INR | EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly Updates

 

Hungary's Prime Minister Stresses Anti-Migrant Stance, Faces EU Backlash

• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reiterated his strong anti-immigrant views, claiming migration threatens the European Union's cohesion, while advocating for countries like Hungary to opt out of the EU's common migration policy.

• Hungary plans to offer asylum seekers free one-way transport to Brussels, a response to the EU’s demands for compliance with asylum rules. This proposal follows the European Court of Justice fining Hungary €200 million for violating EU asylum laws.

• Hungary’s government, facing EU criticism and frozen funds, intends to challenge the fines and demands compensation for border security expenses, while also missing the first deadline to pay the imposed fine.

Read more:

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/09/06/we-never-let-them-in-hungarys-pm-viktor-orban-demands-new-laws-tackling-migration

Romania and Bulgaria Make Partial Entry into Schengen Zone 

• Romania and Bulgaria have partially joined the Schengen Area, allowing free air and sea travel, while land border checks remain due to opposition from Austria over illegal migration concerns.

• EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the development as a "historic moment," with Romanian and Bulgarian leaders hoping for full accession by the end of 2024, benefiting travel and boosting economic growth.

• Both countries have met Schengen criteria, but unanimous support from EU members is required for full integration, with additional security measures introduced to combat illegal migration.

Read more:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/travel-news/romania-and-bulgaria-are-the-newest-entrants-to-europes-schengen-travel-zone/amp_articleshow/108936357.cms

Uzbekistan to Process Afghan Crude Amid Energy Challenges

• Uzbekistan's oil refiner Saneg has reached a deal to process Afghan crude at its Fergana refinery, with initial shipments already dispatched from Afghanistan's Hairatan terminal. The processed crude, with high sulphur content, will mainly produce diesel for the Uzbek market.

• Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, is working to boost crude oil production to address chronic fuel shortages, despite lacking adequate processing capabilities. The country has long relied on fuel imports from Turkmenistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.

• The deal marks the first time Afghan crude will be processed outside the country, potentially opening the door for exports of refined products back to Afghanistan to alleviate its ongoing energy crisis.

Read more:

https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/oil/090924-uzbekistan-starts-processing-afghan-crude-as-taliban-attempt-oil-revival

Kazakhstan Faces Decision on Kashagan Oilfield Maintenance

• A decision on whether to delay maintenance at Kazakhstan’s Kashagan oil field, operated by the NCOC consortium and its partners including CNPC, Eni, ExxonMobil, Shell, and TotalEnergies, is expected on September 10, 2024. The planned shutdown is currently set for October, with a 28-day maintenance period.

• Kazakhstan is considering postponing the maintenance due to its recent overproduction of oil, which requires compensation under its OPEC+ obligations, though no final decision has been made.

• The Kazakh Energy Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to the OPEC+ agreement and has updated its compensation plan to address the overproduction from January to June 2024, ensuring compliance with its obligations.

Read more:

https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/drilling-and-production/10092024/maintenance-delay-requested-on-kazakhstan-giant-oil-field/amp/

Road Safety Concerns Rise Across Europe in 2024

• Portugal saw a 3.8% increase in road crashes during the first five months of 2024, totaling 14,045 incidents. While road deaths dropped slightly to 179, serious injuries spiked to 954, with collisions being the most frequent type of crash.

• Norway, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria reported worrying road fatality trends. Norway had 67 road deaths in 2024 so far, the Czech Republic experienced 89 deaths over the summer, and Bulgaria recorded 294 fatalities by the end of August, despite a drop compared to 2023.

• Denmark raised concerns about driver behaviour in work zones, with 377 crashes in road work areas in 2023, emphasising the need for adherence to speed limits even when personnel are not present.

Read more:

https://www.worldhighways.com/wh11/news/road-safety-concern-portugal-norway-czech-republic-bulgaria

Alcomet Launches €70 Million Plant Expansion in Shumen

• Bulgarian aluminium producer Alcomet has begun a €70 million plant expansion in Shumen to produce new aluminium alloys for electric car batteries and expand offerings for the automotive and solar sectors, creating 160 new jobs.

• The expansion is part of a three-year investment plan, including upgrades to its roller unit, a second foundry, new presses, and a high-tech coil casting line to improve processing efficiency and product quality.

• Alcomet shares last traded at 6.50 levs on the Bulgarian Stock Exchange on September 5, 2024.

Read more:

https://seenews.com/news/bulgarias-alcomet-launches-70-mln-euro-plant-expansion-1263250

News bits collected and drafted by: 

Deepanjali Singh (BA IR 3rd year) (Region Head)

Angel Chindalia (MA IR 2nd year)

Published by: Varsha Das (BA IR 3rd year)

INR | EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA: Weekly Updates

Finland votes in a run-off for a new President

• Finns are headed to the polls to choose between two experienced politicians in a presidential election run-off.
• More than four million people are eligible to vote on Sunday for a new head of state, whose main task will be to steer foreign and security policy. This has taken on new significance after the Nordic country joined NATO in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
• The vote pitches conservative former prime minister Alexander Stubb, 55, against 65-year-old Pekka Haavisto, a former foreign minister from the Green League.
• Both largely agree on Finland’s foreign policy and security priorities. These include maintaining a hard line toward Russia – with which the country shares a 1,340km (832-mile) border – strengthening security ties with Washington, and support for Ukraine.

Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/11/voters-in-finland-cast-their-ballots-for-a-new-president

Greece is on the brink of legalising same-sex marriage

• Parliament will vote on the bill, introduced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Thursday. Facing dissent from members of his own centre-right party, he will need to rely on support from the left-wing opposition to get it through.

• Fifteen of the European Union's 27 members have already legalised same-sex marriage. It is permitted in 35 countries worldwide.

• Greece has lagged behind European neighbours largely because of opposition from its powerful church. If the law passes this week, it would become the first Christian Orthodox-majority country, and the first in Europe's southeast, to have marriage equality.

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68274008

Russia puts Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, on wanted list

• Moscow has put the Estonian prime minister, Kaja Kallas, and other Baltic states officials on a wanted list, as Tallinn warns of an imminent Russian military buildup along its border.

• The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said the Estonian state secretary, Taimar Peterkop; the Lithuanian culture minister, Simonas Kairys, and Kallas were accused of “destroying monuments to Soviet soldiers”, a reference to the removal of Soviet-era Second World War memorials

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/feb/13/russia-puts-estonian-prime-minister-kaja-kallas-on-wanted-list

Russia and West clash over Ukraine at Security Council meeting ahead of war anniversary

• Russia accused the West on Monday of sabotaging agreements that would have prevented the war in Ukraine – but the U.S. and its allies put the blame squarely on Moscow, saying there is no escaping that President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of its smaller neighbour.

• Days before the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia again put the cause of the war down to the failure to implement the 2015 Minsk agreements, which he blamed on “Kyiv’s sabotage” supported by the West.

Link: https://apnews.com/article/un-russia-us-ukraine-minsk-invasion-west-5a6b0e4099fdd683c0fd88f1f45c92d5

Poland’s Tusk says Ukraine-Russia war a fight ‘between good and evil’

• Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk has promised to keep supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and to resolve differences between Warsaw and Kyiv over grain shipments and trucking that soured ties between the neighbours.

• “Poland will do everything to increase Ukraine’s chances of victory in this war,” Tusk said at a joint media briefing with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Monday.

• “I am not ashamed to use these big words: it is here, in Ukraine, that the world front between good and evil runs,” he added.

• Tusk and Zelenskyy also hailed plans between their countries for joint arms production.

• On the social media platform X, Zelenskyy said that they had discussed “a new form of cooperation aimed at larger-scale arms purchases for Ukrainian needs.”

Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/22/poland-pm-visits-ukraine-in-latest-show-of-solidarity-in-war-against-russia

Hungary President Resigns Over Pardon To Man Convicted In Sex Abuse Case

• Hungarian President Katalin Novak, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, announced her resignation Saturday following outrage over a pardon granted to a man implicated in a child sexual abuse case.

• The announcements followed growing pressure from opposition politicians and protests outside the presidential palace Friday evening.

• Novak became the first woman to hold the essentially ceremonial role of president in March 2022.

Read more: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/hungarian-president-katalin-novak-resigns-after-row-over-granting-pardon-to-child-abuser-5034858

Czechia not ready to support new draft of EU migration and asylum pact

• Czechia has announced that it will abstain in the vote on an EU migration and asylum pact expected to take place later this month.

• According to government officials, the new draft of the proposal would reduce the possibility of effectively preventing illegal migration on the EU’s external borders.

• A badly needed overhaul of the European Union's asylum and migration system was years in the making as member states struggled with the practical impacts of several large waves of migrants from the Middle East and Ukraine. 

• The first comprehensive draft of the pact was proposed in September of 2020 and it was not until December of last year that the EU reached a major breakthrough in the quest of a new common system for managing migration.

Read more: https://english.radio.cz/czechia-not-ready-support-new-draft-eu-migration-and-asylum-pact-8807948

Moldova’s pro-Western government hails elections despite mayoral losses in capital and key cities

• Moldova’s ruling pro-European party has lost a bid for the mayorship of the country’s capital and other key cities despite victories in many areas in local elections that were overshadowed by accusations that Russia was meddling to undermine the vote, according to preliminary results.

• Lilian Carp of the Party of Action and Solidarity, or PAS, lost out to incumbent Chisinau mayor, Ion Ceban, who won just over 50% of the capital’s vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission.

• Sunday’s elections in the country of about 2.5 million people, situated between Romania and Ukraine, were under the spotlight because of ongoing accusations by Moldovan authorities that Russia was meddling to influence the outcome of the vote.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/moldova-local-elections-russia-f9406fcf16f5bd63ca5dc0e44eda9470

For Ukraine’s defence industry goals against Russia, the sky’s the limit

• As Ukraine approaches the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, it plans to produce more of its own ammunition and key weapons systems.

• The goal of greater self-sufficiency comes as Ukraine’s Western allies meet increasing political resistance to military aid and Russia ramps up Ukraine’s defense industry that has already begun to expand. Strategic industries minister Oleksandr Kamyshin said Ukraine last year doubled its ammunition production for NATO-caliber artillery systems.

• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it had produced three times more equipment and weapons than in the first year of the war. That included armored vehicles and anti-tank missile systems.

Read more :https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/12/for-ukraines-defence-industry-ambitions-the-skys-the-limit

News bits proofread by:

Afifa Iqbal (M.A. I.R., 2nd Year)

Drafted by:

Aditi Mishra (M.A. I.R., 2nd Year)

Jiah Malik (B.A. I.R. 1st Year)

Published by:

Alithia Clemency Paul (M.A. I.R., 2nd Year)