I’ve just finished my newest article for Taipan Insider, our exclusive newsletter to Taipan Publishing Group subscribers.

I was musing on a BBC News article talking about how some Europeans feel about the European Union, and its latest expansions. To be sure, there has been a lot of grumbling about propping up economically distressed Eastern European members, like Hungary and Poland.

And there has also been some upset about jobs and factories moving east to take advantage of lower wages and costs, and about immigrants to Western countries taking jobs from locals.

Quite reminiscent of what’s happening here in the States with Mexican workers, yes?

Well, this got me thinking why the European Union would want to include Eastern European countries in its membership in the first place… It had to be something other than spreading “inclusive democracy,” right?

Of course… In fact, on Thursday, the Czech Republic will hold an “Eastern Partnership” summit with six former Soviet states to discuss energy and trade ties. The Czech Republic currenty holds the presidency of the European Union, and the former Communist country may just be the right fit to entice closer ties with ex-Soviet states.

My Taipan Insider article goes into more depth about just what’s at stake here. Be sure to read it.

First, I want to say that I really enjoy hearing from our readers. I will always invite your comments, questions and criticism.

On Wednesday, I shared with you some comments about an article I wrote on Russia’s natural gas monoploy, and this stand-off between Russia and Ukraine.

I was lucky enough to get a comment from a gentleman with some specific insight into the situation. I’m posting it here for you all to read, and again, feel free to comment if you wish…

Hi Sara,

I have family in Ukraine, and several growing small business’s and I am in the country maybe every two months for extended periods.

I can tell you that the political and emotional situation is very dire. This is a country that has been under the rule of the USSR for a very long time, and the people have an outlook that is not quite in tune with our, free democratic outlook. Corruption at all levels is widespread and a normal course of doing business. This extends to the political elite who view the privilege of power as a route to obtain vast back handers and favours. They are in power supported by the people with money and not by their political accumin or skill, nor for that matter their great passion to reform and build a sophisticated country.

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In last Thursday’s Taipan Insider, I talked about the current dispute between Russia and Ukraine over natural gas supplies.

Since this latest row began, supplies to Eastern Europe have been nearly non-existant. And major Western European countries were starting to feel the pinch, too. Some countries were even forced to dip into reserves, this being the onset of the bitter winter season.

Now, Russia says it will resume supplying natural gas tomorrow morning. This is only after a monitoring deal has been agreed to by both parties and mediated by the European Union.

Still, it may be a while, reports the BBC, before supplies return to normal.

The overnight low temperature in Prague, Czech Republic, tonight is 15 degrees fahrenheit.