Russia's leaders have been fully aware of the reasons for its underlying economic weakness for more than two decades. Dependency on energy exports and the lack of technological innovation were themes of Vladimir Putin's first state-of-the-nation address back in 2000.

CWT Global is the European Parliament's in-house travel agency. But the US owned firm cannot book MEP flights to Cuba, due to the American embargo. MEPs now question why this agency was selected in the first place.

Belgrade has been generous, but there are also other reasons at play. The first one is the keystone of Serbian foreign policy: Kosovo. The countries receiving Serbian generosity have been the ones that did not recognise an independent Kosovo.

EU leaders are planning to repeat old promises to Western Balkan states at an upcoming summit, but enlargement is going nowhere for now.

The green and digital transition, together with the pressure on democracy and the shift in the shares of the global population and GDP, will shape the geopolitical world order, according to a new report published by the European Commission.

The EU's Brexit negotiator spoke ahead of his first-ever visit to Northern Ireland where he wants to focus on "concrete problems" after the UK has once again postponed the implementation of checks between Northern Ireland and the UK.

Throughout history, revolutionaries willing to sustain extreme conflict have been 'devoted actors', fused together by faith in defending or advancing non-negotiable 'sacred values', whether religious or secular, like God or country.

Fewer Iraqi and Afghan migrants are entering the EU from Belarus, but new sanctions on Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko are coming anyway.

When one member state is threatened, Brussels will come up with its usual denouncements and superficial sanctions, just to let the other member states relapse into their habit of trading with rivals, and focussing on the next election campaign.

Andreas Von Brandt, head of EU delegation to Afghanistan told MEPs that "for the moment - and this needs to be verified and confirmed - there has not been a dramatic change, so far, and that is a good thing".

The most-recent UN climate panel's report on global warming has also heated up the election campaign in Norway - and boosted the far-left and green parties.

The research estimates that a 25-percent minimum tax rate (the lowest current rate within the seven largest world economies) would net member states an extra €10-13bn a year in tax revenue.

The United States' loss in Afghanistan has paved the way for autocracy, and Washington has offered it political legitimacy as a bonus. The Taliban are not only victors in the GWOT; they are now heroes of the anti-West front.

The right to seek asylum is a fundamental tenet of international law, and yet Iran and Pakistan have fortified their borders, leaving Afghans no escape. The EU should put pressure on Pakistan to allow refugees into the country.