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Russia-Ukraine Conflict

NATO members agreed to coordinate long-term military support for Ukraine, but they remain divided over Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg's proposal for a 100 billion euro ($107 billion) fund, Reuters reported on April 3. 

Ukraine: NATO Unveils Plan To Coordinate Long-Term Ukraine Support

Sweden

Hungary's National Assembly approved Sweden's NATO accession request, and the country's speaker of parliament and president are expected to formally ratify the law in the coming days, Reuters reported on Feb. 26.

Hungary, Sweden: Sweden To Join NATO as Hungary Finally Ratifies Accession Bid

China

China offered to expand cooperation with Hungary on public security issues during a meeting between Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban and China's Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong in Budapest, Hungary, Reuters reported on Feb. 19.

Hungary, China: Governments To Expand Bilateral Cooperation to Public Security Issues 

Luxembourg

Lithuania

Malta

Germany

Finland

Latvia

Czech Republic

Denmark

Greece

France

Estonia

Belgium

Bulgaria

Portugal

Poland

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Environment, Science & Technology

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

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

Hungary will drop its veto on the creation of an EU military assistance fund for Ukraine with an annual budget of 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion), Bloomberg reported on Jan. 24, citing sources close to negotiations.

Hungary, Ukraine: Budapest Drops Veto on New $5B EU Weapons Fund for Ukraine

United States

Turkey

Turkey's National Assembly approved Sweden's NATO bid, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will likely sign the law into effect in the upcoming days, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 23.

Turkey, Sweden: Turkish National Assembly Approves Sweden's NATO Bid

Europe

Negotiators from the 27 EU member states will discuss on Jan. 10 a recent proposal by Hungary to split the bloc's pending 50 billion euro ($53.4 billion) aid package to Ukraine into four annual tranches that would require unanimous approval each year, Politico reported on Jan. 9.

EU, Ukraine: Hungary Proposes Compromise to Approve EU Funds for Ukraine

Assessments

Egypt

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

An Air China aircraft takes off at Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney, Australia.

Cyber

Israel-Hamas Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: China Braces for Lunar New Year Travel, EU Discusses Funding for Ukraine

Snapshots

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (center left) and French President Emmanuel Macron (center right) shake hands ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 14, 2023. 

While EU leaders agreed to start accession talks, their failure to unanimously approve more funding for Kyiv offers a preview of what will likely be a yearslong process fraught with stumbling blocks.

Ukraine's Long and Bumpy Road to EU Membership Officially Begins

United Kingdom

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

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 

Israeli and EU Flags

A lack of a unified EU response to the Israel-Hamas War highlights divisions among member states' foreign policies, complicating the bloc's plans to play a meaningful role in the conflict, as well as efforts to maintain unified support for Ukraine.

Israel-Hamas War Highlights Divisions Among EU Member States

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

Solar panels on Aug. 9, 2023, in Neuss, Germany.

Resistance to environmental initiatives in Europe will likely continue beyond the 2024 EU elections, portending less ambitious climate targets and greater protectionism.

Europe Faces a Less Ambitious Environmental Agenda

Columns

On Geopolitics

EU flags fly outside the headquarters of the European Commission on Feb. 23, 2022, in Brussels, Belgium. 

Energy

Brexit, COVID-19 and the Ukraine crisis have increased the influence of southern and eastern EU members to the detriment of traditionally more influential countries in the north.

The EU's Shifting Balance of Power

Hungarian President Katalin Novak (L) and Polish President Andrzej Duda on May 17, 2022, in Warsaw, Poland.

The Ukraine Conflict

Divided EU Foreign Policies

Just as the Ukraine war motivated Sweden and Finland to abandon their neutrality, it could reconcile the European Union with two of its most problematic member states.

Will the War in Ukraine End the Polish-Hungarian Alliance?

Guidance

Kenya

Costa Rica

Serbia

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks on stage during a campaign rally for his ruling Fidesz party in Szekesfehervar, Hungary, on April 1, 2022. 

The Weekly Rundown: Kenya Presents Its National Budget, Hungary and Serbia Hold Elections

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (left) welcomes his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban, ahead of a meeting in Katowice, Poland, on June 30, 2021. 

European Disintegration

The ECJ ruling marks a key step in the bloc’s institutional push for leverage against Euroskeptic member states like Poland and Hungary. 

EU’s Top Court Upholds Linking Funding to Respecting the Rule of Law

Senegal

Brazil

Cambodia

Myanmar

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) greets Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Nov. 14, 2019, in Brasilia, Brazil, on the sidelines of a BRICS summit. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will visit Russia on Feb. 14-17 in an effort to boost relations between the two countries.

The Fight for Russia’s Borderlands

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: An EU-AU Summit, the German Chancellor in Ukraine and Russia

A shredded EU flag flutters in the wind on March 1, 2016, in Brussels, Belgium. 

EU: Regional Blocs

Poland and Hungary’s recent disputes with Brussels have reignited questions about the future of both countries’ EU membership -- as well as the future of the bloc itself.

Poland and Hungary Renew Concerns About EU Disintegration

Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe located in the heart of the Pannonian Basin, a major agricultural area. Two major rivers cross the country from north to south: the Danube and the Tisza. Flat, fertile lands and rivers that facilitate trade explain why Hungary emerged as a regional power in the late ninth century; the combination also explains why Hungary attracted invaders. In fact, Hungary fell under partial Ottoman occupation between the 16th and 17th centuries, and then came under Habsburg rule. By the late 19th century, Hungary was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire along with Austria.    Hungary's modern borders were defined after World War I, when the country lost 70 percent of its territory and almost 60 percent of its population to its neighbors. The new borders led to a series of territorial and ethnic disputes that have not been fully solved. During the Cold War, Hungary was a Soviet satellite. Like most of its neighbors, Hungary joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.    Hungary is an exports-oriented, high-income economy, and one of the main receivers of foreign direct investment in Central Europe. Its main trade partners are in the European Union, and the country is a net receiver of EU cohesion funds. However, in recent years the Hungarian government has been critical of some aspects of EU integration, and has so far decided not to join the eurozone. Hungary is also interested in keeping close ties with its Central European neighbors in the Visegrad Group, which also includes Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. While Hungary's main policy goal since the end of the Cold War has been to integrate into Western economic and security organizations, Budapest also seeks good ties with Russia, from whom it purchases most of its natural gas.    After five centuries of being under the influence of bigger powers, Hungary's main geopolitical goal is to achieve as much autonomy as possible and to keep its options open, especially during times of competition between greater powers.

SITUATION REPORTS

Ukraine: NATO Unveils Plan To Coordinate Long-Term Ukraine Support

Hungary, Sweden: Sweden To Join NATO as Hungary Finally Ratifies Accession Bid

Hungary, China: Governments To Expand Bilateral Cooperation to Public Security Issues

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

Hungary, Ukraine: Budapest Drops Veto on New $5B EU Weapons Fund for Ukraine

Turkey, Sweden: Turkish National Assembly Approves Sweden's NATO Bid

EU, Ukraine: Hungary Proposes Compromise to Approve EU Funds for Ukraine

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