal pragmatism” calls for decisions to be made without full bloc unanimity; and Austria’s Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg has called for the EU to speed up its membership process and give the green light to accession bids from Ukraine and Moldova as a matter of urgency. [EuroNews] [EuroNews] [The Economist] [FT]
Writing for Atlantic Council, UkraineAlert editor Peter Dickinson said: “[M]any voices in the international arena have yet to fully grasp the sheer scale of Russia’s imperial ambitions and seem to believe some kind of negotiated settlement remains possible. This is dangerous wishful thinking. There can be no compromise with the Kremlin as long as Putin seeks to wipe Ukraine off the map.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, praised the European Union at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland for what he called its “revolutionary, ground-breaking decisions.” [Republic World]
The European Commission is drawing up plans to mitigate the impact of Russia potentially cutting gas supplies to more of Europe. Russian gas supplier Gazprom stopped deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria in April, and turned off the taps to Finland when the Nordic country led Sweden in applying for NATO membership on May 18. But amid efforts to phase out Russian gas in Europe, potential EU candidate country Serbia on May 29 announced a three-year gas supply deal with Russia. On May 30, EU leaders agreed to ban Russian oil deliveries by sea by the end of the year. The ban will not cover oil supplied by pipeline and needed by landlocked countries with scant access to non-Russian fuel. [FT] [Reuters] [Euractiv] [Al Jazeera] [Reuters]
The EU has also floated the idea of using frozen Russian assets to fund the rebuilding of Ukraine. A Russian spokesperson said that using frozen assets in this way would amount to “outright theft”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Western countries of waging “total war” on Russia and “using the widest range of tools – from unilateral economic sanctions to thoroughly false propaganda in the global media space.” [Handelsblatt] [Reuters] [CNN] [Washington Post] [Times of Israel]
President Zelensky has said that Ukraine will need USD 7 billion a month to cover the economic losses of the Russian war. In May, EU and G7 nations agreed to allocate a further USD 9.5 billion each to Ukraine. [Reuters]
Following his praise for the EU, Kuleba went on to accuse NATO of “doing literally nothing” in the face of Russia’s invasion. NATO has repeatedly said that it would not be drawn into direct conflict with Moscow – but its nations’ forces have lined the border with Russia. [The Week] [The Guardian]
Long-range missiles? Biden says ‘no’
In Washington, US President Joe Biden signed off on USD 40 billion of additional military, economic and humanitarian support for Ukraine on May 21. The US has now spent more than USD 54 billion on the war in Ukraine. On May 30, Biden rejected Kiev’s request for long-range missiles capable of reaching targets inside Russia. US officials expressed concern that Moscow would view the delivery of these weapons as a provocation which could escalate the conflict. [FT] [CNN] [Reuters] [The New York Times] [The Guardian]
European leaders – Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer, Germany’s Chancellor Scholz, and French President Macron – have urged Putin to allow stores of 25 million tonnes of grain to leave Ukraine amid fears of an impending global food shortage. Ukraine and Russia together export 30 percent of the world’s wheat. According to Oxford University data scientist Dr Hannah Ritchie, lower-income countries in the Middle East and Africa which are most dependent on Ukrainian and Russian wheat exports are most likely to be hit. But Ukraine’s export problem will not have the global catastrophic effect which many headlines suggest, said Dr Ritchie. [FT] [EuroNews] [Republic World] [The Economist] [Sky News] [AP]
Ukraine and Poland on May 23 agreed to work together to help reroute Ukrainian exports from the sea via a shared railway company, which also aims to ease the movement of people fleeing Ukraine. [Reuters]
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Russia’s nuclear threats – how credible are they?
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, a constant worry has been escalation. As the Ukrainians mount a strong defence, analysts and strategists have been asking themselves whether Moscow could do the seemingly unthinkable and reach for its atomic arsenal. The Kremlin has not shied away from reminding its opponents that it has such an option, but the question is: how credible are these threats, and how likely is the war in Ukraine to turn nuclear?
During Moscow’s military build-up at Ukraine’s border in late 2020 and 2021, talks on a new nuclear weapons limitation treaty between the United States and Russia collapsed.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned that without a new treaty, Moscow would be forced to station medium-range nuclear weapons on its European territory – while Belarussian president Aleksandr Lukashenko expressed a willingness to host them. [Reuters] [VOA News] [Guardian]
The first outright threats came as Russia staged its “Grom-2022” nuclear drills in February 2022. Amid denials that he was planning an invasion of Ukraine, Putin personally oversaw the exercises with Lukashenko. [Associated Press] [The Barents Observer] [RFE/RL]
Shortly after embarking on his so-called “special operation” in Ukraine on February 24, Putin warned that countries that attempted to intervene would face “consequences they have never seen” as Russia placed its nuclear deterrent forces on the highest alert. [Guardian] [Deutsche Welle] [BBC News] [Financial Times]
Against a backdrop of military setbacks in Ukraine and mounting Western sanctions, Russia’s nuclear threats became more explicit.
Putin threatened “lightning-fast” retaliatory strikes as NATO countries stepped up their supply of military equipment to Ukraine in March and April. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov invoked the spectre of nuclear war in late April as combat operations in Ukraine’s east intensified. Lavrov warned Russia’s opponents not to “underestimate” the risk of nuclear conflict – stating that the danger was “serious, real”. [Reuters] [Politico Europe][RTÉ] [Financial Times]
Speaking to Foreign Policy, Matthew Bunn, an international relations professor and nuclear arms expert at Harvard University, argued that Moscow’s goal was intimidation. Bunn believes that “from a military point of view [Putin] doesn’t really need to use nuclear weapons”. However, he also warned that such threats would make future nuclear confrontation more likely, as they may limit Russia’s ability to “negotiate risk reduction and arms control” with other nuclear-armed states. [Foreign Policy]
Jeffrey Lewis, a senior scholar at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, and Olga Oliker, a Program Director at the International Crisis Group, see Russia’s stance in a similar light. In their view, the nuclear threats were an attempt to distract from military setbacks around Kiev. In a survey of expert opinions conducted by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, this view dominated. [NPR]
Former NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also follows this line of thinking. He said the threats were “an attempt to intimidate NATO allies into reducing weapons deliveries to Ukraine.” [Deutsche Welle]
Many experts are sceptical: Russia’s recent threats fit an almost decade-old pattern of nuclear sabre-rattling. Since occupying Crimea in 2014, Putin’s government has consistently boasted of its atomic arsenal.
In July 2014, Russia threatened Ukraine with nuclear weapons if it attempted to retake Crimea. Later that year, Putin warned foreign states not to take “unfriendly” actions toward Russia and that it “would be best not to mess with us.”[Diplomat] [Guardian] [Reuters]
In November 2014, Russian officials showed off their country’s nuclear arsenal in response to shipments of weapons to Ukraine from NATO countries. [Financial Times] [Wall Street Journal]
These threats continued even as tensions with the West abated somewhat. In 2018, Putin boasted of Russia’s nuclear arsenal and touted “invincible weapons”. In that same speech, he demanded that Russia’s opponents “take account of a new reality and understand that everything I have said today is not a bluff.” [Reuters] [Guardian]
Ultimately, the end result of the war in Ukraine remains impossible to predict as both sides continue to pursue conventional combat operations. For experts like Bunn, Lewis and Rasmussen, the use of nuclear weapons by Russia remains unlikely but the pattern is clear – Moscow’s use of nuclear intimidation is here to stay.
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Leaders ban most of Moscow’s oil exports to EU, aim to ditch Russian energy by 2027
EU leaders have agreed to ban Russian seaborne oil imports by the end of the year, exempting supplies delivered by pipeline essential to landlocked countries with little access to non-Russian fuel.
The move, announced on May 30, came after weeks of negotiations during which Hungary blocked a full oil ban. Budapest succeeded in securing guarantees that also benefit the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which receive Russian crude through the Druzhba pipeline.
Seaborne oil accounts for some two-thirds of Moscow’s exports to the EU. A pledge by Germany and Poland to stop their pipeline imports by the end of the year means the embargo could cover over 90 percent of Russian oil delivered to the bloc. [Euronews]
To prevent market distortions, the measures are expected to include a prohibition on re-export and the re-sale of refined products from Russian oil delivered by pipeline. [FT] [Reuters]
Opposition by Budapest had been stalling a sixth EU package of sanctions against the Kremlin. The package includes measures to remove Russian bank Sberbank from the SWIFT international payment system, as well as travel bans and asset freezes against individuals, and restrictions on Russian state-owned media. [FT]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the deal “an important step forward” and said that the EU would “soon return to the issue” of “the remaining 10 percent of pipeline oil”. [EC]
The European press is divided on the new sanctions. Finland’s Helsingin Sanomat daily criticised Europe for the compromise, saying: “A permanently fragmented oil boycott […] will be a mandate to continue the killing.” [HS]. Meanwhile Simon Jenkins, a columnist for Britain’s The Guardian, called for an end to economic sanctions against Russia: “Far from compelling Russia to exit Ukraine, they are causing great suffering worldwide as food and energy prices soar.” [The Guardian]
The announcement of the EU’s sixth sanctions package against Russia came after the European Commission on May 18 unveiled a nearly EUR 300 billion project to end the European Union’s energy dependency on Russia within five years and accelerate the bloc’s transition to renewable energy.
The plan, dubbed RePowerEU, lays out a path to fully abandon Russian supplies before 2027 by saving energy, finding alternate energy providers, accelerating the transition to renewables, and investing in infrastructure. [CNN] [Politico]
The project raises renewable energy goals for 2030 and includes heavy investment in solar and wind power, hydrogen, energy saving and heat pumps, but includes funds for fossil fuels as well. [The Guardian]
It contains measures to streamline the approval process for renewable projects in EU countries. It also aims to double solar panel capacity by 2025 and introduce a phased-in obligation to install solar panels on new residential buildings by 2029. [AP] [Politico]
The EU’s gas demand is expected to drop 30 percent by 2030 to meet carbon emission targets. However, to fulfil immediate energy needs, RePowerEU allocates EUR 10 billion for gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects. Brussels is also increasing purchases, allowing member countries to buy gas jointly to negotiate better prices, as well as extending temporary price protection mechanisms. [Al Jazeera] [The Guardian]
European Union members are expected to meet Brussels’ goal of slashing Russian gas consumption by two-thirds at the end of this year, as well as to ban Russian coal imports by August. [CNN] [Europe Monthly May 2022]
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Sweden, Finland apply to join NATO in seismic security shift
Sweden and Finland on May 18 formally applied to join NATO after decades of non-alignment, a major geopolitical shift triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The move prompted opposition from Turkey, which said it could stall the process, and a vaguely worded warning from Moscow that it could deliver a “response”.
The two Nordic countries’ bid for NATO membership, which was led by Finland but then saw Helsinki and Stockholm moving in lockstep, would see the Western alliance expanding next to Russia’s borders – the very scenario that President Vladimir Putin cited as one of his reasons for unleashing what he describes as his “special operation” in Ukraine.
In what observers described as an unusually restrained response to the Finnish and Swedish plans, Putin said on May 16 that the proposed enlargement of the alliance posed “no direct threat for Russia”. But he added that a move by NATO to expand military infrastructure in either country “would provoke a response from us… based on the threats they create for us.” [Financial Times]
In April, former President Dmitry Medvedev, one of Putin's closest allies, rattled Russia’s nuclear sabre, warning that if Sweden and Finland climbed aboard NATO, the Kremlin would deploy atomic weapons in its Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic coast. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
US President Joe Biden on May 19 voiced firm support for Sweden and Finland’s applications. Flanked by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, whose country has been militarily non-aligned for more than two centuries, Biden also vowed that America and its allies would “deter and confront any aggression while Finland and Sweden are in this accession process.”
‘Watershed moment’
Andersson said at the White House: “Russia’s full-scale aggression against a sovereign and democratic neighbour... was a watershed moment for Sweden. And my government has come to the conclusion that the security of the Swedish people will be best protected within the NATO alliance.” [AP] Andersson has previously said that Sweden does not want permanent NATO bases or nuclear weapons on its territory. [BBC]
Public and political support for joining the Western alliance has rocketed in both Sweden and Finland – which shares a 1,300 km border with Russia – since Putin sent his soldiers into Ukraine on February 24. NATO is now on track to access a new front from which to pressure Russia, but also one it will be obliged to protect. [Vox]
In an analysis piece for CNN, White House reporter Stephen Collinson said there could be “serious reverberations” from NATO expanding to take in the two Nordic states.
“Doubling the security alliance's direct frontier with Russia would be a personal blow for Putin,” Collinson wrote, adding: “And if Putin felt Russia was already being hemmed in on its western flank, could adding two more NATO members during the worst tension between the West and Moscow in decades exacerbate the Russian leader's paranoia?”
But according to The Guardian, neither Sweden and Finland expect to suffer major consequences. Nevertheless, they could be in for “disinfo, cyber-attacks, maybe a few airspace violations,” Minna Alander, an expert on northern Europe at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, told the British paper. She added: “We’re ready for that.”
New NATO members need to be approved by all 30 countries that are part of the Western military alliance. Turkey, which is a member and has NATO’s second-largest military, has voiced opposition. (See article below)
Some observers have said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is opposing membership for Sweden and Finland as a tactic to gain leverage and secure international concessions, demonstrate his clout globally and play to his domestic supporters ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections next year.
Countdown to June NATO summit
Erdogan’s tough tone has taken some of the wind out of Sweden and Finland’s sails as they chart a quick course towards NATO and the shelter of the alliance’s mutual defence policy. [Politico] Meanwhile, time is pressing as NATO counts down to its late-June summit in Madrid, at which it wants to present a united front. [Al Jazeera]
Many officials and observers believe, however, that Turkey is unlikely to derail the expansion of NATO. “The most likely outcome remains Finland and Sweden joining the alliance very soon,” Garret Martin, a co-director of the Transatlantic Policy Center at the American University in Washington, was cited as saying by Al Jazeera.
Martin added: “Erdogan is a transactional leader, and the costs of blocking the two Nordic countries – deeply angering Western allies – would far outweigh the benefits in terms of domestic support.”
Denmark, Norway and Iceland, all of which are members of NATO, released a joint statement voicing support for Sweden and Finland’s membership, and vowing to help them in case of retaliation by Russia. [Foreign Policy]
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said his country was “ready to assist with all necessary means if Sweden or Finland should be attacked” before they formally become NATO members. [Aftenposten]
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Turkish president opposes Finland and Sweden joining NATO
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he opposes Finland and Sweden joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a position that may potentially block their hopes for a quick accession into the alliance since all 30 members have to approve new members.
Erdogan said he is against their membership because of their alleged support for Kurdish militants that Turkey considers to be terrorist organizations. He claimed that Scandinavian countries are “guesthouses for terrorist organisations.’’ [Forbes]
“We are following the developments regarding Sweden and Finland, but we don't hold positive views,” Erdogan told reporters. “Because in the past, previous Turkish governments made a mistake about Greece's membership, and you know Greece's current attitude against Turkey.” [VOA]
Turkey voted to allow Greece to rejoin NATO’s military wing in 1980. Erogan said that Greece is trying to use NATO against Turkey, in a maritime dispute between the two countries. [Forbes]
Ankara has accused Finland and Sweden of harbouring individuals with alleged links to terrorist groups, such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is classified as a terrorist group by the European Union, Germany, and the US, and followers of the Gulen movement, which Erdogan accuses of being behind a failed 2016 military coup.
Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde has been criticised multiple times in Turkish media and by Turkish officials for meeting a leader of the Kurdish People’s Defence Unit (YPG) in Stockholm. Sweden has been supportive of the Kurdish YPG, the PKK’s Syrian branch, during the Syrian conflict. Sweden has also imposed an arms embargo against Ankara after the Turkish military invaded northern Syria. [BBC Türkiye] [TR Euronews][CNBC]
International relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbul’s Kadir Has University warned Ankara risks a backlash from its NATO partners over its opposition. “I am sure this is how it will be interpreted, and there will be those who say let's expel Turkey from NATO, although to the best of my knowledge there is no expulsion mechanism in NATO,” Ozel said.[VOA]
Erdogan may also be using his position against Finland and Sweden’s membership to bolster his position ahead of elections in 2023. Erdogan said that as long as he is the president of the Turkish Republic, Ankara won’t support the NATO accession of countries who support terrorism. [FAZ]
“With dwindling domestic support at a time when Turkey is entering a critical electoral cycle, Erdogan is looking for a higher international profile to demonstrate his global importance to Turkish voters,” analyst Asli Aydintasbas wrote in an article published in the European Council on Foreign Relations. [News18]
Despite Ankara’s opposition, Erdogan's chief foreign policy adviser, Ibrahim Kalin, indicated that they may agree to the two Scandinavian countries’ membership if Turkey's security requirements are met. Kalin said they include lifting their arms embargoes, extraditing 28 individuals from Sweden and 12 from Finland, and halting the financing of the PKK and the YP. [Tagesschau]
Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said he does not think Ankara will block their accession and is just trying to get the best outcome out of the situation. [Tagesschau]
Kalın and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan discussed on May 30 the NATO bids of Sweden and Finland in a phone call. According to the sources, the Turkish side stressed that especially if they seek NATO membership, it is essential for Sweden and Finland to embrace NATO's principles, which include the joint struggle against threats, including terrorist. [Daily Sabah]
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EU, International Relations and Geopolitics
EU states freeze less-than-expected USD 34 bn in Russian assets
Countries in the European Union have reported freezing around USD 34 billion worth of Russian assets, EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said on May 25. The figure surprised many observers, who had expected it to be higher.
The sum comprises Russian central bank assets worth around USD 24.5 billion and another USD 10 billion in tangible assets such as yachts and villas.
The Kremlin has said that worldwide, Western sanctions have led to USD 300 billion of Russian central bank assets being frozen. Meanwhile, the United States has seized USD 100 billion in Russian assets since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, around three times more than the 27 EU governments together. [euobserver] [Reuters]
Members of the EU as well as the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations have discussed using frozen Russian assets to help rebuild Ukraine, German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said in an interview with Handelsblatt newspaper published on May 17.
Russian government spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said such a move would be illegal and “outright theft”. [Washington Post]
On May 25, the European Commission proposed new rules on freezing and seizing assets “of oligarchs violating restrictive measures and of criminals”. The rules aim to eliminate legal loopholes in the EU and to make it easier for member states to confiscate assets. [European Commission]
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G7 gives new funds to Ukraine, EU pledges money for heavy weapons
The Group of Seven industrialised nations (G7) and the European Union have decided to allocate more financial support to Ukraine to help the country's war-wrecked economy, while the EU has pledged further millions for heavy weapons.
The G7 agreed on May 19 to provide USD 9.5 billion to Ukraine; the sum comprises USD 7.5 billion from the US, and USD 1 billion from Germany, both in grants.
Japan, Canada, Britain, France and Italy are collectively allocating guarantees and loans worth another USD 1 billion. With the new grants included, the G7's financial help for Ukraine now amounts to USD 19.8 billion in total this year.
On the same day, the EU disbursed USD 635 million to Ukraine as part of a macro financial assistance program. The EU is expected to provide USD 9.5 billion in loans.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Financial Corporation are to offer a further USD 3.4 billion in loans. [Reuters] [Reuters] [Politico] [Euractiv]
Apart from help which aims to prevent the Ukrainian state and economy from collapsing, the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, announced on May 13 that the bloc would also provide an additional EUR 500 million of military aid to Ukraine. [France 24]
Borrell said the money would be used for heavy weapons such as artillery and tanks, and would bring the cost of the EU's total military aid for Kiev to EUR 2 billion. [Reuters]
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said supplying more weapons to Ukraine and increasing sanctions was “very important” to keep pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the G7 countries would support Ukraine in the long term “until Ukraine's victory”. [Al Jazeera]
Meanwhile, the European Commission has unveiled plans for an international “Reconstruction Platform” to help find the funds that Ukraine needs to rebuild after suffering massive damage caused by Russia’s invasion. The platform will bring together supporting partners and organisations, such as EU member states, international financial institutions, and other bilateral and multilateral partners. [European Commission] [Euractiv]
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G7 digital ministers pledge to help Ukraine defend against Russian cyber attacks
Digital ministers of the G7 states will support Ukraine with hardware to protect against cyber attacks by Russia as part of the group’s efforts to strengthen the country’s cybersecurity infrastructure. “This is also a war on the Internet and that is why Ukraine must also be defended on the Internet,’’ said Federal Digital Minister Volker Wissing on the sidelines of a meeting of the G7 digital ministers in Dusseldorf.
It is still unclear which technology will be sent. The Ukrainian counterpart Mykhailo Fedorov, who was online at the meeting, announced that he would send a list of what the country needs. [Newsrnd]
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Swedish, Finnish military hold exercises amid tensions
Swedish armed forces conducted two major military exercises throughout May in the south of the country amid international tensions caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine, an attack which has prompted Sweden and Finland to apply for membership of NATO.
The Swedish air force conducted an air defence exercise together with its Finnish counterpart. Around 2,500 personnel from air force and air defence units took part, with flight exercises held around the clock for ten days. [Goteborgs-Posten] [SVT Nyheter]
In parallel, some 4,000 people from 14 Swedish armed forces units, schools and training centres took part in Spring Fire 2022, an exercise planned since summer 2021. [Dagens Nyheter] [Goteborgs-Posten]
May also saw the American landing craft USS Kearsarge arriving in Stockholm ahead of an annual NATO BALTOPS exercise in June. Sweden will send a submarine, ships, fighter jets and around 500 people to take part. [Dagens Nyheter]
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Council of Europe Commissioner finds ‘staggering’ rights violations in Ukraine
“Staggering” violations of human rights and international humanitarian law have taken place as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has said.
Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic in the first week of May made a four-day field trip to Kiev and to several areas around the Ukrainian capital that have been severely affected by fighting, and met Ukrainian politicians including Minister of Justice Denys Maliusky and the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko.
Mijatovic said that “human rights do not end during a war” and that international humanitarian law protects civilians and civilian infrastructure while dictating fair and humane treatment of captured soldiers.
She added that towns like Bucha, Borodyanka, Irpin and Andriivka “symbolise the horrific acts” committed by Russian forces. Mijatovic pointed to reports of the deliberate targeting of civilians, sexual violence, and ill-treatment of government officials, journalists and human rights activists.
Mijatovic emphasized that the displacement of millions exposes women and children in particular to the risk of human trafficking and sexual abuse. Besides direct violations, the war also has deprived thousands of people of access to water, food, electricity, and healthcare.
The commissioner said that “accountability for violations of human rights and international humanitarian law is key” and welcomed Ukraine’s efforts in establishing a legal framework with the International Criminal Court, of which neither Ukraine nor Russia are a part.
She also called upon the international community to “not be bystanders” in the face of suffering and to provide long-term support to rebuild damaged infrastructure. [Council of Europe]
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Council of Europe ministers call on Russia to stop aggression against Ukraine
The foreign ministers of the Council of Europe’s 46 member states have reiterated their support for Ukraine and pledged the organisation’s commitment to the protection of human rights amid the war launched by Russia.
During a meeting in Turin on May 20, the ministers once again condemned Moscow’s human rights violations in Ukraine and called on Russia to immediately stop its aggression.
The Council decided to expel Russia in early March as a reaction to the invasion of Ukraine. However, the Council said Russia was accountable for rights violations occurring until September 16 2022, when it ceases to be a contracting party to the European Convention of Human Rights. [Council of Europe 1]
The foreign ministers also decided to adopt a new Action Plan for Ukraine, which addresses the protection of displaced persons and vulnerable groups such as women, children and minorities, seeks to support the Ukrainian media and judiciary, and documents human rights violations. [Council of Europe 2]
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Russia expels swathe of European diplomats in tit-for-tat move
Russia announced on May 19 and 20 it was expelling a total of 90 French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese embassy staff. [Reuters] [EU Observer] [Publico]
The move was the latest tit-for-tat measure after European countries expelled more than 300 Russian embassy employees following the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Lisbon condemned Moscow’s decision to eject the Portuguese embassy staff, saying it had “no justification other than simple retaliation” as the officials were “carrying out strictly diplomatic activities in absolute conformity with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.” [Jornal de noticias]
Portuguese Foreign Minister Joao Gomes Cravinho stressed his country’s embassy in Moscow remained open. [Diario de noticias]
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Italian PM urges Biden to work for ceasefire in Ukraine
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi urged US President Joe Biden to work towards a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia during a meeting of the two leaders in Washington on May 10.
According to Draghi, “the possibility of bringing a ceasefire and starting, again, some credible negotiations” had to be considered in order “to put an end to these massacres and this violence, this butchery.” [WashingtonPost]
The two leaders appeared aligned against Putin's Russia, and stressed that the conflict in Ukraine had strengthened ties between the US and Italy. Putin “thought he could divide us. He failed,” said the Italian premier. [Ansa] Biden described Draghi as “a good friend and a great ally,” adding that allies had “all stepped up” to confront Russia. [WashingtonPost]
At the end of the meeting, a White House spokeswoman said there had been “several fits and starts at attempts at cease-fires, even in smaller parts of the country in Ukraine.” She added that the US was “supportive of all of those, but it requires the Russians being at the table and being willing to take part in the diplomatic process.” [Wall Street Journal]
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Czech Republic elected to succeed Russia on UN Human Rights Council
The Czech Republic was on May 10 elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council by a large majority to succeed Russia, which was suspended in April over allegations of rights violations by its soldiers during the war in Ukraine, and then withdrew from the institution.
