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The last party in the oil market
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other major crude producers led by Russia, a group so-called OPEC+, agreed on June 1...
Albania
Washington zeroes in on corrupt Bulgarian officials
On June 2, the US Department of State announced the designation of four former Bulgarian public officials as well as one current official for involvement...
Archive
White Dragon to gradually replace Greece’s lignite plants with green hydrogen
In an effort to boost Greece’s decarbonization efforts and phase out the country’s polluting lignite plants, a group of companies formed by the largest...
Albania
Is EU Enlargement on hold yet again?
As Portugal’s EU presidency is reaching its final month, additional pressure is expected on Bulgaria to press it to resolve its ongoing dispute with...
Archive
No waves here: US waives sanctions for Nord Stream 2, CEO too
The US Department of State submitted on May 19 a report to Congress pursuant to the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act (PEESA), as amended,...
Albania
Washington designates corrupt former Albanian officials
On May 19, the US Department of State announced the designation of former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his family members for involvement...
Archive
Colonial Pipeline Darkside ransom hack shows nobody safe
The largest pipeline system for refined oil products in the US, the Colonial Pipeline, was shut down last week after a ransomware cyberattack. On...
Albania
Mid-East turmoil eclipses Greece’s latest Balkan initiatives
Greek officials found time to engage in several rounds of Balkan diplomacy this week, once again taking advantage of the presence in Greece of...
Albania
COVID-19 vaccine supplies trickle into Southeast Europe
In line with global trends, deliveries of COVID-19 vaccine supplies to Southeast Europe increased in April, but the record to-date shows it was anything...
Archive
German MEP says EU must wean itself off China’s batteries
The European Union should lessen its dependence on China for batteries and green hydrogen electrolysers, Bavarian MEP Henrike Hahn told New Europe on May...
Archive
Germany’s renewable electric plan gets green light from EU
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the prolongation and modification of a German scheme to support the production of electricity...
Albania
Slovenia provokes with non-paper supporting Balkan partitions
A non-paper purported to be of Slovenian authorship has drawn increasing attention over the last weeks that it has been circulating because it appears...
Albania
Southeast Europe begins to tackle COVID-19 immunization delays
In terms of Covid-19 vaccinations, the gap between Europe’s haves and have nots finally appears to be narrowing, after many months where much of...
Archive
US sanctions against Russia less damaging that had been expected
The sanctions announced last week were milder than had been expected, with the exception of the ban on US investors buying Russian state issued...
Analysis
The Eastern Mediterranean sideshow
We have just been through a week in which the world focused its attention completely on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Second place went to Afghanistan...
Archive
EU frets, Iran plans 60% uranium enrichment after nuke site attack
The European Union said Brussels is extremely worried by Iran’s deputy foreign minister announcement that the regime in Tehran will start enriching uranium at...
Archive
Berlin, Moscow await next US steps on Nord Stream 2
As the new US administration under Joe Biden is reportedly weighing additional sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany, the...
Analysis
US sanctions for Turkey’s S-400 procurement come into effect
The State Department revealed on April 5 that previously announced US sanctions on Turkey’s military-industrial sector would come into effect on April 7 with...
Archive
OPEC+ meets as Saudis keep finger on the pumps, Russia wants gradual output increase
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, convened for talks chaired by Saudi Energy Minister Abdulaziz...
Archive
EU offers Turkey deeper ties but threatens sanctions over East Med drilling
On March 25, EU leaders held a discussion via video conference on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and on the European Union’s relations...
Analysis
Blinken reaffirms America’s focus on rebuilding partnerships
During his March 22-25 trip to Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized repeatedly that the Biden administration will work to rebuild America’s...
Archive
Oil giant BP plans 1GW blue hydrogen project in UK
In the fast race between oil giants to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, BP announced on March 18 it is developing plans for the UK’s...
Archive
Kosovo opens its Jerusalem embassy, defying Erdogan
Kosovo formally established diplomatic relations with Israel on February 1, a connection that was brokered by American diplomats in the closing months of the...
Archive
Israel, Cyprus plan to share Aphrodite gas field, talk first
Israel and Cyprus have reached an understanding over gas reserves in the Mediterranean Sea straddling their maritime border, resolving a long-time dispute over the...
Archive
Saudi Arabia, Russia coordinate policy as OPEC+ leaves oil output unchanged
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies led by Russia, a group so-called OPEC+, met by videoconference on March 4...
Archive
Is Turkey undermining the Washington Agreement?
In a deal brokered during the closing months of the presidency of Donald Trump, Kosovo and Israel agreed to establish diplomatic relations as part...
