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Tag: politics

A stop off at the gambling hall on the way to school

In rural Romania, gambling rooms stand just steps away from schools, drawing in students long before lessons start. Despite legislation banning betting halls near educational institutions, lax enforcement and local habits mean minors still find easy access – a reflection of how gambling regulation often fails to reach beyond the country’s big cities.

December 7, 2025 - Raluca Cristea

Lessons from the Romanian experience in NATO and the EU

An interview with Rufin Zamfir, a Romanian political scientist. Interviewer: Liliia Shutiak

September 19, 2025 - Liliia Shutiak Rufin Zamfir

Inside Viktor Orbán’s worst political crisis yet

There is no sugar-coating it: after 15 years of unchecked power, Hungary’s Fidesz has plunged into its most severe political crisis yet. Worsening economic data, the rise of a far more potent opposition, and shifting international political trends have led to an unprecedented situation. For much of 2025, Fidesz has no longer been the strongest party. That position now belongs to the new challenger, Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party.

With parliamentary elections scheduled in Hungary for next year, it is now entirely possible, though still hard to believe, that the Viktor Orbán regime could come to an end. Yet the situation is far from simple. Orbán and his allies still possess overwhelming economic power and, crucially, continue to conduct precise polling on voter attitudes.

July 8, 2025 - Samu Czabán

Belarus after the war: at a crossroads

A possible truce in Russia’s war against Ukraine, resulting in what could be a frozen conflict, looks to be the best scenario for Alyaksandr Lukashenka. On the one hand, Russia would not completely shift away from its military focus, keeping a large army near the front line and preparing for possible future operations. On the other hand, a truce could help open the door to a partial lifting of western sanctions, many of which were imposed alongside Russia.

In late 2024, the potential return of Donald Trump was perceived by the Belarusian authorities as a window of opportunity for political bargaining with the West in the shadow of the start of possible peace talks over the Russo-Ukrainian War. In order to be as prepared as possible, the Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka held his electoral campaign six months before the end of his 2020 presidential term, right on the verge of the inauguration of the new US president.

July 8, 2025 - Pavlo Rad

Between law and loyalty: Milorad Dodik and the challenge to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s statehood

Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing a key challenge. Will it manage to preserve its constitutional order or will the political will of one man prevail over the state’s laws and international obligations? Milorad Dodik is not just a symptom of the problem, but its embodiment.

he political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is currently facing its deepest institutional and legal crisis since the end of the war. Deep divisions are present at all levels of government and are most evident in the political moves of Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, the Serb-majority entity of BiH. Dodik has become a key political actor whose actions often cause divisions both within and outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

July 8, 2025 - Samir Comaga

A time for unconventional leaders: Croatian assistance to Ukraine

With its remarkable post-conflict transformation, Croatia may have something unique to offer Ukraine at this critical juncture for European security. The Croatian government is punching above its weight in terms of humanitarian assistance, but the country will need to overcome serious domestic rifts and manage the failures of its transition to become a true geopolitical leader.

The first months of Donald Trump’s second term as US president have already put Ukraine’s existence and Europe’s prevailing security architecture at great risk. Trump’s style of foreign policy, including his undermining of long-held alliances and major international institutions, is creating a vacuum that may have to be filled by leaders in unlikely places. Croatia has the potential to be one of those leaders if Prime Minister Andrej Plenković wins out in a domestic political battle that exposes deep-seeded deficiencies in Croatian democracy.

May 5, 2025 - Alexandra Karppi

Fico’s precarious balancing act in Slovakia

Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, is now in a precarious position. He cannot overly offend his country’s partners and Brussels as he depends on European funding. At the same time, he has promised his electorate a hard-line approach to Ukraine and a more confrontational approach to the West. As he floods the media space with misinformation to distract the society, he may find in the end that this balancing act is more difficult to maintain than he realizes.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has had a tough time balancing his efforts to keep his hold on power, all while grappling with contradictions in his policies: sending military assistance to Ukraine, despite campaigning on the promise to “not send another bullet”; travelling to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin; keeping his nationalist coalition allies satisfied; and managing his pro-EU image in Brussels.

May 5, 2025 - Jakub Ferenčik

The 2024 Georgian elections and their geopolitical implications

In addition to the concept of the power vertical, Georgia now appears to be developing a Eurasian-style “comprador” system, characterized by the rise of powerful tycoons who dominate political and economic life – similar to what happened in Russia between 1996 and 2000. In Georgia’s current case, three influential figures have emerged who are shaping the national political landscape and shifting the country’s geopolitical priorities.

After the October 26th 2024 parliamentary elections, which ended with the victory of the Georgian Dream party following rigged results, the landscape inside the ruling party and the newly elected parliament began to reveal a new orientation for the country’s foreign policy. This has resulted in a drastic turn from a Euro-Atlantic bent towards a Eurasian direction. The election process itself was evaluated by such international organizations as the OSCE, which published its final report on December 20th 2024. The document sharply criticized the elections process, emphasizing undemocratic governance during the election and the counting process.

May 5, 2025 - Vakhtang Maisaia

Peace, not surrender: under these conditions Ukrainians will return home

According to Ukraine’s ministry of national unity only 30 per cent of those who are abroad have said that they were ready to return home immediately. Another 40 per cent are waiting for the official end of the war and long-term security guarantees. The remaining 30 per cent have now said they would build their lives abroad.

Many Ukrainian refugees who are now spread around the world fear that even after a ceasefire the war could flare up again, putting their families at risk one more time. Diplomatic pressure without guarantees of a just and lasting peace that takes into account Ukraine's interests is perceived as something akin to surrender. Such a peace would not provide what Ukrainians need most: certainty that their lives will not be turned into rubble again.

May 5, 2025 - Halyna Khalymonyk

Sandwiched between elections, Moldova’s indie artists are planning new futures

Moldova’s government and its independent art scene are tussling over competing visions of the country’s European future. As artists create for themselves a messy, participatory democracy with room for criticism, the country’s leaders appear more focused on maintaining their image.

The five-hectare ruins of Chișinău’s Republican Stadium, once a Cold-War era football arena in the centre of Moldova's capital, were overgrown and degrading when the US embassy stepped in, offering to pay. The space was perfect for a new embassy location: historic, central, and huge, with ample space for security. But artists and civil society groups wanted it to be made into a public park – a space for everyone that would pay homage to the city’s past. In the end, however, Moldova’s legislature struck a deal with the Americans with, according to detractors, little to no public consultation.

February 28, 2025 - Katie Toth

North Macedonia’s EU membership drifts further away

For the third consecutive decade, North Macedonia finds itself at a critical crossroads. The newly elected government is grappling with a myriad of challenges related to EU integration and its relations with neighbouring countries. The situation has only gotten worse since the EU decided to decouple North Macedonia’s membership bid from Albania.

"Anticipated but painful" – this sentiment captures the reaction of many Macedonians upon hearing the news that the European Union has decoupled the country from Albania on the road to EU membership. For years, both nations had advanced together and the announcement came as a disappointment to many. It is clear that North Macedonia was once seen as a frontrunner in EU integration. However, due to unresolved bilateral disputes with neighbours and missteps by its political leadership throughout the years, the country now finds itself lagging behind in a region that is steadily moving forward.

November 21, 2024 - Jovan Gjorgovski

Defending liberalism in Bulgaria

New parties on the right are now challenging Bulgaria’s delicate liberal consensus. These groups promote themselves as defenders of the nation against a force that wishes to challenge Bulgarian traditions. Despite this, such a move only means a restriction of liberal rights to themselves, not the outright abolition of this ideal.

September 19, 2024 - Avel Ivanov

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