The Czech Republic was the only candidate in the vote by countries in the United Nations General Assembly. In total, 157 countries voted for the Czech Republic and 23 abstained. [Associated Press]
Seats on the Human Rights Council are divided in regional groups and Russia’s successor had to be an Eastern European country. [Associated Press] Members are elected for a three-year term. Russia was in its second year, and the Czech Republic will complete this term. [Reuters]
Russia has lost a number of seats in United Nations institutions since launching its war against Ukraine on February 24, including the executive boards of UN Women and UNICEF, the Committee on Non-governmental Organizations and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. [Associated Press]
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Lithuanian president calls for EU candidate status for Ukraine
During his visit to Romania on May 6, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said that if the EU were to grant Ukraine candidate status, it could bring about positive sentiments among Ukrainians resisting Russia’s military campaign. [LRT]
The implications of the war for regional security and the necessity of close policy coordination and cooperation with Romania was the prime motive for his visit, as Nauseda and his Romanian counterpart Claus Iohannis stressed at their meeting. Both Lithuania and Romania are located at NATO’s eastern flank, making them more vulnerable to Russian political pressure. [LRT]
They also discussed the security situation in Moldova and Transnistria, the prospects of tougher sanctions that the EU could impose, as well as coping mechanisms to deal with the influx of Ukrainian refugees to Southeast Europe. [LRT]
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EU pledges more military support for Moldova
The European Union has announced that it will bolster Chisinau’s armed forces with extra military support amid fears Russia’s war in Ukraine could spread to neighbouring Moldova. [Euro News] [Europe Monthly May 2022]
“The EU stands in full solidarity with your country,” European Council President Charles Michel told Moldovan President Maia Sandu on a May 4 visit to Chisinau. [Euro News]
Michel added: “We will also provide support to counter disinformation, strengthen social cohesion, and withstand cyberattacks. Finally, we believe that reforms will enhance Moldova’s resistance and shore up your sovereignty and independence.”
The announcement came four weeks after a host of European countries including Germany, France and Romania together pledged a combined EUR 695 million in aid to Moldova. [Al Jazeera] [Euractiv]
Explosions in Transnistria – a pro-Russian, unrecognised separatist region of Moldova which borders western Ukraine – in April triggered fears that Russia would launch a new invasion in order to attack Ukraine from the west before seizing control of the rest of Moldova. [Europe Monthly May 2022] [The Times] [Al Jazeera]
President Sandu said: “We do not see any imminent risk… but we have plans to counter such worst-case scenarios.”
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said on May 20 that the UK and its international allies were looking to make sure Moldova’s military is “equipped to NATO standard.” Truss added: “Putin has been absolutely clear about his ambitions to create a greater Russia — and just because his attempts to take Kiev weren’t successful it doesn’t mean he’s abandoned those ambitions.” [Al Jazeera] [The Guardian] [Politico]
A source from Ukraine’s military has told The Times that there were “a number of indicators” that Moldova is next on Putin’s hitlist. There are 1,500 Russian soldiers currently stationed in Transnistria. [The Times] [Europe Monthly May 2022]
A Russian invasion of Moldova appeared more likely when in April Russian General Rustam Minnekaev said: “Control over the South of Ukraine is another outlet to Transnistria, where there are also facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population.” [TASS] [The Independent] [The Daily Beast]
The EU’s Michel told Sandu: “It is our European duty to help and support your country and to increase our support for your stability, security and territorial integrity. We will continue to deepen our partnership with you to bring your country even closer to the EU.”
Moldova officially applied for fast-tracked EU membership at the start of March. The European Council said on May 31 that it would review the applications of Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine in June amid pressure from some EU leaders to speed up the admission process to the bloc. [RFE/RL] [Euractiv] [EU Observer] [Report.Az] [Georgia Today] [The Week]
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North Macedonia hosts major NATO exercise
Nearly 4,600 soldiers from the US, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and North Macedonia participated on May 12 in a military exercise in North Macedonia. [BalkanInsight]
In response to the invasion of Ukraine, soldiers from the different countries are taking part in NATO-planned “Swift Response” drills currently taking place in five locations across Europe, ranging from Norway to North Macedonia. NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu has said that NATO exercises are defensive, transparent and in line with international commitments. [NATO][YahooNews]
The military practice that took place in North Macedonia's largest military training ground included parachute jumps by airborne units, helicopter landings, as well as close air support of ground units. [BalkanInsight]
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EU slashes eurozone growth forecast amid war in Ukraine
The European Commission revised its 2022 economic forecast for the eurozone on May 16, lowering its growth projection by 1.3 points to 2.7 percent while raising its predicted level of inflation by 3.5 points to 6.1 percent.
The main reason for the revision was commodity prices, which have been on the rise since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February. Eurozone inflation in April held steady at a record 7.4 percent. [Reuters] [EuroNews]
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States seek clear EU guidance on Putin’s gas-for-roubles decree
EU members are asking for more clarity from Brussels to avoid breaking the bloc’s sanctions on Moscow by paying for Russian gas in roubles.
President Vladimir Putin on March 31 issued a decree requiring energy companies from “unfriendly” countries to pay for gas in Russian currency, despite most firms having contracts in euros or dollars. Countries like Finland, Poland and Bulgaria that refuse to abide with this decree have had their supplies cut. [France 24]
Moscow wants companies to open two bank accounts at Russia’s Gazprombank, one in euros or dollars and one in roubles. Companies must deposit payments in the first account, which will then be converted into roubles in the second, completing the transaction.
The European Commission’s written guidance states that companies do not break sanctions if they pay in the currency of their existing contracts – not in roubles – and declare that their contractual obligations are fulfilled at that moment. [Europe Monthly Monthly May 2022]
This ambiguity has seen Italy’s ENI and Germany’s RWE, among other EU energy companies, going forward with this system, while other nations oppose the scheme. [Politico]
Poland is demanding clearer guidance from Brussels, alongside the Netherlands, and asking for an end to what Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi has called a “grey zone”. [Reuters]
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Finnish firm scraps nuclear power plant deal with Russia, Moscow halts gas supplies to Finland
Finnish energy company Fennovoima has terminated a deal under which Russian state-owned firm Rosatom was to build the Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant on the west coast of Finland, while Russia’s Gazprom has stopped all exports of gas to Finland.
Fennovoima said that the reason for ending the contract for the nuclear plant was a heightened risk due to Russia’s war in Ukraine as well as Rosatom’s “inability to deliver the project”. [CNN] Hanhikivi 1 would have been Finland’s third nuclear power plant and the first entirely new one since 1970.
Rosatom issued a statement saying it was “extremely disappointed” by Fennovoima’s decision, adding that the contract had been cancelled “without any detailed consultation with the project’s shareholders”. [yle]
Meanwhile, Russian energy giant Gazprom confirmed on May 21 that it had halted gas supplies to Finland after Helsinki refused to pay in roubles. The move was announced after Finland and Sweden on May 18 formally applied to join NATO. [BBC News]
In April, Moscow stopped supplying gas to Poland and Bulgaria after the countries refused a Russian demand to pay in roubles and said such a move would breach Western sanctions. [Europe Monthly May 2022] [BBC News]
In another development, Russian state-owned energy company Inter RAO stopped supplying electricity to Finland, saying that the Nordic country had not paid for deliveries since May 6. Inter RAO said it had halted the supplies from May 14 until further notice. It did not mention Finland’s decision to join NATO. [Helsinki Times]
Russia previously supplied 10 percent of Finland's electricity. The Finnish government said that it was prepared to make up for a shortfall arising from Inter RAO's decision. The vice president of Fingrid, a Finnish electricity transmission grid operator, said this would be done by importing more electricity from Sweden as well as producing more in Finland. [BBC News] [Reuters]
Neither RAO Nordic nor Fingrid explained what lay behind the payment difficulties, BBC News reported.
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France: Engie to pay Russia's Gazprom in euros in May
Engie, a French power company, said on May 17 that it will pay Russian gas producer Gazprom in euros by the end of May. Both companies have agreed on a solution in line with European sanctions. [Reuters] [Reuters][TASS[MontelNews]
Following the release of updated guidelines on how companies can continue to purchase Russian gas, the European Commission said that opening accounts in Russian roubles at a Russian bank to pay for gas would violate EU sanctions against Moscow. [Reuters] [Reuters]
However, EU sanctions do not prevent companies from opening a bank account at a designated bank or from paying for Russian gas in the currency agreed to in their existing contracts and declaring it completed when the currency is paid. Russian gas giant Gazprom has nearly all of its supply contracts with EU companies in euros or dollars. [Reuters] [Reuters]
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EU chief urges restart of France-Spain pipeline; Italy-Spain link explored
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for work to restart on the Midcat gas pipeline, which under plans that were halted several years ago was to have linked Portugal, Spain and France.
“All Europe agrees that we must cut our dependency on Russian fossil fuels,” Von der Leyen said during a trip to Barcelona, where she met Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. [rferl]
The construction of the pipeline has been included in the “REPowerEU” strategic plan, drawn up by the European Union to cut the continent’s dependency on Russian gas. [Askanews]
If built, the gas link would be a continuation of the Medgaz pipeline which links Algeria to Catalonia. It was to have been extended through the Pyrenees to France. However, Paris and Madrid scrapped the project in 2019 as it was considered expensive and of doubtful profitability. [RTVE] [elDiario]
The Spanish government is in favour of the pipeline but has resisted contributing the roughly EUR 440 million needed as the project does not benefit Spain directly. Sanchez said that the EU should finance the project, not Spain or Portugal. [rferl] However, until now France has not shown great interest in the project. [France24]
Meanwhile, Italian gas group Snam signed an agreement on May 12 with Spain's Enagas to explore the viability of building a separate pipeline linking Spain and Italy.
The pipeline, if approved, would have a capacity of up to 30 billion cubic metres and would run from the Barcelona area to the northwest Italian coast under the Mediterranean sea. The project was discussed during a meeting in March between Spain’s Pedro Sanchez and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
Spain has the largest capacity in Europe to regasify imported liquefied natural gas from suppliers such as the US and also receives natural gas from Algeria through two undersea pipelines – Medgaz and Maghreb-Europe. [Reuters] [EuroWeeklynews]
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Record gas exports by Norway expected
As Europe tries to wean itself off Russian energy amid the war in Ukraine, Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy Terje Aasland has said he expects his country to export 122 billion cubic metres of gas in 2022, a rise of eight percent from last year. Some Norwegian energy companies are reporting record profits. [dn] [Reuters]
Norway supplies nearly 25 percent of the gas used in the European Union and Britain. To meet growing demand, the Norwegian petroleum and energy ministry has adjusted the production licences of three of the country’s offshore fields to allow higher gas production. Meanwhile, a LNG plant that was damaged by fire in 2020 was restarted on May 27 and will soon begin production [The Local] [Euractiv]
Equinor, a state-controlled Norwegian energy company, reported around EUR 17 billion in pre-tax earnings in the first quarter of 2022, up from some EUR 4 billion in the same period in 2021. [Upstream] This is due to a spike in gas prices and high demand following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Reuters] Equinor stopped trading in Russian oil on March 10 . [nrk]
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North Sea countries seek to become ‘Green Power Plant of Europe’
Multiple North Sea countries have announced plans for a Europe-wide green energy initiative that will include Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark. The initiative will focus on wind and green hydrogen as these countries seek to become the “Green Power Plant of Europe,” according to a joint declaration published on May 18.
A total of 65 GW of energy production is targeted by 2030, which will be upped to 150 GW by 2050, a project that will cost an estimated EUR 135 billion.
Meanwhile, a wider 2020 European Commission strategy envisions that Europe will become a leader in clean technologies, a move that would necessitate a 30-fold increase in offshore energy production by 2050, with production reaching 340 GW across the continent. [Euractiv] [EUR-Lex] EUR 800 billion has been earmarked by the European Commission for the latter strategy.
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck said the “Green Power Plant of Europe” agreement was “an important milestone in cross-border cooperation.” He added: “It is the basis for the first real European power plants that also generate electricity from renewable energies.” [Euractiv]
Denmark is set to augment the agreement with a newly-announced plan to develop wind turbine “energy islands”, as the country commits to replacing Russian fossil fuels with green alternatives before 2030. The “islands” will consist of hundreds of turbines to be constructed in the North and Baltic seas to harness enormous wind energy potential that could supply enough power for some 5 million homes.
The new islands, which would be artificially built, will serve to support future expansion, which could power an additional 5 million homes. Combined, the facilities will produce 5 gigawatts of electricity.
Copenhagen has already said that it is seeking to cut down on Russian gas and oil. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Denmark has sought to accelerate plans for a “green transition”. That plan was originally intended for completion by 2030, but is now being implemented at a much faster rate. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
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Belarus military drills no threat to Lithuanian security, defence minister says
Despite unannounced military drills conducted by the Belarusian army, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusaukas said in a statement on May 5 that they “do not pose a direct threat to Lithuania.” [LRT]
He added that snap drills do not have to be announced publicly if they have not exceeded a certain number of troops, as was the case in Belarus. Had more troops been mobilised and deployed at the border with sufficient ammunition and logistical units, that would have insinuated that an aggressive act had been planned. According to Anusaukas, military drills with more troops usually require an announcement in advance with the involvement of international observers. [LRT]
Military drills conducted by either Belarus or Russia have of late instilled security concerns, as Lukashenko and Putin used their bilateral exercises as a pretext of the latter’s invasion of Ukraine launched on February 24, despite reassurances to the Ukrainian government that their troops did not constitute a security threat. [LRT]
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Bulgaria agrees to repair Ukrainian military equipment, not provide Kiev direct military aid
Bulgaria has voted in favour of repairing Ukrainian military equipment and importing grain and electricity from the country but voted against providing direct military assistance to Kiev. [Reuters]
The country’s Chamber of Representatives reached a consensus on providing Ukraine with indirect military assistance without providing military equipment. The debate about Bulgaria’s role in Ukraine had threatened to break apart the government. [BalkanInsight] [EiR Monthly May 2022]
Kiev asked Sofia in a letter to support its European integration, help with refugees and continue its humanitarian aid. Ukrainian ambassador in Sofia, Vitaliy Moskalenko, delivered the letter to officials in Sofia. [RadioFreeEurope]
In April, the issue of direct military aid threatened to break apart Bulgaria’s ruling coalition when the opposition threatened to leave the government. Despite the decision, there are speculations that Bulgaria has been providing Ukraine with military aid through weapon deliveries in Poland. [EiR Monthly May 2022].
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Denmark summons Russian ambassador over airspace violation
Denmark summoned the Russian ambassador to the country on May 2 in response to an airspace violation by a Russian plane on April 29. Danish F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept and escort the Russian plane out of Danish airspace. [dr.dk]
Meanwhile, Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, speaking to domestic news broadcaster DR, announced the reopening of Denmark’s embassy in Kiev on May 2, calling the step a “very strong symbol of the Danish support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.” [Euractiv] [Reuters]
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Slovak support for Ukraine increases with offer of arms repairs
Bratislava has increased its support for Kiev by offering to repair and modernise damaged Ukrainian military hardware on Slovak territory, a spokeswoman for the ministry of defence has said. [Aktuality]
Slovakia is readying a new EUR 2 million support package for Ukraine. Since Russia’s February invasion, Bratislava has become the fourth largest donor of military aid to Kiev, according to the Slovak Spectator news site.
This comes following a breakthrough deal in which Slovakia donated its entire S-300 air defence system, reportedly worth EUR 68 million, to Ukraine in April. [Europe Monthly April 2022 ] Slovak lawmakers have since vowed to commit further aid.
Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad was reportedly considering delivering Soviet made T-72 tanks and BMP infantry combat vehicles to Ukraine. He said, however, that Slovakia would require “adequate compensation” before any agreement could be reached. [Pravda]
Meanwhile, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak has confirmed that Warsaw has offered to protect Slovak airspace until 2024, the anticipated delivery date of new F-16 fighter jets for Slovakia. This would theoretically free up older Slovak MiGs for transfer to the Ukrainian air force, fulfilling a long-standing request from Kiev for Soviet-made fighter aircraft. [Pravda] [Lockheed Martin]
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Spanish police arrest Ukrainian blogger accused of treason
A Ukrainian blogger and journalist who has been accused of peddling Kremlin propaganda and who is wanted in his home country for alleged “high treason” and inciting hate speech was arrested by police in Spain on April 5.
Anatoly Shariy has been provisionally released while a local court evaluates whether he should be extradited to Ukraine. In the meantime, he will have to appear before a court twice a month. [ElConfidencial]
Shariy’s YouTube channel has 3 million followers and he runs a popular news site called sharij.net [Swissinfo] He used to speak out against pro-Kremlin Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich, but after the latter was deposed, Shariy started to be critical of the Western-leaning governments which subsequently ruled the country.
In 2019 he founded the Party of Shariy, which promoted anti-European ideas. The same year, the grouping won 2.2 percent of the vote in legislative elections. The party was in March among those suspended for suspected ties to the Kremlin.
Shariy left Ukraine 10 years ago. He has been living in Spain since 2021 and it is unclear why the local authorities detained him now. In a post published after his arrest, Ukraine’s security service said on its Facebook page that it had “reason to believe” Shariy was acting “on the order” of foreign agents. [Politico]
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Kiev claims Russia warned Hungary over invasion of Ukraine, Budapest ‘outraged’
A senior Ukrainian security official has claimed that Hungary was informed in advance by President Vladimir Putin about the invasion of Ukraine. Oleksiy Danilov, head of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, did not present evidence for the claim. [Magyar Nemzet] [Telex] [Politico]
“They thought they could take part of our territory. We will see what the outcome of the war will be for this country,” Danilov added in a TV interview in early May. [Magyar Nemzet] The Hungarian embassy in Kiev said it was “outraged” at what it described as false allegations, and asked leading Ukrainian politicians who have made similar remarks recently to explain how they see ties between the two countries developing. [Politico]
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who won a fourth consecutive term in power in April 3 parliamentary elections, has been criticised for his close ties with Putin.
In March, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk accused Hungary in a Facebook post of silently wanting to occupy western Ukraine. Vereshchuk said that was why Hungary had refused to supply Ukraine with weapons and had said “no” to some EU sanctions. [Magyar Nemzet] In April, the Ukrainian foreign minister accused Hungary of supporting Putin in “committing new atrocities against Ukrainians.” [Europe Monthly May 2022]
No Ukrainian politician has yet cited evidence to support claims of the kind made by Danilov. Hungary has insisted since the start of the war that it strongly supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. [Magyar Nemzet] [Telex]
Relations between Budapest and Kiev were tense even before the war, largely because of the 130,000 Hungarians living near the Hungarian border in Ukraine. Kiev had voiced fears that this minority would threaten Ukraine's territorial integrity. In 2019 a law was passed to ban the use of minority languages, including Hungarian, except in private conversations and church services in Ukraine by 2030. [Guardian] [Magyar Nemzet] [Mandiner] [HVG] [Telex]
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Albania and North Macedonia ready to start negotiations for EU membership
The European Parliament on May 19 called on the European Council to start negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, as both countries have met the conditions and achieved constant results towards EU membership. [AlbanianDailyNews] [SchengenVisaInfo]
The European Parliament commended Albania for maintaining and accelerating its efforts to improve the judiciary, strengthen democracy, and progress the rule of law and the economy. They indicated that Albania should pay more attention to the empowerment of civil society, fight against organised crime, promote freedom of press, protect minorities and the rights of the LGBTQI community. [EuroParl][SchengenVisaInfo]
EU authorities praised North Macedonia's efforts to strengthen the law, judicial independence and minority rights while combating corruption and organised crime. The EU urged the country to reform its public administration, guarantee freedom of press and try to solve its historical dispute with Bulgaria. [EuroParl][SchengenVisaInfo]
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Cyprus urges faster EU enlargement in Western Balkans
Cyprus has called for an acceleration of the EU enlargement process to include the Western Balkans amid the growing influence of third countries in the region and the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. [Cyprus Mail]
Ioannis Kasoulides, the foreign minister of Cyprus, said during a Foreign Affairs Council held on May 16 in Brussels that the EU must demonstrate its support for the countries of the Western Balkans “in order to preserve its own credibility and avoid making the region more vulnerable to the influence of third countries such as Russia, China and Turkey.” [Financial Mirror]
During the meeting, foreign ministers also discussed possibilities for the EU to engage politically in individual sectors of Western Balkan states. [Financial Mirror]
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European Commission urges Estonia to expand unemployment benefits
The European Commission urged the Estonian government in its May 23 country-specific report to expand unemployment benefits in the wake of the country’s fiscal deficit. [ERR]
According to the findings of the European Commission, Estonia may need to cope with the negative impact of the war in Ukraine, the related energy crisis and inflation. The European Commission urged Tallinn to strengthen its social security not only for the unemployed, but also for low-wage sectors. It suggested investments in green and digital sectors as alternatives. [ERR] [The Baltic Times]
The European Commission also recommended the renewal of Estonia’s fleet of vehicles to replace old and polluting vehicles for environmentally-friendly ones. [ERR]
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Council of Europe calls for moves to combat hate speech
Foreign ministers from countries that are members of the Council of Europe human rights organisation have urged European governments to take effective measures to fight hate speech, which officials say is on the rise.
The call came at an annual meeting of the Council of Europe’s committee of foreign ministers on May 20 in Turin, Italy.
Their recommendation includes ensuring a legal framework is in place that differentiates between different levels of hate speech and balances opposing basic rights, such as freedom of expression and freedom from discrimination. It also encourages member states to improve education, support mechanisms for victims, and training for the police and judiciary.
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric said that “hate speech is on the rise in Europe, particularly online, where it often takes the form of racism, antisemitism or incitement to violence.” She added: “European governments should join forces to address this complex threat to our societies with measures that are both effective and proportionate.” [Council of Europe]
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Council of Europe urges protection for migrant and refugee women
The Council of Europe has adopted a recommendation for its member states to better protect the rights of migrant and refugee women.
The recommendation, adopted during a meeting in Turin on May 20, includes a checklist and guidance for member states on how to protect women from violence while they are in transit, and on how to ensure they have access to medical care, social services, employment and education.
Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejcinovic Buric said that the war in Ukraine demonstrated the dangers that women face and urged states to consider the special needs of refugee and migrant women at all stages of the immigration process. [Council of Europe]
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MEPs pressure EU to act on rule-of-law breaches in Poland, Hungary
Members of the European Parliament passed a resolution on May 5 calling for more action from the European Council and Commission over rule-of-law breaches in EU member states Poland and Hungary. [Notes From Poland] [The Brussels Times] [European Parliament]
MEPs called for “genuine commitment” and “meaningful progress” to be shown in protecting European values, and urged post-Covid recovery funds to the two countries to be withheld until Warsaw and Budapest comply with all “recommendations [from European courts] in the field of the rule of law.” [Notes From Poland] [The Brussels Times] [European Parliament]
Poland and Hungary have faced accusations from Brussels of democratic backsliding in recent years over changes to the countries’ legal systems, anti-LGBTQ legislation, and increasing government influence over the media. [Europe Monthly May 2022] [The Brussels Times]
MEPs also criticised the European Commission for not activating its rule-of-law mechanism against Poland, saying that it must “do better.” [European Parliament]
The so-called conditionality mechanism – which links payouts of money by the EU to the maintenance of rule-of-law standards in its member states – was used for the first time against Hungary in April, but not against Poland. EU officials had said that Hungary specifically was targeted because of alleged misuse of EU funds by Budapest. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
Members of Poland’s ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party criticised attempts to penalise Warsaw, with PiS MEP Beata Szydlo saying that “fighting against Poland is acting on behalf of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.” [Notes From Poland]
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Warsaw, Brussels reach deal to unblock Covid recovery funds for Poland: PM
Warsaw and Brussels have reached an agreement that could allow the unblocking of European Union Covid recovery funds for Poland, according to the Polish government. [Euractiv] [Notes From Poland] [Politico] [TVN24]
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said, however, that the unblocking of the billions of euros is contingent on changes to the Polish judiciary system. [Notes From Poland] [Politico]
Funds from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility – which aims to help member states recover from the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic – have been blocked by the European Commission over concerns of rule-of-law breaches in Poland. [Euractiv] [Notes From Poland]
A Polish government spokesperson said that negotiations with the Commission led to a series of “milestones” being agreed which would allow the funds to be released. [Notes From Poland]
But von der Leyen said: “Poland would need to demonstrate that these milestones have been fulfilled before any disbursement [of funds] could take place.” [Notes From Poland]
The European Union has been at odds with Warsaw over sweeping changes to Poland’s legal system, which the bloc says undermine the political independence of the judiciary and erode rule-of-law principles. The right-wing Polish government maintains that the changes are needed to root out holdovers from the country’s communist era. [Europe Monthly March 2022]
A key point of contention is a disciplinary chamber within Poland’s supreme court, which the EU argues allows judges to be punished for the content of their rulings. Warsaw has been fined EUR 1 million a day for failing to implement a European Court of Justice ruling from October 2021 that the chamber must be suspended. [Europe Monthly November 2021] [Notes From Poland]
Polish President Andrzej Duda has put forward a bill that would scrap the disciplinary chamber and, according to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, allow money to “start to flow from the EU budget.” [Al Jazeera] [Notes From Poland]
However, members of the opposition said the chamber would simply be substituted with a new body with similar powers, and that the government would use this to exert continued political pressure on judges.
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MEPs refuse to sign off Frontex budget amid claims of right violations
With 492 out of 645 votes in favour, the European Parliament has decided not to sign off the 2020 accounts of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex. The parliament decided to postpone its decision to autumn. [European Parliament]
The vote took place on May 4 in Strasbourg – one week after Frontex director Fabrice Leggeri resigned after allegations of human right violations against migrants involving illegal so-called pushbacks. The claims, which Leggeri denied, emerged in a report by several European media organisations.
