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July 12, 2010
The new Slovakian government is not bowing to pressure over its refusal to sign off on the eurozone bailout package. After a meeting with European Union Council President Herman van Rompuy tonight, Slovakian Prime Minister Iveta Radicova said, when ask…
June 2, 2010
I started, but did not really complete a series after the Schengen zone accession of the two countries to show municipalities and local communities that want to revert history and erect local borders where the state borders become invisible. Now that monuments will remind us to the invisible borders I think I will start again,… » read more
Douglas Muir calls Stratfor’s article on the new Hungarian citizenship law – republished on Serbia’s B92 – as the dumbest Stratfor article ever. Certainly not a very intelligent analysis, however, the Muir post on afoe is confusing because it has so little reference to the actual bill or the political context. Hungary’s Schengen-proof passports will… » read more
I believe that current euro-crisis sparked by Greece, and partly accelerated by the electioneering in tiny Slovakia shows that in fact we have a European shadow government, and it would need a great amount of sunbeam to become transparent. I think that on the 2010 Europe day it should be clearer than ever that we… » read more
February 25, 2010
The V4+ Energy Summit held in Budapest on 24-26 February ended in a joint declaration signed by the V4 plus Austria, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, and the perspective member state Croatia (along with Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina). If these countries show such unity as they had in the March 2009 economic crisis summit, it can put a… » read more
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Austria, Balkan, Bulgaria, Central Europe, Croatia, Czech Republic, energy efficiency, Energy Supply, English, EU Priorities and Opinion, Hungary, Poland, romania, Slovakia |
February 5, 2010
„Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s chances of winning a June 12 general election rose on Monday when his main rival, center-right ex-premier Mikulas Dzurinda, pulled out over accusations of money laundering“, writes Reuters, and repeats Financial Times, EurActiv.com and couple of others. In fact that might not be the case. Not that Mr Fico would… » read more
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English, Enlargement and Neighbours, Mikulas Dzurinda, Robert Fico, Slovakia |
January 26, 2010
Sir, Regarding ‘The Slovak-Hungarian dispute over Slovakia’s language law’: In a recent study analysing the type of modifications expected in the Act on the State Language of the Slovak Republic by international organisations, Istvan Andras Türke, a doctor of the Sorbonne and director of the Europa Varietas Insititute, writes that “the future of European minority… » read more
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English, Enlargement and Neighbours, Languages and Culture, Slovakia |
January 14, 2010
The following article about European Commissioner confirmation hearings was published by EurActiv on 14th January 2010. Put in a difficult position by Rumiana Jeleva’s weak performance at her parliamentary hearing earlier this week, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) is threatening to counter-attack by asking for a socialist head to roll. The EPP group said… » read more
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English, EU Priorities and Opinion, Maroš Šefcovic, Slovakia |
November 22, 2009
About a thousand supporters of the far-right Jobbik party have participated in a peaceful march on the 90th anniversary of Horthy’s takeover in Hungary. Hungary has no real historical anti-Nazi and anti-Communist hero. That gives a little credit to the old man who had successfully beaten a Soviet uprising 90 years ago. However, it would… » read more
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Austria, Countries of Europe, English, Hungary, Public Affairs, security, Serbia, Slovakia |
August 22, 2009
In Slovakia, during the recent months, we have been witnessing some anti-Hungarian mood. The most actual have been public introduction of St. Stephan – The King’s Statue in south-Slovakian city Komarno. Just for information, Komarno is one among a few Slovakian-Hungarian settlements, divided by the state border. Slovakian “Komarno” and Hungarian “Komarom” are situated on… » read more
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Diplomacy, English, Hungary, Komarno, Komarom, Public Affairs, security, Slovakia |
June 26, 2009
If Mr Habsburg joins ECRG, it will add another explosive dimension to the Cameron-Kaczynski-Klaus trio’s strange group. Mr Habsburg’s father, Otto von Habsburg had been a Bavarian Christian Socialist MEP between 1979 and 1999, and also the last heir of the Austrian, Czech, Croat and Hungarian thrones (At those times, the last one entitled them… » read more
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Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, English, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia |
June 11, 2009
Here is a roundup from the European Journalism Centre’s Think About It blogging competition on the European Elections. Convicted Russian MEP, Slovakian photo contest for voters, Cyprus on the beach.
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Countries of Europe, Elections, English, EU Priorities and Opinion, Latvia, Slovakia |
May 16, 2009
Central Europe seems to have escaped from an economic meltdown. However, a bigger problem may be the fear among political elites, some of whom will stick at nothing to stay in power and out of jail, and who treat Mr Berlusconi as their role model and political ally.
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Central Europe, Czech Republic, English, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia |
May 9, 2009
Andrei Tuch says that although voter apathy in the European elections is not a bug but a feature, it is still useful to try to persuade voters to participate and your vote truly counts. I share his views, even if reports from the member states do not seem to underpin our feelings.
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Bulgaria, Czech Republic, English, Germany, ireland, Italy, Political, Slovakia, Slovenia |
April 8, 2009
Overall, Central and Eastern Europe is very strongly hit in the current economic crisis that had divided the European Union as well. In some countries, which are in a nation-building state, candidates have expressed unfaltering support for nationalistic parties. In the more established countries, such as the Czech Republic or Hungary, the political elite is… » read more
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Central Europe, Czech Republic, Elections, English, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Slovakia, Slvokia |
April 5, 2009
Ivan Gasparovic, the incumbent president has won the run-off in the Slovakian presidential elections. Mr Gasparovic is supported by the current government of the leftish-populist Smer and two small nationalist parties where the president had belonged. Iveta Radicova, the candidate of the right-wing opposition and the Hungarian minortiy has lost 55,5% – 44.5%. The presidents… » read more
March 23, 2009
As expected, the least colorful incumbent president in the Visegrad Group, Ivan Gašparovi? has won the first round of Slovakia’s presidential elections. Iveta Radi?ová, the leading oppositon candiadate has collected enough votes to force him to a run-off. Gašparovi? was first elected to the presidency in 2004, when he unexpectedly made it to the runoff… » read more
There is a serious gas shortage in Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Serbia. After the show of the French presidency, the European Union is under a real foreign pressure that effects a large group of member states devastatingly. Factories are closing, schools are shut, some part of the population is freezing at home. I think… » read more
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Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, English, Hungary, Poland, romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia |
There is a serious gas shortage in Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Serbia. After the show of the French presidency, the European Union is under a real foreign pressure that effects a large group of member states devastatingly. Factories are closing, schools are shut, some part of the population is freezing at home. I think… » read more
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Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Energy, English, Germany, Hungary, Poland, romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine |
Michal Lehuta has a very nice chart of a few selected EU member state’s long-term economic performance. Between 1997-2010 the gap between Central European and Western European GDP’s have diminished significantly. It looks that Slovenia will reach the EU average level at first, Slovakia and Estonia are the biggest relative winners. On the other side,… » read more
