First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, a close ally of current Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, has become the latest in a growing list of candidates who hope to hold the top job following next year's European election. The Dutchman secured the necessary support from German socialists and other left EU parties, members of the Party of European Socialists. Timmermans, 57, who has been serving as the EU commissioner for Better Regulation, Inter-institutional Relations, the Rule of Law, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights since 2014, will battle Slovakian diplomat and EC Vice-President Maros Sefcovic, who is in charge of Energy Union. All nominations must be announced by 18 October and the group of socialists is expected to choose its lead candidate in December.

What the US and Russia leaders demonstrated was the relations dictated by time. There are all grounds to apply the definition “historical” to the meeting in Helsink, told the Europost the international analyst.

Considering that the previous meeting of such nature took place 15 years ago in Thessaloniki, where it was decided that it should be a triennial event, and given that the EU's interest in the integration of the Western Balkan nations quite recently was lost somewhere between lip-service declarations and outright reservations, the return of the topic on the European agenda represents a mission accomplished for Bulgaria's EU Presidency.

There is serious disagreement within members of the UK political elite regarding the country’s exit from the EU. There are plenty of accusations of weak leadership, especially following the snap general elections plan that fell short of its goal in the spring. Meanwhile, UK’s natural political inclination is to seek what it calls “the best of both worlds” - to play its cards in a way that will preserve its access to the advantages of the single market without having to meet any of the obligations attached.

The EU has a social dimension that is often neglected by its citizens. The solidarity bonds between the rich and the poor may still need strengthening (I would argue more than that they need to be directed at the coming transformation of economy and society), but they already work in many places, says Josef Janning, head of ECFR Berlin office and Senior Policy Fellow in an interview to Europost.

On 24 Sep­tem­ber 2011, when Vlad­im­ir Putin stat­ed he was going to re-run for pres­i­dent, few Rus­sians doubt­ed his vic­to­ry.