The European Anti-Fraud Office, OLAF, has been investigating Frontex for over a year. [Europe Monthly May 2022] Members of the European Parliament said that their approval for the Frontex budget would be withheld until OLAF’s report becomes available. They added that Frontex did not fulfil expectations specified by MEPs in their last discharge report, which included stronger human rights monitoring. [EuroNews]
In 2021, the Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs established the Frontex Scrutiny Working Group to monitor alleged rights violations by the agency. [European Parliament]
The discharge delay has no financial consequences for Frontex but can be seen as a political signal. In 2020, Frontex had an annual budget of EUR 364 million, ranking as one of the EU’s best-funded agencies. [The Guardian]
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EU Commission proposes new rules to protect children
The European Commission has presented a plan to better protect children from sexualized violence on the internet. Under draft legislation published on May 11, providers such as Google and Facebook would be legally required to use software to search their services and platforms for such content and to report it. [Zeit Online]
The current system based on voluntary detection and reporting by companies “has proven to be insufficient to adequately protect children,” the Commission said on its website.
To help online businesses identify and report illegal content, an EU centre dedicated to fighting child sexual abuse is to be created if the new rules are adopted. The plans are now set to be voted on by the European Council and Parliament.
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EU aims to protect human rights defenders, journalists from abusive lawsuits
The European Commission on April 27 unveiled proposals to improve protection for journalists and human rights defenders against “abusive” litigation which aims to prevent them speaking up on matters of public interest.
The Commission said that the aim of so-called “strategic lawsuits against public participation”, or SLAPP cases, is not for plaintiffs to access justice, but to “harass, intimidate and silence defendants with the length of procedures, the financial pressure and the threat of criminal sanctions.” [Anwaltsblatt] [European Commission]
The proposed directive is intended to provide courts of EU member states as well as defendants with instruments through which abusive claims can be warded off.
The new rules would enable judges to swiftly dismiss “manifestly unfounded” lawsuits against journalists and human rights campaigners, according to the Commission. They would also allow courts to impose penalties on plaintiffs if a lawsuit is judged to be abusive. [European Commission]
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Watchdog criticises ‘draconian laws’ against journalists in some EU nations
Some European countries have “intensified draconian laws” against journalists and struggled to keep reporters safe, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RWB) has said in an annual report.
The latest Press Freedom Index study, published on May 3, said press freedom worldwide has deteriorated over the last year. It rated the situation in 28 countries as “very serious” – a record low. [RWB]
The index analyses the level of press freedom in a country based on five criteria: political context, legal framework, economic context, sociocultural context, and the safety of journalists. Countries receive grades from “good” – the best rating, to “very serious” – the worst rating. The methodology for the index was changed for this year’s report, which is why comparisons between the 2021 and 2022 studies must be treated carefully. [EuroNews]
In Europe, four of the top five spots in the index were again taken by four Scandinavian countries: Norway (No. 1), Denmark (No. 2), Sweden (No. 3) and Finland (No. 5), with Estonia taking the No. 4 spot.
Apart from Estonia, Lithuania (No. 9, up 19 places compared to last year’s index), the Czech Republic (No. 20, up 20 places compared to last year), Serbia (No. 79, up 14 places) and Bulgaria (No. 91, up 21 places) made considerable advances in the ranking.
On the other hand, the Netherlands (No. 28, down 22 places) and Greece (No. 108, down 38 places) slid back considerably. Reporters Without Borders said that the main reason for these nations falling in the ranking was that in each of these countries a journalist was “gunned down Mafia-style.”
The press watchdog added that the Netherlands, Germany (No. 16, down three places compared to last year’s index), France (No. 26, up eight places) and Italy (No. 58, down 17 places) have struggled to keep journalists safe from individuals protesting against measures taken by governments in the fight against the Covid pandemic.
Governments in Slovenia (No. 54, down 18 places), Poland (No. 66, down two places), Hungary (No. 85, up seven places), Albania (No. 103, down 20 places) and Greece were criticised for having “intensified draconian laws against journalists”.
Reporters Without Borders voiced approval at the European Commission activating a rule-of-law mechanism against Budapest. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government has been accused of influencing the country’s courts and media, and of misusing EU funds. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
However, the Commission was criticised for its ban on Russian state-owned media channels RT and Sputnik. Reporters Without Borders said that the ban was introduced “without an appropriate legal framework, which risks being a pretext for retaliatory actions against the European media.”
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Conference on Future of Europe outlines how EU needs to improve
The Conference on the Future of Europe, a forum for grassroots debate aiming to identify issues the EU needs to address in a fast-changing world, submitted its final report on May 9. The report contains over 300 suggested measures for EU institutions to take to make the bloc more efficient and more democratic.
Among its recommendations, the conference called for a European minimum wage, sustainable European agriculture, and for the European Parliament to be given the right to introduce legislative initiatives, which is a power currently reserved for the European Commission, the bloc’s executive. [Tagesschau]
The Conference on the Future of Europe, which ran from April 2021 to May 2022, is a citizen-focused project designed to allow people to speak up about the shortcomings of the EU and to suggest improvements regarding the bloc’s priorities and global challenges.
The conference comprises two phases. In the discussion phase, which ended with the presentation of the final report, about 800 randomly selected citizens discussed EU-related issues through a multilingual digital platform. They then drew up proposals that cover nine key fields, including climate change and the environment, European democracy, and digital transformation. [European Commission] [Presse- und Informationsamt der Bundesregierung]
The idea behind the proposals is to make the EU stronger, more efficient, and more democratic in the future. Among other things, the conference proposed abolishing the principle of EU unanimity in many policy areas. For example, it suggested that a national veto should no longer be possible on foreign policy or tax issues. In the future, it said, decisions should be made by a qualified majority, and the only exceptions should be the admission of new members to the bloc and changes to the fundamental principles of the EU. [Süddeutsche Zeitung]
The conference now enters its second phase – review and implementation – in which the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union are examining how to follow up effectively on the proposals in accordance with European Union treaties.
The president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in a statement: “It is now up to us to take the most direct way there, either by using the full limits of what we can do within the Treaties, or by changing the Treaties if need be.” [European Commission 1]
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EU looks for monkeypox vaccine
The European Union is reportedly in talks to collectively buy vaccines and medication against monkeypox from the Danish-German Bavarian Nordic and US-based SIGA Technologies companies, hoping to receive its first deliveries in June. [EUobserver]
A European Commission spokesperson confirmed that the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority was instructed by member states to purchase vaccines and medication. [Reuters]
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that the virus, which can cause fever and rashes, “is usually self-limiting but may be severe in some individuals.” [WHO] The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on May 25 reported that 118 out of 219 confirmed cases worldwide were spread across 12 EU member states.
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Cocaine and meth markets on the rise in Europe: report
Cocaine and methamphetamine markets are expanding in Europe, a report from two agencies has found.
Cocaine is the most consumed drug in Europe after cannabis, with annual sales of around EUR 10.5 billion, according to the report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) and law enforcement agency Europol. The substance is mostly manufactured in South America, but the report says it is processed in Europe, notably in Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands. [Al Jazeera]
Meth, meanwhile, represents a small part of the European drug market, but its use has been spreading and it poses a “growing threat,” according to the report.
The agencies warned that growing drug markets cause a rise in violence, corruption, damage to the environment and worsening health problems, all of which are occurring now in Europe, particularly in France, Belgium, Spain and the Netherlands. [EMCDDA]
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EU condemns killing of Al Jazeera journalist, attack on funeral in Israel
The fatal shooting and attack on the funeral of a Palestinian-American journalist has triggered condemnation in the EU and outrage from Palestinians. Israel and Palestinians traded blame for the journalist’s death, but eyewitness accounts and further investigation point towards Israeli troops firing the lethal bullet. [Al Jazeera] [Euro News] [Ahram Online] [Al Jazeera]
Shireen Abu Akleh was reporting on an Israeli military raid targeting a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank when she was shot dead on May 11. Abu Akleh was standing with fellow journalists and was wearing a protective helmet and flak jacket marked “PRESS” when the bullet hit her in the back of the neck. [LBC] [The Independent]
Fellow Al Jazeera journalist Ali Al-Samoudi was wounded at the scene. He said: “We were going to film the Israeli army operation and suddenly they shot us without asking us to leave or stop filming […] The first bullet hit me and the second bullet hit Shireen … there was no Palestinian military resistance at all at the scene.” [Al Jazeera]
Further investigations supported eyewitness accounts that Abu Akleh died under Israeli fire, and appeared to disprove initial claims by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that the 51-year-old veteran journalist had been killed by Palestinian crossfire. Al Jazeera announced on May 27 that it would take the case to the International Criminal Court. [Bellingcat] [Times of Israel] [AP] [Al Jazeera] [Sky News] [Al Jazeera]
The European Union was joined by much of the international community in its condemnation of the killing. French President Emmanuel Macron urged Bennett to bring investigations to a swift conclusion. Meanwhile, in Germany, a vigil for Abu Akleh was not allowed to go ahead for fear it could stir up antisemitism and invite anti-Israel sentiment. [Al Jazeera] [France24] [CBS News] [Al Jazeera]
The European Union then said it was “appalled” when two days later Israeli police attacked the funeral procession, using stun grenades and beating pallbearers, who almost dropped the coffin. A sea of Palestinians went on to carry the casket to the hearse while Israeli police confiscated Palestinian flags and smashed one of the hearse windows. [The Guardian] [The New York Times] [France24][The Telegraph] [BBC] [Al Jazeera]
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Representative on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said: “This level of violence is part and parcel of the occupation, the very nature of the occupation. It takes a lot of abuse and violence to keep the population of Palestine without rights and subjugated.” [Al Jazeera]
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Concern in Europe as US women set to lose constitutional abortion right
A leaked draft opinion by a Supreme Court judge indicating that a constitutional right to abortion in the US is set to be overturned has sparked criticism and concern across Europe.
The landmark Roe v. Wade case of 1973 and a subsequent decision in 1992, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, enshrined the constitutional right to abortion in the US. Women are now expected to lose that guarantee. After former President Donald Trump nominated three judges, the US Supreme Court now has a six-to-three conservative majority that is expected to support the draft opinion drawn up by Justice Samuel Alito. [Politico] Eighteen US states have already passed so-called “trigger-laws” that will ban abortions the moment Roe v. Wade is overturned. [The Guardian] [Politico]
Many European politicians have reacted with concern. Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish government, said on Twitter that “the right of women to decide what happens to our own bodies is a human right. And experience tells us that removing the legal right to abortion doesn’t stop abortions happening – it just makes them unsafe and puts the lives of women at much greater risk.”
French senator Julien Bareton warned of “a terrible regression for American women,” adding that “progressives around the world must mobilise.” The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, expressed solidarity with women in the US. However, members of far-right parties such as Spain’s Vox and German party Alternative for Germany have welcomed Alito’s draft opinion. [The New York Times 1] [The Washington Post]
Most European Union member states have legalised or at least depenalised abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. Afterwards abortion is usually possible for certain medical reasons or in cases of rape. The exceptions include Malta, where abortion is illegal under all circumstances, and Poland, where a ruling by the country’s top court in 2020 ushered in a near-total ban on abortion. [Verfassungsblog] [The New York Times 2].
Across the rest of Europe, 41 countries have legalised abortion on request or on broad social or economic grounds. However, Andorra still does not allow abortion at all, while San Marino legalised it only in 2021 following a referendum. In Liechtenstein, Monaco and Poland, it is only allowed if a woman’s health is at risk or if the pregnancy is the result of rape.
But in many European and EU countries, access to abortion is often complicated due to mandatory waiting periods, mandatory counselling, or third-party authorisation procedures. This is the case, for example, in Germany, Italy, Hungary and Russia. [Reproductive Rights]
Aside from that, abortion rights are usually only granted by ordinary legislation and not recognised as constitutional or fundamental rights as is currently the case in the US. Neither the European Court of Human Rights nor the European Court of Justice have yet recognised such a right in their judgements.
In 2021, the European Parliament passed a resolution that urged member states to recognise interference with access to contraception and abortion as breaches of human rights. The non-binding resolution was passed with 378 votes in favour and 255 against and was met with harsh criticism from conservatives. [Politico]
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EU foreign policy chief condemns appointment of new Hong Kong leader
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has condemned the appointment of John Lee Ka-chiu as Hong Kong’s new leader. Lee is a former security chief who oversaw a crackdown on the territory’s pro-democracy movement.
Borrell called the decision to appoint Lee “a violation of democratic principles and of political pluralism.” He added that the EU “attaches great importance to the preservation of Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.” [Alarabiya]
Lee was targeted by US sanctions in 2020. America accused him of being involved in “coercing, arresting, detaining, or imprisoning individuals under the authority of the National Security Law.” [US Department of the Treasury]
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EUR 7 billion raised for Ukraine at international donors’ conference
More than EUR 7 billion was raised at an international donors’ conference in Warsaw on May 5 for Ukraine’s humanitarian and post-war economic needs as a result of Russia’s invasion. [Euractiv] [ABC News] [Notes From Poland]
The conference – hosted jointly by Poland and Sweden – was attended by representatives from various governments, humanitarian organisations, and global businesses, and was organised with the help of the European Commission and Council. [Notes From Poland]
Among the countries that pledged millions of euros were the Czech Republic, Sweden, Croatia, France and Finland, while the European Commission pledged EUR 200 million. [Euractiv] [Notes From Poland]
“Today shows that our support for Ukraine continues and there are no selfish ones among us,” Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said of the fundraising effort, adding that the world is not “indifferent to the suffering caused by this unjust, brutal war.” [Notes From Poland] [TVN 24]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – who attended the conference by video – said he was grateful to the participants for “fighting for freedom, for millions of Europeans – not only Ukrainians, but all those who may be threatened by tyranny.” [Notes From Poland]
Poland’s prime minister said, however, that only 3,000 of the 12,000 tons of humanitarian aid that Ukraine needs every day were being delivered. [TVN 24]
European Council President Charles Michel said: “We must do much more to deliver practical support now…to make sure that nurses, doctors and teachers can be paid on time and Ukraine can continue to function.” [Euractiv]
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15 European countries oppose Israel’s settlement plans
Fifteen European countries released a joint statement on May 13 urging Israel to halt its plans for additional settlements in the West Bank.
The construction of over 4,400 housing units on Israeli-occupied territory is “in clear violation of international law” and “would constitute an obstacle to the two-state solution”, said the statement by spokespersons for the foreign ministries of France, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain and Sweden. [France Diplomacy] [Al Jazeera]
“This decision, as well as demolitions and evictions affecting the Palestinian populations in East Jerusalem […] directly threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state,” the 15 countries added.
Their statement was released a day after the European Union condemned Israel’s approval for the additional settlements. The United Kingdom and Turkey echoed the EU’s concerns. [EEAS] [AA] The European Union has repeatedly called on Israel to end all settlement construction and dismantle outposts erected since March 2001. [EEAS]
The West Bank, home to nearly three 3 million Palestinians, has been under Israeli control since the 1967 “Six-Day War”. Israeli settlements there are considered by many countries a breach of international law, though Israel disputes this. [Vox] Palestinians want to set up an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza. The issue of Israeli settlements has long proved a barrier to peace talks. [Reuters]
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NATO will deploy more troops in Lithuania
Lithuanian Colonel Mindaugas Mazonas said on May 19 that more NATO members will send special forces to the country as they discuss temporary basing or long-term deployment. [lrt]
While the US has been deploying some of its special forces to Lithuania since 2015, Chief of Defence Valdemaras Rupsys said he hoped that some of the other member states’ forces could also be deployed for a longer period to alleviate Lithuania’s security concerns instilled by Russia’s war in Ukraine. [lrt]
In Lithuania, NATO members conducted the military exercise “Iron Wolf” with 3,000 soldiers and approximately 1,000 vehicles involved. [NATO]
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Cyprus, Greece, US, Israel to strengthen cooperation
Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the US reiterated their support for fostering “peace, stability and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean” in a joint statement after meeting virtually on May 9 at a “3+1” cooperation mechanism gathering. [Cyprus Mail]
The ministers agreed to increase cooperation on energy, but their joint statement made no mention of the EastMed pipeline, a debated underwater project for transporting natural gas from the Eastern Mediterranean to European markets. [Europe Monthly May 2022] [The Jerusalem Post]
The four countries also decided to strengthen collaboration on tackling climate change and on counter-terrorism. Officials suggested supporting other initiatives such as the Negev Summit, a meeting between Israel, the US, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco and the UAE. [Cyprus Mail] [The Jerusalem Post]
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Barriers to EU-Mercosur trade deal may be overcome this year: commissioner
The European Union and South American trading bloc Mercosur – composed of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela – could by the end of the year clear up environmental concerns which are delaying a free trade agreement, the EU’s Environment Commissioner has told Reuters.
After more than 20 years of negotiations, a free trade deal between the two blocs was signed in principle in 2019, but was not ratified due to EU requirements that Brazil take stronger measurements against the deforestation of the Amazon and scepticism regarding its efforts to fight climate change under right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro.
EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius said he had concerns over a bill pending in Brazil’s Congress and backed by Bolsonaro that would open up protected indigenous land to commercial mining. [DW]
The Brazilian government claims its opponents are using environmental guidelines as an excuse for trade protectionism. Meanwhile, Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez said protectionism in some European sectors was the biggest challenge to a free trade agreement. [Reuters][Reuters]
However, amid the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and soaring energy and food prices, there has been less reluctance to reach an EU-Mercosur deal. The EU ambassador to Argentina, Amador Sanchez Rico, said: “If we don't push it now, we will never do it.”
The EU ambassador to Uruguay, Paolo Berizzi, said he was “optimistic” about a breakthrough. [Mercopress]
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Brazilian Senate wants to invite EU election observers, despite objection by Bolsonaro
Brazil’s top election authority, the Supreme Electoral Court, has dropped an invitation for the European Union to send observers to monitor October elections in the country after President Jair Bolsonaro’s government objected.
Internal sources say, however, that members of the Supreme Electoral Court have not given up on bringing in an EU mission, and now the Senate may issue such an invitation. [Reuters][TBR]
Far-right leader Bolsonaro is seeking re-election, but polls predict he could be beaten by his rival, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil's left-wing former president, who was in office from 2003 to 2010. Over the years, Bolsonaro has questioned the fairness of the country's electronic voting system and has claimed that there will be electoral fraud, although he has not offered proof.
Concerns have been voiced that Bolsonaro may not accept the October election results if he loses. Since March, the Supreme Electoral Court has issued several invitations to international electoral observers, as it believes that such monitoring would ensure that the election takes place according to democratic norms. [Nexo][G1]
Two days after the invitation to EU observers was revealed by the media in early April, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying it opposed the presence of such a mission, adding that Brazil has never had elections “assessed by an international organisation of which it is not a member.” On May 3, the Supreme Electoral Court withdrew its invitation to the EU. [G1]
Internal sources say that a group of senators who want to ensure the elections are fair now intend to invite an EU mission themselves, and that such an initiative would have the support of Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco. [FolhaSP] [G1]
Observation missions to Brazil by the Organization of American States (OAS), the parliament of the Mercosur trade bloc and the electoral network of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries have already been confirmed.
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EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs meets with new government of Chile
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrel, visited Chile from April 27 to May 1 to boost ties with the South American country and to highlight the importance of existing EU-Chile association agreements. [EuropeParl]
Borrel met with the new President of Chile Gabriel Boric and with other government authorities, where he said that Chile is a key partner for the EU in strengthening multilateral relations and regional integration, as well as in gender equality, advancement of economic digitalisation, fighting climate change, and promotion of sustainable and inclusive trade. [EEAS]
The EU diplomat emphasised the importance of various energy supplies including renewable energy to reduce dependence on Russian purchases, while also thanking Chile for its strong support shown against Ukraine’s invasion. In this regard, he also announced a new EU programme to promote technical cooperation with Chile in the development of public policies to address climate change and related topics. [CEPAL][EEAS][Eleconomista]
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EU provides EUR 2.5 million to alleviate Ecuador’s prison crisis
During a conference in Quito on May 5, the EU announced that it will provide EUR 2.5 million euros to help alleviate the current prison crisis in Ecuador. [ElPAcCTO]
Academic and civil organisations, government agencies and EU representatives participated in the meeting that promoted dialogue, debate, agreements and recommendations regarding the serious problem facing the Ecuadorian prison system. According to the media, more than 400 prisoners have died from fights between organised gangs in prisons in recent years, a situation that is worsened by overcrowding in jails. [ElPAcCTO][Parisbeacon]
The project will be managed by the Europe Latin America Programme of Assistance against Transnational Organised Crime, an international cooperation programme funded by the European Union that seeks to contribute to security and justice in Latin America, starting July 2022 with the purpose of specialising and training prison staff, in addition to improving the tools for classifying inmates based on successful European models. [EiR April 2022][ElPAcCTO]
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EU and Panama hold meetings to deepen bilateral, regional relations
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrel, visited Panama from May 1-3 to meet with government authorities and strengthen ties in trade, economic development and political relations with the region. [EEASYoutubeChannel][Europarl]
Final arrangements were also discussed to establish in Panama, the EU Regional Data Centre of the Copernicus Programme that will support the management of risks due to climate change and natural disasters in the region. [EEAS]
The EU representative also held meetings with authorities of Belize, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Costa Rica, in which he said that EU's relations continue to develop with Latin America and the Caribbean. [PressClub]
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Brazil once again not invited to G7 summit
Brazil, whose right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has been criticised for taking a neutral position on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has not been invited to this year’s G7 summit, which will be hosted by Germany in June. [DW][AlJazeera]
Brazil was a guest at four G7 (Group of Seven) summits when left-winger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was the country’s president from 2003 to 2010. Meanwhile, some analysts say Bolsonaro has become an international pariah due to an approach to the environment which encourages deforestation. [TBR][HRW]
The G7 groups the world’s seven largest industrialised nations: the US, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and the UK. This year’s guests are South Africa, Senegal, India and Indonesia, and the topics on the agenda are set to include the war in Ukraine, climate change and sustainability. [Mercopress]
In 2019, the G7 summit was hosted by France, and Brazil was not invited. In 2020 Bolsonaro hoped to be a guest, as the US under his ally Donald Trump was to have hosted the summit. The conference, however, was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. [Mercopress]
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EU demands answers about employee detained in China
Brussels has demanded a “proper” explanation for the arrest of a staffer employed by the EU delegation at its Beijing mission in September 2021.
The EU has sent three written communiques to the Chinese authorities demanding further information and requesting that the employee be allowed access to a lawyer. [France 24]
Chinese citizen An Dong was detained on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”, a vague charge often used to stifle dissent, after he spoke favourably about democracy on WeChat, a Chinese social media platform. [The Wall Street Journal]
This case comes at a time when relations between the EU and Beijing have deteriorated over human rights issues.
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EU chiefs visit Japan, skip China
In their first joint visit to Asia, European Council President Charles Michel and Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen attended an EU-Japan summit in Tokyo on May 12 but skipped China, the EU’s biggest trade partner. The trip demonstrated Brussels’ interest in deepening ties and presenting a united front with similar-minded democracies after Beijing and Moscow recently deepened theirs. [Politico]
In Tokyo, the top EU officials and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida focused on competitiveness, security of supplies and defence, and discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Speaking during the meeting, von der Leyen called Russia “the current biggest threat of the world.” Kishida said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine “unsettles global order and should not be tolerated.” Michel added that the EU and Japan deepened their consultations on a “more confident” China. [Spiegel, in German]
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G7 criticises India’s wheat export ban
Agriculture ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) industrialised nations have criticised India’s decision to forbid the export of wheat without government approval.
India decided on the ban on May 13, as the country’s agricultural sector was hit by high temperatures, saying it was concerned about its own food supplies. The government in New Delhi can still approve foreign governments’ requests for wheat.
Germany’s agriculture minister, Cem Ozdemir, said that if more countries were to “impose export restrictions or to close markets, that would worsen the crisis.” Amid the war in Ukraine, which is a major wheat provider internationally, more countries have been relying on Indian wheat exports to make up for supply shortages. [Hindustan Times]
On May 19, the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs, Shri V. Muraleedharan, defended his country’s decision at the United Nations. He said that global food disparities due to high prices should be prevented. [Hindustan Times]
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EU allocates money for development in Cambodia
The European Union has said that it will plough over EUR 1.43 billion into the 2021-2027 Joint European Strategy for Development Cooperation with Cambodia. The commitment came days after the European Parliament passed a resolution demanding that Cambodia ends the persecution of dissidents.
MEPs on May 5 backed a resolution urging the Cambodian government to stop threatening its opponents, and called for all jailed environmental and human rights activists, journalists, political adversaries, prisoners of conscience and trade unionists to be freed. [see Asia in Review No. 19, May/2022, 2]
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EU-India: French Ambassador calls India EU’s “major focus”
French Ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenain called India the “major focus” of France’s presidency of the European Union (EU), calling for “greater academic mobility” and that it would be the “best investment” in the future of the partnership. Lenain also said that France is “not the kind of country that is going to lecture a close partner like India.”
Lenain looked forward to the political relations between the 27 European nations and India to develop simultaneously with people-to-people ties. He also said that France wants to bolster India’s strategic autonomy and make the country’s national security more autonomous, lauding the successful delivery of military equipment to India.