Archive
Commission not to stop Nord Stream 2 if pipeline complies with EU law
Despite calls from the European Parliament to stop the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, the project is subject to national law...
Archive
Development Finance Corporation’s first overseas office sparks controversy
A controversy has erupted in Washington over a Trump-era plan to establish the first overseas office of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC),...
Analysis
Kosovo elections chart a path for reform and regional stability
Kosovo’s February 14 election, the sixth for the country in 14 years, landed the opposition Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party in first place with 48 percent...
Archive
Lithuania sees red, EU nuke team checks Rosatom-built Belarus plant
European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group ENSREG has just visited Belarus in order to complete a report that summarises the first stage of peer review...
Albania
Serbia leading Southeast Europe in COVID-19 immunizations
According to the most recent data, Serbia’s COVID-19 vaccination program, initially using a Chinese vaccine and symbolic quantities from third country suppliers, now leads...
Archive
Gazprom’s TurkStream draws less heat than Nord Stream 2
Gazprom’s TurkStream natural gas pipeline to Turkey and Southeast Europe has drawn less opposition, certainly compared with the controversial Nord Stream 2 from Russia...
Archive
In time of pandemic, OPEC+ stands pat, sees oil rebound this year
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies led by Russia, a group known as OPEC+, reportedly maintained its oil output policy at...
Analysis
Kosovo and Israel establish diplomatic relations
Kosovo and Israel signed an agreement on February 1 to establish diplomatic relations in a deal brokered in the closing months of the presidency...
Archive
Greece, Bulgaria team for hat trick on Russian gas
Greece and Bulgaria advanced the development of three natural gas projects this week that will lessen the two countries’ dependence on Russian gas.Greece’s parliament...
Analysis
Blinken takes the baton at State
Antony Blinken’s confirmation on January 26 as the 71st Secretary of State by the full Senate was almost a non-event resulting in a 78-22...
Albania
Out in the cold: SE Europe in dire need of vaccine supplies
With the COVID-19 pandemic steadily worsening across much of Europe, the citizens of the continent’s Southeast European region have been left out of much...
Archive
After Navalny arrest, MEPs want plug in Nord Stream 2 pipeline
The European Parliament passed a resolution on January 21 calling on EU member states to immediately stop work “once and for all” to complete...
Archive
EU Space Program banking on EIB, CO2 emission cuts
The European Investment Bank (EIB) fully supports the EU space program, which can play a key role in boosting the bloc’s efforts to battle...
Albania
Albania’s Rama cautiously balancing between Erdogan and Mitsotakis
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on January 7, and made a hastily arranged “private” stop,...
Archive
Slick OPEC+ scheme boosts prices: Saudis cut, Russia, Kazakhstan raise
Oil prices climbed more than 4% on January 5 after OPEC+ reached an unusual production quotas agreement, with Saudi Arabia committing to cut the...
Archive
Stunned world reacts to Capitol Hill disruptions
Even though the January 6 disruptions in Washington that resulted in five deaths are seen to fall exclusively in the domain of the term...
Archive
Crude oil price rally may face supply side pressure in early 2021
Oil traders are optimistic the start of the deployment of vaccines means that an end to the worst economic ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic...
Archive
Lay that pipe: Work on Gazprom’s Russia-German gas line will resume
From January 15, two gas pipelines for Nord Stream 2 will be laid and trenched by the pipe-laying vessel Fortuna, assisted by the construction...
Albania
Could Albania begin EU Enlargement talks soon?
While no decisions on EU Enlargement emerged from the European Council and Euro Summit meetings of December 10-11, the issue blocking further progress pertains...
Albania
Has Enlargement slipped off the radar?
The European Council and Euro Summit meetings of December 10-11 concluded without reference to the subject of EU Enlargement since the earlier General Affairs...
Analysis
Washington delivers a holiday sanctions snowball to Ankara and Moscow
Although already well understood by Moscow’s elite, tens of millions of Turkish citizens learned on December 14 what the American acronym CAATSA means --...
Archive
Brexit pushes UK to begin own emissions trading system in 2021
Due to Brexit, the UK government said on December 14 it will launch an emissions trading system (ETS) for domestic industry and power generation...
Archive
Europe turns the tables on Russian gas
As we move into 2021, Southeast Europe’s concern about security and diversity of energy supply and over-reliance on Russia gas is now history, a...
Archive
Serbia and Montenegro in brief diplomatic kerfuffle
Montenegro accused Serbian Ambassador Vladimir Bozovic of "interfering in Montenegro's internal affairs" and ordered his expulsion on November 28 after he described a decision...
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