No Picture
Politics

No discussion on admitting refugees from North Africa to Lithuania yet, PM says

Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius says that the Lithuanian government is ready to help the EU’s efforts in solving illegal migration from Africa crisis and contribute to search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean with equipment and human resources. As regards allowing refugees from Africa to resettle in Lithuania, however, it may be discussed at a later time, according to him. […]

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European Union

EU antitrust chief: Gazprom’s case is not political

The case against alleged abuse of dominance by Russia’s gas giant Gazprom is not political, the European Union’s Commissioner for Competition Policy has said. […]

Economy

Lithuania’s extra-EU exports down 19 percent

According to Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, in January-February 2015, Lithuania’s intra-EU exports of goods stood at EUR 2.1 billion, up 2 percent compared with January-February 2014. Extra-EU exports of goods stood at 1.2 billion, down 19 percent compared with January-February 2014. […]

European Union

Dilemma of EU neighbourhood policy: Mediterranean vs. Eastern Partnership

The European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is the instrument through which the European Union (EU) aims to create bonds between its Member States and the countries at the boundaries of the EU and thus secure the stability of the European borders. The EU stipulates Association Agreements offering financial support and other advantages in exchange for a commitment to implement reforms. There are two action plans within the ENP: the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Eastern Partnership (EaP). […]

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Society

Why Lithuania banned Russian TV channel

Lithuania made international headlines last week when its Radio and Television Commission decided to institute a blanket ban on all programmes of a Russian TV channel. The channel in question, RTR Planeta, is registered in Sweden, but its content is entirely Russian-produced. The Commission had previously suspended broadcasts of individual programmes, saying they violated Lithuanian laws, but RTR Planeta would not stop. […]

Andreas Umland
Uncategorized

Andreas Umland: New social deal in Russia is “No serious political participation, but Bread and Circuses”

Andreas Umland, German political scientist and senior research fellow at Kiev-based Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, speaks about Russian domestic politics, the “Ukraine crisis” and what the European Union can do about it. […]