On May 12, Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met with his Icelandic counterpart in a virtual summit of the two countries, where they had the opportunity to follow-up on the second India-Nordic summit that took place in Copenhagen the week before. [see Asia in Review No. 20, May/2022, 3]
These meetings come after the annual Raisina Dialogue on April 26 in New Delhi, where due to the Western pressure on New Delhi to take a tough stand against Russia, Jaishankar called the war in Ukraine a “wakeup call” for Europe, saying that “things have been happening in Asia for the last 10 years [and] Europe may have not looked at it.” [see Asia in Review No. 18, May/2022, 1]
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EU pledges billion for Africa vaccine rollout
The European Commission announced on May 21 it would inject EUR 1 billion into addressing lagging Covid-19 vaccination coverage in Africa as infection rates on the continent creep upwards. [Reuters]
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a G20 Global Health summit in Rome: “Local health capacities and institutions are the foundation of global health, but today Africa imports 99 percent of its vaccines and 94 percent of its medicines. This has to change.”
The EU money will go towards developing regional vaccination hubs across Africa and encouraging the independence of pharmaceutical and biotech industries on the continent.
The extra cash was pledged days after the European Commission announced on May 12 an Africa-vaccine package worth EUR 400 million. A further EUR 427 million was also set aside for the provisional Global Pandemic Preparedness Fund announced by G20 countries last month. [Reuters] [EU Observer] [Reuters]
The EU has previously been accused of creating a so-called ‘vaccine apartheid’ by hoarding vaccines, refusing to waive vaccine patents, and sending out-of-date vaccines. [Reuters] [The Independent] [EU Observer] [Europe Monthly March 2022]
Francois Venter, a public health expert at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, has said: “Africans have been totally failed by the global community, their governments, and agencies.” [AP]
A May 12 virtual summit co-hosted by the European Commission, the United States, Belize, Germany, Indonesia and Senegal outlined goals of achieving a vaccination coverage of 70 percent in every country worldwide by September, with a focus on low-income countries. [The New York Times] [Global Citizen]
Oxfam says that it will take another two-and-a-half years for low-income countries to achieve this target. The first factory to produce Covid-19 vaccinations in Africa has not received a single order – the South Africa factory could shut down within weeks. [BBC] [AP] [The New York Times] [Reuters]
Covid-19 has killed more than 15 million people worldwide. [Bloomberg]
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Bulgaria and Greece to seek joint gas deliveries
Bulgaria’s Minister of Energy Alexander Nikolov and his Greek counterpart Kostas Skrekas said that the two countries have agreed to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) jointly to increase their purchasing power as they look for alternative energy supplies. [Euractiv] [Reuters]
Two days before the decision was made, the two countries announced that they will invest in an LNG facility, which will be built at the port of Alexandroupolis in northern Greece in order to create a new gas route for Europe. Both countries want to reduce their dependence on Russian energy. [Reuters]
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Cyprus-UK deal on post-colonial land comes into force
Cypriots and third-country nationals living in British post-colonial military zones in Cyprus will have the right to sell or develop their properties under a new deal which took effect on May 16. [France 24] [The Guardian]
Describing the agreement as “historic” and “groundbreaking,” Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, said it would positively impact residents and the country’s economy, especially amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Anastasiades reached an accord in 2014 with former British Prime Minister David Cameron, but complex negotiations took years. [The Guardian]
Cyprus was part of the British Empire for 144 years. In 1960 the island gained independence but the UK maintained control of two “Sovereign Base Areas” in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, covering three percent of the Mediterranean island’s land mass. [The National News]
The two areas are home to around 12,000 Cypriots and a smaller number of British military personnel and their families. Until May 16, the non-military development of this land had been restricted. [France 24]
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Germany donates tanks to Czech Republic
Germany will hand 15 tanks over to the Czech Republic as replacements after the Czechs donated tanks to Ukraine, which has been asking for weapons to fend off the Russian invasion.
The German defence ministry said it would deliver 14 Leopard 2 A4 tanks and one rescue tank, which will come with 30 days of 120mm ammunition supplies. [Radio Prague International] The 15 tanks come from industry stocks and not from the German armed forces. [Spiegel]
The Czech Republic has sent 20 Soviet-era T-72 tanks to Ukraine. The Ukrainian army is trained in using them and can deploy them directly. [Zeit]
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Hungarian embassy returns to Kiev
Hungary moved its embassy back to Kiev on the first weekend of May, after Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto judged that security conditions in the Ukrainian capital were improving.
The embassy moved temporarily to the Ukrainian city of Lviv at the beginning of March because of a deteriorating security situation amid Russia’s war on Ukraine. [Reuters] [Hungary Today][Index]
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Ireland extradites IRA bombing suspect to Lithuania on terrorism charges
Liam Campbell, one of the persons liable for the 1998 Omagh bombing, has been extradited to Lithuania where he will face charges of terrorism, possession of weapons and smuggling.
The final decision by the Irish Supreme Court concluded a 12-year long legal battle by Lithuania to have Campbell extradited. He was handed over to Lithuanian authorities on May 17 at Dublin Airport. [The Irish Times] [Irish News] [The Guardian]
According to the Baltic state, Campbell tried to acquire firearms and explosives between 2006 and 2007 in Lithuania and smuggle them into Ireland when he was a member of the Real Irish Republican Army. Lithuania made three attempts to have him extradited in the last 12 years. A previous attempt was dismissed by an Irish court in 2013 because it believed Campbell would be held in inhuman conditions.
After Lithuanian authorities had issued a warrant against him in 2016, both the Irish High Court and the Court of Appeal decided to extradite him in 2021.
Campbell appealed to the Irish Supreme Court, arguing that Lithuanian authorities had not yet tried him and that they would further question him in Lithuania.
Under EU law, a person must not be extradited to gather evidence, but only after there is sufficient ground for a trial. [The Irish Times] [BBC]
The Irish Supreme Court denied Campbell’s appeal. It confirmed that Lithuania already had enough evidence against him and that only a formal step was missing for an official charge. [The Irish Times] [Irish News]
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Union State of Russia and Belarus implements 28 programs as scheduled
Secretary of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, Dmitri Mezentsev, said on May 24 that 28 programs initiated to facilitate economic integration, legislative harmonisation, the establishment of common financial and energy markets and policy coordination are proceeding on schedule. [belta.by] [TASS]
Mezentsev said that there would be no more disputes about electricity and that the union reached common policies on industries and agriculture. Moreover, the instructions for the central banks were successfully implemented. Both Belarus and Russia also mutually support each other in terms of import substitution. [belta.by] [Radio Free Europe] [Radio Free Europe]
The Union State is a supranational organisation composed of Belarus and Russia to deepen political, economic and security cooperation. [Radio Free Europe]
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Slovak PM meets US ambassador, vows to assist Ukraine
Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger has thanked the US ambassador to his country, Bridget Brink, for America’s commitment to NATO and support of Ukraine.
Slovakia took delivery of US-made and operated Patriot anti-aircraft batteries in April, a move which Heger praised, saying: “This step strengthened Slovakia's defence at a time when Ukraine, our eastern neighbour, was invaded by Russia.”
The prerequisite for this move was for Slovakia to donate its entire S-300 air defence system inventory to Ukraine, a move which was welcomed by American and Ukrainian diplomats. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
Meeting on May 13, Heger and Brink referred to earlier talks on the need to safeguard Slovakia’s democratic values, and efforts to protect it from subversion in the face of foreign actors. Such a threat has increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Heger said Slovakia would continue “to assist Ukraine in the fight to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and went on to wish the ambassador luck in her next posting.
Brink is due to take on the role of American ambassador to Ukraine following the reopening of the US Kiev embassy in May. [Pravda] [Aktuality] [TASR]
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Turkish official says steps to normalise ties with Armenia have not yielded immediate results
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, Akif Cagatay Kilic said at a press conference on May 23 that it will take some time until the relations between Turkey and Armenia are normalised.
Kilic said that charter flights between the countries and special representatives being appointed to each country was an indication that both sides want to resolve their issues. Earlier this month, envoys from Armenia and Turkey met for the third time for talks in Vienna where they discussed opening the border between the countries and re-establishing diplomatic ties. [Al-Monitor][MenaFN]
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Turkey: Erdogan accuses Greek prime minister of blocking F-16 sales during US visit
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for blocking the sale of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ankara, adding that he will no longer talk to his Greek counterpart after the leader's visit to Washington.
Erdogan claimed that Mitsotakis had called on US officials not to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey and accused Athens of harboring followers of his declared nemesis, the US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. Erdogan cancelled a strategic council meeting with Mitsotakis later this year.
Mitsotakis told a joint-session of Congress on May 17 that NATO doesn’t need “another source of instability” on its southeastern flank. The US should “take this into account” when making defence procurement decisions concerning the eastern Mediterranean. [DW] [Greek Reporter]
Erdogan accused Greece of granting asylum to followers of the Gulen movement, which is suspected of having staged the failed coup against Erdogan in 2016. Pressing further, he stated it was a mistake for Turkey, letting Greece rejoin NATO in 1980. [Associated Press]
Separately, seven US advocacy groups formally asked leaders of the Senate and House Foreign Affairs Committee and Armed Services Committee in mid-May to reject a request by the Biden Administration to sell 40 F-16 fighter jets and 80 modernisation kits for this aircraft type to Turkey. US President Joe Biden wrote a letter to Congress in April, supporting a potential sale of the jets [Reuters] [Europe Monthly May 2022]. [Public Radio of Armenia]
The advocacy groups stated further that Erdogan would use those weapon-systems in a way, which would “undermine America’s values”. [ANCA] US and Turkish officials underlined the strengthening of a NATO ally, while preventing Turkey from drifting closer to Russia and China. [The Wall Street Journal]
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Germany reaches energy agreement with Qatar
Germany and Qatar agreed on an energy partnership on May 20 as Berlin tries to reduce its dependency on Russian gas imports after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. [Tagesschau] [FAZ]
The partnership agreement, signed during Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani’s visit to Berlin, will focus on trade in hydrogen and LNG. It creates two working groups, one focused on trade relations and one for renewable energy. [Reuters]
The first LNG deliveries from Qatar to Germany could start as early as 2024, through Qatar’s LNG installation in the US. Further deliveries could be added from 2026 onwards, according to Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al- Thani, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. [Tagesschau]
The countries are negotiating the conditions of a delivery contract. German companies are hesitant to agree to Qatar’s condition of a 20-year delivery term, as that would contradict Germany’s climate goals to reduce emissions by 88 percent by 2040. [Süddeutsche]
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Europeans detained in Iran amid tensions with Sweden
A Swedish citizen in his 30s has been arrested in Iran, Sweden’s foreign ministry said on May 6, days after it advised against unnecessary travel to the Middle Eastern country. Meanwhile, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry said on May 11 it had detained two European citizens, whose nationalities it did not identify, claiming they were agents hired by a European country’s intelligence services. [The Times of Israel]
Relations between Sweden and Iran worsened after Sweden put former Iranian official Hamid Noury on trial for genocide. Noury, who denies the charge, is accused of having played a leading role in the torture and execution of political prisoners in an Iranian prison in the 1980s. His trial ended at the beginning of May, and a verdict is due on July 14. Noury could face a life sentence in Sweden. [Reuters] [AP]
Iran, which has condemned the trial, recently announced that it would execute a Swedish-Iranian researcher on charges of spying for Israel but postponed the execution several times in May. Ahmadreza Djalali, a physician specialising in disaster relief, was arrested in 2016 while on an academic visit to Iran. Zabihollah Khodaian, a spokesperson for Iran’s judiciary, denied there was a connection between the two cases. “These two issues are not related. Mr. Noury is innocent and Mr. Djalali was arrested two years prior to Mr. Noury's case,” Khodaian said. [Reuters]
Iran’s announcement that it had detained two Europeans it suspects of being agents came as an EU envoy travelled to Tehran in a bid to revive stalled nuclear talks with world powers. [The Washington Post] [France 24]
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Turkey aims to improve ties with Saudi Arabia after Erdogan visit to Riyadh
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara wants to improve its economic ties with Saudi Arabia after the president’s first trip to Riyadh in five years. He gave no further details about how the economic relations between the countries might be boosted. [Reuters]
Erdogan has invited the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to Turkey. The Saudi prince is expected to visit in the beginning of June. [Bloomberg][Barron's]
Ali Shihabi, a Saudi political analyst, said that Erdogan “needs the trade and tourism flows” from Saudi Arabia, adding that Riyadh also needs Turkey as a regional ally and could be interested in buying Turkish arms. [International Business Times]
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Turkey, Iran to step up water resource, environmental cooperation efforts
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavuoglu and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed ways for both nations to deepen cooperation around shared water resources and environmental protection. They agreed that the two countries should establish a Joint Water Committee as part of these efforts.
The ministers talked about realising the 7th Supreme Council of Strategic Bilateral Cooperation, which would promote the interests of both countries. [Tasnim News Agency] [MEHR News Agency] [Rûdaw]
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Erdogan says military operation in Syria needed for Turkish security
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on May 26, that currently ongoing and future military operations in Syria are needed for the country’s security. [FAZ]
Military operations in northern Syria will extend about 30 kilometres (20 miles) into the neighbouring state and, aim to counter “the terrorism threat,” including from the Kurdistan Workers Party and its Syrian offshoot YPG. Erdogan said this military operation won’t be a violation of Syria’s sovereignty. [FAZ] [Reuters] [Associated Press] [Reuters]
The targeted area is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). SDF stated that Turkey will undermine stability in the region. US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that any military campaign against the YPG, will hinder them from their fight against Islamic State. [Aljazeera] [Reuters] [The Region]
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Argentina’s president visits France, Germany, Spain
Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez undertook an unexpected tour of three European countries from May 10-13 whose main purpose, according to local media, was for Buenos Aires to offer food and energy supplies to nations in Europe amid the war in Ukraine. No documents were signed, however. [EFE]
Fernandez was received in Spain by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and King Felipe VI, in Germany by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and in France by President Emmanuel Macron. The German chancellor said Argentina was “a reliable partner”. Macron spoke of "friendship" with Buenos Aires. [Mercopress] [Mercopress]
At all the meetings, the leaders discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with Argentina positioning itself against Russia, although not expressing support for the application of sanctions against Moscow. [Mercopress]
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LNG shipments to Bulgaria from US set to arrive in June
Bulgaria’s Prime Minister said that the country will receive two LNG deliveries from the US in June. Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said that the price of the LNG will be slightly lower than Gazprom, the Russian natural gas provider. [RadioFreeEurope] [RadioFreeEurope]
Petkov announced the gas deliveries after visiting Washington, where he met the Vice President, Kamala Harris. [RadioFreeEurope]
Bulgaria sought other LNG supplies after Gazprom stopped its deliveries in April, a decision that the Russian energy supplier made after Sofia refused to pay the supplier in roubles. [RadioFreeEurope]
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Alleged cyber criminals in Ireland arrested after joint investigation with FBI
Two people were arrested in Ireland for alleged cybercrime offences, including theft, fraud, money laundering and the selling of cybercrime tools online, after a joint investigation between the Irish police and the US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation. On May 12, Irish police arrested a man and a woman in Cork and seized their property and assets such as computers and cryptocurrency. [The Irish Times] [RTÉ] [The Irish Times]
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Turkish foreign minister visits US to improve ties with Washington
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met his US counterpart Antony Blinken on May 18 in New York where they discussed ways to improve bilateral ties between both countries and relations between Turkey and Armenia. [Daily Sabah] [Daily Sabah] [Europe in Review, Monthly May 2022]
Cavusoglu also met members of the Turkish American community in New York. [Anadolu Agency] [Report News Agency]
US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal met in Washington, where Sherman thanked Turkey for its support for Ukraine in the ongoing war against Russia. They also discussed the need for unity among NATO members. [Daily Sabah]
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Lord Mayor of London drums up business in Chile and Brazil
The highest representative of the British capital’s financial district, Lord Mayor of London Vincent Keaveny, visited Chile and Brazil in early May. His trip focused on “bilateral collaboration in the areas of green finance, open banking, fintech and inclusion in financial services”, the British government said. [GovUK]
In Chile, Keaveny’s agenda included a meeting with Finance Minister Mario Marcel, financial companies and representatives of the Chilean business world. Keaveny highlighted his interest in Chile’s green finance and said the country was a Latin American leader in terms of foreign investment into renewable energy. He said he believed cooperation between Britain and Chile could help the Chilean financial services sector better transition into sustainable finance. [Mercopress]
In Brazil, Keaveny met with representatives of the country's biggest banks and fintech executives. His main objective was to attract investment from Brazilian pension funds, according to local media. [Estadão][LatAmInv]
Keaveny works as an international ambassador for the UK’s financial services sector and heads the City of London Corporation, the governing body for London’s financial district. His role includes supporting financial relationships with specific global markets. [GovUK]
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United Kingdom launches negotiations on Free Trade Agreement with Mexico
The United Kingdom and Mexico launched negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement, with the first official round of talks taking place in June in Mexico. It should replace the existing UK-Mexico trade agreement. [Gov.UK][Parliament.UK]
The Free Trade Agreement is intended to deepen trade and investment while promoting innovation and gender equality. Overall, it should largely replicate the EU-Mexico agreement. [Gov.UK][Parliament.UK]
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Croatia, Czech Republic, France aim to strengthen ties with Cambodia
Croatia, the Czech Republic and the French Development Agency (AFD) have held meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with the local government, aiming to improve bilateral relations and cooperation.
On May 11, the AFD pledged to provide EUR 300 million from 2022 to 2024 to support Cambodia’s inclusive and sustainable growth and combat climate change. [see Asia in Review No.20, May/2022, 3]
In a meeting with a Croatian official on May 5, a Cambodian minister signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen bilateral ties, expressing hope that cooperation between the two countries would be stronger in the future.
On the same day, Cambodia agreed with the Czech Republic to sign a memorandum of understanding after the Cambodian agricultural minister and the Czech ambassador to Cambodia held talks about farming modernisation and training, with the expectation that Cambodia would be provided with help to increase its agricultural production and quality. [sefe Asia in Review No. 19, May/2022, 2]
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Indian PM visits Denmark, France Germany
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 5 concluded a three-day, three-nation tour in Europe, during which he visited Germany, Denmark, and France. The trip saw Modi strengthen ties in several areas of cooperation, especially in trade, energy and green technology. The tour took place amid pressure by Europe on India to take a clear stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In Germany, Modi met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with whom he signed a series of bilateral agreements on sustainable development. Under these, Berlin will make around EUR 10 billion in aid available to New Delhi for clean energy, as well as cooperation on migration, nuclear research, and the establishment of secure communication channels between the two countries.
Modi then travelled to Copenhagen on May 3, where he attended the second iteration of the India-Nordic summit, and met with his counterparts from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden and Norway. He also met with the Danish business community and with Margrethe II, the queen of Denmark.
Finally, on May 4 Modi headed to France and met with President Emmanuel Macron. Both leaders agreed to cooperate on advanced defence technology and discussed a partnership to ensure the development of environmentally-friendly technologies. [Asia in Review No. 19, May/2022, 2]
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Estonia, Japan sign agreement on digital cooperation
Andreas Sutt, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology, and Japanese Minister for Digital Infrastructure Karen Makishima signed a memorandum of cooperation on May 6 to exchange experiences between both countries. [ERR] [Japanese Government]
Digitalization is a key priority for both Estonia and Japan, specifically in the fields of cybersecurity, secure digital identification, secure cloud solutions, data protection and the secure use of data. Makishima emphasised that Estonia has gained remarkable expertise in cyber security, from which Japan could greatly benefit. [investinestonia]
Sutt added that both Estonia and Japan are digital pioneers, with each willing to learn from one another to improve the national digital infrastructure. The agreement could also open new investment opportunities and promote innovation, boosting the Estonian and Japanese economies. [investinestonia] [ERR]
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Japanese PM visits Italy and Vatican
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has visited the Vatican and Italy, reaffirming diplomatic ties and condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Kishida on May 4 met Pope Francis in the Vatican, where the two men marked the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1942, discussed the threat of the expansion of nuclear weapons, and condemned the killings of civilians in Ukraine.
The Japanese premier then met his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi, and both countries vowed to implement further sanctions against Russia and committed to working together to help find a truce in Ukraine. Draghi thanked Japan for planning to redirect liquefied natural gas to Europe.
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Russia-Japan tensions rise as Moscow bars Japanese PM and top officials
Russia announced on May 4 that it was indefinitely banning the entry of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and around 60 other Japanese citizens including top officials as tensions between Moscow and Tokyo escalated. The bans were widely seen as retaliation for sanctions imposed by Tokyo on Moscow since the start of the conflict in Ukraine.
The Russian ban encompasses Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, Defence Minister Nobuo Kishi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno and other high-ranking officials, as well as executives of media organisations such as the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper and the Nikkei business daily. Moscow accused the Japanese government of spreading misinformation about Russia’s war in Ukraine, and lashed out at what it described as an “unprecedented anti-Russian campaign.”
Kishida responded by saying that Moscow's move was unacceptable, and blamed Russia for deteriorating bilateral ties. Tokyo officials said that the bans have no impact as they do not intend to send a senior figure to Russia. [Japan Times]
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov on April 26 described joint US-Japan naval exercises that have been held near Russia’s eastern borders since Moscow invaded Ukraine as “potentially offensive in nature” and a threat to Russia’s security. He added that an expansion of the joint US-Japan drills would be met with retaliatory measures. [CNN]
Tokyo claimed that the military exercises were defensive in nature and aimed to test advanced weaponry and cooperation. The exercises came as Tokyo protested at Russia’s announcement of the test-firing of advanced Kalibr cruise missiles in the Sea of Japan on April 14.
Japan has been coordinating with Western countries in international condemnation of the war in Ukraine, and working with the International Criminal Court in investigating alleged war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. [see AiR No. 18, May/2022, 1]
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Japan, South Korea, Philippines offer help for Ukraine
Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines are continuing to provide Ukraine with humanitarian and financial support. South Korea co-sponsored a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution voicing solidarity with and calling for an end to fighting in Ukraine, while the Philippines have begun to welcome Ukrainian refugees in Davao City.
On May 5, the Japanese ambassador to Kiev announced that Tokyo would provide an extra USD 300 million in financial aid to the Ukrainian government. Japan has already begun providing an earlier tranche of USD 200 million in humanitarian help. [see AiR No. 18, May/2022, 1] [see AiR No.19, May/2022, 2]
South Korea co-sponsored a UN Human Rights Council resolution adopted on May 12 that called for an immediate end to hostilities against Ukraine and requested an investigation into reports of war crimes committed in that country. [see AiR No.20, May/2022, 3]
Meanwhile, Davao City in the Philippines has been accepting Ukrainian refugees, and is willing to accept more, as the war continues to displace thousands. The Ukrainian ambassador to the Philippines confirmed the offer from Davao City’s mayor on May 5.
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Talks on UK-India Free Trade Agreement amid UK Minister’s visit to Pakistan
The United Kingdom and India concluded the fourth round of talks for their Free Trade Agreement on May 6. The technical negotiations covered 23 policy areas, thereby advancing the draft treaty text for most chapters. The fourth round of negotiations is planned to be hosted by the UK in June. [UK.Gov]
Meanwhile, the British Minister for Armed Forces James Heappey MP visited India’s neighbouring country Pakistan to highlight the importance of Pakistan as a strategic partner. Heappey met with senior government and military officials to discuss the impact of the war in Ukraine and the two countries’ cooperation in Afghanistan. [Gov.UK]
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UK, Japan agree on deepening ties in defence, trade
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on May 5 to discuss deepening their partnership as London increases its efforts to promote cooperation with countries in the Indo-Pacific region. [Gov.UK][see Europe Monthly, May 2022]
A new Reciprocal Access Agreement was signed to strengthen security ties, enabling the British and Japanese Armed Forces to work together in training, joint exercises and disaster relief. In addition, a UK-Japan Digital Group will bolster cooperation in digital technologies, including infrastructure projects and regulatory practices. [Gov.UK][Gov.UK][Reuters]
Meanwhile, Johnson appointed MP Greg Clark as trade envoy to Japan to accelerate trade and investment between the two countries while the UK submitted its application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Japan is the largest economy within the free trade bloc and chair of the CPTPP’s UK accession working group. [Gov.UK][Gov.UK]
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Myanmar asks UK to replace ambassador, confirms entry to Russia in energy industry
Myanmar asked the United Kingdom to replace its ambassador on May 20 after the military junta first denied the British ambassador, Pete Vowles, a visa to enter the country. A day earlier, Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked London to appoint a new Chargé d’Affaires. . [Eleven Myanmar]
In late February, Vowles was denied re-entry to the country after he failed to present his credentials to the State Administration Council (SAC). The UK, then, downgraded Vowles’ title from ambassador to chargé d’affaires ad interim. SAC still would not accept him as chargé d’affaires, according to its regulations. [see Asia in Review No. 20, May/2022, 3]
Meanwhile, Myanmar junta confirmed on May 6 Russia’s entry to the country’s energy industry replacing the three big Asian gas and oil firms left the nation. Malaysian and Thai state-owned oil firms and Japan’s ENEOS cited commercial reasons and the current situation and social issues for pulling out. [see Asia in Review No. 19, May/2022, 2]
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UK Minister visits South Korea and Mongolia; Poland-Mongolia discuss ties
British Minister of State for Asia and the Middle East Amanda Milling visited South Korea on May 10 for the inauguration of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, where they discussed sanctions on North Korea and the Ukraine war. Milling then visited Mongolia on May 11, focusing on bilateral relations.
In South Korea, Milling called for maintaining international sanctions and their strict enforcement against North Korea, condemning Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programs as a “real threat” to regional and global stability. She also discussed the war in Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and bilateral cooperation, especially in trade, climate, technology, and health.
