During the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of NATO countries, the logo of the NATO summit, which is to be held in Warsaw in 2016, was officially unveiled. Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of the organization, also announced that the ministers of foreign affairs of the member countries agreed to invite Montenegro to join the Alliance. If the accession is concluded by the Warsaw summit in July, Montenegro will become 29th member of NATO.
Read More
Montenegro was invited to join the group of NATO member states. Moscow has expressed strong opposition to the decision of the Alliance.
The United Nations’ world conference resulted in an international agreement, which aims to limit global warming to less than 2 °C. The agreement, coming into force in 2020, will eventually replace the Kyoto Protocol.
At the meeting of 28 representatives of the European Union and Turkey, the agreement, according to which Turkey will help to stem the wave of migrants coming to Europe, was signed. In return, the EU has committed itself to pay Turkey 3 billion euros over two years to cope with 2.2 million Syrian refugees in the country. In addition, the EU promised to open a new chapter in Turkey’s accession negotiations and the abolition of the visa requirement for Turkish nationals in the Schengen area until October 2016. That is in case Ankara fulfills all the requirements.
Read More
An informal meeting of the leaders of the European Union and Africa related to the migration crisis took place in Valletta, Malta, on 11 and 12 November. During the summit, an EU Emergency Trust Fund was established in order to help stabilize the current situation as well as address the root causes of illegal migration. Cooperation with Turkey, which is currently the main transit country for Syrian refugees, was also discussed. Subsequently, the EU announced a joint summit with Turkey for 29 November.
Read More
Kosovo has failed to get admitted to UNESCO. This negative vote took place during the meeting of the General Conference of UNESCO in Paris on 9 November. Kosovo narrowly missed the two thirds majority as 92 countries voted in favor while 50 voted against and 29 abstained from voting, including Poland. As expected, Serbia and Russia voted against the membership, as well as 5 other EU Member States.
The parliamentary elections in Croatia on the 8 November 2015 have resulted in a win for the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), beating the ruling Social Democrat Party of Croatia (SDP). However, it came short of an absolute majority in order to govern alone. The campaigns of all parties focused on the refugee crisis. The winning HDZ opted for counteracting the influx of refugees with armed forces and by building fences. Another challenge for the new government will be to deal with its stagnating economy, which has resulted in one of the highest unemployment rates in the EU.
The annual summit of ASEM (Asia - Europe Meeting) was attended by 30 foreign ministers from Europe and 21 from Asia. The meeting was held under the theme "Working Together for a Sustainable and Secure Future". The main topics discussed were, among others, next year's celebration of the 20th anniversary of ASEM, climate change, communication and sustainable development. The Polish delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Katarzyna Kacperczyk.
This year’s session of the General Conference of UNESCO coincided with the 70th anniversary of the functioning of the United Nations. The conference, which is held every 2 years, takes the key decisions for the organization. This session highlighted the important role of UNESCO in the implementation of the development agenda for 2030 on the subjects of education, halting the wave of extremism and combating xenophobia. The development agenda will replace the former Millennium Development Goals (aimed at poverty, HIV/AIDS and education) from 2016 onwards.
Read More The summit was attended by leaders of Central and Eastern Europe, following an invitation by the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis, and the President of Poland Andrzej Duda. NATO’s CEE member states are worried about Russia’s expansion plans in the region, especially after the occupation of Crimea. Much attention was also paid to a common strategy for the General Summit of the Alliance in Warsaw. The adopted declaration consists of three elements. First, next year's NATO summit is to be a top decision-making one. Second, these decisions will mean a greater military presence on the eastern flank of the Alliance, as well as more infrastructure and more joint exercises and cooperation. The third element concerns the importance of the joint assessment of threats and their character, especially with regards to the situation in Eastern Europe.
