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Environment, Science & Technology

Politics

Science & Technology

The European Commission recommended reducing the European Union's net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040 compared with 1990 levels, Reuters reported Feb. 6. 

EU: Brussels to Exclude Agriculture from 90% Emissions Reduction Target for 2040

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

European Union member states unanimously agreed to a 50 billion euro ($54 billion) financial support package for Ukraine as part of their joint budget through 2027, for which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban lifted his veto on the initiative, Reuters reported Feb. 1.

EU, Ukraine: EU Leaders Unanimously Agree to New 50 Billion Euro Aid Package for Kyiv

Negotiators from EU member states and the European Parliament reached a preliminary agreement to overhaul the bloc's asylum and migration rules, Reuters reported on Dec. 20.

EU: Bloc's Institutions Reach Agreements on New Asylum and Migration Rules

The European Union is "unlikely" or "very unlikely" to meet most of its 2030 green objectives, according to the latest report by the European Environment Agency (EEA) published Dec. 18.

EU: Bloc to Miss Most of its 2030 Climate Goals

Georgia

The European Council voted to grant EU candidate status to Georgia, and both government officials and opposition politicians in Georgia praised the decision, Civil Georgia reported on Dec. 14. 

Georgia: European Commission Recommends Georgia for EU Candidate Status

United Kingdom

Economics

The European Union proposed a three-year delay for tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) traded with the United Kingdom, which were originally set to enter into force in 2024 under the terms of the post-Brexit Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), Bloomberg reported Dec. 6.

EU, U.K.: Brussels Proposes Three-Year Delay to EV Tariffs in Trade with London

Belarus

Russia

Military & Security

Finland will close its last remaining open border crossing with Russia for at least two weeks following an uptick in illegal migration attempts that Finnish officials say Russia is facilitating in order to destabilize the country after joining NATO earlier this year, AP reported Nov. 29. 

Finland, Russia: Finland Closes Entire Border With Russia Over Migrant Concerns

China

Taiwan

Europe

China's Foreign Ministry urged Estonia not to open a Taiwan Representative Office, a prospect currently under discussion between Tallinn and Taipei, and to "safeguard the political basis of bilateral relations," Reuters reported on Nov. 8. 

China, Estonia: Reprise of Lithuania Incident Could Drag on EU-China Ties

Snapshots

United States

Members of the European Parliament take part in voting on the Artificial Intelligence Act during a plenary session at the European Parliament.

Cyber

The EU's recently negotiated Artificial Intelligence Act will bolster the European Union's dominance as a regulatory heavyweight in emerging technologies, yet anticipated enforcement challenges and stringent stipulations with the Act risk impeding AI innovation within the bloc.

EU Lawmakers Clinch Agreement on Artificial Intelligence Act 

Rail cars loaded with steel sit at the ThyssenKrupp Schwelgern steel plant on May 30, 2018 in Duisburg, Germany. 

The European Union and the United States will increase efforts to deconflict their trade and climate policies ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential and EU parliamentary elections, but lingering disagreements will not allow for a complete respite of Trump-era tariffs on EU steel and aluminum.

EU-U.S. Steel and Aluminum Negotiations Make Limited Headway

A satellite image shows Europe at night.

Security

EU: Regional Blocs

The New Silk Road

Divided EU Foreign Policies

The U.S. and the Balance of Power

The move shows the White House remains committed to its security and economic engagements in the region, with an eye on countering China and Russia. 

The U.S. Ramps Up Financial Support to Central and Eastern Europe

Assessments

The Russian 9M729 intermediate-range cruise missile was developed in secret had been deployed in small numbers even before the IMF Treaty became defunct.

Echoes of the Cold War

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

Moscow would couple any new deployments of its intermediate-range missiles with rhetoric blaming the United States for the treaty's collapse and subsequent weapons buildups.

Russia Approaches a Post-INF Arms Race in Europe With Caution

Global Perspectives

Partner Perspectives

A post marks the beginning of Polish territory on its border with Lithuania.

The U.S. and its NATO allies are looking for new ways to deter Russian aggression against the Baltic states. But policymakers and defense planners have yet to agree on Moscow's intentions in the region.

Threading the Needle Through the Suwalki Gap

Columns

On Geopolitics

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (center) and representatives of the Three Seas Initiative take part in a summit on Sept. 18 in Romania.

In many ways, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have never had it so good economically and politically. But brewing problems to the east and west have given them cause for disquiet. 