In Mongolia, Milling met with Mongolian Deputy Foreign Minister, where they talked about bilateral relations such as trade and investment, foreign policy issues, climate change and education. Milling also raised the importance of international condemnation of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
On May 10, Mongolian President held a telephone conversation with his Polish counterpart during which they talked about a range of issues of bilateral relations and cooperation, praising the results of the political consultations between the Mongolia-Poland Intergovernmental Commission. [see Asia in Review No. 20, May/2022, 3]
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Scholz and Macron agreed with Xi on need for a diplomatic solution to Ukraine conflict
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on May 10 with Chinese President Xi Jinping to support negotiations for a diplomatic solution for the Ukraine war. During a virtual call four days before foreign ministers met at the G7, they stressed the need for humanitarian relief and access to contested areas in Ukraine.
Macron called on Xi to support the implementation of the two forced labour conventions that China ratified late April, especially in Xinjiang. He also urged Beijing to alleviate the economic sanctions imposed on Lithuania after allowing Taiwan to open a representative office that bears “Taiwan” in its name. Scholz refrained from addressing sensitive issues with China.
The leaders have regularly expressed the need for cooperative relations between both European countries and China, emphasising different opportunities for deepening economic ties.
XI also urged Scholz and Macron to keep security issues “in their own hands,” vowing for a European foreign policy less influenced by the US. [see Asia in Review No. 20, May/2022, 3]
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Mali junta breaks off from defence accords with France
Mali's ruling junta broke off defence accords with former colonial ruler France on May 2, citing “flagrant violations” of its national sovereignty by French troops. The announcement confirms deteriorating relations between the Mali junta and the French government. [France24][DW][RFI]
Tensions have been rising between France and Mali's military government since August 2020. Mali has resisted international pressure to return to democracy. [France24][DW][RFI]
France and the US have accused Russian-linked mercenaries from Wagner of human rights abuses in Mali, where the government claims the Russians are just military instructors restoring order. An insurgency began in 2012 and spread to Burkina Faso and Niger three years later.
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Netherlands supports Morocco's Western Sahara autonomy plan
The Netherlands supports Morocco's plan for autonomy in Western Sahara, moving closer to Rabat's position on the disputed territory where the Polisario Front, backed by Algeria, seeks to establish an independent state. The Netherlands also affirmed its support for UN efforts to reach a “just, lasting and mutually acceptable solution” in a joint statement with Morocco, after a meeting of their respective foreign ministers in Rabat. [Reuters]
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Ireland, New Zealand launch joint climate and agriculture research project
Ireland and New Zealand launched a joint climate and agriculture research project on March 12 that will focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from livestock farming. Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, and New Zealand Minister for Agriculture, Damien O’Connor, announced the agreement. [Government Press Release] [Leinster Leader]
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Constitutional Law and Politics in Western Europe
France: Macron rebrands En Marche to Renaissance Party
President Emmanuel Macron’s party La Republique En Marche changed its name to Renaissance, echoing the French leader’s call for a “democratic renaissance’’ during his speech to mark the start of his second term in office on May 7. [Le Monde]
In an attempt to rebrand the party’s message and mark a clear break with his first mandate following his victory against far-right leader Marine Le Pen, Macron pledged a “new method” that would create a more “inclusive” education system, a health service “accessible everywhere,” a stronger military and greater gender equality. [The Guardian]
Political parties have to “reinvent themselves in order to continue to exist,” the party’s secretary general, Stanislas Guerini told a press conference in Paris. The name Renaissance signified that the party would “always choose’’ enlightenment over obscurantism, he said. [Politico] [The Guardian]
In the run-up to the legislative elections in June, centre-right Horizons party, set up by Macron’s former prime- minister Edouard Philippe and pro-European centrist party MoDem, formed a coalition with Renaissance under Macron’s slogan Ensemble (Together) in a bid to retain control of Parliament. [The Guardian]
Macron’s party is likely to face an uphill battle in the upcoming weeks of campaigning, with left-wing parties united in an attempt to deprive France’s president of a parliamentary majority. The far-right has struggled so far to form an electoral coalition due to rivalry and tensions among party leaders. [Politico]
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France: Socialists agree to coalition with Greens and Communists to counter Macron
Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left who came third in the first round of presidential elections, formed on May 4 a hard-left alliance ahead of the legislative elections in June in an attempt to win a majority of seats in parliament to block President Emmanuel Macron’s reforms. [The Guardian]
The new alliance, spear-headed by Melenchon’s Euro-sceptic party La France Insoumise (LFI), brings together the Socialist Party, the Greens and the Communists under the banner “Social and Ecological People’s Union.” Its core policy proposals include pushing the retirement age back from 62 to 60, increasing the minimum wage and reforming some of the EU’s free-market policies, a decision which is likely to raise eyebrows across the EU. [Al Jazeera][Le Monde]
The left-wing coalition, hailed as “historic” by the Greens and the LFI , marks a turning point for the Socialist Party, which has traditionally adopted a pro-European integration stance. The Socialists garnered a mere 1.75 percent of the vote in the first round of the presidential elections in April. [The Guardian]
The decision to clinch a deal with Melenchon has caused discord among many Socialists, including former president Francois Hollande, who warned that the alliance could spell the death of the Socialist Party and a pro-EU force on the left. He said he would “turn down the deal on substance.” [Euractiv]
Macron’s party has already aimed to welcome disappointed socialist party members who are unhappy with the agreement and who wish to defect. [Euronews]
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France: First female prime minister appointed in three decades
France’s newly appointed prime minister, Elisabeth Borne, dedicated her nomination to “all little girls’’ and encouraged them to pursue their dreams as she became the first woman in three decades to hold the position, following Edith Cresson, who was appointed as prime minister by President Mitterrand in 1991. [France24]
Borne, 61, whose career in government spans almost four decades, describes herself as a “woman on the left.” An engineer by training, she has remained close to the Socialist Party (PS), serving as an adviser to several socialist ministers since Mitterrand’s presidency. [Financial Times]
She joined President Emmanuel Macron’s party La Republique En Marche! following his 2017 presidential victory. Over the last five years, she has served as transport minister, then as environment minister in 2019, when she pushed through bicycle-friendly policies. In 2020, she took charge of the Labour Ministry and oversaw unpopular reforms that resulted in a cut in unemployment benefits for some job seekers. [The Guardian]
During her time as labour minister, unemployment fell to its lowest level in 15 years and youth unemployment to its lowest in 40 years. Analysts said that Borne’s appointment is seen as Macron’s strategic nod to the left and an attempt to counter his critics that accused him of tilting towards the political right during his first term. [Reuters]
Described by a former staffer as “a workaholic who can push on until 3 in the morning and then be back at 7 a.m.,” Borne’s first task will be to ensure that Macron’s newly renamed Renaissance party wins the legislative vote in the mid-June elections so she can push through some of his more controversial reforms such as raising the retirement age from 62 to 65. [Reuters]
Far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon has warned her not to unpack her bags too quickly. During a recent trip to Nantes, he called her a “so-called-leftist” and said her tenure will not last “more than a month”. He hopes his newly formed alliance of left-wing parties will win the majority of legislative seats in the June elections and that Macron will be forced to choose him as the next prime minister. [France24]
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France: Burkini ban reignites debate over France’s secularism
After Rennes, Grenoble is the second city in France to have officially approved the wearing of the burkini - an all-in-one swimsuit worn mainly by Muslim women - in the city’s state-run pools. The decision reignited the longstanding debate over secularism in France. [Euronews] [Politico]
The move was approved by a narrow margin, with 29 members of the municipal council voting in favour of the new measure and 27 against it. [Euronews]
French Interior Minister Gerard Darmanin called the move an “unacceptable provocation” that contradicts France’s secular values and has asked for a legal challenge to block burkinis in public swimming pools. Under a new controversial law passed last year by parliament to counter “separatism” in French society, the French government can challenge any move that it considers undermining its secular traditions. [The Conversation] [rfi]
The concept of State secularism, or laicité, is part of France’s social and political fabric and constitutionally protects citizens’ rights to practise their religion but forbids any display of religious worship. Some observers argue that secularism is increasingly being weaponised to target Muslims over Christians. Muslim women and girls are banned from wearing hijabs (a head covering) or burqas (a face covering) in public. [Politico] [Secularhumanism]
Anti-burkini decrees are considered an illegal attack on fundamental freedoms by France’s highest administrative court. [Euronews]
“I can’t wait for the government to explain to us why we should all hide our religious signs in a swimming pool,” said the Grenoble mayor, Eric Piollo. [Euronews]
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France: Documentary sheds light on colonial-era massacre France wishes to forget
A new documentary, Thiaroye 44, sheds light on one of the darkest chapters in French colonial history, when on December 1, 1944, a group of French commanding officers gunned down unarmed West African soldiers, known as the Tirailleurs. [France24]
The Tirailleurs, who had fought alongside French soldiers against the Nazis in World War 2, had been made prisoners of war during the Nazi invasion of France in 1940. Following the liberation in 1944, they were brought to a demobilisation camp in Thiaroye, on the outskirts of Dakar, Senegal. They had been demanding equal pay with white soldiers and were protesting non-payment of wages at the time of the deadly shooting. [Al Jazeera]
The massacre which became known as Thiaroye 44 was swept under the rug by successive French governments for decades. President Francois Hollande was the first president to call the event an “act of bloody repression” on a trip to Dakar in October 2012, declaring that France would hand over the archives detailing the incident. He acknowledged France’s responsibility in the massacre but failed to mention the perpetrators or the reasons behind the attack. [Al Jazeera] [The Conversation]
First presented as a mutiny, historical records show no evidence of organised violence committed by the Tirailleurs. Official French government records registered a death toll of 35 but war veterans said that over 300 black African soldiers were killed and many arrested. This discrepancy is most likely indicative of France’s desire to minimise the number of casualties.
The victims were buried in a mass grave beneath unmarked headstones. To this day there is no mention of the Thioraye massacre in French history books. [EHNE Sorbonne University] [Al Jazeera]
Over the course of the second world war, over 17,000 African soldiers died defending France from Nazi occupation. [TalkAfricana]
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Germany: Government postpones vote on EUR 100 billion military budget amid political squabbling
Germany postponed a May 16 vote on a EUR 100 billion increase in its military budget as the country’s political parties squabble over the proposal. [Tagesschau] [Spiegel]
The vote was postponed due to divisions between the country’s ruling coalition and opposition parties over the formulation of the legal text and the country’s commitment to the NATO budget goal of 2 percent of gross domestic product, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) spokesperson Mathias Middelberg said. [Tagesschau] [Spiegel]
The governing coalition of Social Democrats (SPD), Greens, and Liberals (FDP) want to use the money to help with equipment shortages and improve the operational capabilities of the country’s military. The coalition has been negotiating with the CDU to reach the two-thirds majority needed for such a vote. [Spiegel]
Talks between the coalition parties and the CDU are still ongoing and are “very constructive,’’ SPD-chairman Lars Klingenbeil said. A date for a decision is not clear yet but there would “hopefully be a result soon,” he said. [Spiegel]
The additional military spending, which was announced after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, requires a change in the constitution, since the spending would come from credit and bypass the country’s restrictions on debt.
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Germany: Former chancellor Schroder loses state perks due to close Russian connections
German ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroder will be stripped of his taxpayer-funded office and staff, according to the Bundestag’s budgetary committee, for his unwillingness to distance himself from Russian President Vladimir Putin and resign from positions at Russian state companies. A week after the parliament's resolution, Schroder left Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft. [DeutscheWelle] [TheNewYorkTimes]
Despite losing the Bundestag office and personnel, Schroder got to keep his state pension of EUR 100,000 annually, as well as his security detail. The official reason for stripping his privileges worth EUR 419,000 was the lack of his political activity.
The parties' joint motion argued that Schroder carried no “ongoing obligations from his position as a former chancellor.” However, several days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the entire office staff turned its back on Schroder, including his longtime office manager and speechwriter Albrecht Funk. [TheGuardian] [DeutscheWelle] [Bloomberg]
Schroder has been condemned for building economic and energy ties to Russia and therefore making Germany deeply dependent on Russian gas long before the war began. He met another wave of fierce criticism after his interview with The New York Times. The ex-Chancellor said that he doesn't “do mea culpa” and disclaimed Putin's fault for the massacre of Ukrainians in Bucha, a suburb town near Kiev. [TheNewYorkTimes] [Politico]
Schroder fell into disfavour with his fellow party members due to his refusal to publicly denounce Putin. Saskia Esken, co-leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), claimed to “stop perceiving him as an elder statesman and former chancellor”. She also added that several procedures have been initiated to expel Schroder from the party, however, “there are quite rightly high hurdles” for that to happen. [Politico]
Schroder was the chancellor from 1998 to 2005. After the end of his chancellorship, he worked for Russian energy companies and gas giants like Gazprom. He still remains chairman of the shareholder committee of Nord Stream, a gas pipeline that connects Russia and Germany, and was nominated as head of the supervisory board of Nord Stream 2, until the project was put on hold due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [TheNewYorkTimes] [DeutscheWelle]
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Germany: Right-wing extremism on rise in country’s security agencies
Germany has witnessed a rise in right-wing extremism in security agencies, according to a report by the country’s interior ministry. [Tagesschau] [Süddeutsche] [DW]
The report investigated a total of 860 employees suspected of right-wing extremism from July 2018 to June 2021 in the country’s federal and state security agencies. The investigation found “concrete evidence’’ of right-wing extremism and anti-constitutional efforts in 327 of the cases. [DW] [FAZ]
The evidence of right-wing extremism included participation in events and chat groups as well as taking part in Nazi-era chants or displaying the Hitler salute. According to the report, 189 cases were identified in state agencies and 138 in federal agencies. Most of the cases were registered in the German military intelligence service and the Federal Police. [Tagesschau] [DW]
“Each of these cases is one too many,” Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said on May 13. She added that over 500 disciplinary actions have been taken against employees. A change to the federal disciplinary law to remove employees with anti-constitutional convictions faster than before will be proposed this year, Faeser said. [FAZ] [DW]
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Germany: Racism is part of everyday life according to nationwide study
A German research centre presented the results of their first nationwide study on racism in early May, showing that 90 percent of the study’s respondents said there is racism in Germany and the majority believe it is part of everyday life in the country. [Tagesschau] [DW]
The German Centre for Integration and Migration Research conducted the study “Racist Realities – How Germany Deals with Racism” as part of the National Discrimination and Racism Monitor, which the government commissioned in 2020. The Research Centre interviewed 5000 people from April to August 2021 for this first study. A progress report is planned for every two years. [Tagesschau]
The study showed that a fifth of the respondents have been personally affected by racism. Sixty percent think racism is an everyday problem and 65 percent believe that there is structural racism in German authorities. [Tagesschau]
About 70 percent of the people surveyed would be willing to speak out against racism or join demonstrations. But on a different question, 45 percent said that criticism of racism was “exaggerated” and a limitation of free speech in the form of “political correctness.” [Tagesschau] [Spiegel]
The Federal Government Commissioner for Racism, Reem Alabali-Radovan, said that “Germany knows about its racism problem” and added that the Racism Monitor with its overall results was a first step toward change. [DW]
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Germany: Politically-motivated crimes reached record high in 2021
Politically-motivated crimes reached a record high in 2021, increasing an annual 23 percent to 55,048 from the previous year, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office published on May 10. This was the highest number since the federal police office began reporting politically-motivated crimes in 2001. [Spiegel] [Euronews][Spiegel] [AP]
An increase of more than 147 percent in crimes not described as “traditional” categories, such as right-wing or left-wing motivated crimes, was noticeable due to Germany’s Covid-19 restrictions and federal elections in 2021, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said. [Spiegel] [Euronews]
Holger Munch, president of the Federal Criminal Police Office, said the increase in politically-motivated crimes indicated increasing social tensions and radicalisation in parts of the population. [AP] [Spiegel]
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Germany to vote against EU plans to label nuclear energy as green investment
Germany will vote against the plans to label nuclear energy as a green investment in the EU taxonomy policy, the German government said on May 16. [Reuters] [Politico Europe]
The European Commission presented its taxonomy policy, a labelling system for sustainable investments, at the end of 2021. Germany, as Europe’s biggest economy, will reject the proposal but will not file a lawsuit against the plan. [Politico Europe]
Germany’s environment ministry and economy and climate ministry said in a statement that “this ‘no’ is an important political sign” and that “nuclear energy is not sustainable and should therefore not be part of the taxonomy”. [Euronews]
Austria and Luxembourg are planning to vote against the proposal to label nuclear energy as a green investment as well. The two countries are also considering taking legal action against the plan. [Reuters] [Euronews]
It would take a majority of 20 of the 27 EU countries opposing the proposal to stop it. [Reuters]
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Germany: New LNG law raises environmental concerns
The German Bundestag passed a new LNG law on May 19 to fast-track construction of LNG terminals and infrastructure, as the country tries to reduce its dependence on Russian gas after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. [Tagesschau] [EURACTIV]
The aim of the law is to make imports of LNG easier by allowing authorities to waive certain procedural requirements, like environmental impact assessments. [Tagesschau]
Environmental and climate organisations criticised the new law as they said it would prolong the dependence on fossil fuels. Olaf Bundt, chairman of environmental NGO BUND, said that the law would lock the country “into oversized and climate-damaging planning.” [EURACTIV]
Germany currently continues to import around 35 percent of its gas demand from Russia. According to the government, even with the LNG terminals, the dependency on Russia for gas might not end before 2024. [Bundestag] [Tagesschau]
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Germany: Farmer backed by Greenpeace sues Volkswagen over climate change
A German farmer, who is backed by Greenpeace, sued Volkswagen over the damage climate change is doing to his business. Bloomberg] [Tagesschau] [AP]
The farmer, Ulf Allhoff-Cramer, said during the first hearing on May 20 in the district court of Detmold that Volkswagen as a high carbon emitter was partly responsible for the negative impacts of climate change on the farming industry. Volkswagen should stop making combustion engines by 2030, he claimed. [Tagesschau] [Euronews]
The district court asked Allhoff-Cramer and his lawyer to provide further details to support their legal arguments. The court also asked for clarification regarding climate-related damages the plaintiff has allegedly suffered. The next hearing is set for September 9. [Süddeutsche] [AP]
Greenpeace, who supports the case of farmer Allhoff-Cramer, has already backed similar lawsuits aimed at holding companies and the government responsible for climate change in Germany.
While some of these lawsuits have been dismissed, one made it to Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court which then ordered the government in 2021 to increase its measures for greenhouse gas emission reduction. [Euronews] [AP] [Federal Constitutional Court]
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Germany: Regulator to impose stricter competition controls on social media company Meta
Germany said on May 4 that it will impose strict competition controls on Meta Platforms Inc., the owner of Facebook, after making a similar decision against Google earlier this year. [Reuters] [DW] [EiR Monthly May 2022]
The German cartel office classified Meta, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, as a company that has “paramount significance for competition across markets.’’ This allows Germany more leeway in reacting to alleged anti-competitive activities under legislation from early 2021. [Reuters]
The new classification would also play a part in ongoing antitrust proceedings against Meta, the cartel office said in a statement. The cartel office accused Meta in 2019 of abusing its market dominance to collect user data without consent and opened separate proceedings due to its merger with Meta Quest. The decision is still pending in court. [EURACTIV] [Reuters]
Meta does not agree with the classification and the cartel office’s reasoning but will comply with its decision, a spokesperson of the company said on 4 May. [Reuters]
Similar decisions could also be made against Amazon and Apple. A spokesperson for the cartel office said a decision regarding their classification as companies with “paramount importance for competition across markets” will be made soon. [EURACTIV]
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Ireland: Cabinet approves law for special criminal court to prosecute terrorists
Ireland’s cabinet approved the renewal of the country’s law that provides for the non-jury Special Criminal Court that deals with cases of terrorism and organised crime. It will presumably pass parliament in June.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee argued that the law must be extended due to the sustained threat posed by dissident republican paramilitary groups. Sinn Fein traditionally opposed the act and has already announced that it will abstain from the vote. [The Irish Times][The Irish Times]
The law is currently being examined by an independent review group. [The Irish Times]
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Ireland: Government approves new National Maternity Hospital despite concerns of religious interference
The Irish government approved plans to build a new National Maternity Hospital after the decision on May 17 had been postponed for two weeks to allow for public debate to address criticism that it would be located on a site that until recently belonged to the Religious Sisters of Charity.
The government decided to accept the plan to build the maternity hospital despite concerns from opposition politicians and the public that it could be subject to religious influence. The decision was mostly welcomed by healthcare workers. [The Irish Times]
The new hospital will not be built on publicly owned ground, instead the site will be leased from the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group. The Religious Sisters of Charity transferred their shareholding in the company to a charitable trust in April 2022. [The Irish Times]
Critics, including certain healthcare experts, are concerned that the new facility will be subject to religious influence. They fear that certain aspects of the deal might be used to deny services such as terminations and gender reassignments. [The Irish Times] [RTÉ]
Most health care officials and government officials repeatedly assured that all legal services will be provided at the new facility. The St Vincent’s Healthcare Group said that it was secular. It needed to retain ownership of the site for operational reasons as the new hospital will be connected to an already existing one on the campus. [RTÉ] [The Irish Times]
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Ireland: US vaccine sceptic sues Twitter in Dublin
American author Alex Berenson has sued Twitter for defamation in the Irish High Court after the company had labelled one of his tweets about COVID-19 vaccines “misleading.”
The legal actions are directed against both the Dublin-based Twitter International Unlimited Company as well as another, US-based company, Twitter. Berenson filed charges against the platform in the US after it had banned him for comments on the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
Twitter said the suspension of Berenson’s account followed repeated violations of their COVID-19 misinformation rules. Berenson is a vocal critic of COVID-19 vaccines and restrictions. [The Irish Times]
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Ireland: International sanctions on Irish cartel have little impact on the group’s core wealth
Sanctions put on the Kinahan cartel have had little impact on the group’s core wealth and its drug trafficking activities. They did, however, restrict its ability to launder money through its legal enterprises.
Security sources say that the cartel’s core wealth was unaffected by April’s international sanctions as its enterprises are only legal fronts used for money laundering. The group hid most of its assets in illegal businesses and could access them via fake bank accounts. [The Irish Times] [The Irish Times] [The Irish Times]
On April 11, it was announced that Irish, British, and American law enforcement had launched a joint action against the Kinahan organised crime group, Ireland’s most powerful cartel. The US identified and sanctioned seven leading members of the group and three of their enterprises. Shortly after, the United Arab Emirates, where the group is currently based, took similar measures. [Europe Monthly April 2022]
On May 15, the US banned another 600 people that are believed to be associated with the Kinahan crime group from entering the US. [The Irish Times]
Some Security sources argued that a future prosecution would likely take place in the US as the Kinahans have been living abroad for a long time. Additionally, the US has more experience with cases of organised crime. [The Irish Times] [RTÉ] [The Irish Independent]
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United Kingdom: Pound facing ‘existential crisis’, Bank of America warns
Bank of America has offered a bearish outlook on the British pound, warning that it faces an “existential crisis” and predicting further declines this year as government policy undermines the currency’s strength.
“Sterling's fall from grace has been epic given last year's euphoria and, in many ways, has caught the investor community by surprise,” Kamal Sharma, a London-based foreign-exchange strategist at Bank of America, wrote in a report. Sharma added that the bank is concerned that the increasing politicisation of UK policy undermines the pound in ways that would appear to resemble emerging markets. [FXStreet][CityAm]
“Central bank credibility is the life-blood for any currency; political interference rarely ends well and adds to the sense that the UK is exhibiting EM-like conditions,” Sharma wrote. [CityAm]
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United Kingdom: Queen’s speech introduces government priorities with 38 new bills
The United Kingdom plans to introduce 38 new bills during the new parliamentary session as the government seeks to address online security and spur economic growth, Prince Charles said on May 10 during a speech delivered on behalf of the Queen. [Guardian][BBC]
The government plans to introduce the “Online Safety Bill’’ to better regulate content on the internet. It will also introduce bills for new data protection, greater digitalisation and safety standards for digital services. [Gov.UK][BBC]
In the domain of security and justice, a proposed bill will give more power to the police during protests. Similar legislation was blocked by the Upper House earlier this year. A draft Victims Bill will give new rights to victims of crimes. [Gov.UK][BBC]
The Queen’s speech also included a Conversion Therapy Bill to ban practices of changing someone’s sexuality. The British government was criticised earlier this year when practices for transgender people were excluded from the ban. [Gov.UK][BBC][EiR Monthly, May 2022]
Around two-thirds of the 38 bills are intended to boost the British economy. However, critics argue that the current cost-of-living crisis is not addressed, with the British government lacking a clear guiding principle to respond to the current crises. [Guardian]
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United Kingdom: Government publishes strategy to promote global economic development
The British government published its International Development Strategy as it seeks to promote global economic assistance through bilateral agreements and investments. [Gov.UK]
The strategy prioritises reliable British investment, support and protection for women and girls, humanitarian support and policies against climate change through bilateral programs rather than multilateral organisations. Ambassadors and high commissioners will be given more authority to reduce bureaucracy. [Gov.UK]
Critics say that cutting funds for multilateral organisations, like the United Nations, will reduce Britain’s influence globally. There has also been opposition to using government aid to promote trade in developing countries. [Guardian]
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United Kingdom: Local elections held in England, Wales and Scotland
Local elections took place in all England councils, Wales and Scotland on May 5, with the Conservative party of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson facing considerable losses. [France24]
In London, three councils switched from a Conservative to a Labour leadership while the Liberal Democrats also increased their share of seats in the British capital. The British Green Party gained 81 seats at the local elections. [FinancialTimes][Guardian]
The elections took place amid criticism of Prime Minister Boris Johnson for breaching lockdown rules during the pandemic. Conservative Councillors held Johnson responsible for the losses. The Prime Minister said he took responsibility for the mixed results. [BBC]
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United Kingdom: Sinn Fein wins most seats in elections for Northern Ireland Assembly
Elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly took place on May 5 after the collapse of the government in February amid conflicts regarding the Northern Ireland protocol. Sinn Fein won the most seats, marking the first time ever that a nationalist party has been the largest in the assembly in terms of seats. [Guardian] [BBC]
The nationalist Sinn Fein supports Northern Ireland’s independence from the United Kingdom while the unionist DUP supports closer ties to the United Kingdom.. The DUP is opposed to the Northern Ireland protocol in the Brexit agreement. The protocol governs the unique customs and immigration issues at the border Irish mainland between the UK, Northern Ireland and the European Union, and on some aspects of trade in goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
For Sinn Fein to appoint one of the heads of state in the power-sharing system, the DUP needs to appoint a Deputy First Minister. If the Northern Ireland protocol is not changed, however, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson stated that he will not nominate a minister. If no solution is found within six months, a new election must take place unless the British government proposes an alternative solution. Meanwhile, last term’s ministers can continue their work with limited powers. [Guardian] [BBC]
While the British government emphasised the need to respect the election results, Foreign Secretary of State Liz Truss proposed changing the Northern Ireland protocol. The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, warned that changes to the protocol would negatively affect a UK-US trade agreement. [Gov.UK][Guardian]
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Constitutional Law and Politics in Northern Europe
Danish bank faces billion-dollar fine over money laundering scandal
Top Danish lender Danske Bank could be facing a USD 1.4 billion fine, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, over a case that came to light in 2017 and which saw USD 210 billion worth of suspicious transactions in what has been described as one of the biggest money laundering schemes in history.
