Thomas Bickl

🧵 Honoured to contribute on #Slovenia-#Croatia 🇸🇮 🇭🇷 🇪🇺relations: (i) conflict (border dispute, foreign-currency deposits), (ii) cooperation (energy policy, disaster relief), (iii) #EU's transformative power, and on (iv) Western Balkans and enlargement. link.springer.com/chapter/10.100…

Montenegro’s place inside the EU is now taking shape. Today, Member States decided to start drafting Montenegro’s EU Accession Treaty. This is a major step on the path to EU membership, a clear recognition of Montenegro’s progress, and an encouragement to accelerate reforms. It also offers a chance to draw lessons from past enlargements and include new and stronger safeguards in future accession treaties to prevent backsliding on the rule of law and fundamental values.

Čini se da je Dejan Jović neka "crvena krpa" pa je neprestano na meti podmetanja. Ovaj put se tvrdi da je izjavio kako je Hrvatska "propali projekt". No, u ovom slučaju to više nisu radikalno desni "mediji" i hajka na društvenim mrežama, nego mainstream Večernji list.

Student-led protests continued throughout the year, all across the country, posing the strongest ever challenge to the long rule of Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party. Read more: balkaninsight.com/2025/12/22/mas…

+++ Denmark appoints California envoy

Arctic security remains a key priority for the European Union, and one in which we seek to work with allies and partners. Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. These principles are essential not only for the European Union, but for nations around the world. We stand in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland.

💥 “It’s not clear who attacked whom,” Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán said today at a presser on the Russia–Ukraine war, after an EU summit where he opposed any financial help for Ukraine. He’s escalating his rhetoric, for the first time openly questioning that Russia started the war.

Završena radionica ekonomskog novinarstva 🔗 fpn.bg.ac.rs/94380

Ovo zvuči kao alanfordovska karikatura orvelovske propagande: „Laž je istina. Rat je mir. Sloboda je ropstvo”.

Is Brussels about to do it again? Word of a deal tonight : Hungary gets €16B in defense loans, drops veto on joint EU debt for Ukraine. But Orbán still hasn’t met the rule-of-law milestones. EU conditionality, once again, up for sale? We’ve seen this movie before. Dec 2023 #EUCO

Once again and unsurprisingly, Marine Le Pen is pasting Putin's narratives, blaming Ursula @vonderleyen and @EmmanuelMacron for sabotaging the peace. The far right will never change: siding with dictators against their own country is their DNA.

Now we have a simple choice: either money today, or blood tomorrow. I’m not talking about Ukraine only, I’m talking about Europe. This is our decision to make. And only ours. All European leaders must finally rise to the challenge.

Good news for Kosovo! The transfer of local governance in the north after the recent local elections was peaceful. Thanks to this, I am glad to announce that we are moving forward to lift the measures on Kosovo. We are programming €216 million of financial assistance. And we intend to release €205 million early next year.

Vu Hai Dang and Tran Thi Huyen Trang propose a Scarborough Peace Park as a path for China and the Philippines to safeguard biodiversity while building trust and cooperation in the South China Sea: cs.is/43LMKFX

Once a narrow-gauge railway through the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ćiro Trail is now one of Europe's great cycle routes, running between #Mostar, in #Bosnia-#Herzegovina, and #Dubrovnik, in #Croatia. muchbetteradventures.com/magazine/ciro-…

Tomorrow, European leaders are meeting in Brussels. It will be a very important meeting. The outcome of this meeting – the result Europe produces – must make Russia feel that its desire to continue the war next year is pointless, because Ukraine will have support. This rests entirely with Europe; Europe must make this choice.

Together with 34 other countries, Norway has signed the convention establishing a Claims Commission for #Ukraine. ‘This is an important day for all the victims of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine’ said State Secretary @akravik79 ➡️ regjeringen.no/en/whats-new/n…

🆕 Mercosur safeguard trilogue concluded in record time, delivering strong protection for EU agriculture and enabling swift approval of the EU-@mercosur deal. Excellent for 🇪🇺 farmers! Thanks to @eu2025dk, @GabrielMatoA, @berndlange. Next: meeting @COPACOGECA with @CHansenEU.

The United Kingdom is coming back to Erasmus+  🇪🇺🇬🇧 We have concluded negotiations for the United Kingdom’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027, making further steps in our renewed EU-UK Strategic Partnership. More ↓ link.europa.eu/vf3vJk

So many issues... 1. Acc to Constitution Pres. cannot decide who will/whether 🇷🇸 should participate at Summit; 2. Elected reps of citizens aren't Snoflakes to get offended by🇪🇺 criticism; 3. Timing is historical, 4. Positive message to neighbors should be celebrated together...

Who elects the all powerful US Cabinet? No one. This is hardly democracy