Back in 2011 when I was serving as Deputy head of Mission in Helsinki, the then Foreign minister, Alexander Stubb called in the European diplomats for a meeting. He just returned from a short tour of the former Sovier countries and in shares his views with us in his usual frank and entertaining manner. He was deeply disappointment about what he experienced in Kiev. Tha country is in turmoil, divided, there is no sign of economic recovery, politicians are expecting the European Union to dig them out of the problems which were mostly created by corruption, lack of real will and cooperation between political and social powers. Let alone the tension mosty caused by geopolitical reasons, considering that Moscow is working on the re-establishment of a large Union, of which Ukraine would be an important part. So be prepared, told us Stubb, that Ukraine will be a difficult issue and will cause huge headaches for all of ut, in and out of the Union. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: July 2014
Orbán vs. Europe?
Strange, but true. Viktor Orbán voted against Juncker. He believes in a different Europe. But how far can he go? Cameron, of course, is different. He is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, one of the great nations in the continent. But Hungary? And still, Orbán thinks he is right. At this moment it is difficult to judge how difficult it will be for him to cooperate with Brussels. But Orbán – to say the least – is a fighter, whatever it may mean. In the past four years he balanced well. We shall be watching.