Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court ruled that individuals who held the highest state offices under the 1995 Constitution may be re-elected or appointed to the corresponding posts after the new 2026 Constitution takes effect.
The decision was issued on July 7 in response to a request from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who asked the court to provide an official interpretation of the provisions regarding the number of terms for which one may be elected or appointed to a number of top government positions, including the presidency.
The court noted that the new Constitution does not contain provisions requiring that terms served under the previous Constitution be taken into account. Therefore, the fact of holding office prior to July 1, 2026, does not in itself constitute an obstacle to re-election or appointment after the new Constitution takes effect.
In practice, this means that Tokayev’s term, which began after the 2022 election, will not be counted toward the new presidential term limit. A new election following the 2026 Constitution’s entry into force will be considered his first for the purposes of applying these limits.
Reuters notes that the decision effectively resets the count of Tokayev’s presidential terms. However, it is not yet clear whether he will seek a new term in early presidential elections or remain in office until 2029.
Kazakhstan’s new Constitution took effect on July 1, 2026. It retains the limit of one seven-year presidential term, but, according to the Constitutional Court’s interpretation, this limit applies only to elections held under the new Constitution.
Thus, Tokayev has been legally permitted to run for president again, despite the previously existing limit of a single seven-year term.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering providing a loan of up to 34 million euros to the municipal utility “Rivneoblvodokanal” for the construction of new wastewater treatment facilities with a capacity of 60,000 cubic meters per day, the reconstruction of three sewage pumping stations, and the implementation of energy-efficient technologies.
According to the bank’s materials, the project is scheduled to be approved on July 22, 2026, and its total cost is estimated at 53.1 million euros.
The loan is to be disbursed in two tranches. It will be supplemented by an investment grant of up to 10 million euros from the Eastern European Partnership for Energy Efficiency and the Environment (E5P) Fund.
Repayment of the loan is fully guaranteed by the Rivne region, and 25% of the loan amount will be covered by a European Union (EU) guarantee under the Municipal, Infrastructure, and Industrial Resilience Program (MIIR) as part of the Investment Program for Ukraine (UIF).
The funds will also be used to install energy-efficient equipment and SCADA automated control systems at Rivneoblvokanal facilities.
The project aims to improve wastewater collection and treatment for approximately 240,000 residents of Rivne and surrounding areas, including internally displaced persons.
According to EBRD estimates, the new treatment facilities will treat 22 million cubic meters of wastewater per year in accordance with EU standards. The project is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and net energy consumption by 45%.
The project is part of the EBRD’s “Resilience and Livelihoods” (RLF) program, which aims to restore and enhance the resilience of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. It also includes training company staff to operate the new equipment and establishing a dedicated project implementation team.
As previously reported, in February 2026, the EBRD approved a 12 million euro loan for Rivne to finance the energy-efficient modernization of at least 24 social infrastructure facilities. The project, with a total cost of 19 million euros, also includes a 6 million euro grant from the E5P program and 1 million euros in co-financing from the city.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington will lift sanctions against Turkey that were imposed because Ankara purchased Russian S-400 air defense missile systems.
“We will lift the sanctions,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday in Ankara, responding to a question about the measures imposed against Turkey under the CAATSA law.
The statement came at the start of Trump’s meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara.
The U.S. imposed sanctions on Turkey in 2020 after Ankara purchased Russian S-400 air defense systems. Washington also excluded Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program, stating that the use of Russian systems poses risks to American aircraft.
Trump also said that the U.S. would make a decision regarding the possible sale of F-35s to Turkey. According to Reuters, the U.S. administration is ready to support such a deal, but legal and congressional obstacles have not yet been fully resolved.
For Turkey, the lifting of sanctions and a possible return to the F-35 issue would represent a significant breakthrough in relations with the U.S. This is also a sensitive issue for NATO, as Ankara remains one of the alliance’s key members, but its purchase of Russian S-400 systems in recent years has been one of the main sources of friction in its relations with Washington.
The NATO summit in Ankara is taking place against the backdrop of the alliance’s efforts to demonstrate increased defense spending and strengthened military-industrial cooperation. The meeting between Trump and Erdogan has become one of the summit’s central bilateral meetings, as it concerns not only sanctions but also future deliveries of U.S. weapons to Turkey.
According to “Serbian Economist”, Serbia does not expect candidate countries to join the European Union anytime soon, but believes that the European path remains the best option for the region, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said at a conference of the speakers of the parliaments of EU candidate countries in Belgrade.
According to him, the EU is unlikely to be able to make quick decisions on enlargement in the coming years. However, Vucic emphasized that this does not mean Serbia and other candidate countries should halt their reforms.
The Belgrade Format is also important from an economic standpoint: Serbia is effectively promoting the idea that candidate countries should be partners rather than competitors. This is particularly relevant for the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia, where European integration is increasingly viewed not only as a political project but also as a trade and logistics initiative.
Vucic placed special emphasis on Ukraine. He stated that Ukraine has demonstrated resilience and that Europe has much to gain from its potential. For Serbia, this also presents an opportunity to strengthen economic ties with Kyiv without waiting for formal EU membership.
