How sanctions dismantled one of the Kremlin’s key strongholds in Europe
Bulgaria, Romania, and Moldova have demonstrated that they are capable of fundamentally rethinking and strengthening their own energy security. A decade ago, it seemed unthinkable that Russia’s Lukoil could lose its foothold on the Balkans and along the Black Sea. Its assets dominated Bulgaria’s fuel market, supplied a meaningful share…
Serbia faces tight deadline to resolve NIS ownership amid looming fuel crisis
Energy Minister Dubravka Đedović Handanović declared the energy sector “almost impossible” to manage under the U.S. sanctions, offering her resignation. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić warned on Sunday that a resolution for the Oil Industry of Serbia (NIS) – the country’s primary refiner, which the United States has sanctioned over its…
Hungary ready to clash with Croatia over Russian oil supplies
Tensions flared between Budapest and Zagreb after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claimed that Croatia’s Adriatic pipeline lacked the capacity to replace Russian oil imports to Hungary and Slovakia. Speaking in Washington on November 7 during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Orbán asserted that Croatia was “unable to…
Romania’s 2025–2030 defence strategy
Romania must deepen ties with Black Sea allies to safeguard offshore gas projects that will position it as the European Union’s largest natural gas producer by 2027, shielding them from escalating Russian threats. This imperative underpins the draft National defence strategy for 2025–2030, released on 12 November. The EU and…
Affluent Chinese, Turks top the list of beneficiaries of Greece’s Golden Visa program
For years, Greece’s scheme has been among the most accessible in the EU, with a minimum property investment of €250,000. Greece’s Golden Visa program, officially known as the Greek Residence Permit by Investment, is a residency-by-investment scheme launched in 2013 amid the country’s severe debt crisis. Designed to attract foreign…