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Environment
COP30 in Belém misses key targets but advances on secondary objectives
After two weeks of intense negotiations in a new geopolitical reality, COP30 concluded in the Amazon city of Belém, Brazil, where countries agreed on...
Economic Reform Strategies
Balkan Economic Forum (BEF) 2025 examines the Balkans’ key challenges
The Balkan Economic Forum (BEF) 2025 annual conference, held in Belgrade under the auspices of the Central European Initiative (CEI) and under the auspices...
Russia Sanctions
Watering down U.S. Russia sanctions for Hungary – what was gained?
For a while, it appeared as if the war in Ukraine was again a top priority in the White House, but ultimately that turned...
Energy
Cyprus, Greece, Israel and U.S. commit to deeper East Mediterranean energy cooperation
Following the 3+1 Energy Ministerial, Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the United States declared common intent to promote energy security and cooperation in the Eastern...
Europe & Eurasia
U.S. and Central Asia agree to extend and deepen economic ties
U.S. President Donald Trump presided over a historic meeting with five Central Asian leaders on November 6 at the White House in a period...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Serbia’s energy dilemma: How to break from Russia and save its stability
Serbia’s energy “decoupling” from Russia seems to be on the horizon. The Southeast European nation, long heavily dependent on Russian gas -- and, to...
Oil & Gas
Israel’s planned Nitzana pipeline to Egypt gains momentum
Israel's planned Nitzana pipeline that will be constructed from Ramat Hovav, near Beersheba in the Negev desert, to the border with Egypt in the...
Connectivity
Three elements of EU cooperation with Kazakhstan: connectivity, sustainability and partnership
The European Union views Kazakhstan as an important partner in Central Asia linking East and West, advancing interregional connectivity as Brussels and Astana expand...
Russia Sanctions
As Trump’s Ukraine peace initiative fades, new U.S. sanctions unleashed
The war in Ukraine is again front and center in the White House. While U.S. President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace drive had started to...
Interviews
AI solutions for energy and environmental sustainability
In an exclusive interview with NE Global at India’s Woxsen University in Hyderabad, Raul V. Rodriguez, Vice President and Steven Pinker Professor of Cognitive...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
How Europe should avoid the fate of Ophelia
In her hit single “The Fate of Ophelia” Taylor Swift sings about the plight of the Shakespearean heroine and draws parallels with her own...
IMO
The IMO gets a taste of Trump’s “America First” foreign policy
After failing to reach consensus on an emissions reduction measure amid strong U.S. pressure, a majority of countries at the UN’s International Maritime Organization...
Renewables
EU, Central Asia boost cooperation in green energy
The European Union strengthened its cooperation with Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan in Brussels in a significant boost to energy and water security...
Environment
Strategic competition increases in the Arctic fueled by climate change
Finnish President Alexander Stubb broke the ice with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump quite literally, sealing an agreement on October 9 for the U.S....
Sanctions and related policies
After the “snapback,” large new set of U.S. Iran sanctions announced
Less than two weeks after the reimposition of United Nations “snapback” sanctions on Iran on September 27, the U.S. Government announced a substantial new...
Environment
From Baku to Belém, COP30 works to salvage global climate action commitments
Ahead of COP30 UN talks in the Amazon city of Belém, Brazil, the second Baku Climate Action Week in Azerbaijan on September 29 to...
Major Projects
Ethiopia inaugurates the largest dam in Africa as Egypt and Sudan raise Nile water concerns
Ethiopia inaugurated on September 9 the largest hydropower project ever built in Africa which could transform the country into an electricity exporter and boost...
Major Projects
With EU help, Bornholm Energy Island hybrid offshore project moves forward
Taking a major step towards strengthening the Energy Union and EU cross-border interconnectedness, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) signed on...
China
Symbolic optics from China or movement toward a new global order?
With the UN General Assembly in New York less than a month away, China’s leadership was able to grab global attention for many days...
Europe & Eurasia
Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan boost political cooperation, energy and transport links
Turkmenistan hosted a landmark trilateral summit in Avaza on August 22 bringing together Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan President...
Europe & Eurasia
Azerbaijan, Armenia agree to end conflict, unlock South Caucasus economic potential
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump, signed a Joint Declaration on August...
Sanctions and related policies
U.S. expands sanctions against malicious actors in Middle East
Waiting for U.S. President Donald Trump’s go-ahead for new sanctions against Russia and its major oil customers, due in early August, Washington’s army of...
Trade
Trump trade deal leaves some in EU unhinged
U.S. President Donald Trump completed his five-day “private visit” to Scotland on July 25-29, which beyond his golf course visits included a number of...
Energy
UN Secretary‑General: The world has passed the point of no return in shift to renewables
Ahead of COP30, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres said the world has passed the point of no return in shifting to renewables, urging governments to...
Russia Sanctions
EU finally clears the roadblocks, adopts new Russia sanctions package
On July 18, the EU finally adopted its long-delayed 18th package of sanctions on Russia, focusing heavily on the oil trade, but which also...
