Call for papers: our EaP colloquium is heading to Yerevan this October. Focus: democratic resilience under authoritarian pressure. Mid-career think tankers — apply or share. Mentorship, honorarium, Armenia. Deadline 31 July: dgap.org/en/press/new... @dgap.org

Call for Policy Papers on the Future of Governance and Civil Society in the EaP Region

The German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) and the Democracy Development Foundation (DDF) cordially invite applications for papers for the upcoming policy research workshop of the Eastern Partners...

dgap.org

Der Beitritt Ungarns zur Europäischen Staatsanwaltschaft ist ein großer Schritt Richtung Rechtsstaatlichkeit. Und hoffentlich ein Schritt Richtung Aufarbeitung der vergangenen Jahre. danielfreund.eu/aktuelles/me...

I guess the only thing standing between today‘s agreement and the EP having to sue the Commission again over premature release of funds is…hope?

Jakub Jaraczewski@jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🇭🇺💶⚖️🇪🇺 Over the last few days, there was a lot of analysis flying around that Hungary won't have it as easy with unlocking EU funds, unlike Poland, but here I thought "trust the process", and I was right - the Commission walks into the same river once more. 1/

Good @politico.eu piece about releasing EU funds to Hungary with my quotes based on research co-published with Princeton's Prof Kim Scheppele at @verfassungsblog.de (verfassungsblog.de/unfreezing-e...) & @jeppjournal.bsky.social (www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....). www.politico.eu/article/magy...

Magyar’s EU reset heads for Brussels reality check

The Hungarian leader has made the release of EU money central to his post-Orbán reset, but the Commission wants him to deliver on reforms first.

politico.eu

Confirmed to me by President Zelenskyy's office and Ukraine's Air Force: Russia overnight launched an "Oreshnik" intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) capable of carrying multiple conventional or nuclear warheads.

Christopher Miller@christopherjm.ft.com · 2mo ago

Kyiv was rocked by explosions after midnight on Sunday, as Russia pounded Ukraine’s capital with missiles and drones hours after President Zelenskyy warned of a possible Oreshnik IRBM strike and the US Embassy alerted citizens to an imminent large-scale attack. www.ft.com/content/334b...

Politicisation and urgency leading to shortcuts in the legislative process. The pros & cons of the Omnibus approach will need to be assessed in the long term, but this goes on the cons list.

Luise Quaritsch@luisequaritsch.eurosky.social · 3mo ago

The Council and European Parliament have agreed on the AI Omnibus last night. That negotiations concluded so quickly shows the immense political pressure to act, but it remains questionable whether the AI Omnibus can really fulfil the expectations of fostering growth and innovation pinned on it 1/

🇪🇺🏳️‍🌈⚖️🇭🇺 A legal earthquake - CJEU finds Hungary to have violated EU law on multiple counts with its anti-LGBT+ legislation (as expected) but also for the first time in history, in an EU law-reshaping precedent, finds Hungary to violate Art 2 TEU in a self-standing manner.

To the point.

Zselyke Csaky@zecsaky.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Magyar needs the EU but the EU needs Magyar, too. And in this mutual dependency, neither should lose sight of the rule of law. That's what I'm arguing in this @financialtimes.com op ed www.ft.com/content/8800...

A Russian drone struck an ambulance in Sumy region during the ceasefire, wounding three medics, after a prior attack killed an evacuation team carrying wounded soldiers. #Ukraine

The Orbán government is once again using authoritarian tactics to target our journalist Szabolcs Panyi, whose reporting exposes truths inconvenient to the regime.

Statement on Smear Campaign Against VSquare Journalist - VSquare.org

The Orbán government is once again resorting to authoritarian tactics to target a journalist whose reporting exposes truths inconvenient to the regime.

vsquare.org

Great to see the new Framework Agreement being put into the wider context of interinstitutional dynamics. And I would love to see the keyword „bicameral“ appear more often in other articles about EU governance as well.

Verfassungsblog@verfassungsblog.de · 5mo ago

The EU’s institutional balance is under growing pressure. ANDREW DUFF (@andrewduffeu.bsky.social) on the revised Framework Agreement between the European Parliament and the Commission – and why the Council’s objections reveal deeper tensions within EU governance. verfassungsblog.de/testing-mutu...

As EU governments look to spend more on #defence to better deter security threats from Russia & others, a lack of public support for the spending trade-offs involved risks triggering a political backlash. New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social paper by @armida.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/CqgCMt8

That was always the risk in going for the solution based on EU debt rather than using the Russian assets. The assets would have required QMV, the debt needs unanimity regardless of the fact that it would be carried out by enhanced cooperation. France et al knew that risk and went for it anyway.

Henry Foy@henryjfoy.ft.com · 6mo ago

💥 Hungary has blocked an already-agreed €90bn EU loan for Ukraine aimed at stabilising the war-torn country’s finances, just days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion by @paolatamma.bsky.social & @alicemhancock.bsky.social as.ft.com/r/58172ba2-b...

