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Wind energy sector proves strong and resilient in the face of COVID-19 crisis
Despite COVID-19-related disruptions in the construction processes of wind farms in the first months of the year, the wind energy sector has proven to...
Analysis
Secretary Pompeo lets Turkey know what Washington really thinks
In an exchange that warmed the hearts of all Greeks and Greek Cypriots everywhere and was reported as front-page news, US Secretary of State...
Archive
OPEC+ likely to extend oil cuts seeing slow fuel demand recovery from vaccines
Oil prices climbed to their highest in more than eight months on November 25 fuelled by continuing hopes that energy demand will recover once...
Archive
Europe to propel offshore renewable energy development
Europe is a world leader in offshore renewable energy and can become a powerhouse for its development, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said on...
Albania
The Bulgarian hammer comes down
Firmly refusing to approve the negotiating framework for the “Intergovernmental Conference” required to launch North Macedonia’s EU accession process, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva...
Archive
US sanctions aim at stifling Nord Stream 2 gas line
Sanctions that could halt the controversial Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany have been reportedly included in the annual US...
Analysis
Bulgaria and North Macedonia continue tussle over language
While EU Enlargement was supposed to be the primary focus in the region for the final months of 2020, a long-simmering controversy with Bulgaria...
Archive
Russia, Saudi Arabia eye COVID-19 oil cut to hike prices
Russia and OPEC-kingpin Saudi Arabia are reportedly mulling to delay an increase in oil production in January, maintaining an output cut aimed to raise...
Archive
Kosovo’s President Thaci heading to The Hague
Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci, former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), announced his resignation on November 5 upon confirming that a tribunal in...
Archive
US sanctions companies selling, purchasing, and enabling Iran’s oil industry
Less than a week before the November 3 election, the US Administration announced on October 29 sanctions on companies selling, purchasing, and enabling Iranian...
Archive
Cyprus, Egypt, Greece join efforts to stop Turkish actions in East Med
Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, Egypt President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met in Nicosia, Cyprus, on October 21 where they...
Albania
The Hague to assist Albania and Greece resolve maritime border
In an ironic twist of historical events, Albania and Greece jointly announced October 20 that they were requesting assistance from the International Court of...
Archive
Russia, Saudis push COVID-19 oil supply cuts on OPEC+
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have urged fellow oil producer countries in OPEC+ to stick to supply cuts agreed...
Archive
Polish fine against Gazprom over Nord Stream 2 unlikely to ever be paid
Poland anti-monopoly watchdog has fined Russian gas giant Gazprom $7.6 billion over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which is unlikely to ever be...
Albania
Varhelyi refocuses on enlargement for Southeast Europe
EU Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi visited North Macedonia and Albania on October 6-7, meeting leaders in both countries as well as addressing parliaments....
Archive
Poland wants to catch the wind of Baltic Sea
In an effort to boost energy independence and reduce carbon emissions, Poland has initiated a joint project to harness the potential of the Baltic...
Energy
Pompeo's Greece visit underlines Turkey’s isolation
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Greece on September 28-30 with the objective of making it clear to Turkey that the Trump Administration...
Archive
East Med Gas Forum to enhance regional ties, boost EU energy security
Egypt, Israel, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority established the East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) as an intergovernmental organisation in a virtual...
Afghanistan
Final Trump UN General Assembly address hits multilateralism
In the final address to the UN General Assembly of his current term in office, US President Donald J Trump sent a short video...
Archive
Germany’s LNG quid pro quo to US to stave off Nord Stream 2 sanctions
Berlin reportedly offered to spend €1 billion to build two liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals if Washington agreed not to impose sanctions on the...
Albania
Short Greece vacation for two Balkan leaders
Taking the opportunity to visit Athens in conference speaker mode, the leaders of Albania and North Macedonia paid stealthy visits to Athens September 15-16...
Archive
France steers EU attention to Greece-Turkey standoff in East Med
French President Emmanuel Macron has taken a strong position in support of the rights of Greece and Cyprus, calling on Turkey to stop unilateral...
Analysis
Trump Administration’s Kosovo announcement fails to impress
The Trump Administration’s second attempt to gather Kosovar and Serbian leaders at the White House succeeded on September 4 just as Washington and most...
Archive
Navalny incident hurts Russia’s image but not Nord Stream 2
Pressure is reportedly mounting on Angela Merkel as opposition parties are asking the German Chancellor to abandon Gazprom’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia...
Archive
US walks alone in Iran sanctions, EU goes other way
The European Union remains committed to implementing the Iran nuclear deal as a matter of respecting international agreements and of the bloc’s shared international...
Archive
Too much supply, too little demand, OPEC+ wants production cuts
Fearing slow oil demand recovery, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, a group known as OPEC+, during a meeting on...