American and Danish authorities are seeking to fine the bank following a global investigation. Danske Bank said in a statement that it expected a “material” fine, but that it could not “reliably estimate the timing or size of a potential fine or settlement.” Reuters
Between 2007-2015 a single Estonian branch of the Danish bank facilitated 9.5 million transactions carried out by up to 15,000 Russians living in but not officially residents of the Baltic state. In October 2019, the Estonian Financial Supervision Authority requested that Danske Bank officially cease its business operations in Estonia. [Forbes] [ERR]
Estonia, which was once part of the Soviet Union, has a large Russian ethnic minority, many of whom do not hold Estonian citizenship.
Much of the laundered money was directly traced to the Russian Federation, according to Howard Wilkinson, a former employee at the Estonian Danske Bank branch who became a whistle-blower. Wilkinson alleges that the Russian security apparatus, specifically the Federal Security Service (FSB), as well as oligarchs benefited from the scheme, which reportedly allowed dirty money to be easily transferred out of Russia. [CBS]
The Estonian parliament launched an investigation into why its domestic financial authorities did not inspect the transactions. The parliamentary probe is seeking to hold the perpetrators accountable and to elaborate a strategy in order to avoid similar situations in the future. [ERR]
The scandal also encompasses the “Azerbaijani Laundromat”, which saw Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and his family implicated in a USD 2.9 billion laundering scheme. Bank accounts involved in the Azeri affair were handled by the Estonian branch of Danske Bank. [OCCRP]
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Finland: Full power production at Olkiluoto 3 nuclear power plant postponed
Full power production at the Olkiluoto 3 nuclear plant in western Finland has been delayed again, with the date pushed back from June to September this year.
Construction of the plant, which is intended to reduce the country’s energy dependence on Russia, started in 2005. Production was originally expected to begin in 2009. [Europe Monthly April 2022]
Inspection work on cooling systems is the reason given by the authorities for the delay this time around. In the past, faulty components, and safety tests as well as legal disputes postponed energy production.
When the power plant is fully operational, it will produce around 14 percent of Finland’s electricity, and will be the country’s fifth biggest reactor. [yle] [Reuters]
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Finland: Health ministry unveils plan to tackle child sex abuse
The Finnish ministry of social affairs and health has issued a 33-step action plan aiming to help stop the sexual abuse of children.
The strategy is designed to meet the goals of a Council of Europe convention on protecting children against sexual abuse, known as “the Lanzarote Convention.”
The Finnish plan is to be implemented from this year until 2025. It includes steps for closer cooperation between parents, teachers and law enforcement, as well as better sex education and regular monitoring of police investigations of crimes against children. [Council of Europe] [yle]
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Norway: Parliament votes against establishing lobby register
The Norwegian parliament has voted against a proposal by the opposition Liberal Party to establish a register that would require all lobbyists entering and leaving parliament to be registered there.
Currently, a so-called “gold card scheme” is in place. Anybody elected to the legislature receives access cards for life, which they do not lose even if they are no longer deputies and now work for lobby groups or PR companies that seek to exert political influence. [vg]
The governing Labour and Centre parties as well as the opposition Conservative Party and Green Party on May 19 voted against the proposal to change the system, arguing that a register would not strengthen democracy. The disadvantages, such as much more bureaucracy and the requirement of additional resources, would outweigh the advantages, said Kari Henriksen, a vice president of the parliament.
Norwegian MPs discussed the introduction of a lobby register in 2010 and 2014, but rejected the idea both times. The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body asked Norway to reconsider implementing such a register in 2014. [aftenposten]
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Norway: Protest as mining licence granted
Environmental activists staged a protest after the Norwegian ministry of trade and industry permitted the Nordic Mining company to extract rutile and garnet minerals from Engebofjellet, a mountain in the west of the country.
Activists chained themselves to construction machinery at the site on May 6 in an attempt to prevent the depositing of 250 million tonnes of mining waste in the area. Forty protestors were arrested by the police and fines totalling more than EUR 34,000 were handed out. [nrk]
Trade and Industry Minister Jan Christian Vestre said that the operating licence was accompanied by strict environmental requirements to pave the way to a more sustainable mining industry. [nrk]
The share price of Nordic Mining rose over 10 percent after the company obtained the mining licence. [Market Screener]
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Norwegian firms join US-led alliance to lower emissions
Several Norwegian companies have announced they are joining a new US-led alliance that aims to cut emissions in heavy industry. The firms said they were climbing aboard the First Movers Coalition during a meeting in Oslo between US climate envoy John Kerry and Norway’s minister of trade and industry, Jan Christian Vestre.
Vestre said the alliance was an opportunity to “make Norwegian green solutions visible internationally and strengthen Norway as an important contributor in delivering zero-emission solutions.”
Industrial investment firm Aker and chemical company Yara International are among Norwegian businesses that have joined the First Movers Coalition.
Orsted, a Danish wind power company, and DHL, a German logistics company, will also be joining the alliance. By doing so they commit to only buying technologies with low emissions by 2030 as well to steering markets towards emission-free goods and services. [E24]
The First Movers Coalition was established to generate solutions that will reduce emissions, a step needed to limit global temperature rises. [Reuters] [E24]
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Norway: Farmers receive EUR 1bn amid increased costs
The Norwegian government has agreed to pay some EUR 1 billion to support the country’s farmers, who face higher fertiliser, fuel, and electricity costs as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The pay-outs will also help bring farmers’ incomes closer to that of other occupational groups. The government presented the deal with farmers at a press conference on May 16. [dn]
The cost of fertilisers rose last year amid low supply following international sanctions on Belarus. Russia’s war on Ukraine has led to a further increase in prices. Fourteen percent of global fertiliser exports came from Russia in peacetime, but the country has stopped such exports as the conflict in Ukraine continues. [Reuters] [cnbc]
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Sweden: Court rules police were wrong to refuse permission for far-right rally
A Swedish court has ruled that police were not justified in refusing far-right politician Rasmus Paludan permission to hold a rally after gatherings he organised in April sparked riots.
Paludan, who has both Swedish and Danish nationality, is the leader of the Danish far right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line) and plans to run in Swedish parliamentary elections this autumn. He is known for his anti-Muslim rallies, a core element of which is the burning of the Quran.
Meetings he held over the Easter weekend provoked an outcry in Muslim countries and sparked violence across Sweden. Hundreds of injuries were reported after clashes between protesters and the police. [Göteborgs-Posten] [Europe Monthly May 2022]
After the riots, Paludan did not receive permission for any more meetings in April. Police said they could not guarantee order and safety because applications for meetings were made at short notice. [Dagens Nyheter]
On May 6, an administrative court in Gothenburg ruled that in at least one case, the police were wrong in denying Paludan permission, and that he should have been assigned another site for a meeting.
Following the judgement, Paludan held further rallies in May which were largely cordoned off by the police. The atmosphere was charged but no major disturbances were reported. [Dagens Nyheter] [Göteborgs-Posten]
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Sweden: Party leaders square off in TV debate ahead of September election
The leaders of Sweden’s main political parties squared off on May 8 in their first televised debate this year ahead of a September parliamentary election.
The leader of the liberal-conservative Moderates party, Ulf Kristersson, and Sweden’s current and first female prime minister, Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats, made sure not to stand out too much. It was the smaller parties’ leaders who steered the debate, which was hosted by national broadcaster SVT. [Göteborgs-Posten]
After a political crisis saw the government collapse last November, Sweden is led by a single-party minority government comprising only Andersson’s Social Democrats. [Europe Monthly Dec 2021]
That situation could change in the autumn amid a fragmented political landscape. Since the war in Ukraine, the Swedish Social Democrats have enjoyed rising support. But their decision to seek NATO membership has eroded the dwindling common ground with the left-wing parties supporting Andersson’s government. [The Local] [Svenska Dagbladet]
At the same time, polls indicate that parties on the right – which seem increasingly united in their positions – could together receive enough votes to win a slight majority, a result which could put Kristersson in the prime minister’s seat. [Euractiv] [Dagens Nyheter]
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Sweden could be cut off from maritime traffic in international crisis: experts
Experts have warned that Sweden could see its supply of essential goods disrupted if sea traffic ceases in an international crisis. Sweden conducts 90 percent of its trade by sea, and is highly dependent on secure shipping routes.
In times of war, Sweden has the right to require merchant ships sailing under its flag to conduct maritime transport. But only some ships fall into this category, as many are registered in countries with low taxes and security requirements.
A potential solution is a register of vessels which can be re-flagged as Swedish ships in a crisis or war. Finland is to introduce such a register in July. [Dagens Nyheter]
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Sweden: Government grants permission for large offshore windpark
The Swedish government in May gave state-owned company Vattenfall the green light to start building a large windpark off the southern coast of Sweden. The project, the largest of its kind to date in Sweden, is a big step for energy security and the country’s plan to reach net zero emissions by 2045.
Expected to be completed in 2028, the project will cost some EUR 950 million and will be able to supply 500,000 homes with electricity.
Permission for the initiative was first granted in 2006 but alterations to the plans and environmental concerns made changes to the permit necessary. [Göteborgs-Posten] [Reuters]
The project is part of a larger windpark stretching across the economic zones of Sweden, Germany and Denmark. The German and Danish parts have been in operation since 2015 and 2021 respectively. [Dagens Nyheter]
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Sweden: Investigations into ‘IS women’ prove difficult
Preliminary probes into the cases of 11 women with suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) have been closed in Sweden due to a lack of evidence. The women, who have Swedish citizenship, were arrested on their return to that country in recent months. [Göteborgs-Posten]
After IS – also known as Daesh – collapsed, people from all over the world who had joined the organisation were put into provisional internment camps in northeast Syria. So far, few of them have returned to their home countries, which have proved less than willing to re-admit such citizens.
The UN has taken Sweden, among other nations, to task for such reluctance, as the camps in Syria are struggling with the numbers staying there. [Göteborgs-Posten] [Dagens Nyheter]
Following the criticism, the Swedish government took several of its citizens back, aiming to prosecute them. Earlier this year, one of these women was sentenced to prison in Sweden for letting her son be recruited as a child soldier by IS. [Dagens Nyheter]
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Constitutional Law and Politics in Central Europe
Croatia: MPs pass law preparing for euro adoption
The Croatian parliament has passed a law preparing the country to adopt the euro on January 1 and designed to keep a lid on inflation when the currency switch takes place.
Finance Minister Zdravko Maric said that limiting the inflationary effects of a transition to the European single currency is the “common theme throughout the law.”
On May 13, a total of 117 members of parliament voted for the law, 13 voted against it and one abstained. Right wing parties in Croatia are against introducing the euro, arguing that the move will increase poverty. [Associated Press] [Euractiv] Croatia joined the European Union in 2013 and is the bloc’s newest member country.
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Hungary: Orban re-appointed as PM by new parliament
A new Hungarian parliament held its inaugural session on May 2, a month after a vote which saw right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party securing their fourth consecutive victory in general elections. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
The 199-member parliament includes 135 members of the governing (Fidesz-KDNP) party, and 62 opposition members, plus one independent and one MP from the German national minority.
Opposition coalition parties, which stood together in the April 3 elections in an attempt to end Orban’s 12-year reign as premier, have formed separate parliamentary groups in the new legislature. [Hungary Today] [Euronews]
MPs re-elected Orban as prime minister, and Laszlo Kover as Speaker of the house. Both men have held their positions since 2010. Of the six deputy speakers elected, four are from the government and two from the opposition. [Telex]
After the swearing-in ceremony, three of the seven opposition groups left the chamber, though two returned later. Andras Fekete-Gyor, the parliamentary leader of Momentum, the grouping that remained outside, said there is “an electoral system and a media system in Hungary that we know is not democratic.”
He added that his party did not want to legitimise such a system by being present in parliament. [Telex] “In the coming years, we will do our work mainly outside parliament,” he vowed. [Telex]
Orban has repeatedly clashed with the European Union amid accusations that he has undermined the rule of law and media freedom. Brussels on April 27 activated a rule-of-law mechanism for the first time that could allow it to withhold funds from Hungary. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
Independently of the parliamentary elections and the formation of the new parliament, the mandate of former President Janos Ader ended. He was replaced on May 10 by Katalin Novak, who was elected in early March. Novak is considered a close ally of Orban. [Europe Monthly March 2022]
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Hungary: Gov’t gives itself emergency powers amid war in Ukraine
The Hungarian government declared a state of emergency on May 24, giving the executive greater powers amid the war in Ukraine. Earlier the same day, lawmakers adopted an amendment to the constitution that enables the measure. [Reuters] [Politico] [Telex]
A windfall tax on banks and large private companies was the first major decision taken by the government under its emergency powers. The new tax will be used to fund equipment for the army and to continue to provide energy for families at lower-than-market prices. [Euractiv] [Telex]
The state of emergency comes after Viktor Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party won parliamentary elections by a large margin on April 3, giving it a constitutional majority in parliament for the fourth term in a row. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
The government said the declaration of a state of emergency was necessary due to the armed conflict and humanitarian disaster in neighbouring Ukraine, and to avert fallout for Hungary. [Magyar Közlöny]
The opposition is worried that the government may award itself powers that are too broad, but there has been no strong criticism of the executive’s move. [Telex]
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Hungary: Planned referendum on Chinese university ruled unconstitutional
A planned referendum on whether a top Chinese university campus should be allowed to open in Budapest has been ruled to be unconstitutional by Hungary’s top court. [Hungary Today]
An official request to hold a referendum on the opening of the Fudan University campus in the Hungarian capital was submitted by the opposition mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karacsony, in the summer of 2021. [Hungary Today] [Telex]
The bid to hold the referendum was rejected by the Constitutional Court after it was approved by the Supreme Court in December 2021. Under Hungary's constitution, referendums cannot be held on international treaties, such as the one that covered the campus opening. [Telex]
The case of Fudan University was a major mobilisation cause for the opposition in 2021. Many pro-government voters as well as opposition parties have been worried about the growing influence of China in Hungary. [Telex]
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Slovakia: Ruling coalition faces crisis after bid to arrest ex-PM fails
Slovakia’s ruling coalition faces an internal crisis after a parliamentary vote needed to rescind the immunity of ex-Prime Minister and opposition party leader Robert Fico failed on May 4.
Fico was on April 20 charged with heading a criminal organisation, along with other suspects including a former interior minister. [Europe Monthly May 2022] But since Fico still has parliamentary immunity from prosecution, he has not been arrested.
The ruling coalition theoretically has enough parliamentary seats to have Fico detained, with 76 votes needed in the 150-seat chamber. However only 74 MPs backed such a move. The governing coalition comprises the centre-right Ordinary People (OL’aNO), the centre-right Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), the right-wing We Are Family (SR) and the centrist For the People (SL) parties. [Spectator]
Despite SR abstaining from the vote, the coalition still had sufficient MPs to pass the vote, provided all parliamentarians cast their ballots. But two members of the Ordinary People party abstained from the ballot, leading to its failure in parliament.
Economy minister and SaS party chief Richard Sulik called this “the biggest defeat,” and said that OL’aNO could no longer call itself an anti-corruption party, as it has done until now. [Spectator]
The two MPs who abstained were deputies from OL’aNO and were immediately expelled following their failure to follow party voting lines. In a video posted to social media, Prime Minister Eduard Heger of OL’aNO said: “The deputies betrayed the key values of OL’aNO, which we had defined in our programme, with which we ran for the parliamentary elections in 2020.” [Pravda]
The ruling coalition now faces a crisis as the SaS has questioned the continued inclusion of the SR party in the government, and has even threatened its own departure from the coalition if an upcoming proposal of assistance to families and anti-inflation measures comes into force. [Pravda]
Fico was forced to step down as prime minister following a public outcry over the murder of a journalist who had probed high-level corruption. Since then, a string of officials in Slovakia have been investigated for suspected graft. [Europe Monthly November 2021]
Heger became prime minister after a major cabinet reshuffle in March 2021, replacing Igor Matovic.
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Slovakia: President signs judicial reform law, paving way for EU funds
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova has signed into force a law introducing judicial reforms, a move needed for the country to receive billions in EU post-pandemic recovery funds.
Justice Minister Maria Kolikova said: “We need to restore credibility in the judiciary, and this reform is an important tool for that.”
The Slovak judiciary system has in the past faced criticism of corruption. Investigations of dishonest judges were launched after a coalition campaigning on an anti-corruption ticket won parliamentary elections in February 2020 following the collapse of the previous ruling coalition. [The Slovak Spectator]
In 2019, 72 percent of those asked in a survey said they had no trust in the judicial system in Slovakia. Only Croatia had a lower level of public trust in the judiciary. [The Slovak Spectator]
Under the reforms, new municipal courts will be created in the capital Bratislava and in Kosice, Slovakia’s second largest city, after existing district courts there are merged. The new tribunals will deal with matters including criminal cases, family law, commercial law and civil disputes.
The reforms aim to “break corruption chains at lower levels of the court system, [while] improving the quality of rulings and speeding up the decision-making process,” the justice ministry said in 2020.
Slovak courts are currently divided into district and regional tribunals and the Supreme Court, with important criminal cases handled by a special criminal court.
Regional courts act as a second instance for cases that have already been heard at a district court. As part of the planned changes, the number of district courts is set to be reduced from 54 to 36. [European Justice] [Pravda]
A judicial reform bill was backed by members of Slovak parliament on April 27, with 91 of 143 MPs voting in favour. The new rules introduced by the bill come into force on January 1, 2023.
The reform is one of the main conditions for Slovakia to receive EU funds under a Recovery and Resilience plan drawn up by the European Commission to help economies that have suffered stagnation brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger is set to request a first instalment of EUR 458.3 million from the commission. [Pravda]
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Slovakia: New drive to boost cyber-defence
The Slovak defence ministry has announced a drive to develop new cyber capabilities for the defence of the country, initially in the form of an action plan which it hopes will be ready by September.
Envisioned in the plan is an emphasis on increased cooperation between military and civilian cyber technology sectors, as well as providing a framework for cooperation between the defence ministry and the state security apparatus with private and academic entities.
Cyber-attacks have been recognised as a serious threat to Slovakia, and it is expected that the new strategy will allow the country to keep up with the development of NATO and allied nations’ cyber defence capabilities. [Aktuality]
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Slovakia eyes geothermal potential
A pilot powerplant has received an undisclosed investment from private companies to test the feasibility of a broader use of geothermal power in Slovakia amid uncertainty over Russian energy imports as the war in Ukraine drags on.
Under the plans, a geothermal plant in central Slovakia is expected to increase its power output from 13 to 20 megawatts. It is estimated that Slovakia sits on 5.5 gigawatts worth of geothermal potential, which is enough to power and heat hundreds of thousands of homes. Despite this, geothermal only represents a marginal amount of Slovak power production.
Slovak power distributor SSH holdings and Czech private entity EPH made the decision to explore geothermal opportunities in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Michal Masek of PW Energy, a company co-owned by EPH, said: “The war in Ukraine shows that the shift away from fossil fuels is not only an environmental but also a security and strategic interest of Slovakia.” [Euractiv] [PWenergy]
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Slovenia: Election winner Golob announces new coalition government
The leader of Slovenia’s liberal Freedom Movement party, political newcomer Robert Golob, has announced an agreement to form a centre-left coalition government with the Social Democrats and left-leaning Levica parties after his victory in a parliamentary election.
Golob, now prime minister of Slovenia, secured a comfortable majority, with 53 out of 90 seats in parliament. Golob’s Freedom Movement won 34.4 percent of the vote in the April election to the legislature, in what came as a shock to former Prime Minister Janez Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party. [Europe Monthly May 2022] [Euronews]
Slovenia has been in conflict with Brussels amid claims that it has eroded democratic standards and the rule of law during Jansa’s term as prime minister. In his first piece of legislation Golob will aim to strengthen the rule of law, human rights and the protection of media independence, repealing restrictions that were ushered in by Jansa and the Slovenian Democratic Party. [Europe Monthly March 2022] [Euractiv 1] [Euractiv 2]
The new coalition has announced that it will restructure several ministries to better reflect its political position and goals, including a green energy transition and healthcare reform. A new ministry headed by Levica party chief Luka Mesec is to be established to deal with “intergenerational solidarity”.
The leader of the Social Democrats, Tanja Falon is set to head the foreign ministry, following her stepping down as an MEP. Both she and Mesec will serve as deputy prime ministers. Speaking at a correspondence session, Falon said the coalition negotiations had been “difficult.” [Euractiv]
Golob has said that he plans to integrate Slovenia’s left into a liberal bloc to consolidate his coalition, as he seeks to rule for two terms.
A core goal of the new coalition is to restore trust and stability in democratic processes and institutions. A reform of the voting system is planned to streamline constituencies and enable online voting in order to appeal to young voters. The coalition also aims to resolve border disagreements in order to strengthen Slovenia’s position in the Alpine-Adriatic-Danube area. Slovenia and Croatia have long-standing border disputes that resulted in Slovenia blocking Croatia’s EU membership bid in 2008. [Dnevnik]
The new coalition has already drawn criticism from the outgoing government, as Golob has given two cabinet positions to liberal party leaders that did not reach the election threshold and failed to make it into parliament. The positions in question are the interior minister and economic minister.
A further point of contention will be the coalition’s revision of a large arms contract that was planned by Jansa’s government. In May, Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding for 45 BOXER armoured vehicles from German arms manufacturers Rheinmetall and KMW. The deal is valued at EUR 400 million. [Euractiv]
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Slovenia: Covid decree giving PM broad powers declared unconstitutional
Slovenia’s top court ruled on May 5 that a decree which gave Prime Minister Janez Jansa broad powers during the Covid pandemic is unconstitutional because it has been used to violate personal data protection rights enshrined in the country’s highest law.
The decree allows information on a person’s tested, infected or vaccinated status to be gathered and used by the government to allow vaccinated or tested people access to public places through a “Covid pass.” [Sloveniatimes][Pisrs.si]
Slovenia’s Constitutional Court said that the decree encroached on human rights and violated the right to protect personal information, according to news website Euractiv.
Slovenia’s Information Commissioner Mojca Prelesnik said: “The state must protect people from communicable diseases, which is a human right, but not at the expense of violating another human right.”
The government responded by invoking the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and claiming it had acted within its legal boundaries. The Constitutional Court, however, did not agree with the government’s interpretation, saying: “The purpose of the GDPR was to protect the individual from inadmissible processing of personal data, and not to ‘blanket’ allow the state to process personal data.” [Dnevnik]
Although declared unconstitutional, the decree will remain in force until the end of the year.
Jansa and his right-wing Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS) were swept out of power in parliamentary elections on April 24. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
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Constitutional Law and Politics in Southern Europe
Italy: Probe into 'disinformation' spread by Russian guests on TV
An Italian parliamentary committee dealing with security will investigate whether “disinformation” was spread by Russian guests on news programmes in Italy during the war in Ukraine.
The probe by the “Copasir” committee was announced after Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi criticised “blatantly false and aberrant” statements made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in an interview broadcast on May 1 on television channel Rete 4, owned by tycoon and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. [Today]
Lavrov’s interview was widely criticised after he dismissed reports of a massacre in the Ukrainian city of Bucha as fake news, and accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has Jewish roots, of being a Nazi. [TheGuardian]
The Copasir parliamentary committee has opened a probe into possible “foreign interference and disinformation activity ... with particular reference to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.” [Reuters]
The director of Italian geopolitical magazine Limes, Lucio Caracciolo, described the investigation by the committee as “a joke,” adding that “if you take it seriously, we have to think that they want to establish the Ministry of Truth.” [IlTempo]
The most recent annual report by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, published on May 3, ranks Italy 58th globally in terms of press freedom, down 17 places compared to last year. [See story in the international section of this Europe Monthly]
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Italy: Top churchman ignores requests for independent probe into sex abuse by clerics
The new head of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, has ignored requests for an independent inquiry into sexual abuse by the clergy in Italy.
