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The Chinese business model has proved to be more viable in the non-EU member states of the Western Balkan. However, the increasing level of indebtedness of these countries to China raises other alarming questions. It is indeed true that trade relations have been expanding between China and the CEEC region, but it is mostly in line with the general increase of EU-China trade of the past decade. Higher numbers can potentially be explained by the very low base and by the role of multinational companies in the region.

The 16+1 framework and the future of EU-China relations

By: EBR | Tuesday, April 23, 2019

The China-CEEC Summit, held in the city of Dubrovnik in Croatia on 11 April, has introduced a significant development to plans for China’s ‘16+1’ framework: Greece has joined. This means we will have to adapt to its new name: the 17+1

Venezuela and Brazil tied for the title of the Most Worsened Country. Politics have riven both nations. Venezuela’s election last year compounded long-standing economic and social woes. Brazil’s score has declined in each of the past six years as economic troubles, corruption and declining public services have taken their toll.Other nations whose rankings fell steeply in the 2019 list were Nicaragua, the United Kingdom, Togo, Cameroon, Poland, Mali, Yemen, Tanzania, Honduras and the United States. Libya, Syria, Mali, Yemen, Venezuela, and Mozambique were the fastest declining countries of the past decade.

These are the world’s most fragile states in 2019

By: EBR | Friday, April 19, 2019

There are some rankings no nation wants to lead. Yemen has just been named most fragile nation in the Fund For Peace’s 2019 Fragile States Index. The least fragile state is Finland

A study last May showed an overwhelming 94 percent of Russians saying they no longer rely on the state for any help. Only 7 percent of those polled expressed support for a strong leader, and 80 percent prefer social justice over order—a significant shift since the 1990s. A follow-up survey conducted in October and November 2018 showed that a majority of Russians now clearly favors change over stability and the rule of law over social justice. Crucially, 63 percent also signaled a new appetite for “self-expression” and personal responsibility, such as contributing to charities, volunteering, or social movements.

Russia’s Social Awakening: A New Challenge for the EU

By: EBR | Thursday, April 18, 2019

Social moods are shifting in Russia, opening up new, exciting opportunities for a reset by the EU in people-to-people contacts. Brussels must not miss this moment

For all of the current U.S. administration’s constant bluster and endless stream of provocations, there are some very real problems which the world’s multilateral finance, development and trade organizations should urgently respond to.According to a wide range of leading experts meeting in Washington now, Donald Trump practices a disturbing head-in-the-sand attitude on three of the four dominating threats to global economic stability. These threats are: Cyber-risks to world finance, climate change and corruption.

Are the World Bank and IMF Failing the World?

By: EBR | Monday, April 15, 2019

Amidst Trump administration flame-throwing, top experts worry about the ability of the main multilateral institutions safeguarding the global economy

Many analysts say that Modi’s image, recently dented by slowing economic growth and allegations that the governing party had suppressed a report showing a 45-year high in unemployment has recovered since a military confrontation between India and Pakistan, and has perhaps even strengthened ahead of the vote. Amid growing fears worldwide about the power of social media to manipulate voters, India’s election commission said it would closely monitor platforms like Facebook.

How crucial are the India elections for Prime Minister Modi?

By: EBR | Thursday, April 11, 2019

General elections in India will begin on April 11 with some 900 million voters eligible to cast ballots to fill parliamentary seats and chose the next prime minister in the world’s biggest democracy

Politically motivated trials against internationally respected civil society figures and organizations have taken a heavy toll on some of the country’s best talents, wrecking its reputation abroad. It is high time for the judiciary to take the proper decisions of dismissing indictments and preventive detentions based on zero evidence and to free all those concerned. Turkey will be infinitely better off with a free and vibrant civil society. With a return to a decent level of the rule of law, frozen projects such as the modernization of the EU-Turkey Customs Union may become active again, and investors would take a more positive view.

Erdogan’s Four Challenges

By: EBR | Thursday, April 4, 2019

Turkey’s president suffered a frustrating setback in local government elections as democratic resilience prevailed. Watch out for the impact on the economy, the rule of law, defense, and Syria.

The Turkish president also explicitly threatened opposition leaders and voters with court cases and the replacement of winning candidates with state-appointed trustees.The election process itself was mired in controversies related to irregularities in the voting and ballot-counting processes, and at least four people were killed during the election.