Albania
North Macedonia’s coalition government forms up, as directed
Once again, to the delight of North Macedonia’s Western supporters, Skopje has a new coalition government that looks very much like last year’s pre-election...
Archive
Disdaining US threats, Germany, Russia forge ahead with Nord Stream 2
Despite the frictions that have strained relations between Berlin and Moscow, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on August...
Archive
Athens pivots to Washington for help with Turkish provocations
In the latest sub-chapter of the seemingly never-ending dispute over energy exploration rights in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, Athens has again called for...
Archive
Greece-Egypt EEZ deal doesn’t sit easy with Turkey
Greece and Egypt signed a maritime border deal on August 6 with Turkey saying the deal falls in its continental shelf.Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh...
Archive
Moving to check Russia, China influence, US names Arctic advisor
Facing increasing Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic, the US State Department has appointed Jim DeHart as the US Coordinator for the region....
Archive
EU energy future wants to wean off China’s raw materials
The European Union is as dependent on Asian countries, especially China, when it comes to batteries and raw materials for technologies of the future...
Archive
Oil reflux: OPEC+ pumps up volume after COVID-19 cutback
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its oil producing allies led by Russia, a group known as OPEC+, reportedly agreed on...
Albania
North Macedonia’s elections unfold, marginally, as directed
To the delight of North Macedonia’s western supporters, the Social Democratic Union of Macedonia (SDSM) landed a razor-thin electoral majority on July 15 in...
Analysis
Croatia and Bulgaria eyeing Eurozone entry
Seemingly ready to ignore the lessons of the last decade’s Eurozone crisis which ravaged many of their neighbours, aspiring Eurozone members Croatia and Bulgaria...
Archive
Denmark allows Nord Stream 2 to complete pipeline hit by US sanctions
Danish Energy Agency on July 6 gave Nord Stream 2 permission to use pipelaying vessels with anchors to complete the final stretch of the...
Archive
EU aim: Keep US from imposing more Nord Stream 2 sanctions
The European Union is reportedly considering counter sanctions against the US if the latter targets European companies over the controversial Nord Stream-2 pipeline from...
Archive
Cyprus moves ahead with LNG terminal works eyeing EU market
Natural Gas Infrastructure Company of Cyprus (ETYFA) has issued the Notice to Proceed to the Consortium that was awarded the construction works of the...
Analysis
Kosovo: EU visa liberalisation issue resurfaces
Increased travel access to the EU for Kosovar citizens remains an interesting sidebar to the now-postponed Washington meeting between recently re-elected Serbian President Aleksandar...
Archive
Nord Stream 2 seeks updated permit from Denmark outmanoeuvring US sanctions
Nord Stream 2, the company building a gas pipeline between Russia and Germany, has reportedly requested a permit allowing it to use pipe-laying vessels...
Albania
Trump Administration’s controversial Kosovo gambit accelerates
While not unexpected, the Trump Administration has moved faster than many observers anticipated to restart its ongoing diplomatic initiative to resolve a significant piece...
Archive
Trump pushes end to Russian-Saudi oil production standoff
Oil prices surged on April 2 after US President Donald J. Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia and Russia to end a price war,...
Analysis
North Macedonia’s (unaffordable) NATO dream takes shape
North Macedonia’s flag is flying over NATO Headquarters today in Brussels as the alliance’s 30th member after the final accession formalities were completed on...
Archive
In the pipeline: German decision on exempting Nord Stream 2 from amended EU Directive
The German regulator Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA) must come to a decision within the next few weeks on Nord Stream 2’s application for a derogation under...
Albania
In desperate times, EU approves new Balkan Enlargement steps
Moving on a trajectory that senior EU leaders publicly outlined at the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, the EU’s General Affairs Council (GAC) agreed...
Analysis
US Democrats overseas vote again for Bernie Sanders
Democrats Abroad, the official international arm of the US’ Democratic Party, announced on March 23 the verified results of the Global Presidential Primary, which...
Archive
As world reels from Covid-19, planet recovers
The remarkable reduction in human activity as a consequence of the coronavirus outbreak has shown dramatic improvements in air quality and lower emissions around...
Archive
With Covid-19 travel restrictions, US takes a further step towards isolation
While having not completely terminated international travel, the US took a major step in that direction on March 19 with the issuance of a...
Archive
Playing Russian roulette with the US shale oil industry
The rapid growth of the US shale industry seems to be at the heart of the Saudi-Russia crude oil price war. Already weak from...
Analysis
Kosovo action moves to Washington
With global attention increasingly focused on the Covid-19 pandemic, US diplomats amazingly found time in early March to continue pressing Kosovo and Serbia to...
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