Zuppi, who was elected to his new post on May 24, announced that instead the Church would compile its own report on sexual abuse by priests in Italy. The inquiry results are to be published on November 18 and will include cases that have been reported from 2000 to 2021. [LaStampa]
Italy Church Too, a network which collects reports of abuse cases linked to the clergy, said the measure was not enough. The network had demanded an independent inquiry along the lines of those that have taken place in other countries. [ANSA]
Spain in March set up a commission to probe sex abuse in the Catholic Church after an investigation by El Pais newspaper revealed hundreds of alleged cases. [Europe Monthly April 2022]
In Germany, an independent investigation in January found there had been 497 victims of abuse by local clerics between 1945 and 2019. [IlFattoQuotidiano]
Francesco Zanardi of The Abuse Network, which has one of the largest digital archives on clerical sexual abuse in Italy, recently said that “a true independent investigation would demonstrate that Italy is the country with most paedophile priests into the world.” [IlFattoQuotidiano]
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Italy: Dozens arrested in crackdown on Ndrangheta Mafia
Italian police arrested 43 suspected members of a Ndrangheta Mafia cell in Rome on May 10. The group was allegedly set up by a broader Calabrian mafia organisation to pump illicit revenue into legal activities such as clubs, bars, restaurants and supermarkets. [Ansa]
According to investigators, the local group also wanted to expand its power in the Vatican City area and infiltrate its leaders into the masonic movement. [LaRepubblica]
Ndrangheta, based in southern Italy’s Calabria region, is considered the country’s most powerful mafia organisation. According to the authorities, it has more than 30,000 members and an income of EUR 40 million a year, with local affiliates all over the world. [ElPaís]
One of the alleged local leaders arrested in the swoop in Rome was Vincenzo Alvaro, who has a high profile as the owner of the Café Paris on Via Veneto, a centre of the city’s social life.
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Malta accused of not coordinating rescue missions at sea
International rescue organisations have accused Malta of failing to coordinate sea rescue missions for migrants and asylum seekers from Africa. [Malta Today 1] [Malta Today 2]
On May 17, Maltese rescuers failed to provide assistance to two boats carrying around 500 people in the Mediterranean, according to Alarmphone, a volunteer sea rescue project. Alarmphone said that Malta’s authorities were informed but did not offer support. Later, with the help of the Italian government, Alarmphone managed to bring the migrants to Italian ports. [Malta Today 1]
On May, 14 Sea-Eye, another migrant rescue organisation, said that a Maltese rescue coordination centre failed to respond to distress calls from 24 migrants stranded in Maltese territorial waters. Malta is also accused of ordering merchant ships to stay away from people seeking rescue at sea. [Malta Today 2]
Malta's authorities rejected these allegations, saying they were attempting to create a fair asylum system that would only allow migrants in need to enter the country, not people smugglers. Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri on May 18 said Malta would not become a “migration hub for the Mediterranean.” [Times of Malta]
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Malta rejects more asylum requests
Malta rejected 76 percent of screened asylum seekers last year, up from 10 percent in 2016, according to a European Council on Refugees and Exiles report. [Time of Malta]
The reason for the change is Malta’s policy of classifying many nations as “safe,” says the report. Applications by asylum seekers coming from such countries are considered “manifestly unfounded” and are rejected. In 2021, Maltese authorities refused asylum to 303 applicants for this reason. [Time of Malta]
Under Maltese law, asylum seekers must be detained while their cases are decided. The maximum period for such detention is nine months, but there have been cases when asylum seekers have waited up to three years, the report said. [Time of Malta]
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EU approves EUR 30m Maltese subsidy scheme amid high grain prices
The European Commission on May 18 gave the green light to a EUR 30 million subsidy plan put forward by the Maltese government to support companies involved in the grain business. The aim is to guarantee the supply of wheat and similar products that are affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [Times of Malta]
The Subsidised Loan Scheme launched by the Malta Development Bank is limited to two years and is intended to provide temporary liquidity support for companies. [Malta Independent] An international wheat shortage has impacted Maltese food prices, which rose 9 percent in April year on year. [Malta Today]
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Malta taken to EU court over car tax system
The European Commission on May 19 decided to take Malta to the European Court of Justice because the country taxes used cars imported from other EU countries at a higher rate than similar cars purchased domestically. [Malta Today] [Malta Independent]
Since there is little EU legislation on car taxation, each country can take its own measures. However, member states are not allowed to impose taxes that discriminate against foreign second-hand cars and thus encourage sales of domestic used vehicles, says an EU report.
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Portugal: EU urges simpler tax system; government considers levy on crypto gains
The European Commission on May 23 urged Portugal to review the way it levies taxes. According to the EU's executive, the country needs to improve the effectiveness of its tax and social protection system by simplifying it and reducing the administrative burden on taxpayers. [Lusa]
Taxes on salaries in Portugal rose slightly in 2021 and are above the average of the countries that belong to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). [Lusa]
Portuguese taxes do not apply to gains made in cryptocurrencies. The lack of regulation on the issue has attracted an increasing number of “digital nomads” and crypto companies. The number of foreign residents living in Portugal has risen by 40 percent over the past 10 years. [Bloomberg]
That situation could soon change as the Portuguese government now intends to legislate on ways of taxing crypto currency incomes. The parliament has already rejected a first proposal on the matter submitted by left wing parties on May 25. [Bloomberg][Eco]
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Spain: Ruling coalition faces crisis over spyware scandal
A scandal over the use of spyware to hack the mobile phones of top Spanish politicians has triggered a political crisis as tensions run high among parties in the governing coalition. [ElPaís]
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez admitted on May 26 that the phones of 18 Catalan leaders had been hacked by the country’s CNI intelligence agency, specifying that those moves had been authorised by courts. However, he admitted other phones had been hacked by “unknown actors, detached from the Spanish administration.”
Sanchez announced that the government was considering a new law to increase control over the work of the secret services. [Security Week/AFP]
The leaders of the Catalan ERC party said Sanchez’s response to the scandal was “insufficient”. [Público]
The government’s problems started earlier in May when Sanchez’s Socialist party together with opposition right-wing groupings voted against the creation of a parliamentary commission to probe phone hacking. Other members of the governing coalition, including the left-wing Podemos party, voted in favour of such a commission but failed to secure a majority. [rtve] [cope]
According to reports, Pegasus spyware produced by Israeli company NSO Group Technologies was used to spy on top officials including the prime minister himself, Defence Minister Margarita Robles and influential Catalan leaders such as the president of Catalonia regional government, Pere Aragones. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
The Catalan ERC party said Sanchez had not explained why Aragones “posed a threat to the state.” [ElPaís] [Público]
Meanwhile, a recent report by Google's Threat Analysis Group, which works to counter attacks against Google and its users, said that last year “government-backed actors” operating in Spain bought spyware called Predator.
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Spain: Gov’t aims to bolster abortion rights and bring in paid ‘menstrual leave’
Spain's left-wing government on May 17 approved a bill that aims to strengthen abortion rights and, in a bid to remove the stigma from menstrual health, to make the country the first in Europe to introduce paid leave for women who experience painful periods. [Reuters]
Under the measures, abortion will be possible for 16- and 17-year-olds without the permission of their parents, while a mandatory three-day “reflection period” before an abortion will be eliminated.
The bill, which according to Equality Minister Irene Montero “will improve the life of women,” includes measures to provide free morning-after pills and menstrual products in public institutions.
The bill could become law at the end of the year. [ElMundo] Montero said the government’s approval of the plans demonstrated that Spain is a “feminist” country capable of reducing inequality gaps between men and women. [Ser]
The new leader of the conservative opposition People’s Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, has criticised the plan to permit minors to have abortions without their parents’ consent. [TeleMadrid]
Days after the move in Spain, the Portuguese parliament rejected a proposal by the People Animals Nature party to allow “people with a uterus who suffer severe pain during menstruation” to miss work for three days a month. [Jornal de noticias]
The proposal was criticised as not going far enough as, unlike the Spanish plan, it did not include paid time off work and required women to obtain a medical certificate.
MulherEndo, a Portuguese association that supports people with endometriosis, called for other parties to reformulate the proposal and submit it to parliament again. [Portugal]
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Court rules Spanish rapper should not be extradited from Belgium
Spanish rapper Valtonyc will not be extradited to his native country from Belgium to serve a three-and-a-half year sentence he received in 2017 for praising violence by the Basque separatist group ETA and a now defunct left-wing group, and for insulting the Spanish monarchy in his lyrics.
The decision to refuse extradition was taken by a Belgian court in the city of Ghent because such offences were not crimes under Belgian law. [Reuters]
Valtonyc, 28, told journalists at the end of his court hearing: “I think I have defended freedom of expression as much as I can since I was 18 years old, when all this started, and I want to start living.” [ElPaís]
The singer, whose real name is Josep Miguel Arenas Beltran, has attracted the attention of international organisations such as Amnesty International, which considers the Spanish sentence a violation of the freedom of expression. [Euronews]
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Spain: Ex-king Juan Carlos returns to meet his family
Spain’s former king Juan Carlos I returned to his home country to visit his family in the Zarzuela royal palace in Madrid for the first time since heading off into voluntary exile in Abu Dhabi in August 2020.
During the 11-hour visit, he met his son and current king Felipe VI and his wife, as well as other members of the royal family. [Euronews]
The meeting took place on May 23 behind closed doors and was seen as an opportunity to normalise family relations after the former king was enmeshed in private and financial scandals. [ElMundo] [Europe Monthly April 2022]
Officials said that Felipe VI informed his father “about family issues as well as about different events and their consequences in Spanish society.”
Juan Carlos I has been considering the idea of returning to live in Spain. [ElMundo] Before heading to Madrid, the former king spent the weekend in Sanxenxo in the north of Spain, attending a regatta and enjoying the company of his friends. [Euronews]
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Constitutional Law and Politics in Eastern Europe
Belarus: Defence minister calls for CSTO expansion amid concerns about NATO enlargement
Belarusian defence minister Viktor Khrenin said in an interview with Belaruskaya Voennaya Gazeta on May 14 that the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) – a military alliance composed of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia – should consider adding new member states. [belta.by] [Belaruskaya Voennaya Gazeta]
Khrenin said that member states make decisions based on consensus and consistently seek to deepen multilateral cooperation as NATO expands its membership across Europe. He stressed the importance of adding new members to the organisation to promote peace and stability and of combating biological and chemical threats. [belta.by] [Belaruskaya Voennaya Gazeta]
President Aleksandr Lukashenko underlined shortly after Khrenin’s comments the importance of building a united front of CSTO members against the West. He accused Western nations of trying to prolong the war in Ukraine as an attempt to weaken Russia militarily and economically. [Reuters]
Secretary General of the CSTO and Belarusian Lieutenant-General Stanislaw Sas told the Belarusian state television channel Belarus 1 on May 23 that the CSTO has sufficient capabilities to counter threats at the western flank. [belta.by]
Sas underlined that given Sweden and Finland’s recent plans to join the US-led transatlantic alliance, NATO’s northwards expansion would constitute a severe security threat and intensify the friction. The further militarization, he added, would not only affect Belarus and Russia’s security interests, but also those of other NATO members. [belta.by]
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Belarus: Security forces detect Ukrainian sabotage along border
Belarusian state secretary of the security council Alexander Volfovich said on May 23 that Belarusian security forces identified various Ukrainian groups engaged in reconnaissance and sabotage. [belta.by]
Volfovich said that Ukraine has strengthened its troops in the north close to the border with snipers and mines to fend off counter attacks. He accused Ukrainian troops of crossing the Belarusian border. [belta.by]
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Belarus: Lukashenko determined to resist Western political and economic pressures
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko underlined at a meeting with the Russian governor of Voronezh, Alexander Gussev, on April 28 that Belarus could no longer count on Western countries and should deepen cooperation with Russia. [belta.by]
In order to promote the deepening of bilateral cooperation, Lukashenko said that Belarusian companies are willing to supply vehicles, machines and other technical equipment to offset the deficiencies in Russia. He sees this as a warning sign that the West could also tighten up its grip on Belarus as well, in light of Minsk’s endorsement of Russia’s war in Ukraine. [belta.by]
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Belarus: Prime Minister Golovchenko committed to non-violent conflict resolution
Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko told Al Arabiya in an interview conducted on May 20 that Belarus was committed to non-violent conflict resolution. [belta.by]
Golovchenko said that the West was attempting to frame Belarus as a belligerent party in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, adding that Belarus does not intend to engage militarily in Ukraine. [belta.by]
He is convinced that the West is the prime aggressor in the conflict, considering the consistent supplies of weapons and ammunition, discrediting the decision-makers supporting Ukraine as “war fanatics.’’ He also pointed towards Western military drills in Lithuania and US troop deployments, which instil security concerns in Belarus. [belta.by]
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Belarus: Prime Minister sees CIS as one of the most important platforms for regional integration
Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko said at a meeting with other heads of government of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) that the CIS constitutes one of the most important political, economic, social and cultural integration platforms. [belta.by]
According to Golovchenko, the CIS has not only overcome the latest economic crisis, but has also exceeded various economic indices prior to inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic. Golovchenko reiterated Belarus’s support for Kazakhstan’s CIS presidency in 2022 and called for further increase regional integration and cooperation among the CIS member states. [belta.by]
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Belarus: Government adopts bill to change penal code
Belarus adopted changes to the country’s penal code on May 4 that sets out conditions for capital punishment that will improve public safety and decrease the threat perception among the Belarusian people. [belta.by][belta.by]
The chairman of the Permanent Committee of the Council of the Republic, Sergey Siwets, said that the death penalty should not be implemented in case of planning or attempting to commit a crime. It should be imposed for crimes in which human life has been severely threatened or when there are multiple casualties.
These changes coincide tougher with actions against critics of the Lukashenko regime.
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Belarus: Prime Minister says sanctions against Belarus to cause significant drop in exports
Belarusian Prime Minister Roman Golowchenko told news channel Al Arabiya on May 14 that sanctions imposed by the West against Belarus will severely cut the country’s exports. Belarus will be unable to export goods worth USD 16-18 billion to Western markets, Golowchenko said. [belta.by] [Reuters]
The West has justified sanctions against Belarus due to the latter’s poor human rights record and the country’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, although Minsk states that it would be unfairly labelled as “an accomplice of the aggressor.’’ [Reuters]
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Belarus: Russian girlfriend of opposition journalist given six years in jail
Sofia Sapega, the Russian girlfriend of prominent Belarusian activist Roman Protasevich, received a prison sentence of six years for allegedly inciting social hatred and illegally collecting and disseminating information about the private life of an unnamed person, according to a Belarusian court on May 6. [Ukrainskaya Pravda] [Radyyo Svaboda]
The charges referred to a post on a Telegram channel called “The Black Book of Belarus.” Sapega published personal data of military personnel and security forces accused of taking part in repressions of opposition protesters on the channel. [TheMoscowTimes] [TheGuardian] [Euronews]
According to the BBC, Sapega is going to seek pardon from Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, instead of appealing the sentence. However, before she can do that, she has to pay legal expenses that amount to USD 70,000. [TheMoscowTimes] [BBC]
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russian diplomats will protect Sapega’s “legitimate interests,” but he did not comment on the sentence itself and the fairness of the verdict. Several Russian rights activists criticised Russian foreign authorities for letting down Russian citizens abroad. "The Russian foreign ministry did not take any steps to get her out of the clutches of Lukashenko," commented Russian opposition activist Andrei Pivovarov. [Reuters] [TheGuardian]
The verdict against Sapeda coincides with tougher actions against Belarusian politicians and activists of the opposition, most notably her boyfriend Protasevich.
Before his arrest, Protasevich worked as a journalist and activist in Belarus and, after 2019, in exile. He also joined Nexta, which documented violence of the Belarusian police against protesters during the 2020 demonstrations and, of late, has been designated by the Belarusian constitutional court as a terrorist organisation. Protasevich himself was later arrested after his flight from Athens to Vilnius was diverted to Minsk upon request of the Belarusian authorities due to a false bomb threat. [belta.by] [Nastoyashchee vremya] [DW]
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Estonia: Government reveals new defense spending for 2023-2026
Estonia’s ministry of defence announced on May 20 military spending of EUR 3.8 billion for the period between 2023-2026. [ERR]
Estonia plans to buy artillery and mid-range air defence systems. The government will spend EUR 816 million for K9 Thunder Self-Propelled Guns and short-range anti-tank systems and ammunition. Additional funding of EUR 37 million has been allocated to hosting allied personnel, while intelligence and early warning systems will receive EUR 278 million. [ERR]
The size of the volunteer Defence League will be increased to 20,000 members. Under the framework of the new plan, a total of EUR 254 million will be invested for training, the procurement of equipment and armament, infrastructure and personnel costs. [ERR]
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Estonia: Bill on family benefits causes friction in government coalition
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform Party) averted a collapse in government on May 12 by pressing her coalition partner, the Centre Party under Juri Ratas, to call a confidence vote after a controversial EUR 300 million financial package was announced. [Bloomberg]
Kallas accused Ratas of attempting to topple the government and form a new one with EKRE after the Centre Party introduced the financial package without the consent of the Reform Party. Kallas demanded that Ratas address parliament and hold a vote of no confidence instead. [Bloomberg] [ERR]
While Kallas underlined that the Reform Party does support child benefits, she also said that more time is required to evaluate opportunities to cover the costs, considering that Estonia would not have any shortage in other policy fields of high relevance, such as defence, higher education, energy among others. [ERR]
The bill presented on May 12 would increase the monthly child allowance benefit to 100 euros per child in addition to 700 euros for those raising three to six children or respectively 900 euros for those raising seven or more children. [ERR]
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Estonia: Wood prices increase
The Estonian Private Forest Center (EPFC) announced on May 6 that all categories of wood, except the indicators of conifer pulpwood, reached record highs in the first quarter of 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [ERR] [GWMI]
According to the EPFC, the prices for conifer pulpwood increased by 53 percent, while the prices of birch and aspen wood rose by 33 percent and 44 percent respectively. Simultaneously, firewood has become more expensive, coinciding with a sharp increase in energy prices. [ERR]
Considering that the reserves had been small prior to the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the ministry of environment called on a strategic stockpile of firewood, enabling Estonia to supply sufficient wood resources in case of emergency. [ERR] [ERR]
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Estonia: Analysts do not expect fuel deficit from Russian oil embargo
With an oil embargo on Russian fuels looming, analysts estimate that there won’t be a shortage in Estonia. However, a decrease in prices is unlikely in the foreseeable future, according to the expectations of Rasmus Kattai, head of the department of economic policy of the Bank of Estonia. Jaanus Uiga, head of the energy department of the Ministry of Economy, added that the markets still need some time for stabilisation. [ERR]
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Latvia: Interior minister resigns over May 9-10 pro-Russian protests
Latvia’s Minister of the Interior Mariya Golubeva resigned on May 16 after being criticised for how she handled pro-Russian protests on May 9-10. [ERR] [lsm.lv] [The Baltic Times]
The National Alliance, one of the partners of the four-party coalition governing the country, issued an ultimatum, stating that Golubeva should resign, or it would leave the coalition, with less than 5 months remaining until the next parliamentary elections. [ERR]
While Golubeva said that remembering war victims was acceptable, political manifestations associated with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were unacceptable. Eventually, Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins removed her from her post, which she had retained since June 3, 2021, to maintain government stability. [The Baltic Times]
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Latvia: Government blocks Russian social media platforms VKontakte and Odnoklassniki
Latvia decided on May 12 to halt access to various Russian social media platforms, such as VKontakte and Odnoklassniki among others as it imposed sanctions against Moscow. [lsm.lv]
The two social media platforms are owned or partially controlled by Yury Kovalchuk and Vladimir Kiriyenko, who are sanctioned by the EU for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. [lsm.lv]
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Lithuania: Business centres owned by pro-Russian oligarchs from Ukraine to be sold
Two business centres owned through various companies by pro-Russian oligarchs in Lithuania will be sold because of connections to Russia, according to an LRT investigation that was published on May 16. [lrt]
The Link and Core business centres are owned by former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, who in 2013 refused to sign the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine and was subsequently deposed of his duties, and Viktor Medvechuk, who maintains close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. [lrt]
The two business centres were financed through loans provided by Koksi Holding Ltd, a Cyprus-registered company owned by Oksana Kushnir, an entrepreneur with close links to Yanukovych. Volodymyr Kravets, another Ukrainian businessman with close ties to Yanukovych and politician of the pro-Russian party Opposition Platform – For Life, was also involved in the development of the business centres. [lrt]
The Link business centre is now on sale for EUR 25 million, presenting an attempt by the owners to protect their financial assets after Russia invaded Ukraine, according to LRT. [lrt]
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Lithuania: Russian hackers declare ‘cyber war’ on country
Russian hacker groups Killnet and Legion declared on May 20 that they would engage in cyber warfare against Lithuania and nine other countries, including Poland, the US, the UK and Ukraine. [lrt]
The hackers said that they had been monitoring countries sponsoring “Nazis” and “Russophobes” in Ukraine. While they underlined that ordinary citizens would not be threatened, the hackers did say that policy structures would be the prime targets of their cyber warfare. [lrt]
Cyber-attacks are not a new phenomenon in Lithuania, and Lithuanian authorities recorded 1,020 attacks in the first quarter of 2022, compared with 981 in 2021. While of late the cyber-attacks are largely connected with Lithuania’s firm support for Ukraine, previous attacks were mostly associated with disinformation campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Euractiv]
Lithuania’s Minister of Defence Arvydas Anusauskas said that in the wake of the war in Ukraine, Lithuania had taken additional measures to strengthen its capabilities to protect state security and critical infrastructure. [The Baltic Times] [lrt]
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Lithuania: Parliament drafts law on same-sex partnerships
Lithuania’s parliament drafted a bill on same-sex partnerships on May 16 that will allow couples to enter into a civil union instead of proposing a partnership. [The Baltic Times]
The proposal of a civil union aims to gain broader support for recognising a gender-neutral civil relationship. A civil union, in that sense, would be defined as “a voluntary agreement between two persons to legally protect their personal relationship.” [The Baltic Times]
While critics argue that the new bill would de facto establish an equal alternative to marriage without naming it as such, the bill does present a significant step towards further liberalising different models of relationships between individuals. Showing public support in favour of the bill, more than 250 academics signed a letter, in which they point out Lithuania’s responsibility to protect human rights, which also encompass the LGBTQIA+ community. [lrt] [The Baltic Times]
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Lithuania: Cross-party agreement says no to universal conscription, 3 percent of GDP military spending
A working group of the Lithuanian Parliament presented a cross-party agreement on May 13 that excluded military conscription and a spending minimum of 3 percent of GDP for the military. [lrt]
The agreement said that there could be a gradual increase in the number of soldiers depending on military requirements. According to LRT, the final agreement is to be signed in early June. [lrt]
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Lithuania: PM supports Orthodox Christians breaking away from Moscow patriarchate
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said in a letter to the Patriarch Bartholomew I. of Constantinople that she strongly supports Orthodox Christians in Lithuania breaking away from the Moscow Patriarchate. [lrt]
The Lithuanian Orthodox parishes administered by Metropolitan Innokentiy of Vilnius and Lithuania are subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Innokentiy publicly condemned Patriarch Kirill’s endorsement of Russia’s war in Ukraine on March 18, calling for more independence within the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox church. [Orthodox Times] [lrt]
However, he later dismissed Gintaras Sungaila, Vitalijus Mockus and Vitalis Dauparas, three Lithuania-based Orthodox priests, from their duties after they appealed to restore canonical subordination to Constantinople. Innokentiy did so due to concerns over a schism, which he strongly denounced. [Delfi] [The Baltic Times]
Simonyte’s letter had already been given to the Patriarchate of Constantinople on May 18 via the Lithuanian ambassador to Turkey Ricardas Degutis. Metropolitan Innokentiy criticised the unilateral act, calling for dialogue with his metropolis. [The Baltic Times]
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Moldova: Two members of parliament stripped of immunity
The Moldovan Parliament announced on May 26 that it would strip two members of their parliamentary immunity due to allegations of fraud and money laundering following a petition that was addressed to the Parliamentary Speaker Igor Grosu and General Prosecutor Dmitri Robu on May 19. [moldpres] [moldpres]
The two parliamentarians are Marina Tauber and Ilan Sor, both members of the Sor Party. According to Robu, there is tangible evidence that both Tauber and Sor were involved in taking control of BEM, Unibank and Banca Sociala as well as fraud and money-laundering. [moldpres] [moldpres] [Radio Free Europe Moldova]
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Moldova: 60 national observers appointed to monitor local elections for irregularities
Following the Moldovan local elections on May 29, approximately 60 national observers will monitor the election process. The observers have been selected by Promo-LEX, a non-governmental and non-profit organisation based in Moldova and committed to human rights and political reforms. They are required to report any infringement to the representatives of the election organs. [moldpres] [moldpres]
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Moldova: PM attends World Economic Forum in Davos
Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita attended the World Economic Forum, becoming the first head of the Cabinet invited to the forum in Davos, Switzerland. [moldpres]
During bilateral and multilateral talks, Gavrilita pointed out the challenges Moldova is facing amid the war in Ukraine, the influx of refugees and Chisinau’s pursuit of European integration. [moldpres]
The World Economic Forum organised their talks in Davos from May 22-26 to discuss on-going political developments, resolution mechanisms and cooperation. Of prime importance was the war in Ukraine, which constitutes the most significant security challenge, specifically for adjacent Moldova. [moldpres]
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Moldova: Berry growers to look for new markets amid fears of dependency on Russia
Many Moldovan berry growers are exploring the prospects of new markets, as Russia was traditionally its largest trading partner – has been targeted by sanctions and economic restraints. [moldpres]
Most berry growers seek to engage in trade diversification, producing berries that are listed in indices of European markets and could obtain international certificates confirming the safety of their products. The significance of modernising berry production was also noted, with many pointing to foreign investments and the reduction of risks associated with climate change. [moldpres]
As of 2022, Moldova ranks 35th in the world in strawberry exports and 25th in raspberry exports. [moldpres]
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Ukraine: Russian captive given life sentence after the first war crime’s trial in Kiev
A 21-year-old Russian tank sergeant received life imprisonment from a Ukrainian court after confessing to the murder of an unarmed civilian in a northeast Ukrainian village.
