What does the veto on opening talks with Albania and North Macedonia mean for the European aspirations of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine?

Expert Comment #9 | November, 2019 On October 15, EU ministers failed to agree to start the talks that could lead to Albania and North Macedonia joining the EU. While a handful of countries opposed the process with respect to Albania, only France vetoed opening talks with North Macedonia. After the ...
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Gauging the effects of the Eastern Partnership: Democratization efforts in Georgia

Nikoloz Tokhvadze[1] 10 years ago, when the Polish-Swedish tandem initiated the Eastern Partnership (EaP), the expectations in the region were overly hopeful. Having leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan posing together on the podium and president Lukashenko on the guest list,[2] spelled brighter future...
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“Georgian-German relations: partnership review” – GIP and IEP present a joint policy paper

On July 18, 2019 the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) hosted an event – “Georgian-German relations: partnership review” – at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. The event highlighted the particular role of Germany for Georgia’s European aspirations as well as possible...
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Rise of Nationalist Populism in Georgia: Implications for European Integration

Bidzina Lebanidze[1] This policy brief explores to what extent the rising wave of populist nationalism in Georgia affects the process of Georgia’s approximation to the EU. Normatively speaking, the populist nationalist discourse in Georgia is Eurosceptic as it legitimizes itself through opposition...
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Georgia and the EU’s Eastern Partnership: a Swedish Perspective

Martin Kragh[1] The ‘hybrid war’ waged by Russia against Ukraine since 2014, which was preceded by the short-lived Russia-Georgia War in 2008, has exposed the wider conflict between the respective goals and ambitions of the EU and Russia in their shared neighbourhood. The Kremlin’s belligerenc...
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GIP trainings in Batumi for journalists, editors and NGO representatives

On January 31 – February 1, 2019 the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) organized a 2-day training in Batumi  for journalists, editors and NGO representatives working in the western part of Georgia who are interested in EU-Georgia relations. Training is a part of the GIP project “Experience...
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Trendy Tbilisi: where Georgian fashion meets public diplomacy

Lorraine Vaney In the last three years, the Georgian fashion scene has gone through an unprecedented development. Tbilisi became a new hot-spot for buyers and opinion makers looking for authenticity, avant-gardism and exoticism. The capital of Georgia certainly took advantage of the dynamics rul...
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The Future of the Eastern Partners: 6 Lessons from the Western Balkans

Frauke Seebass In the fifteen years since the Thessaloniki declaration confirmed the European accession partnership with the Western Balkans, only Croatia has succeeded in joining the Union. However, a new momentum has emerged this year, with the Commission seeing a new “credible enlargement persp...
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New publication – “The Struggle for Good Governance in Eastern Europe”

Originaly published by CEPS This book contains the first comprehensive and independent comparative assessment of the fundamental political challenges facing Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in the context of their Association Agreements with the EU. Issues analysed in depth include the functioning...
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