2004 was among the most consequential years in the history of the European Union, as the number of its member states nearly doubled. In the space of a decade, those new EU states within Central and Eastern Europe (EU-CEE) had succeeded in aligning their formerly communist institutions with minimum EU standards. This had profound implications […]

Barely four years ago, as China carved out an increasingly large space in the global economy, Gunter Deuber of Raiffeisen Research and I argued in a piece for bne IntelliNews that its much-vaunted presence in Central and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) was not only overstated but had peaked politically. Today, the common refrain in CESEE  is that the prospect of a strategic […]

What started with a bang, ended with a whimper. In Turkey, the opposition campaign to win the presidency from Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) could not dislodge the incumbent either in the first round or the runoff. Erdogan, who won 52% of the runoff vote compared to the 48% won by Kemal […]

Back last April, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. It was an impromptu visit. Nehammer had been in Kyiv with Volodymyr Zelenskiy when two of his closest advisors – namely, his wife Kathi and former Bild editor Kai Diekmann – encouraged him to play the archetypal Austrian role of […]

Review and analysis of the French general election process and results of the first round (June 12th)

A review and analysis of the recent French Presidential Election, held on the 24th April 2022

However the Ukraine conflict ends there will be a need for West and East to find a mechanism to resolve outstanding issues. We should start planning now.

As negotiations between Russia and Ukraine continue on a potential peace settlement, neutrality has become one of the key items on the table.

A summary of EPG’s internal discussions on the longer term implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

On 14 February, Kosovo held snap parliamentary elections which the main opposition party, the left-wing nationalist Self-Determination Movement (LVV), won by a landslide. The victory was historic, as it dismantled the hegemon of the two parties that have dominated the post-war landscape, namely the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), neither of which will form part of the next government for the first time since 2001.

On 14 February, snap elections were held for Kosovo’s unicameral parliament. The vote was called following a ruling by the Constitutional Court which found that the incumbent government had been formed on an invalid basis.

The world could be very different for CEE as the political landscape changes in 2021. Marek Matraszek, EPG Principal and chairman, CEC Government Relations, presented Real Asset Media delegates, at the European Outlook 2021 – CEE Investment Briefing, with a macroeconomic and political outlook for Central and Eastern Europe in 2021

A year in review for SEE. Political change is hobbled and incumbents re-elected with diminishing returns. A year of change and adaption in unprecedented global circumstances.

As it becomes all but certain that former Vice President Joe Biden will become the 46th president of the United States, EPG’s US partner KARV, provides analysis of the potential scenarios, anticipated policy priorities and key issues likely to evolve over the coming months.

On 27 September 2020, Azerbaijan launched a costly but largely successful Turkish-backed military offensive to recapture Azerbaijani territory occupied by Armenia around Nagorno-Karabakh. On 9 November, a ceasefire agreement was signed effectively refreezing the conflict to the disadvantage of Armenia. To understand this ceasefire you need to understand the history.

The United States has brokered Economic Normalization agreements between Serbia and Kosovo, whether this will have any impact is up for debate. The new agreement’s relevance to Serbia and Kosovo are piecemeal, which is likely to undermine their scope to deliver material benefits, and comes at the expense of the EU accession process.

The ruling DPS-led alliance has lost its absolute majority for the first time since 1990, with the opposition parties winning sufficient seats to form a government; An internal redistribution of power in DPS is likely if President and party leader Djukanovic steps down as party leader after 21 years

In Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE), several countries are experiencing an upsurge in infections, partly due to the premature lifting of the lockdowns that had been imposed with startling decisiveness.

The 13th German Presidency of the European Union comes at an historical moment, with huge challenges facing the European Union

The second round of French local elections took place in 4,820 cities on Sunday 28th June 2020. The results of these elections are a clear victory for the French pluralist left with a rise in ecological issues.

On 15 July, 2020 elections were held for the 120 seats comprising North Macedonia’s unicameral parliament. As predicted, the SDSM-BESA alliance, led by Zoran Zaev, emerged as the largest party, albeit without an absolute majority.

Belarus is a post-communist outlier, shunning transition to liberal democratic capitalism following the election of Alexander Lukashenko in 1994. Since then, the investment environment in Belarus has been shaped by five primary characteristics.