Europe Decoded Here's what EU election observers do when monitoring ballots abroad In total, some 167 European election observers were dispatched including 30 who arrived in early April to begin the groundwork for a thorough assessment.
Europe Decoded Brussels and Tokyo vow stronger cooperation on Russian sanctions The EU's Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel were in Japan on Thursday to discuss efforts to counter Russia's aggression on Ukraine and its impact in the Indo-pacific region. 12/05/2022
Europe Decoded The cost of Ukraine's reconstruction will eclipse the Marshall Plan Economic losses from the war could total up to $600 billion, including $100 billion alone to rebuild key infrastructure. 11/05/2022
Europe Decoded A week on, the EU appears no closer to a Russian oil embargo Unlike other rounds of sanctions against Moscow approved swiftly by member states, these talks have been slow and optimism is diminishing. 10/05/2022
Europe Decoded The EU may have reached its 'whatever it takes' moment. Draghi's famous "whatever it takes" comments helped save the euro. Can these words once more bring unity as the bloc deals with war on its doorstep and a crippling energy crisis? 10/05/2022
Europe Decoded Orban criticises EU plans to sanction head of Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill's support of Putin and the war has already drawn condemnation with Pope Francis warning him not to become "Putin's altar boy". 06/05/2022
Europe Decoded Abortion access: How do the US and Europe compare? Unlike the US, European countries have used the power of legislation to enshrine abortion access in law. 06/05/2022
Europe Decoded EU immigration is broken. Brussels is unlikely to fix it. EU rhetoric concentrates on fighting illegal immigration when only a tiny fraction of new arrivals come to Europe illegally. The vast majority of skilled migrants are doing low-skill jobs despite Europe's growing labour shortage. 04/05/2022
Europe Decoded Explained: Just how dependent is the EU on Russian oil? The bloc gets over 25% of its oil from Russia through a vast network of ports and pipelines. 03/05/2022
Europe Decoded EU anti-fake news agency starts debunking in Chinese MEPs have meanwhile called for the bloc to adopt specific sanctions for cases of foreign interference and disinformation campaigns. 02/05/2022
Europe Decoded How will Bulgaria cope without Russian gas? Bulgaria received the vast majority of its gas supply from Russia and is now turning to Greece. Will it be enough? 28/04/2022
Europe Decoded Watch: Why Austria border curbs with Hungary and Slovenia break EU law The European court says Austria's long-standing checks with Hungary and Slovenia violate Schengen Area rules. 28/04/2022
Europe Decoded Poland and Bulgaria could manage without Russia gas but not for long Gazprom's decision to switch off the taps won't hit consumers just yet but industries in Poland and Bulgaria are likely to be hit. 27/04/2022
Europe Decoded Explained: Why the rouble has recovered despite Western sanctions Russia's national currency appears to have defied international sanctions. But the rebound is highly misleading. 27/04/2022
Europe Decoded EU-India relations enter new chapter under the shadow of Ukraine war The blooming relations between Brussels and New Delhi recently hit a bump in the road: Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which India has failed to condemn or sanction. 25/04/2022
Europe Decoded Watch: Construction of Norway-Poland gas pipeline resumes Watch: Construction of Norway-Poland gas pipeline resumes 25/04/2022
Europe Decoded Watch: Airbase in Albania's former 'Stalin' town to be used by NATO The base bad been used to store rusting Soviet and Chinese jets since the collapse of the USSR. It will soon host state-of-the-art NATO fighter jets. 25/04/2022
Europe Decoded What are the urgent challenges facing Macron in his second term? Emmanuel Macron is toasting being re-elected as France's president. But when reality bites, the challenges are already piling up. 24/04/2022
Europe Decoded How China's Ukraine stance may be final straw for eastern EU countries China sent a special representative to Central and Eastern European countries this week to bolster relations, frayed by the conflict in Ukraine. Was it too little too late? 22/04/2022
Europe Decoded Which country has given the most money to Ukraine? Lots of nations have donated funds to Ukraine since the war began, but which has given the most? 19/04/2022
Europe Decoded What would a neutral Ukraine look like? A neutral Ukraine would be forced to renounce NATO aspirations but could continue its path towards EU membership. 19/04/2022