Southeast Europe / Opinion
“I am a political prisoner,” writes Istanbul mayor Imamoglu in Financial Times op-ed
"The global wave of democratic backsliding may have begun in Turkey. I believe the pushback will begin here, too," says chief political rival to country's long-ruling president Erdogan.
COMMENT: Could the US strike a deal to restart Nord Stream gas pipeline?
US President Donald Trump has made it clear that he wants to do business with Russia and tap into its vast raw material resources. But restarting the Nord Stream gas pipeline is the only US-Russian business project that looks viable.
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: The sheer comedy that is Turkey's opposition
Erdogan's trolls must have been splitting their sides as CHP leader got himself re-elected unopposed.
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Picula: Serbia will not enter EU while it sits on four chairs
Serbia's long path to EU membership remains uncertain under its current leadership, which “sits in four chairs”, according to the European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula.
COMMENT: US tariffs set to squeeze European corporate earnings across multiple sectors – Fitch Ratings
US President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs on European imports – set at 20% for EU member states and 10% for the UK – are poised to curtail revenue and profitability growth across several corporate sectors in Europe, according Fitch.
COMMENT: Reforms and enlargement must go together for the Western Balkans
If the EU cannot deliver progress in accession, it risks undermining the incentive for countries to continue reforming.
COMMENT: Could do better? Guardian resorts to tired “whirling dervish” clickbait and stale headline in Turkish “democracy” coverage
When today’s quality newspapers go into the ‘field’, you shouldn’t always get your hopes up.
COMMENT: Turkey's opposition targets ruling regime's illusion of market stability in Nikkei op-ed
Shadow economy minister says economic governance hollowed out with institutions reduced to managing appearances. “What persists is not policy. It is performance art for bond markets,” he adds.
ING: Trump’s Tariffs - Europe’s worst economic nightmare just came true
A US 20% reciprocal tariff on the European Union will hurt. It's worsened the eurozone's short-term outlook. Now, so much depends on European governments to push through with their planned fiscal stimulus and reforms to strengthen domestic economies.
BEYOND THE BOSPOROS: Regime panicky over opposition call for “No shopping day”
English rock band Muse, meanwhile, scrap Istanbul concert in solidarity with Imamoglu protesters.
Emerging Europe risks being “cast adrift” from the West, think-tank warns
Ongoing geopolitical realignment accelerated by Trump’s return to office could plunge Emerging Europe into a cycle of instability and regional conflict, says a paper published by the ECFR.
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Damp squib
Turkey’s opposition seriously lacks imagination, as it showed today by moving the Free Imamoglu, Give Us Democracy street campaign to the periphery, much to the regime’s delight.
Istanbul under unprecedented siege, says Turkey’s Nobel prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk in Guardian op-ed
Notes: “In my 50 years living in Istanbul, I have not seen as many so-called security measures on the streets as I have over the past few days.”
COMMENT: Jailed Istanbul mayor Imamoglu writes op-ed for The New York Times
“Democracy’s fate depends on the courage of those who refuse to remain silent when institutions crumble,” he writes from his prison cell.
COMMENT: Europe’s outlook improves as Trump makes Ukraine conflct progress
European leaders are alarmed at the increasingly warm relations between US President Trump and Putin, but economists are encouraged as even a “quick and dirty” ceasefire deal to the Ukraine conflict will buoy flagging CEE economies.
COMMENT: What impact will a raft of protests across the Emerging Markets have?
A spate of protests across several emerging markets is reigniting concerns over economic stability and long-term financial health. From Turkey to Indonesia, social unrest has flared up that threaten countries with weak fundamentals.
COMMENT: Is the EU going to fall apart?
Is the EU about to break apart under the stress of taking over the full weight of supporting Ukraine, the need to rearm and the hundreds of billions that must be invested if it is to become competitive again?
BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Imamoglu’s construction company also ‘detained’
Investigators appear to have set out to sell the idea of a web of corruption and misdeeds to the public as they attempt to justify taking Erdogan’s main rival into custody.
COMMENT: Rail and logistics firms bet on Middle Corridor as key Eurasian route
As the Trans-Caspian International Transport route grows in importance, rail operators and other companies have committed to boosting traffic along the route.
COMMENT: Meeting protesters’ demands would improve Serbia’s investment climate
Serbian officials have accused protesters of damaging the economy, but meeting the demands for more efficient institutions and a stronger judiciary would improve the investment climate in the long-term.