In their latest analysis, the Moscow Times argue that the future of the Burgas – Alexandroupolis pipeline seems, in fact, more secure now than previously feared. Dr. Theodore Tsakiris, Researcher at the CSIS-EKEM U.S.-Greece Joint Task Force: Transforming the Balkans, has been featured in the article in question. An Op-Ed piece on the subject [Near Death Experience: The strategic stalemate of the Burgas-Alexandroupolis oil pipeline] by Dr. Tsakiris published at the EUObserver news portal is also available here: http://euobserver.com/7/30337

by Dr. Theodore Tsakiris

Transneft said Tuesday that it would make another effort to convince Bulgaria to allow part of an oil pipeline to transit its territory — giving a new lease on life to a project that Sofia all but rejected earlier this year.
The Russia-backed Burgas-Alexandroupolis route, which also involves Greece, would play a key role in stepping up Russian and Kazakh oil exports to the Mediterranean Sea area. A Bulgarian delegation, led by Finance Minister Simeon Djankov, will visit Moscow to take in the potential benefits of the link to Bulgaria on Sept. 8 to 9, said Transneft spokesman Igor Dyomin.

"We will discuss the situation around the project," he said. "They are probably not aware of some peculiarities."

The visit will come after Prime Minister Vladimir Putin spoke by phone about "energy projects" with his counterparts in Sofia and Athens on July 21.

Read More

The Decision of the International Court of Justice

by Bledar Feta and Apostolis Karabairis

The curtain rose on the latest act of Balkan diplomacy: the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Kosovo’s proclamation of independence in 2008 was announced at 15:00 CET on Thursday, July 22. Contrary to what had many expected, the Court did not come up with a Solomon’s judgment that might prove equally (un)satisfactory for both sides; rather, it produced a clear winner and a loser.

In its ruling the ICJ stated that the February 2008 declaration of independence by the Kosovo Assembly violated neither the international legal order nor the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1244. In September 2008 the Court was asked by the United Nations General Assembly to give its advice on a question put forth by Serbia, which inquired “whether the declaration of independence by the provisional self-ruling institutions of Kosovo was in line with international law.” Resorting to the ICJ was a shrewd diplomatic stroke by Belgrade, through which it bought time and slowed international momentum toward recognition of Kosovo for over two years. Pristina and Belgrade are engaged in a battle on the world stage to draw countries into their respective camps. Ultimately, Serbia’s attempt to outmaneuver Kosovo through the ICJ laid in ruins, leading to one of the most important victories of Kosovar Albanians in the international arena. 

The President of ICJ Hisashi Owada read the decision according to which Kosovo’s declaration of independence does not violate international law in principle, since the latter contains no prohibition of such kind. In this light, he pointed to around 100 similar declarations throughout world history, whose legality has not been questioned. Further, the Court’s decision read that the UN Charter principle of territorial integrity applies to inter-state relations, not secessions. With regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, the Court argued that it did not preclude any sort of final status outcome, including independence. The judgment did not mention whether Kosovo’s secession was legal, or whether other states could legally recognize its independence. Rather, all it did was to rule that international law does not prohibit the declaration of independence. The ICJ opinion can be summarized in three main points:

1. Kosovo’s Declaration of independence does not violate international law
2. Kosovo’s declaration of independence does not violate UN Security Council Resolution 1244
3. Independence does not violate the Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-Government

Although not binding, the ICJ’s advisory opinion bears significant political weight and forms a turning point in the long-debated Kosovo issue, as it can be seen from the reactions that it provoked both throughout the region, as well as globally. Reactions of the two parties concerned are indicative of their attitudes and their future intentions. Additionally, since each side is not made up of one single subject, it is crucial to examine all basic actors that exercise a larger or smaller influence within each side.

The EU's border management agency, Frontex, will open its first Operational Office in Piraeus, Greece on 1 August 2010. Although political and administrative gaps remain, the new office should enhance Frontex's role in South-Eastern Europe and help combat illegal migration in the Mediterranean, write Stavros Kourtalis and Gerasimos Tsourapas, researchers at the Hellenic Centre for European Studies (EKEM), in an exclusive commentary for EurActiv.

Read More