IES Commentaries | Institute of Central Europe

Baltic Team

Komentarze IEŚ 135

clivio - Baltic Team

Whistleblower in Lithuanian special services (Dominik Wilczewski)

According to information provided by Vytautas Bakas, a member of Lithuanian Seimas, the State Security Department (Valstybės saugumo departamentas, VSD) in 2018–2019 allegedly gathered information about the entourage of the then presidential candidate Gitanas Nausėda and about Vygaudas Ušackas, a candidate for nomination in the presidential primaries in the opposition...

More →

Baltic Team

ies-komentarze-130-33-2020.pdf

Damian Szacawa - Baltic Team

Chinese Dragon in the Arctic and Its Influence on the Policy of Norway and Denmark in the Baltic Sea Region (Damian Szacawa)

The growing influence of China on the global international order and the Euro-Atlantic security system will be a challenge for many states. This process has been recognized in the foreign and security policy strategies of Denmark and Norway, which are particularly interested in China’s policy and developments in the North Atlantic area and the Arctic. Both regions have a...

More →

Baltic Team

Komentarze IEŚ 122

clivio - Baltic Team

Rail Baltica Slows Down – Problems Growing Around the Investment (Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik)

The goal of Rail Baltica is to integrate the Baltic states into the European rail network. In addition to the mobility, the quality of rail services and the improvement access to them, the project is also expected to contribute to the development of business and tourism, and the increase of goods exchange within the region. However, an audit published in December 2019 questioned,...

More →

Eastern Team

Komentarze IEŚ 84

Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik - Eastern Team

Further complications with regard to the agreement on a border treaty between Estonia and Russia (Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik)

The border treaty is one of the most problematic aspects of Estonian-Russian relations. The political consensus developed in Estonia in recent years has been undermined recently by the populist Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE), which has raised the issue of territorial claims against Russia. The controversial statements of EKRE politicians demanding the return of...

More →

Eastern Team

Komentarze IEŚ 60

clivio - Eastern Team

100 days of Volodymyr Zelensky’s presidency: foreign affairs (Hanna Bazhenova)

27 August marked 100 days of Volodymyr Zelensky’s term as the president of Ukraine. In this time, he succeeded in acquiring control over the executive government and legislature. The initial foreign visits of the president manifested that the general direction of Ukrainian foreign affairs will not be altered. The issue of Donbas and relations with the Russian Federation remain...

More →

Baltic Team

Komentarze IEŚ 52

clivio - Baltic Team

Gazprom’s troubles with completing Nord Stream 2 (Damian Szacawa)

On 3 August, Nord Stream 2 AG, responsible for designing, developing and subsequent maintenance of Nord Stream 2 (North European Gas Pipeline, NS2), announced that one gas pipeline, located in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of Sweden, was completed. However, the company has not been granted the permission to continue with NS2 on Danish waters. Jeppe Kofod, the current Minister...

More →

Baltic Team

Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik - Baltic Team

Estonia’s climate policy in light of the European Union’s 2050 climate neutrality (Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik)

Estonia has been objecting to the EU’s 2050 climate neutrality strategy. The country’s decision-makers argue that the EU member states ought to enjoy enough flexibility as to select domestic instruments of climate policies in relation to the level of the country’s development and social justice. The issue revolves around Estonia being able to introduce incremental changes...

More →

Eastern Team

Komentarze IEŚ 47

Roman Romantsov - Eastern Team

Economic cooperation between Belarus and China – the pursuit of independence from Russia (Roman Romantsov)

An evident intensification of cooperation between Belarus and the People's Republic of China has been observed since 2017. Alexander Lukashenko’s latest presidential visit to China occurred on 25-27 April in the framework of the 2nd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. During the trip, the president met with several politicians, e.g. Xi Jinping, the President of...

More →

Eastern Team

Komentarze IEŚ 42

Jakub Olchowski - Eastern Team

The Moldovan “grand chessboard” (Jakub Olchowski)

A change of power occurred in Moldova in June. It was motivated by an understanding and engagement of external actors – Russia, USA, and the EU. This understanding bears significant implications not only for Moldova, but in a greater picture, for the structure of the international order as well, especially in Eastern Europe. It may stimulate the emergence of a new, more...

More →

Eastern Team

Komentarze IEŚ 40

clivio - Eastern Team

Serbia-Kosovo Dialogue: in search of the final agreement (Konrad Pawłowski)

The suspension of the bilateral dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo proves that negotiations, ongoing since 2011 under the auspices of the EU, came to yet another standstill. Positions of both parties becoming stiff results in the prospects for the development of a compromise to end the conflict concerning Kosovo’s international legal status and boundaries becoming unlikely.

More →