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bne November 2023 Contents I 3
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CENTRAL EUROPE
30 Yesterday’s Belarusian heroes become today’s foes in Lithuania
32 Further evidence to come out about mysterious Finnish- Estonian gas pipe leak
33 European Parliament to tighten rules to protect journalists and media outlets
34 Hungarian finance minister suggests raising bank levy to cover rising budget deficit
35 Poland’s first nuclear power plant clears key hurdle in ambitiously timed plan
SOUTHEAST EUROPE
36 EU unveils growth plan for Western Balkans, offers financial stimulus for reforms
37 Moldovan president says 'great danger' from Russia requires new national security strategy
38 EU ministers discuss multi- speed Europe to prepare for enlargement
40 Bulgarian prosecutors drop Barcelonagate investigation into Borissov
41 Erdogan finally submits Sweden’s Nato bid to Turkey's parliament for ratification
EASTERN EUROPE
42 Former German leader Schroeder divulges more detail on thwarted Russia- Ukraine peace deal
45 Belgium moves first to tap Russian central bank's frozen reserves, creates
a €1.7bn Ukraine fund
46 Ukraine to become
“a military production hub” as counter-offensive stalls
49 Ukraine's corruption problem
53 Cost of damage to Ukraine from Russia’s war up to $150bn
EURASIA
54 Turkmen stand-up comic beaten to death in Ashgabat after returning home from Turkey
55 Moscow calls Armenia a “Ukraine 3” after Pashinyan’s speech at European Parliament
56 Russia plans permanent naval base in Abkhazia, raising alarm bells in Georgia
57 Cautious hopes mounting for Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan border deal
OPINION
58 Non-Western tankers carry most of Russian crude exports, G7 oil price
cap fails
60 The new Iran – Azerbaijan transit route reflects shifting geopolitical realities
62 Russia’s macroeconomic situation shows signs of improvement, sanctions need to be tightened
64 Nagorno-Karabakh shows up the myth of a “rules- based international order”
NEW EUROPE IN NUMBERS
67 IMF expects subdued growth as 'tightening starts to bite'
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