Institute of Central Europe/IES Commentaries

IES Commentaries

Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1414
20 August 2025
Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik - Baltic Team

The Baltic States and the Israeli–Palestinian Issue

France, the United Kingdom, and Canada have announced that they will decide on the recognition of Palestine as an independent state at the next session of the UN General Assembly. The Baltic states do not currently anticipate a similar step. Meanwhile, as the international community intensifies its calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Israel’s representatives are actively...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1411
14 August 2025
Jakub Bornio - Baltic Team

Extraordinary Meeting of European Leaders with U.S. President Donald Trump Prior to the Russia–United States Summit in Alaska

The announcement of a meeting between the US and Russian presidents in Alaska led to a further increase in diplomatic activity among European political leaders. The series of talks with Donald Trump on 13 August 2025, organised by the German Chancellor, provided an opportunity to present the position of the so-called European Big Five and Finland on the war in Ukraine and in the...

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History in the public space

IEŚ Commentaries 1383
24 June 2025
Łukasz Krzyżanowski - History in the public space

Why is the Holocaust part of the history of everyone living in Poland today?

The victims of the Holocaust included more than three million Jews who were citizens of Poland. Nazi persecution – carried out not only by Germans but also by Austrians and local collaborators of various nationalities, including Ukrainians, Lithuanians, and Poles – struck Jews with particular severity. It would be more accurate to say: those whom Nazi law and Nazi perpetrators...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1375
9 June 2025
Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik - Baltic Team

Women in the Army. Compulsory military service in the Nordic and Baltic states

Presently, only two European countries, Norway and Sweden, have introduced gender-neutral military conscription. Denmark will be joining this group in 2026. Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are also considering the possibility of introducing compulsory military service for women. This is driven by two key factors. Firstly, there is a need to strengthen the country’s...

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Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1371
2 June 2025
Hanna Bazhenova - Eastern Team

Re-evaluation of World War II Heritage in Ukraine

On 8 May 2025, the 80th anniversary of the signing of the act of unconditional surrender by Germany and its armed forces took place. On this day, Ukraine celebrated for the second time the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in World War II (1939–1945). The new public holiday was intended to combine two earlier traditions: Victory Day over Nazism in World War II, observed...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1362
23 May 2025
Michał Paszkowski - Baltic Team

Slovakia and Hungary oppose ban on import of Russian energy resources

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted an unprecedented and multidimensional response from European Union member states, particularly in the field of energy policy. As part of efforts to reduce dependence on energy supplies from the Russian Federation, the European Commission announced the REPowerEU strategy, which sets out the goal of completely phasing out...

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Baltic Team, Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1359
20 May 2025
Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik | Andrzej Szabaciuk - Baltic Team, Eastern Team

Orthodoxy in Estonia: Between Autonomy and National Security

The restoration of Estonian independence led to the division of the local Orthodox Church into two: one subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the other dependent on the Moscow Patriarchate. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Estonia took a harder line on the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. This resulted in administrative...

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Baltic Team, Collective Memory Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1357
19 May 2025
Jakub Bornio | Łukasz Lewkowicz - Baltic Team, Collective Memory Team

The Tenth Three Seas Initiative Summit in Warsaw: Key Decisions and Prospects for Development

The tenth anniversary summit of the Three Seas Initiative (3SI), hosted by President Andrzej Duda and traditionally coupled with a Business Forum, was held in Warsaw on 28-29 April 2025. The event was attended by representatives of 23 countries and entities. The primary accomplishments of the summit include the incorporation of new strategic partners, Spain and Turkey, along with...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1356
16 May 2025
Michał Paszkowski - Baltic Team

The Renaissance of Nuclear Technology in Central Europe

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the countries of Central Europe were confronted with an unprecedented challenge of the urgent need to redefine the structure of their electricity supply in a permanent and strategic manner. The region’s prior dependence on energy commodities from the Russian Federation has come to be perceived not merely as an economic...

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Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1323
27 March 2025
Andrzej Szabaciuk - Eastern Team

Decree of Vladimir Putin on Regulating the Status of Ukrainian Citizens in the Russian Federation dated March 20, 2025

The Russian invasion of Ukraine after February 24, 2022, has a distinct biopolitical dimension. Its aim is to achieve total control over the population of the occupied territories through denationalization, forced assimilation, and the elimination of groups deemed undesirable. Consequently, deportations of children from occupied areas are being carried out, along with the issuance...

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