Erdogan At a Crossroad

By: EBR | Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Losing Ankara and Istanbul is a significant defeat for Turkey’s President

The loss of Istanbul, in particularly, stung Mr Erdogan, given that he began his political career there over two decades ago. The AK’s mayoral candidate, a former prime minister and parliamentary speaker, Binali Yildirim, had the support of a media controlled by pro-government tycoons, his party’s seemingly unstoppable electoral machine and the president, who stumped for his candidates as if his own political future were on the line.

Erdogan loses Istanbul and Ankara

By: EBR | Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Local elections are a blow to Turkey’s autocratic president

As Europe worries about Trump, congressional leaders invited NATO Chief Stoltenberg to address a joint session of Congress on April 3. McConnell and Pelosi held quiet talks about the idea as they eye ways to honor NATO as it celebrates its 70th anniversary in April and to underscore the U.S. commitment to the group’s values and importance in securing global order.A White House spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Stoltenberg addressing a joint session of Congress. NATO declined to say whether Stoltenberg would accept the invitation, saying that his schedule during his Washington trip in April “will be announced in due course.”

NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg meets Trump to address the evolving challenges the Alliance faces

By: EBR | Monday, April 1, 2019

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will meet Trump on April 2 for a private conversation, followed by an expanded meeting, the White House said recently. The two men will discuss burden sharing and challenges facing the organisation

The top Democrats in Congress like Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, Richard Blumenthal, Nancy Pelosi, Jerold Nadler, Maxine Waters, and so many others all claimed without a scintilla of proof that Trump “colluded” with Russia.?For two years, they pronounced him guilty in the court of public opinion. Democrats convinced themselves that President Trump’s election was misbegotten.?They accepted “collusion” as a matter of faith driven by their own prejudices and teased by hope out of ignorance.?Will they ever apologise?? Of course not.?They will conjure some vacuous excuse and move on to the next accusation.?They’re already doing it.

The Witch Hunt is over, millions of taxpayer dollars wasted and dirtiest political trick in modern US history came to an end

By: EBR | Tuesday, March 26, 2019

The long, national nightmare is over, and President Trump has been vindicated

Most China-related issues are much better off addressed in other formats, such as the EU. Yet NATO—as the central military and political bond across the Atlantic—must also pay more attention from a civilian and a security point of view. The problem is that the alliance’s reflex is to shy away from political discussions on issues from Iran to Syria to Brexit. This does not bode well when it comes to developing a shared strategic outlook, especially regarding China.

Time for NATO to Talk About China

By: EBR | Tuesday, March 26, 2019

The alliance’s reflex is to shy away from political discussions. This doesn’t bode well when it comes to even thinking about developing a shared strategic outlook toward China

The World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report (GRR) has listed water crises among the top-five risks in terms of impact for eight consecutive years. In the most recent version of the report, it remains nested among a cluster of other risks that are rated as having both a very high likelihood and a very high impact. These include extreme weather events, natural disasters, the failure of climate change adaptation and mitigation, man-made environmental disasters, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, interstate conflict and large scale-involuntary migration.

Water is a growing source of global conflict. Here’s what we need to do

By: EBR | Friday, March 22, 2019

The most intensive drought ever recorded in Syria lasted from 2006 to 2011. Water scarcity hit households, businesses and infrastructure, while in the countryside crops failed, livestock died, and entire families moved to the country’s cities

Residents of Germany get to feel this every day. It can take months and several visits to a local government office to obtain an ID card (Estonians do this online), while the occasions one is required to present this document seem to mushroom.No wonder politicians, Germany’s political parties and government officials are at the bottom of the scale when it comes to whom the citizens trust. The country is caught in a “they” versus “us” scenario. While exercising control takes top priority, the ordinary business of government, to make things work, is shamefully neglected.

Can Germany Provide Global Solutions?

By: EBR | Thursday, March 21, 2019

Germany’s leaders talk about taking on more responsibilities in world affairs. But the country’s government struggles with even basic forms of efficiency

U.S. Vice President Pence delivered a clearly statement to Venezuelan opposition leader Guaido:” We are with you,100 percent. The U.S. will provide an additional $ 56 million aid to Venezuelan citizens and the U.S. Treasury Department would be imposing ‘stronger sanctions’ on the Maduro regime’s corrupt financial networks.” White House national security adviser Bolton said in an interview recently “I think momentum is on Guaido's side. Reports in the press that the military hasn't shifted, miss the point entirely.

