Congressional indignation is growing over Libya. Now that U.S. military operations have continued for more than 60 days without congressional authorization, some have accused President Obama of violating the War Powers Resolution. But Congress has little standing to accuse the president of copping out on Libya.
Marek Matraszek’s Perspectives From the Front
Observations and analyses from Poland and Central Europe, focussing on energy, defence, political and cultural issues. This is the front line of Europe: where the strategic interplay between the West and Russia, and the battle over the future direction of Europe, is played out daily.
2011 POLISH ELECTION ANALYSIS
Posted on October 12, 2011
Civic Platform wins an historic victory…
According to the final official results, the ruling Civic Platform (PO) party has won the Polish parliamentary elections held on Sunday 9th October, clearly defeating the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party by 39% to 30%. Third place was taken by the Palikot Movement (10%), fourth by the [...]
Read more...GERMAN ENERGY SECTOR OPEN FOR RUSSIAN GRABS AFTER MERKEL-MEDVEDEV MEETING
Posted on July 26, 2011
The following comes to us from Vladimir Socor, the Jamestown Foundation. The original article in its entirety can be found here.
The German government’s cave-in on nuclear energy has opened the gates to a new round of Russian expansion into Germany’s energy sector. This political decision has boosted demand for natural gas overnight, and with long-term [...]
LITHUANIA DECIDES TO UNBUNDLE PIPELINES FROM GAZPROM’S CONTROL
Posted on July 16, 2011
The following comes to us from Vladimir Socor, the Jamestown Foundation, seen originally here.
On June 30, the Lithuanian parliament adopted legislation barring the supplier of natural gas–in this case, Gazprom–from owning or operating pipelines in the country. This conforms with the European Union’s Third Package of energy market legislation, which was adopted by the EU [...]
Lithuania Enlists US Companies for Gas Supply and Transportation Projects
Posted on July 6, 2011
Vladimir Socor from the The Jamestown Foundation has just published the following article (original link HERE): Attending the Lithuanian-chaired, Community of Democracies annual event in Vilnius on July 1, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton endorsed Lithuania’s energy security strategy on its three levels: the national, regional, and European. The political endorsement accompanies specific energy [...]
Read more...The Role of Shale - Wroclaw Global Forum 2011 - New Energy Sources Q&A
Posted on June 14, 2011
The Wrocław Global Forum aims at giving new spirit to the transatlantic dialog by refocusing it on global challenges and by reinforcing the voice of Central Europe as its key stakeholder.
Below, at the 2011 ‘New Energy Sources and the Global Power Equation Q&A’, Marek Matraszek raises the importance of shale energy in modern Europe, and poses [...]
SOUTH STREAM’S CREDIBILITY PROBLEMS DEEPEN AFTER BRUSSELS PROMOTIONAL EVENT
Posted on June 6, 2011
The following comes to us from Vladimir Socor, The Jamestown Foundation:
Russian Energy Minister, Sergei Shmatko, and Gazprom’s top hierarchy, along with their West-European business allies, advertised the South Stream project at a promotional event on May 25 in Brussels (Interfax, Euractiv, May 25, 26). The European Commission had agreed to be represented at this event, [...]
SURGUT’S EXIT FROM HUNGARY IS A SUCCESS FOR EUROPE
Posted on June 1, 2011
Vladimir Socor from the The Jamestown Foundation has just published the following article (original link HERE): Hungary’s government has successfully completed negotiations with the Russian government and Surgutneftegaz about the latter’s exit from Hungary. The government is purchasing Surgut’s 21.2 percent stake in the oil and gas company MOL, Hungary’s largest business entity and Central European [...]
Read more...The Attack on Shale Commences
Posted on April 26, 2011
It was inevitable that as the prospect of shale gas extraction in Europe, and especially Poland, becomes more realistic, so the voices of protest would emerge. Hardly surprising as shale has the consequence of undermining Gazprom’s entire business model, which is dependent on being the dominant supplier of natural gas to Germany and Central Europe. [...]
Read more...A Terminal Disagreement Between Poland and Germany
Posted on September 7, 2010
As excerpted from Business New Europe and republished in the Petroleum Economist:
Many question the legitimacy of German trepidation regarding the building of an energy terminal in northwest Poland as further proof positive of heavy Russian influence in both Berlin and throughout the European Union. Although at face value, Germany’s concerns centre on the environmental impact, CEC Government [...]
President Komorowski
Posted on July 4, 2010
With the final results of the Polish Presidential election officially announced, Bronislaw Komorowski, the candidate of the ruling PO (Civic Platform) party has just managed to beat Jaroslaw Kaczynski, leader of the opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party, with 53% of the vote as against Kaczynski’s 47%. Few had expected the race to be so [...]
Read more...AMERICA AND PRESIDENT KOMOROWSKI: A NEW RELATIONSHIP?
Posted on December 2, 2010 by admin — View Comments
It was more than symbolic that Bronislaw Komorowski was elected President of Poland in the second round of voting on Sunday July 4th – American Independence Day. Although the timing was purely random, and the result of an electoral calendar suddenly imposed on Poland following the tragic death of former President Lech Kaczynski in the [...]
Poland Vote Strengthens European Ties
Posted on July 6, 2010 by admin — View Comments
The following report on the geopolitical ramifications of the Polish election result has been brought to us by the Wall Street Journal’s Gordon Fairclough: Bronislaw Komorowski’s narrow weekend victory in Poland’s presidential election sets the stage for warmer relations between Warsaw and other European capitals, and could add another voice to calls for NATO to rethink [...]
The Campaign Begins
Posted on May 25, 2010 by admin — View Comments
After the tragedy of the Smolensk air disaster it took some time for Poland’s politicians to at least try to get back to a semblance of normality. On the one hand there was the need to bury the dead – the funerals were proceeding over two weeks after the crash – and there was a [...]
The Polish Presidency Of The EU
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Christmas in the EU comes not once a year, but approximately once every thirteen years, when each of the member states has the opportunity to take charge of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which is rotated between EU member states every six months. For Poland, this magic time will come in [...]
The 2009 European Elections In Poland
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The 2009 European elections were the second time Poles had elected their European representatives, after Polish entry to the European Union in 2004. At stake were 50 seats in the European Parliament (EP), but the significance of the elections went beyond the actual vote itself. For each of the parties competing the elections, and especially [...]
Why PM Tusk Is Not Running For President
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At the end of January 2010, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced at a press conference that he will NOT be running for the Presidency in the elections planned for the autumn of this year, despite year-long expectations that he would be the natural Civic Platform (PO) candidate. He cited the need for a steady grip [...]
Poland’s Tragedy – The Political Implications
Posted on May 15, 2010 by admin — Comments Off
The Shock of the Disaster…
Poland is still trying to come to terms with the implications of the Smolensk air disaster, which at one stroke has destroyed a significant part of the Polish political elite. Apart from President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, the list of fatalities include several ministers, Presidential officials, parliamentarians, the heads of [...]
