Europe & Eurasia

EU leaders to urge closer links with NATO at summit

By Arthur Beesley, the Irish Times

From Arthur Beesley, the Irish Times: European leaders are taking steps to develop deeper ties between the EU and Nato as the union seeks to boost its influence in global affairs. At a summit next Thursday, the leaders of the 27 member states will ask EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to explore ways of strengthening the union’s […]

Defence cut threat to the special relationship

By James Kirkup, the Telegraph

Britain’s “overstretched defence budget faces a massive cut”

By the Economist

From the Economist:  On September 17th the newly formed National Security Council (NSC), chaired by the prime minister, David Cameron, will begin discussing how to cut Britain’s defence budget. The conversation will be informed by the Strategic Defence and Security Review, which the coalition government embarked upon within weeks of taking office. Whereas the last […]

The Russo-German Energy Pincer

By Alexandros Petersen

Earlier this month, the world’s largest pipe-laying vessel, the Solitaire, began work on the Gulf of Finland section of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline. The vessel’s name is appropriate, as the pipeline represents Germany’s choice to go it alone in achieving energy security within the European Union. Nord Stream, one of the longest and […]

EU diplomatic corps leaves new members out in cold: Estonia

By AFP

As Azeri and Armenian forces continue fighting, EU fears escalation

By Zaman

From Zaman:  The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that tensions between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces is continuing to mount, as fierce fighting persisted between the two nations on Monday and early Tuesday.

Serbia bows to EU, softens stance on Kosovo

By Reuters

From Reuters:  Serbia made a major concession to the European Union on Wednesday by agreeing to soften a draft U.N. resolution on the future of Kosovo and seek dialogue with the breakaway country. "We have found a formula to open a dialogue on future solutions," President Boris Tadic said in a statement. … Belgrade said […]

Uncoordinated Defense cuts threaten NATO’s future

By Tomas Valasek, the Wall Street Journal

From Tomas Valasek, the Wall Street Journal:  As European governments rein in spending, defense budgets are falling, often dramatically. Germany plans to cut its armed forces by a third and the U.K. wants to reduce military spending by as much as 20%.

NATO: A Fat, Bloated, Job Creation Project?

By James Joyner, the New Atlanticist

From James Joyner, the New Atlanticist:  Lost amidst the welcome news of British-French cooperation on military cost-sharing in some tough talk from their ministers of defense on NATO. Last week, I noted that the FT‘s superb reporter Ben Hall buried the lead, waiting until the 13th paragraph of a story to pass along Liam Fox‘s pronouncement […]

EU Financial Supervision Framework Passed

By James Joyner

The EU’s finance ministers agreed this morning to submit the outlines of their budget plans for approval by the European Commission.  The hope is that this will forestall another Greek-style bailout and the collapse of the euro. Jan Strupczewski for Reuters ("Ministers agree to EU vetting future budget plans"): The process, called the European Semester, […]