Venezuela’s future depends on the US and Russia

By: EBR | Tuesday, March 19, 2019

The situation in Venezuela is unpredictable. There is great uncertainty about what will happen in the coming weeks or months. Does President Maduro remain in power or does the opposition leader Guaido take the lead?

First, the progress. Banks have bigger and better capital buffers and more liquidity. Countries have taken steps to address systemic risks posed by institutions seen as too big to fail. Regulation and supervision have been strengthened; many countries have stepped up their focus on monitoring financial stability, and many now also conduct regular stress tests to check banks’ health.

Is the World Prepared for the Next Financial Crisis?

By: EBR | Tuesday, March 12, 2019

New regulations and reforms have helped, but major threats still loom

The World Bank estimates that air pollution costs India the equivalent of 8.5% of GDP - a huge drain on resources. And with the economy forecast to grow rapidly, increasing industrialization could exacerbate the problem even further.

7 of the world’s 10 most polluted cities are in India

By: EBR | Friday, March 8, 2019

Air pollution is an insidious killer. If you are among the 91% of the world’s population who breathes air the World Health Organisation (WHO) deems unsafe, then every time you inhale, microscopic particles are being drawn into your lungs

China’s image in Greece could best be understood if gauged in juxtaposition to the perceptions of other big powers, such as the EU, Germany, the US, Russia, etc. What certainly is a very interesting case in such a comparative approach is Greece’s psychological bond to Russia, which is much more deep-rooted and lasting than the ‘cultural kinship’ with China. The historical depth of Greece’s traditionally strong ties to Russia does not compare to that of the recent Sino-Greek romance.

China’s image in Greece: Great Expectations

By: EBR | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Since 2008, the increasingly close ties between Greece and China have caught the attention of the world media and there has been plenty of speculation about where this ‘romance’ is heading

Trump’s 2016 opponents tried everything. His Republican primary rivals tried ignoring him. They tried reasoning with voters, pointing out that he wasn’t a traditional conservative. Some tried ridiculing him; Marco Rubio insulted the size of his hands. Ted Cruz tried aligning himself with Trump, which was good enough for second place. In the general election, Hillary Clinton pounded Trump’s character and warned that he posed a danger to U.S. security

The road to the 2020 elections is crowded with Democrats. But who can beat Trump?

By: EBR | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

The Democrats are already in full swing for the U.S. presidential election of 2020. The Democratic primaries will be unprecedented crowded with candidates. But a front runner is not in sight. Democrats argue that Donald Trump is a threat to American democracy

President Trump announced the meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a two-day summit in Vietnam in late February. “We continue our historic push for peace on the Korean peninsula,” he said, adding he believed war would have broken out between the U.S. and North Korea had he not been elected.

President Trump vowed America will never be socialist

By: EBR | Thursday, February 7, 2019

President Donald Trump drew a clear line between his party’s policies and the creeping socialism some see on the left, declaring at the State of the Union “America will never be a socialist country” as many nonplussed Democrats appeared to shift uncomfortably in their seats

Russian President Vladimir Putin has a new toy and he wants Russians to think of it as their special present, too. Lately, he called the successful test of a new supersonic weapon “a remarkable, excellent 2019 gift to the nation.” Russians probably would have preferred a rollback of a recent retirement-age increase under their trees, but that doesn’t much matter to Putin’s view of his country’s national interest.

Russia with love to United States and Europe?

By: EBR | Tuesday, February 5, 2019

Russia will abandon a centerpiece nuclear arms treaty but will only deploy intermediate-range nuclear missiles if Washington does so, President Vladimir Putin said recently in a meeting with his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and, Defense minister Sergei Shoigu in the Kremlin

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EU Actually

Six EU countries demand revision of climate policy: ‘Ideological dogmatism harms our industry’

By: N. Peter Kramer

Six European heads of government have called on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to review the current EU climate policy.

Europe

Trump’s Peace Lessons for Europe

U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims to have ended eight wars may be debatable, but his peace efforts raise valid questions. Europe can learn lessons from Washington on how to break the deadlock in protracted conflicts.

Business

EU waters down plans to end new petrol and diesel car sales by 2035

Current rules state that new vehicles sold from that date should be "zero emission", but carmakers, particularly in Germany, have lobbied heavily for concessions.