Catching the last train: Montenegro on the road to EU membership

Twenty years after declaring independence, Montenegro is the most advanced candidate currently in the EU accession process. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has provided fresh impetus to EU enl...

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Russia: The Kremlin strips political exiles of their civil rights

On 22–24 July, the Russian parliament unanimously adopted a package of laws that drastically curtails the civil rights of Russian citizens living abroad. The measures target those who have been convic...

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Ukraine: suspension of shipping to Black Sea ports and the associated risks

On 22 July, Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy, Taras Vysotskyi, announced that no commercial vessel had entered Ukraine’s Black Sea ports that day. Shipowners suspended sailings over concerns abou...

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Change of government in Moldova: policy continuity and new challenges

On 22 July, Moldova’s new government was sworn in, with independent businessman Vasile Tofan, aged 44, appointed as prime minister (see Appendix: biographical note and composition of the government). ...

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Latvia: significant increase in migratory pressure from Belarus

On 13 July, Lithuania’s Minister of the Interior, Martynas Katelynas, proposed the introduction of temporary controls at the border with Latvia in response to a significant increase in the number of m...

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The EU’s twenty-first sanctions package against Russia: national interests dilute the measures

The EU’s twenty-first sanctions package against Russia: national interests dilute the measures

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Amending Hungary’s Constitution to dismantle Fidesz’s grip on power

Following its victory in the April 2026 parliamentary elections and the securing of a constitutional majority, Péter Magyar’s government began implementing one of its key campaign pledges: to restore ...

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Life inside Belarus's prisons - Belarusian gulag told by a former prisoner

YouTube video by Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW)

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Ukraine: new government overshadowed by a controversial dismissal

On 16 July, the Verkhovna Rada approved Serhii Koretskyi as prime minister by a majority of 289 votes and confirmed the composition of his cabinet. The new government reversed the merger of two ‘super...

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Romania is no closer to a new government: political deadlock and the risk of losing Recovery and Resilience Plan funds

More than two months after the collapse of Ilie Bolojan’s government, Romania’s main political parties remain unable to reach an agreement on the formation of a new cabinet. This impasse comes at an e...

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New government in Lithuania: the third Social Democratic cabinet

On 14 July, the Lithuanian parliament (Seimas) approved the programme and composition of the new government led by Social Democrat Mindaugas Sinkevičius by a narrow majority of 72 votes in the 141-sea...

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Russia: the government is powerless in the face of the fuel crisis

Since the end of May, Russia has been experiencing a fuel crisis marked by physical shortages of fuel across most regions of the country, accompanied by rising prices for petrol and diesel. This disru...

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Zelensky vs Fedorov: Ukraine’s Defence Minister dismissed

On 15 July, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov would not be part of the new government. The government reshuffle and the allegedly slow implementation of ref...

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Tech oligarchs in the US: the mutual dependence between the Trump administration and Silicon Valley

The development of advanced technologies is critical to the United States’ economic future and national security. Chief executives of the country’s largest technology companies have gained significant...

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Ankara summit: Europe’s mobilisation for NATO 3.0

At the NATO summit in Ankara (7–8 July), Europe and Canada presented President Donald Trump with a significant increase in defence spending, new military procurements and industrial investments. They ...

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Germany: the new face of Die Linke

During its party congress in Potsdam (19–21 June), the Left Party (Die Linke) elected a new leadership team. The incumbent chair, Ines Schwerdtner, was re-elected (receiving 86% of the vote, compared ...

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Compromise reforms amid Germany’s economic stagnation

On 2 July, Germany’s federal government agreed on a long-anticipated reform package entitled the Programme for Economic Recovery and Employment. The package comprises 34 measures aimed at stabilising ...

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Alice Weidel consolidates her leadership of the AfD

At the AfD party congress held in Erfurt on 4–5 July, approximately 600 delegates elected the party’s leadership. Alice Weidel (81.3% of the vote, up from 79.8% in 2024) and Tino Chrupalla (70%, down ...

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A new EU security strategy in the making: high ambitions constrained by limited means

The deteriorating security environment in Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, together with tensions between the United States and NATO’s European members, has prompted EU institutions to b...

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NATO 3.0: from burden sharing to burden shifting and the Europeanisation of the Alliance

In 2026, changes in transatlantic relations ushered NATO into a period of restructuring. As part of the US concept of NATO 3.0, Washington announced a significant reduction in its military contributio...

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The bedrock of security: NATO in Turkey’s Policy

NATO remains the fundamental pillar of Turkey’s security and its most important framework for defence cooperation with the West. Turkey wants to be seen as indispensable to the Alliance’s south-easter...

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Waiting for reforms: the future of the German welfare state

Friedrich Merz won the 2025 election on a promise to rebuild the capacity of the state. He pledged to curb illegal migration, take the initiative in European policy and deliver far-reaching economic a...

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When trouble strikes, turn to the Kremlin: how the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz benefits Russia’s oil exports

The war in the Persian Gulf and the resulting disruption to global hydrocarbon markets have strengthened Russia’s position as an energy exporter. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz gave rise to shor...

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The Flamingo Revolution: anti-government protests in Albania

Albania has witnessed continuous protests over the past three weeks. During this period, the demonstrators have broadened their focus from environmental concerns to wider anti-establishment demands. T...

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Estonia and Finland - Brothers in arms

YouTube video by Centre for Eastern Studies (OSW)

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Deeper reconciliation or reopening old wounds? Controversy over the gathering of the German expellee association in the Czech Republic

The annual gathering of the Sudeten German Homeland Association – the largest organisation representing Germans expelled from Czechoslovakia and their descendants – has sparked considerable political ...

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Pawn and King: Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang

The systematic, ruthless and carefully calculated process by which Pyongyang has sought to emancipate itself from Beijing has been the central feature of relations between the Democratic People’s Repu...

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Ukraine and Moldova launch EU accession negotiations

On 15 June, Luxembourg hosted two EU–Ukraine and EU–Moldova Intergovernmental Conferences (IGCs), during which both countries opened the first negotiating cluster (Fundamentals). This cluster forms th...

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European Commission criticises border controls as Germany rules out their swift removal

In an opinion published on 2 June, the European Commission criticised Germany – along with eight other Schengen states, including France, Italy and the Netherlands – for maintaining internal border co...

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