2019 brings not only one but two elections to Bulgaria; the European Parliamentary Election as well as Bulgarian local elections. Depending on the different outcomes, snap parliamentary elections are also a likely scenario. At the beginning of the year, we … Continue reading “New Year – old luck”: Bulgaria prepares for election season
In anticipation of the upcoming winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), which will take place in Strasbourg between 21-25 January, Anastasia Dmitrichenko discusses why Russia may leave the Council of Europe (CoE) and why … Continue reading The Russian Question and the Council of Europe: where is the conflict headed?
– December in Ukraine was dominated by the developments following Russia’s November 25th attack on and seizure of Ukrainian navy ships in the Azov Sea that led to the capture of 24 Ukrainian sailors, a move that drew international criticism … Continue reading Presidential Race Kick-Off and New National Church
– With the Hungarian Parliament adopting two sets of legislation, one stipulating that the amount of overtime per person and year will increase from 250 to 400 hours, and the other that a new administrative court will be established and … Continue reading Mass protests over new labour law and the removal of a beloved monument
Before I moved to Estonia, three different Estonian-Americans (including the outspoken former President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves) warned me not to refer to Estonia as an Eastern European country. “Estonia,” I was told, “considers itself Western European, or at … Continue reading 21st century identity crisis: Estonia conflicted over UN global compact on migration
“Christmas time in Central Europe is one of the most joyful and colorful times of the year. Being in Central Asia makes me miss the cinnamon and pine scent in the air and the candle lights flickering and all the … Continue reading Lossi 36 recommends: cultural delights for the holidays
– 1st December – At the end of November, Russian Navy forces attacked and seized three Ukrainian Navy vessels in the Black Sea. As a result of this, the Ukrainian Government voted to impose martial law for 30 days in … Continue reading Russia-Ukraine tensions rise in the Black Sea and Putin’s Stasi card discovered in an archive
Since 2016, tens of thousands of Polish citizens have been protesting in favour of the liberalization of abortion rights, the so called Black Protests. No one expected that Polish society would be so responsive, yet it happened, and showed that … Continue reading “People are opposing it in a very vivid way”: an interview with a Polish protester and abortion rights activist
Politics in Bulgaria in the last month looked much like the December air above Sofia: misty, dirty, and dangerous. – On November 22nd the Russian newspaper Kommersant published an article announcing that an extension of the TurkStream gas pipeline from … Continue reading Implementation of e-voting is postponed and the President calls for release of Ukrainian military ships
On December 1st, dozens of countries and organizations around the world observed World AIDS Day, an opportunity to mourn those lost to a disease that the United Nations once hoped to eradicate by 2030. Statements of solidarity were issued by … Continue reading The return of a grievous epidemic: rising HIV/AIDs infections in the post-Soviet states
