After Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance, the Baltic Sea has effectively become an inland sea of NATO. Since then, alliance members have been staging one naval exercise after another in these waters. In September 2023, off the coasts of Latvia and Estonia, two weeks of “Northern Coasts” exercises...
China and Russia seek to conquer the Arctic
Russia and China are demonstrating intensified cooperation in the Arctic, particularly in the security sphere. Moscow anticipates that global warming will melt Arctic ice, opening new opportunities for use of the Northern Sea Route (along Russia’s northern borders). Beijing likewise expects that climate change will make the Arctic more accessible,...
Belgium: the case of combating money laundering
On September 2, 2025, the Brussels Prosecutor’s Office announced that, in addition to investigating the money laundering case involving former EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders—who has been under investigation since 2024—it is also tracking his ties with Moscow. In particular, Belgian law enforcement became interested in possible contacts between...
Austrians still waltz with Russians
How normal is it that the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria (1995-2000) and ex-Chancellor of this country (2000-2007) Wolfgang Schüssel suddenly becomes a member of the board of directors of the Russian telecommunications company MTS? And later – in 2019 – he becomes a member of the supervisory...
How Russian timber is legalized bypassing EU environmental standards
In 2020, the European Commission acknowledged that deforestation is a major driver of the global climate and biodiversity crisis, and that the EU also contributes to these crises, as the EU population consumes a significant share of products linked to deforestation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has found...
Corruption: “The main threat to Albania’s European integration”
Of the five Western Balkan countries currently holding EU candidate status — Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia — Albania has long been seen as the frontrunner in the race toward membership. But despite its formal progress, the country continues to grapple with high levels of corruption...
Europe on a military budget: how war and NATO’s new 5% of GDP target are reshaping the EU’s social agenda
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), global military spending surged by 9.4% in 2024, reaching $2.718 trillion—the largest annual increase ever recorded. The main driver of this spike was Europe (including Russia), where expenditures rose by 17% to $693 billion, surpassing levels seen at the end of...
Dirty Payments: how Worldline and Payone allowed billions in suspicious online transactions to flow for years
In the digital payments industry, where trillions of euros change hands annually, European giant Worldline and its German subsidiary Payone have become embroiled in a major scandal. An investigation by European Investigative Collaborations (EIC), published on June 25, 2025, revealed how the companies systematically serviced high-risk clients for over a...
Russian Money and Europe’s Radical Forces: Hidden Influence and Its Consequences
A pressing issue in European politics over the past decade has been the increasing activity of radical parties and their connections with Russia. Regardless of the national context in which they operate, certain patterns stand out: these parties often serve as “platforms” for Moscow, facilitating direct or indirect attempts to...
Finance, Media, Politics: Russia’s Footprint in Europe’s Far-Right Movements
Across Europe, concern is mounting over persistent foreign interference in domestic politics — a trend that becomes particularly visible ahead of key events such as elections. One of the most frequently used channels for such meddling, according to investigative reports, is the cultivation of radical or far-right political forces whose...