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Analyses |
On 30 August President Viktor Yanukovych paid an official visit to Germany, during which he met the most senior government and business representatives. The visit was principally a ‘getting to know you’ affair. Yanukovych tried to present…
Analyses |
On the night of 22-23 August, 25 members of an armed Islamic underground group escaped from police custody of the National Security Service in Dushanbe. Signals of a rise in the terrorist threat have been emanating from Tajikistan since at…
Analyses |
On 30 August, Russia’s minister of agriculture Yelena Skrynnik revealed the size of the direct losses farmers have suffered as a result of this year’s drought; these have reached 37 billion roubles (over US$1.2bn). Over 20% of crops have…
Analyses |
| Łukasz Antas
German politicians are arguing about the shape of the new energy policy. The outcome of this discussion will affect Germany’s stance on the European Union’s energy policy, German economic potential and its possibilities for exporting…
Analyses |
On 25 August the federal government accepted a bill on the restructuring of banks as a way to prevent future bank crises in Germany. The key objectives of this law are to strengthen state control over banks and to introduce a bank tax. The…
Analyses |
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle visited Serbia on 26 August as did his British counterpart William Hague on 31 August. Both ministers insisted the Serbian authorities withdraw the draft resolution on Kosovo, which is to be…
Analyses |
The Lithuanian energy minister Arvydas Sekmokas announced on 26 August that a letter from Gazprom received by the Lithuanian authorities, containing a protest against plans to reform the Lithuanian gas sector as being contrary to the…
Analyses |
The Druzhba pipeline is being used to a lesser extent as a supply route for Czech refineries. Its role is being gradually taken over by the Ingolstadt–Kralupy (IKL) pipeline, supplying oil from the western direction, which already accounts…
Analyses |
On 23 August the federal minister of defence, Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg (CSU) presented five variants of the reform of the Bundeswehr to the CDU/CSU/FDP coalition exports. Through this he started an official debate on structural changes…
Analyses |
The co-governing conservative parties TOP 09 and the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) are vying for predominance on the right wing of the political scene. The most essential dispute concerns European policy coordination. The issue of…