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Europe & Eurasia
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...
Hungary
Political shifts and Orbán: future scenarios
The parliamentary elections in Hungary, scheduled for April 2026, are increasingly viewed by experts as potentially the most challenging for Viktor Orbán during his...
Interviews
Azerbaijan Railways emerges as a neutral and reliable bridge between East and West
After a recent trip to Baku, NE Global Media interviewed Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) Chairman Rovshan Rustamov, focusing on his organization's critical strategic role regarding...
Terrorism
New U.S. Terrorist Designations in Europe and Latin America
As the U.S. Government shutdown has ended, a number of temporarily closed foreign affairs offices/functions have just re-opened, and we should expect to see...
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...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Europe Should Regulate, Not Ban, Nicotine Pouches
As France moves toward banning nicotine pouches, it risks pushing users back to cigarettes or into unregulated and potentially harmful markets. Sweden, by contrast,...
Interviews
EU-Uzbekistan agreement to boost trade, regional integration
After the historic visit to Brussels of the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, NE Global discussed with Eldor Tulyakov, Executive Director at the Development...
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...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Take a deep breath — the UK Budget is on its way
We have been softened up for what is going to be bad news, although no doubt there will be some sweeteners snuck in. So,...
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...
Freedom of Movement and Travel
Taking a digital leap forward, the new EU Entry/Exit System progressively starts operations
The Entry/Exit System (EES), the European Union’s new digital border system which will apply to non-EU travellers entering or leaving the EU, became operational...
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....
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...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
When Will Ukraine Become the Outpost of European Defense?
The security landscape of the European continent hinges on the European Union’s determination to halt Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine and to prevent the...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Fourth estate’s useful idiots: Cases from Albania in which international media should have known better
The cashless dreamThis July, a Politico Europe journalist texted me about comments regarding Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s recent statement that he would abolish...
Sanctions and related policies
UN sanctions reimposed on Iran after commitments breached
Back on August 28, France, Germany, and the UK (the so-called “E3”) formally initiated the process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran aka "snapback."...
United Nations
The UN at 80 — Little to celebrate with multilateralism under stress
Like clockwork, at the end of September, many of the world’s leaders converge on New York for the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The glitter is coming off gilts
Trust, confidence and expertise - these three words must be at the heart of the job description for any of the three high offices...
Disasters and Reconstruction Initiatives
Washington kickstarts the U.S. – Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund
The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) announced on September 17 a $75 million equity commitment to the U.S.- Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund that...
Espionage
MI6 launches new dark web portal as UK targets agents in Russia, Iran, China
The Secret Intelligence Service of the United Kingdom, commonly known as MI6, launched on September 19 a new dark web portal to recruit operatives...
Interviews
AI can push a “democratization“ in film production
During this year’s Venice Film Festival, NE Global sat down with Chen Zhuo, CEO and Founder of Singapore-based company FizzDragon.
The pioneering Artificial Intelligence Generated...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
When Drones Cross the Line
In the early hours of 10 September, a wave of Russian drones launched against targets in Ukraine crossed a dangerous threshold both literally and...
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...
Invasion of Ukraine
Trump’s Ukraine peace initiative appears to stall
U.S. President Donald Trump’s summer of disrupting almost everything is now winding down with major peace agreements still eluding him, along with a potential...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Central Asia: An Aladdin’s Cave of Critical Minerals
For most of the three decades since independence, the Central Asian “stans” and the countries in the Caucasus attracted little attention from western governments....
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...
Invasion of Ukraine
Alaska summit hands Putin formal recognition but yields few results
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met for the first time in six years to discuss peace for Ukraine in...
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...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Government and money
Autumn: a season of mellow fruitfulness, or of storms, shorter days and financially darker nights? Either way, it’s when Rachel Reeves’ next Budget is...
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...
United Nations
United States to again withdraw from UNESCO
On July 22, U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce announced that Washington had informed United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Audrey...
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...
United Nations
Washington expands sanctions campaign against UN organs denouncing Israel
The U.S. State Department announced on July 9 that it is issuing sanctions against Francesca Albanese, the U.N. Special Rapporteur for the West Bank...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Summer food for thought: why Brussels needs a pro-business reset
The American author Charles Bowden once said that summertime is always the best of what might be. As the traditional European summer break approaches,...
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...
Sanctions and related policies
U.S. sanctions malicious North Korean and Russian cyber actors
The U.S. has been working to crack down on what it warns is a wide-scale, concerted effort by North Korea to dupe American firms...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
Moldova: Engaging neighbors, not just Global powers
In this era of Great Power competition, or Cold War 2.0, there are a plethora of analyses and commentaries about evolving geopolitical affairs, including...
Defense & Security
NATO shifts into high gear at 2025 Hague Summit
Many are calling the June 24-25 NATO Summit in the Hague “the Trump Summit,” noting it was “historic” and “transformational.” But most of the...
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...
Op-Eds & Guest Contributors
The Israel-Iran conflict in our perspective
In the Albanian public debate on the armed conflict between Israel and Iran, a prevailing notion has been the contrast between Israel, a democracy...
Canada
Alberta G7 Summit – forgotten before it ended?
One song that will never be associated with the June 15-18 Alberta G7 Summit is Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable."
While this year’s Canada-hosted G7 Summit...
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,...
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