The Ukrainian court sentenced him for violating “the laws and customs of war,”’ according to prosecutors. In the second hearing, he asked the widow of the killed husband for forgiveness. The trial took place at the Solomensky District Court in Kiev and was the first war crimes case amid the ongoing conflict. Kremlin officials said they were unable to provide him with legal assistance. [Reuters] [TheGuardian] [TheGuardian] [EuroWeeklyNews]
Vadim Shishimarin, a sergeant of the Kantemirovskaya Tank Division, killed Oleksandr Shelipov, a 62-year old
civilian, in the village of Chupakhivka after stealing a car with four other soldiers while fleeing Ukrainian forces. Shelipov was riding a bicycle through the village when he was murdered.
Prosecutors said that Shishimarin was ordered to kill the man so he could not disclose their location to Ukrainian fighters. In an interview with Ukrainian video blogger Volodymyr Zolkin, Shishimarin said that he and his column were captured while trying to take their wounded soldiers back to Russia. [TheGuardian] [NwaOnline] [Reuters]
Shishimarin collaborated with the investigation and expressed remorse during the court hearing. The court rejected his claim that he killed Shelipov under pressure from his superiors. The murder was committed with “direct intent,” Kiev judge Serhii Ahafonov said. [TheGuardian]
Prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova has pointed out that Russia has committed more than 10,700 alleged war crimes since the beginning of the invasion and that over 600 suspects have already been identified. According to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the United States is currently assisting Ukrainian prosecutors with collecting evidence and interviewing prisoners of war. [DeutscheWelle] [TheHill] [NwaOnline]
In the second hearing of the trial, Shishimarin asked the widow, Kateryna Shelipova, to forgive him for the murder of her husband.
"I acknowledge my blame ... I ask you to forgive me," he told the woman during a short conversation. According to BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford who attended the session, Shelipova stood up in court and asked the soldier: “Tell me please, why did you come here? To protect us?” Shishimarin did not reply to that question. Later she added that her husband was a tractor driver and they had no weapons at home. [Reuters] [BBC] [EuroWeeklyNews]
As for Moscow's reaction, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said: “Of course we are worried about the fate of our citizen. Unfortunately we have no possibilities to defend his interests there.” [TheGuardian]
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Russia: Economy shows signs of weathering sanctions despite high inflation, weaker rouble
The Russian economy has shown signs of weathering brutal international sanctions after President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February as the government raises pension payments and cuts interest rates as the rouble’s exchange rate stabilises against the US dollar. [Yahoo][FT]
Putin increased pensions and the minimum wage by 10 percent to help Russians cope with accelerating inflation. He said the country's economic problems were not all linked to the war in Ukraine, but the Russian leader said that 2022 would be a “difficult” year for the economy with annual inflation near 18 percent in May.
“When I say 'difficult,' it doesn't mean all these difficulties are connected to the special military operation,” Putin told a televised meeting of the State Council in Moscow.
As Putin tries to stir concerns that the economic situation is related to the war, there are still significant headwinds. Russia looks increasingly like it will default on its debt payments after USD 100 million in interest on two bonds after the US Treasury did not extend a licence that would allow Russia to pay its debts.
Russia’s Minister of Finances Anton Siluanov said that Moscow will find a tool so that all holders of its debt will receive payments. Siluanov said even if a default happens, it will not impact Russia’s economy and citizens, though higher inflation is likely to have an impact on consumer confidence. While there is a 30-day grace period to meet the interest payment, it has raised concerns that creditors may not receive their payments. [RBC] [Bloomberg] [Bloomberg]
“Nothing will change. We are a reliable borrower, we have performed well even in these difficult conditions, and we will look for options, and we are already preparing such options,” Siluanov said. [RBC] [Reuters]
Russia is also determined to pay its debt obligations in roubles.
The finance ministry has referred to the currency indemnity clause which may allow Russia to pay the holder of its debt in a currency other than the dollar. The payment obligation will be considered fulfilled if the investor is able to exchange the received payment for dollars. [RBC]
It is not the first case when Russia found an alternative solution to pay its debt while being on the verge of default. Russia paid USD 564.8 million on a 2022 Eurobond and USD 84.4 million on a 2042 bond in dollars after failing to fulfil debt in roubles as Moscow initially planned. This time Russia will have to find a way to have its payments reach the recipients. [Europe Monthly May 2022]
The higher social spending will cost Russia’s federal budget about 600 billion roubles this year and about 1 trillion next year. The measures come as the rouble is trading at its highest level since 2018 despite. [Yahoo][FT]
Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, said that Moscow needs to continue to strengthen the rouble, bringing it back to an “equilibrium rate” as the weak currency poses a serious challenge to the country’s manufacturers. [RBC]
The head of Russia’s central bank claimed that external conditions for the Russian economy are still challenging but financial stability risks have decreased, giving the opportunity to further lower interest rates later. The central bank decreased its key interest rate to 11 percent at the end of May, after having raised it to 20 percent at the beginning of the war. [Reuters]
The finance ministry cut the share of foreign currency earnings exporters were required to convert to roubles from 80 percent to 50 percent. The ministry noted that the rouble exchange rate against the dollar has stabilised. There is a sufficient level of liquidity in foreign currency in the domestic market. [RBC] [RBC] [The Moscow Times]
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Russia: Government allows parallel imports for certain categories of goods
The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has allowed parallel imports of petroleum products, chemical compounds, electric motors, batteries, phones and their components, devices for recording and storing data, monitors, TVs and projectors, video game consoles, etc. [RBC] [Reuters]
Previously, the importation of trademarked products was illegal without the appropriate documented permission from the copyright holder. Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service supported the legalisation of parallel imports, stressing that it does not mean permission to import and circulate counterfeit goods in Russia. [RBC] [Reuters]
The list includes companies that have announced the termination of supplies to Russia or withdrawal from the Russian market since February. This measure is intended to prevent a shortage of the listed products. [BakerMcKenzie]
Parallel imports are expected to cause an increase in prices by 15-20 percent compared to pre-war figures. However, the prices are likely to be lower compared with the prices in April due to the fact that the rouble has become more stable. [Forbes]
Goods may be imported to Russia from Kazakhstan, China or Turkey, however, the import rate will be significantly smaller as the permission of the copyright holder is needed in order to purchase millions of goods in neighbouring countries before sending them to Russia. Forbes
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Russia: Some companies are returning to Russia after halting operations
The Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that more than 200 companies are expected to return to Russia, even if the copyright holders do not give their permission, after closing operations due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. [Rambler]
Polish LPP SA, which manages the retail brands of Reserved, House, Cropp and Mohito, said on May 19 that it sold its Russian businesses to a Chinese consortium. These outlets have already restarted work in major cities under new brand names. [Fontanka]
Fast food chain McDonald’s is leaving the Russian market, as the management has decided to sell all its assets. However, after the sale to another owner, the restaurants are expected to be reopened under a different brand.
It is strongly encouraged by the Russian government as a measure to preserve jobs as 65 thousand employees will be able to save their workplaces. [Rambler] [Quartz]
(ab/gc)
Constitutional Law and Politics in Southeastern Europe
Albania: Sali Berisha launches candidacy for Democratic Party leadership
Former Prime Minister Sali Berisha confirmed on May 5 his candidacy for the Democratic Party chairman. [AlbanianDailyNews]
Berisha lashed out at the US ambassador to Tirana, Yuri Kim, labelling her again as 'governor'. Berisha launched his campaign in Elbasan on May 13 with numerous supporters where he said that he was running with the conviction that should start from the love for his country and for its people. [AlbanianDailyNews][EuroNews]
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Albania: Socialist Party chairman claimed that Sali Berisha aided Milosevic in Srebrenica massacre
Chairman of Socialist Party parliamentary group, Taulant Balla, claimed on May 11 that former Prime Minister Sali Berisha supported former Serbia’s President Slobodan Milosevic during the Srebrenica Massacre by providing fuel to the ‘assassination machine’ in July 1995. [AlbanianDailyNews][EuroNews]
Despite this accusation, Berisha urged lawmakers in parliament to condemn the Srebrenica massacre and recognise the genocide. He also attacked current Serbian President Aleksander Vucic, describing him as a “Little Putin.” [AlbanianDailyNews]
In a twitter post, Prime Minister Edi Rama categorised Berisha’s reaction as a “low game” adding that Berisha is “caught behind the bones of the victims of the Belgrade butcher.” [AlbanianDailyNews]
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Albania: Former head of constitutional court sent to trial for concealing assets
Former head of the Constitutional Court Bashkim Deda will be investigated for concealing assets and making false declarations as ordered by the Special Court against Corruption and Organised Crime on May 10. [AlbanianDailyNews]
Deda's assets were also seized, as well as the assets of two other former judges. The results of criminal investigations showed that these authorities possessed real estate that could not be justified with legal sources. [AlbanianDailyNews].
During an extraordinary press conference on May 11, Prime Minister Edi Rama urged the government to investigate all corrupted judges and prosecutors, adding that the Socialist Party and its government have always supported judicial transformation. [AlbanianDailyNews]
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North Macedonia: Opposition attempts to paralyse parliament in bid for early elections
Right-wing opposition party VMRO DPMNE made another attempt on May 10 to paralyse the North Macedonian Parliament using an “active blockade” to stop legislative work unless the government allowed early elections. [BalkanInsight][EuroNews]
The opposition claimed that after their victory in local elections, the current government lost its legitimacy. They said they have a realistic preference among the population, with 39 percent of Macedonians agreeing to hold early elections versus 32 percent not, according to recent data. Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski rejected the request for snap polls, arguing that elections would be held regularly in 2024. [Euractiv][EuroNews]
VMRO DPMNE unsuccessfully demanded a meeting with Kovacevski to discuss economic, health, education and international policies, focusing on Bulgaria's veto of North Macedonia that blocks possible EU membership. The opposition added that these actions marked the beginning of what could bring street barricades or mass protests. [BalkanInsight]
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Bulgaria: Court snubs international investigation of alleged Russia war crimes in Ukraine
Bulgaria’s Supreme Judicial Council has refused to appoint a representative to join an international commission that would investigate Russia’s alleged war crimes in Ukraine due to a lack of information. [Euractiv] [Nova]
The country was invited by Poland to take part in the international investigation but the Council unanimously voted that it would not participate. A representative of the Council explained that it cannot appoint doctors or policemen, and can only send its own representatives. [Mediapool] [Nova]
The Minister of Justice Nadezhda Yordanova criticised the decisions, saying that Russian military aggression obliges Bulgaria to follow the principles of the rule of law and solidarity of the actions of the international community. [Euractiv]
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Bulgaria: Industrial organisations threatened strikes if state electricity subsidies stop; government reacts
Bulgaria’s industrial sector threatened to strike from May 18 if it did not receive state subsidies for electricity and a ceiling on gas prices, demands that the government ultimately met. [Trud] [BulgariaOnAir]
After a meeting with industry representatives on May 5, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said energy assistance would continue to the end of the month and that there would be a clear perspective on price levels. [Banker]
Industry representatives had demanded the subsidies continue for the next two months as rising commodity prices threatened to bankrupt many businesses. The state compensation was EUR 150 for each Megawatt-hour (MWh) of used electricity. [BulgariaOnAir] [Euractiv]
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Bulgaria: Post office administration forced to resign after cyber attack with Russian involvement
The national post office administration was forced to resign after a Russian cyber attack disrupted its services, the latest in a series of problems. After the attack, the Deputy Prime Minister Kalina Konstantinova asked the director and board of directors for their resignations. [Kapital] [Euractiv]
The government’s IT expert, Vasil Velichkov, said that the style of the virus and malware appeared to have Russian traces. The attack disrupted courier services and the payment of pensions. [Euractiv] [Kapital]
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Bulgaria: Regional gas hub in Bulgaria to coordinate supplies for Balkans and Italy
Bulgaria will become a regional gas hub after an energy coordination centre is opened in the country to better manage gas deliveries for Balkan countries and Italy. [Euractiv]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Asen Vasilev, announced the decision after his meeting with European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. The centre was expected to start coordinating additional gas purchases in the first-half of May. [Euractiv]
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Bulgaria: Government adopts measures to fight record inflation
The government is taking steps to reduce the impact that higher prices are having on the country by providing tax rebates for families with children, breaks on fuel prices and almost a 20 percent increase in pensions. [Euractiv]
Other measures included removing the 20 percent VAT on bread. The measures will become active from July 1 with the increase in pensions from October 1. To offset the decline in revenue, the government increased the VAT on beer and wine sold in restaurants from 9 percent to 20 percent respectively. [Euractiv]
The government is also planning to reduce the VAT for central heating from 20 percent to 9 percent from the start of next year. [Euractiv]
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Bulgarian: Prime Minister says country committed to corruption fight
The Bulgarian government is committed to fighting corruption, including foreign interference from Russia. [RadioFreeEurope]
During a business breakfast with the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria on May 19, Prime Minister Kiril Petkov assured the attendees that the government is continuing to fight corruption. [RadioFreeEurope]
“We needed to show that there is diversification and that no one can blackmail the democratic world,” added Petkov after thanking the US for its support of Bulgaria after Russia stopped its gas deliveries to the Balkan country. He added that Bulgaria is a democracy going through a crisis. [Euractiv]
Earlier in the month, Petkov said that its investigation into the Turkish Stream gas pipeline is an example of how it is combating Russia’s use of corruption as a foreign policy tool. The pipeline delivers Russian gas to Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary. [Euractiv] [Mediapool]
“This type of project is exactly what is being talked about when corruption is used as a foreign policy tool by Putin,’’ Petkov said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. [Mediapool] [RadioFreeEurope]
The Bulgarian section of the pipeline was built for over EUR 1.5 million in the span of a year by the cabinet of the previous Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov. Later, it came to light that the construction company leading the project, Consortium Arcade, subcontracted mostly to Russian companies. The capacity of the pipeline was reserved by Russia’s Gazprom. [RadioFreeEurope]
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Greece: Government to set a ceiling on electricity prices to help consumers
Greece has decided to set a cap on prices of wholesale electricity to help consumers manage increasing energy costs. [Reuters]
Greece will not wait for Europe's solution, which is taking too long, as the hardship of households and businesses increases, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on May 5 in response to the decision. [Reuters]
The quarterly program plans on returning up to 60 percent of the consumers’ electricity expenses paid between December 2021 and May 2022. Similarly to other states, Greek energy prices have been exacerbated because of the war in Ukraine and Russian sanctions. [Reuters]
(ib/gc)
Greece: Government budgets EUR 3.2 billion for consumer energy package after protests
The Greek government has allocated an EUR 3.2 billion aid package to relieve pressure on households and businesses amid soaring energy prices. [Reuters] [Reuters]
A week earlier around 10,000 Greeks gathered in Athens to protest against increasing prices of energy and food. Reuters reported that metro trains ground to a halt and ships were docked in ports as thousands of workers joined May Day rallies in the Greek capital to protest against soaring energy and food prices. [Reuters]
To deal with the price demand, the government increased its minimum wage to EUR 713 before taxes. The increase is very low compared to the spike in prices. The sanctions against Russia have exacerbated inflation in the country. [Reuters]
(ib)
Northern Cyprus: Political uncertainty continues as country goes through three governments in a month
Turkish-controlled Northern Cyprus has been beset by political turmoil as the prime minister’s office struggles to form a government. Prime Minister Unal Ustel formed the country’s third government in a month after a series of political resignations by Faiz Sucuoglu. [Cumhuriyet] [CyprusScene.com]
Before Ustel became the country’s prime minister, Sucuoglu held the office from February 21 until April 20, when he then submitted his resignation to President Ersin Tatar after a dispute with Finance Minister Sunat Atun. He was then appointed prime minister from April 20 and May 12 but submitted his resignation again after losing support from his coalition partners. [HürriyetDailyNews] [Anadolu Agency] [Olomo] [LGC News]
Ustel formed a coalition government, which is the 28th government. Of the 11 cabinet members nine are National Unity Party politicians, the other two are New Dawn Party and Democratic Party members. [CyprusScene.com]
(fw/gc)
North Macedonia: Church recognised after decades of isolation
The Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople decided on May 9 to recognise the Macedonian Orthodox Church after seven decades of segregation. [OrthodoxChristianity][SPZHNews]
The large community of the Macedonian Orthodox Church split from the Serbian church in the 1960s. However, the Orthodox world did not recognize its ecclesiastical independence due to the blockade established by the stronger Serbian church. [BalkanInsight]
The recent recognition brings a possible resolution for the two traditionally linked countries, since the church issue is the only main factor that affects relations between Serbia and North Macedonia. [BalkanInsight] [SPZHNews]
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Romania: Two controversial judges chosen for Romanian Constitutional Court
Romania’s bicameral Parliament on May 3 elected two Constitutional Court members Bogdan Licu and Laura-Iuliana Scantei, who are known for controversial issues in the country. [BalkanInsight][RomanianInsider]
Nominated by the Social Democratic Party, Licu has been heavily criticised for allegations of plagiarism during his Ph.D. and for obtaining his higher education studies at a private university in Bucharest famous for easy issuance of diplomas. Despite this, Licu obtained 208 votes against 93 in the elections held in Parliament. [BucharestGrid][RomanianInsider]
Scantei has been accused of falsification and fraud after she became a senator for the National Liberal Party without being a member of the Party. She has also promoted a controversial project that would give for free 46 ha of land to an NGO. [BalkanInsight][BucharestGrid][RomanianInsider]
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Romania: Ex-mayor of Bucharest is convicted for corruption
The Bucharest Court of Appeals sentenced on May 13 former Bucharest Mayor Sorin Oprescu to more than 10 years in prison for corruption. [KeepTalkingGreece]
Oprescu was mayor between 2008 and 2015 and was accused of bribery, organised crime and abuse of power. The court extended fines of more than EUR 20,000 and confiscated numerous houses and land that he owned in Romania. However, the police did not find him when they went to arrest him at his home since he had left the country a few weeks ago, according to the media. [BalkanInsight]
Oprescu was finally arrested on May 17 in Greece, where he had flown to avoid attending his sentence and seek political asylum. [Universul]
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Serbia: President wants to bring back military service
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic proposed on May 11 a public debate on the return of compulsory military service for men in the country with a minimum duration of 90 days. [DTT]
During the event, Vucic confirmed the country’s neutrality and added that Serbia will not join NATO. However, his proposal was greatly criticised by several Serbian NGOs who said he seeks to militarise Serbia. The country’s parliament ended compulsory military service in 2011. [BalkanInsight][RepublicWorld]
Defence Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic, who supports the restoration of obligatory military service, said the president's request will be studied to reach a final decision in September or October 2022. [TheAsiaToday]
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Serbia: FM says several countries have withdrawn recognition of Kosovo
After Kosovo’s official application to join the Council of Europe, Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said on May 13 that four other countries have withdrawn recognition of Kosovo as Belgrade tries to persuade other countries to do the same. [AA][BalkanInsight]
Selakovic did not mention the names of the four countries. Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Donika Grvala said that he had no information about the four countries. [AA]
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had already mentioned on May 6 that his country would react strongly if Kosovo applied for membership in the Council of Europe and would convene an urgent meeting of the national security council. [EuroNews]
Russia's recent departure from the Council of Europe due to the invasion of Ukraine has prompted the former Serbian province to seek membership so that its citizens have benefits including having access to the Court of Human Rights if their rights are violated by the state of Kosovo or any other Member State of the Council. [BalkanInsight][Schengenvisainfonews]
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Turkey: Foreign policy advisor says Ankara must maintain diplomatic balance with Russia, Ukraine
Turkey’s chief foreign policy advisor said in an interview with Reuters on May 14 that his country must maintain a diplomatic balance between Russia and Ukraine. Ibrahim Kalın added that it would be in “everybody’s shared interest” that there is someone who can talk to both sides in the Ukraine war and said there was no “magical formula” to end the war, even if Ankara became more supportive of Kiev. [Reuters][EuroNews]
Kalın discussed a letter by US President Joe Biden to the US Congress, which pressed for a deal with Turkey over F-16 fighter jets. He said the Biden administration has taken positive steps concerning this matter. Completing the sale would boost NATO’s and Turkey’s defence capabilities as well as bilateral ties. [Gercek Gündem]
Turkey has tried to buy F-16’s after the US halted the F-35 fighter jet program when Ankara bought the Russian made S-400 missile systems. Before buying the S-400 it failed to acquire US made Patriot missile systems. [IISS] [Aljazeera]
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Turkey: Completion of nuclear power plant slowed by sanctions against Russia
The completion of Turkey’s first nuclear power plant, Akkuyu, is being slowed by sanctions imposed on Russia because of the Ukraine war. [Bol News] [Zona EBT]
The USD 20 billion project is being financed by Russian lenders Sberbank and Sovcombank, which have been targeted by the sanctions. Sberbank is contributing USD 1.2 billion in loans, while Sovcombank is providing loans amounting to USD 300 million. [Aljazeera][Bol News] [Zona EBT]
The US is considering sanctioning Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company. Possible sanctions against Rosatom could also affect the flow of equipment to Akkuyu, barring suppliers from providing energy industry equipment, technology and services.[Aljazeera]
The Akkuyu project is the first in the global nuclear industry based on a build-own-operate model, said Sinan Ulgen, director of the Istanbul-based Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies. Russia is responsible for all capital expenses during the construction phase. [Aljazeera]
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Turkey: Security forces detain 92 suspected Gulen supporters
Turkish security forces have detained 92 suspected followers of the Gulen movement (FETO). More suspects are wanted in operations based in the capital Ankara and western province of Izmir. Suspects were former and serving soldiers and former cadets who were expelled from military schools on suspicion of ties with the terrorist group. FETO is accused of staging the 2016 failed coup to seize power. [MenaFN] [Daily Sabah]
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Turkey: Istanbul court sentences opposition politician to five years in jail
A court in Istanbul ruled against opposition politician, Canan Kaftancioglu, and sentenced her to five years in prison for propaganda and disparagement of the state. [ZEIT] [SPD] [EURONEWS]
Kaftancioglu is the leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and is an influential supporter of Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan’s possible opposition in the upcoming election next year.
An Istanbul court first sentenced the politician to more than nine years and eight months in prison in September 2019 because of statements on Twitter made between 2012 and 2017. In June 2020, an appeals court upheld the verdict. However, the opposition party had the opportunity to appeal again. With this second appeal against the verdict, she has now failed. [ZEIT] [SPD] [EURONEWS]
The judges convicted her of terror propaganda and disparagement of the Turkish state, insulting officials, insulting the president, and inciting hatred. According to her lawyer she will be banned from political activities for five years. Thousands of people took to the streets in Istanbul to show their support and solidarity with Kaftancioglu and shouted words such as “Rights, Law, Justice." [ZEIT] [SPD] [EURONEWS]
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Turkey: State-run Anadolu Agency to establish new Turkic news agencies association
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency's director-general and CEO Serdar Karagoz said on May 14 that the news agency will establish a Turkic News Agencies Association in Istanbul to unite all Turkish news agencies under one entity. [Anadolu Agency]
Karagoz said the new association will provide photos, videos, and news and its creation is one of Anadolu Agency’s main priorities. The association will try to tackle disinformation by fact-checking and helping users handle social media regarding the rise of “digital fascism.” There will also be measures against discrimination with a focus on Islamophobia. [Morning Express][Anadolu Agency] [Anadolu Agency] [Uzbekistan News Gazette]
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Team:
Aleksandra Bulatova (ab), Anamilé Grothuesmann Restituyo (ar), Ann-Charlotte Neumann (acn), Antonia Lawrenz (aml), Aurea T. da S. Ferreira (af), Beatrice Paladini (bp), Christopher James Godwin (cg), David Kiss (dk), Eric Kliszcz (ek), Fabian Schubert (fs), Ferdinand Witthuhn (fw), Giulia Taraborrelli (gt), Gizem Öztürk (gö), Glen Carey (gc), Harry Taunton (ht), Henning Glaser (hg), Ivandzhelin Bozadzhieva (ib), Jan Grosser (jg), Jan Vogelgesang (jv), Jannis Kupfer (jk), Jasmin Spekkers (js), Jonas Borini (jb), Jose Moises Sanchez Amaya (jm), Ketevan Esaiashvili (ke), Kevin Sarmiento (ks), Lavinia Abbott (la), Lea Holst (lh), Lena Krummeich (lk), Marcel Varga (mv), Marlene Busch (mb), Maximilian Ohle (mo), Natinunt Muenchorn, Peter Kononczuk (pk), Philipp Rieth (phr), Piet Rehmert (pr), Quentin Vidberg (qv), Saen Witthayaphatthanaphorn (sw), Sophie Roth (sr), Tamari Akhaladze (ta), Valentina Polacchi (vp), Venus Phuangkom, Vincenzo Bardo (vb), Warren O'Broin (wo), Yara Pstrong (yp), Yury Malakhov (ym)
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