The Baltic Nations Look Abroad and See Problems

Venezuela

A worker passes a bitcoin mining operation in Quebec in March 2018. Following the boom and (partial) bust of private cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin over the last six months, several central banks are seriously considering introducing their own national digital currencies.

Banking

The 4th Industrial Revolution

Central banks the world over are taking a long, hard look at the exploding cryptocurrency market with an eye to rolling out new types of digital money that would have far-reaching ramifications.

Why Central Banks Could Mint Their Own Digital Currency

The increasing unwillingness of eastern members to heed the EU's demands threatens to deepen the divide between the bloc's west and east.

European Disintegration

Quarrels between the European Union's new member states and their more established neighbors are disrupting the search for harmony on the Continent.

In the EU, East and West Are Falling Out of Tune

Reflections

Montenegro

With visits to Estonia, Georgia and Montenegro, the tour by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is meant to reassure nervous allies on the front lines of the Russia-West standoff.

On his visit to Europe's borderlands, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence reassured allies that Washington supports them against Moscow.

The U.S. Offers Cool Comfort as Tension With Russia Heats Up

Bosnia and Herzegovina

North Macedonia

Serbia

Albania

Supply Chains

China in Transition

Despite its goal to foster integration throughout Eurasia, Beijing has so far emphasized bilateral or subregional agreements with its Belt and Road projects in Europe, an approach that has raised the suspicions of the bloc's central powers.

For China, All Roads (and Belts) Lead to Europe

China's Belt and Road Initiative

Syria

Afghanistan

While tensions between the two seem to have cooled, more areas of competition are opening up.

The Syrian Civil War

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Ukraine Conflict

The Jihadist Wars

Russia's encroachment into areas of U.S. interest have prompted America's involvement, in return, in strategic theaters important to Moscow. On Tuesday, two U.S. Air Force F-35A fighter jets arrived at Estonia's Amari air base in a high-profile show of support for the small but strategic NATO member state on Russia's doorstep. Rather than being an isolated act, such activity is a sign of things to come. 

Moves and Countermoves in the U.S.-Russia Rivalry

Azerbaijan

Turkey

Picking Up Where the West Leaves Off

Energy

Eastern European and Eurasian states will have to fend for themselves. 

Estonia lies in Eastern Europe and it shares a border with Russia to the east and Latvia to the south. Baltic waters separate Estonia from Finland and Sweden, which lie to the north and west, respectively. Estonia has a population of roughly 1.3 million, most of whom live in the country's capital city of Tallinn. After a long history of domination by foreign powers, Estonia's main geopolitical challenge is to remain independent.     Estonia's foreign policy is focused primarily on deterring Russian aggression by maintaining close political, economic and military ties with the European Union, NATO and the United States. Estonia is one of the few NATO members that meets the alliance's requirements for defense spending and, in recent years, has become a leader in cybersecurity issues. Still, most of the natural gas Estonians consume comes from Russia, and about a quarter of the country's population speaks Russian.     Estonia's strategic position at the crossroads of multiple trade markets and its access to the Baltic Sea have made it attractive for invaders. A small, flat country, Estonia is surrounded by powerful neighbors and easy to invade. Because of this, modern day Estonia spent centuries under foreign rule from Denmark, Sweden and Russia. Estonia became independent in 1918 but was absorbed by the Soviet Union during World War II. After it regained independence in 1991, Estonia became a member of the European Union and NATO in 2004, and it joined the eurozone in 2010.     Estonia's economy is deeply integrated with those of its northern neighbors, Sweden and Finland. In recent decades, Estonia has developed an open, dynamic economy with a large information technology center. However, the country also faces challenges from a declining population, because emigration rates are high and birthrates are below the replacement level. 

SITUATION REPORTS

EU: Brussels to Exclude Agriculture from 90% Emissions Reduction Target for 2040

EU, Ukraine: EU Leaders Unanimously Agree to New 50 Billion Euro Aid Package for Kyiv

EU: Bloc's Institutions Reach Agreements on New Asylum and Migration Rules

EU: Bloc to Miss Most of its 2030 Climate Goals

Georgia: European Commission Recommends Georgia for EU Candidate Status

EU, U.K.: Brussels Proposes Three-Year Delay to EV Tariffs in Trade with London

Finland, Russia: Finland Closes Entire Border With Russia Over Migrant Concerns

China, Estonia: Reprise of Lithuania Incident Could Drag on EU-China Ties

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