Interviews
Sir David King: COP30 can be a turning point for climate and humanity
With heatwaves across Europe pushing temperatures up as the continent continues to suffer the effects of the climate emergency, COP30, the 30th annual global...
Interviews
Cyprus Energy Minister warns against creating new dependencies
The European Union needs to avoid “new dependencies” as it plans to phase out Russian energy supplies and meet its green transition goals, Cyprus...
Major Projects
U.S. – Africa Business Summit generates $2.5 billion in commitments and agreements
This year, 12 of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies are in Africa, making it the second-fastest-growing region globally - trailing only Asia.
For decades, U.S....
Energy Policy
Hungary, Slovakia want to stop EU proposal to phase-out Russian oil and gas imports
The EU will gradually and effectively stop the import of Russian gas and oil by the end of 2027, whether delivered via pipeline or...
Environment
United Nations Oceans Conference adopts declaration to tackle the global ocean emergency
After a week of deliberation and discussion, the third United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC3) organized by France and Costa Rica has concluded in Nice,...
Interviews
Go West: Azerbaijan boosts energy projects that connect Caspian region with Europe
As energy demand grows fueled by AI and vehicle electrification, Azerbaijan is actively developing new interconnections with the West, especially for green energy exports,...
Columns
What to do about Nord Stream?
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told a press conference with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on May 28 that his government will do everything...
Democracy & Human Rights
U.S. – Venezuela standoff continues amid growing pressure
The standoff between the U.S. and Venezuela over a number of open issues is slowly reaching the boiling point, while Secretary of State Marco...
Agriculture & Food Security
Biosolutions can leverage nature to strengthen Europe’s resilience, food security and competitiveness
Biosolutions are built on nature’s smallest components but hold immense global potential. They can help Europe become more sustainable and resilient by reducing dependencies,...
The Middle East
In search of jobs and treasure: Trump’s first overseas jaunt takes a distinctly commercial angle
U.S. President Donald Trump completed a four-day tour of the Middle East on May 13-16, visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates....
Columns
EU Commission plans Russian gas phaseout as MEPs propose easing pre-winter storage targets
Ensuring gas supply security ahead of the winter season, the European Parliament approved in Strasbourg on May 8 the Commission's proposal to extend the...
Global Energy Supplies
U.S.-China tariff struggle, Iran issue affect energy demand, oil prices
International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol said on April 23 oil prices may decline further this year due to slow demand growth...
Sanctions and related policies
Ahead of nuclear talks, Trump administration orders new sanctions on Iran’s shadow fleet and Chinese refiners
Washington’s sanctions campaign of “maximum pressure on Iran” is intensifying, despite the start of initial discussions between the U.S. and Iran over nuclear issues...
Interviews
Romania utilizing all available resources to boost its energy independence
Romania is using all energy resources available, including natural gas as the country advances rapidly with Neptun Deep gas project and new wind and...
Oil & Gas
Apollo Funds to partner with BP on TANAP gas pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey
British energy company BP said on March 21 it has reached agreements for Apollo-managed funds to purchase a 25 percent non-controlling stake in BP...
Renewables
Caspian-Black Sea Green Energy Corridor countries push project forward
The Ministers of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Hungary and Romania met in Budapest on March 10, where they signed a joint letter to EU Energy Commissioner...
Sanctions and related policies
Ignoring Russia, latest Trump administration Iran sanctions increase pressure on an old enemy
On March 13, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned (“designated” in OFAC language) Iran’s Minister of Petroleum, Mohsen...
Kazakhstan
EU signs critical raw materials, energy and infrastructure deals with Kazakhstan
As part of the visit of EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela to Astana, the European Union and Kazakhstan signed on March 13...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Weaning Europe off its Russian gas addiction
The Viking hero Ragnar Lodbrok once said “don't waste your time looking back. You're not going that way.” The words of the former king...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Regional Water Forum in Brussels seeks sustainable solutions in the Turkic region
The Regional Water Forum - Brussels 2025, organized by the Drought Prevention Institute (DPI) of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) and the Hungarian...
Kazakhstan
EU-Kazakhstan boost cooperation in energy, raw materials, transport, sustainability
The European Union and Kazakhstan have discussed at a meeting in Brussels the successful implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Central Asian...
Environment
From Cali to Rome: Governments agree to mobilize resources to protect biodiversity
The resumed meeting of the parties to the UN’s COP16 Global Biodiversity Conference in Rome has reached agreement, after intense negotiations, on a landmark...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Tashkent’s busy diplomatic agenda
In the coming months, Uzbekistan will host high-profile summits between Central Asia with the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council. As global geopolitics...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Tajikistan: The Battle for Middle Earth’s Resources
Tajikistan is a small land-locked country tucked away in southeast Central Asia. Its capital, Dushanbe, is almost equally distant, at approximately 4,500 kilometers, from...
Critical Infrastructure
Nord Stream: Still searching for pipe dreams
The unexpected and seemingly uncoordinated start of preliminary "peace negotiations" between the U.S., Russia, (and potentially Ukraine) has fuelled speculation about the future of...
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