The sense of optimism present at our workshop in Chișinău really left a lasting impression on me. All of the knowledge & experience is there, Western experts (or even policymakers) just need to pay attention. dgap.org/en/research/publications/countering-hybrid-threats

Anastasia Pociumban@pociumban.bsky.social · 6mo ago

New report: Countering Hybrid Threats, Lessons from Eastern Europe with @rnierhaus.bsky.social @dgap.org @dimker.bsky.social @laurentiuplesca.bsky.social @iraklisirbiladze.bsky.social @malwinatalik.bsky.social @mariannaprits.bsky.social Marianna Prysiazhniuk dgap.org/en/research/...

2 important rule of law related opinions today with one by AG Capeta the most important as it more broadly concerns undue politicisation of EU’s rule of law toolbox with enforcement or lack thereof dependent on (disguised) reasons of political expediency democracyinstitute.ceu.edu/articles/lau...

Jakub Jaraczewski@jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🇭🇺⚖️🇪🇺💶The first of CJEU AG opinions on Hungary is out - AG Ćapeta advises the court to find that the Commission's unfreezing of funds for Hungary under the Common Provisions Regulation should be annulled, as the alleged rule of law reforms didn't really happen. 1/

New paper in our @dgap.org project "European Zeitenwende": insights about different perspectives on European defence from Northeast to Southwest. Authors @aagilli.bsky.social, @nicolekoenig.bsky.social & Margarita Šešelgytė argue for strategic empathy +operational solidarity dgap.org/en/research/...

European ­Cohesion for Security and Defense

The practical response by European countries to Russia’s war on Ukraine has been uneven, with frontline states in the north and east showing much greater resolve. Disagreements about burden sharing fo...

dgap.org

NGOs are being blacklisted in the open by Orban's Soviet-style "SPO" and yet the @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu @ec.europa.eu has repeatedly - and irresponsibly IMO - failed to apply for interim measures in its pending infringement action @tinekestrik.bsky.social @michaelmcgratheu.bsky.social

Jakub Jaraczewski@jakubjaraczewski.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🇭🇺⚖️ Our court case against X attracted the most predictable attention possible - of the Hungarian Sovereignty Protection Office, the institution of Hungarian authorities entrusted with "defending Hungarian state", but if you ask me, it's actually about going after NGOs critical of Orban. 1/

Institutions matter:

Lucas Guttenberg@lucasguttenberg.bsky.social · 6mo ago

“Coalitions of the willing” are back in vogue. Internationally, that makes sense. But in the EU context, I don’t buy the hype. In fact, it leads to the wrong conclusions and risks weakening the one institutional framework that actually gives Europe collective power in a world without rules. Thread:

In diesen Tagen, in denen Kyjiw in Teilen kollabiert, wächst in mir eine Furcht: dass die Worte, die wir aus der Ukraine in den Westen schicken, verhallen. Ich habe einen sehr persönlichen Leitartikel geschrieben, aus einer Stadt am Rande der humanitären Katastrophe: www.zeit.de/2026/05/kyji...

Stromausfälle in Kyjiw: Für Freiheit frieren

In der Eiseskälte nahezu vergessen: ein Hilferuf unserer Korrespondentin Olivia Kortas aus Kyjiw

zeit.de

In Odesa russia struck an apartment building, killing at least 3 people‼️ The search and rescue operation is still underway.

We're currently on season 10 of "don't underestimate the European Parliament"

Diego Velazquez @diegoinbxl.bsky.social · 7mo ago

vdL has always been automatically attracted by the European Council. By design, since she was a Council asset, and by instinct: Council is where the power lays. But without commanding any solid majority in the Parliament, everything can quickly break apart. Epp and vdL misjudged this big time

Trump's Greenland narrative is almost a 1:1 copy of Putin's Crimea narrative: "It belonged to us in the past. Stupid leaders gave it away for no good reason. Now we want it back. We need it for our security. We need to protect it. It will be best for the people who live there."

Parliament says Commission’s ‘Democracy Shield’ against disinformation too weak

Parliament says Commission’s ‘Democracy Shield’ against disinformation too weak

Russian interference and Big Tech pose ‘dangerous cocktail’, rapporteur warns

dlvr.it

a footnote to this discussion is that the EP acquired the power to request these opinions from the CJEU only in 2003, along with the general power to request the annulment of EU legislation

Nicolai von Ondarza@nvondarza.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Today, the European Parliament voted to put the Mercosur trade agreement to the European Court of Justice for review. It was a politically momentous decision, very tight and carried by an unusual majority, so it is worth looking a bit deeper into it.

Reflections on the European Council decision to borrow €90 billion and lend it to Ukraine. Tl; dr: Ukraine benefits, but not enough; Putin & Trump will be encouraged; the EU & individual member-states have shown that it’s still too easy to intimidate them. 🧵1/13

💥Pro-Russian far-right leader George Simion may have lost Romania’s presidential race, but the online campaign machine behind his rise helped Karol Nawrocki win in Poland—and is now powering the populist Law and Justice’s comeback push. Check out our new investigation & follow @vsquare.bsky.social!

How Romanians Helped Conservative Brothers in Poland Win Elections - VSquare.org

We go behind the scenes of the “MEGA” movement and reveal European Trumpists between Bucharest and Warsaw.

vsquare.org