Ukrainians Protest As FIFA World Cup In Russia Kicks Off
A small demonstration was held in Kyiv calling for the boycott of what one protester called the "blood-soaked" FIFA World Cup in Russia. Protesters cited Russian aggression in Ukraine and its detention of Ukrainian director Oleh Sentsov, serving a 20-year prison sentence in Russia on terror charges widely condemned as politically motivated.
European Commission Seeks Budget Hike For 'Neighborhood' Countries
By Rikard Jozwiak
BRUSSELS -- The European Commission is proposing a 30 percent increase in its 2021-27 external-action budget, with a focus set on helping countries in its southern and eastern “neighborhoods” to raise standards in their efforts to join the European Union.
The commission on June 14 said the planned increase to 123 billion euros for the period is intended to show EU leadership "in times of uncertainties all over the world."
The commission called the external-action budget its main tool to support “partner countries in their political and economic transformations.”
The proposed budget level, up from 94.5 billion euros in the 2014-20 outlay, would set aside 22 billion for its neighborhood policy, up from 16.5 billion previously.
It said 14.5 billion euros would be earmarked to aid countries looking to gain EU membership, mainly in the Western Balkans, which includes Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.
“The increased and reformed budget will allow us to continue working with those countries that are engaged to join the EU, as well as maintaining our special relationship with our eastern and southern neighbors," said Johannes Hahn, commissioner for European neighborhood policy and enlargement negotiations.
"This will support our strategic goal to achieve a space of stability, security, and prosperity close to the EU's borders," he added.
As an unwritten rule, two-thirds of the neighborhood budget tends to go to the Western Balkans or southern neighborhood, with the rest going to the eastern region, which consists of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
Ukrainian Artist's Viral Posters 'Red Card' World Cup Host Russia
A Ukrainian artist's provocative poster campaign against Russia hosting the World Cup has spread like wildfire across the Ukrainian Internet, while Kyiv's official call to boycott the soccer championship falls flat.
Read Christopher Miller's feature here.