Trade between Serbia and Ukraine in 2025 returned to roughly pre-war levels and, according to Serbian data, amounted to approximately $442 million. Serbian exports to Ukraine reached $202.9 million, while imports from Ukraine totaled $239.3 million. Electricity, mineral and chemical fertilizers, tires, and industrial goods play a significant role in the structure of Serbian exports. Ukraine supplies Serbia with iron ore, semi-finished rolled steel products, metal products, and agricultural goods, including frozen raspberries. In the first quarter of 2026, trade turnover had already reached $152.8 million, and Serbia recorded a trade surplus of $36.8 million. The parties have also resumed negotiations on a free trade agreement, which could become a key instrument for further growth in trade volumes.
Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania are promoting the construction of the “Black Sea–Aegean Sea” multimodal transport corridor, which is intended to connect the ports, railways, highways, and logistics hubs of the three countries with access to the Ukrainian and Moldovan borders.
The project will become part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The European Commission notes that the broader “Baltic Sea–Black Sea–Aegean Sea” corridor spans 11 EU countries, as well as Ukraine and Moldova, connecting the Baltic, Black, and Aegean Seas.
The new section between Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania will consist of three main branches. The western branch is planned to run along the route Athens–Thessaloniki–Promachonas–Kulata–Sofia–Vidin/Calafat–Craiova–Bucharest. The central branch will connect Thessaloniki and Alexandroupolis with the Bulgarian cities of Svilengrad and Ruse, then continue through Giurgiu and Bucharest to
Siret on the Romanian border with Ukraine, as well as to Ungheni on the border with Moldova. The Eastern Branch will connect Alexandroupolis with the Bulgarian ports of Burgas and Varna, and then on to Constanța in Romania.
To coordinate the project, the three countries are establishing the Black Sea–Aegean Sea Corridor Platform (BACP). The European Commission reported that Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania signed a memorandum on the development of transport infrastructure on December 3, 2025, in Brussels. The document provides for coordination at the political and technical levels, the exchange of data on national investment plans, and the joint promotion of priority TEN-T projects.
European Commissioner for Transport Apostolos Tzitzikostas called the project a step toward strengthening the strategic north-south corridor in Southeast Europe. According to him, closer cooperation between Greece, Bulgaria, and Romania should strengthen ties for citizens and businesses, as well as enhance Europe’s security, competitiveness, and resilience in the Aegean, Black Sea, and Danube regions.
The project’s significance for the region goes beyond mere transportation modernization. The corridor could provide Ukraine with an additional southern logistics route to ports in the Aegean Sea, Bulgaria, and Romania, as well as strengthen the role of Constanța, Burgas, Varna, Alexandroupoli, and Thessaloniki as hubs for trade, agricultural exports, industrial cargo, and container transport.
For the Balkans, this also represents an opportunity to reduce dependence on overburdened or vulnerable routes. Since the outbreak of full-scale war against Ukraine, the importance of alternative routes via the Danube, the Black Sea, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece has risen sharply. The central branch to Siret could effectively become an extension of Ukrainian logistics routes to southern Europe.
The project is also important for the military and crisis mobility of the EU and NATO, but its civilian economic value is no less significant. This involves faster transport between the three seas, better connections between ports and railways, reduced logistics costs, and the creation of a sustainable infrastructure for trade between Ukraine, Moldova, the Balkans, Central Europe, and the Mediterranean.
For Ukraine, this represents a potential new route to the Mediterranean; for Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, it means strengthening their roles as transit countries; and for the entire region, it is a step toward more sustainable logistics between the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Danube, and the Aegean Sea.
Aegean Sea, BACP, BLACK SEA, BULGARIA, GREECE, INFRASTRUCTURE, LOGISTICS, ROMANIA, TEN-T, UKRAINE
The Economist Intelligence Unit, the analytical division of The Economist Group, has published the Global Liveability Index 2026—a ranking of living conditions in 173 cities around the world. The index evaluates cities across five categories: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.
For the second year in a row, Copenhagen was named the world’s most livable city. The top ten included: Copenhagen (Denmark), Vienna (Austria), Melbourne (Australia), Sydney (Australia), Zurich (Switzerland), Geneva (Switzerland), Osaka (Japan), Adelaide (Australia), Vancouver (Canada), and Tokyo (Japan).
Kyiv found itself at the bottom of the ranking: the Ukrainian capital dropped from 165th to 166th place and once again made the list of the world’s ten least livable cities. The main reason is the consequences and risks of a full-scale war, which directly affect stability, infrastructure, and the quality of the urban environment.
Damascus, Syria, remains in last place in the ranking, a position it has held since 2013. Other cities at the bottom of the list include Tripoli, Libya; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Tehran, Iran; Lagos, Nigeria; and Kyiv. The EIU notes that nearly all cities at the bottom of the ranking have been affected by war, political instability, poverty, or a combination of these factors.
For Ukraine, the result is painful but expected. Before the war, Kyiv ranked significantly higher: in 2021, it was in 117th place; in 2022, it was excluded from the ranking due to the war; and from 2023 to 2025, it held the 165th position. In 2026, the capital dropped another spot.
The ranking also reflects a general global trend: cities with high stability, advanced healthcare, quality education, and well-developed infrastructure remain at the top, while wars and crises quickly push cities down the list even when they possess strong human and economic potential.
For Kyiv, this index is not so much an assessment of the city’s quality as such, but rather an indicator of the cost of war. Provided that security normalizes, infrastructure is restored, and military risks are reduced, the Ukrainian capital has the potential to return to the middle of the ranking, where it stood until 2022.
