Lucia Yar
If Turkey was an EU member, Ukraine war might have been prevented, says minister
Turkey's leaders have recently increased talk about their will to return to the negotiating table with Brussels. But what has prompted this new momentum? EURACTIV Slovakia spoke to Faruk Kaymakci, Turkey's deputy minister of foreign affairs and director for EU affairs.
Slovak president backs scientists Russia said ‘damaged’ Sputnik V’s reputation
Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová has backed the researchers that examined doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine after Russia criticised them for having “damaged the reputation” of the shot with their assessment.
V4 countries ambiguous about giving up health competencies to the EU
in spring 2020, the four Visegrad countries criticised the EU for not providing member states with masks and other equipment when the coronavirus pandemic started. Now they are blaming Brussels for the slow vaccine roll-out. At the same time, they h
Slovak recovery plan for country’s digital sector remains unaddressed
The Slovak government has emphasised the need to support the digital sector, where the country is lagging behind, but the first plans of the "reform menu", presented in October, do not specifically address it.
Visegrad Four want to distinguish between ‘illegal’ and ‘harmful’ content in Digital Services Act
Visegrad countries are waiting for the new Digital Services Act. According to the V4 countries, the regulation is necessary but Europe must avoid censorship and any other forms of violation of the right to freedom of expression.
MEP: Montenegro elections may be the most significant since independence referendum
EU candidate Montenegro is holding a crucial parliamentary election on Sunday (30 Aug). Slovak MEP Vladimír Bilčík, who leads the European Parliament's delegation for relations with the country, said it is "essential" that they are conducted safely, peacefully and freely, recalling a coup d'etat attempt that marred the previous ballot in 2016.
The opposition’s potential to undermine the Erdogan regime increases
Due to the growing economic recession, the possibility of early elections in Turkey is increasing, writes Lucia Yar.
Crisis is the time for a radical and drastic creativity in governance
Europeans have started to realise what it means to have an absence of American leadership on the international stage. The “opportunity” that this crisis brings is the emergence of different kinds of leaders, Harvard Kennedy School’s Cathryn Cluver Ashbrook told EURACTIV Slovakia.
Phishing emails, trojans and spam in the age of the coronavirus
Phishing emails, trojans and spam are now spreading over the Internet. Experts estimate that more than three percent of coronavirus websites that have been created since the beginning of the year contain malicious content.
Chinese ambassador asks EU for evidence that Huawei is a ‘security threat‘
The European Union needs to show “concrete evidence” that the Chinese tech giant Huawei is a security threat, China’s Ambassador to Slovakia Lin Lin told EURACTIV Slovakia in an interview.
Transforming words into deeds – the Visegrad Group and Western Balkans’ EU integration
All Visegrad Group countries vocally support the enlargement of the EU and NATO, with a focus on integrating the Western Balkan (WB) countries. But how can those words be transformed into deeds?
Copyright reform: A Visegrád analysis
EU institutions concluded negotiations on the Commission’s controversial copyright reform earlier this month. Political clashes that emerged across the EU also exposed harsh divisions between the Visegrád group of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. EURACTIV's Visegrád members report.
Copyright: ‘France has completely won the discussion,’ says MEP Reda
Ahead of a crunch meeting between EU ambassadors on Friday (8 February), EURACTIV Slovakia sat down with Green MEP Julia Reda to chew the fat over the controversial copyright directive.
Iraqi Kurdish diplomat: Helping Middle East now would be cost-effective for Europe
Europe should engage in the Middle East by providing technical aid and promoting investment and programmes that enhance tolerance and peaceful coexistence, said Falah Mustafa Bakir in an interview.
Armenian protests leader: We didn’t allow any international actor to get involved
"What we have in Armenia is a fantastically working revolution," said Armen Grigoryan, one of the leaders of the “Reject Serzh“ movement, organising Armenia's ongoing nation-wide protests. EURACTIV.sk reports.
Dzurinda: EU must seek solution for migration outside its borders
The solution to the migration crisis is beyond the European Union borders and the EU must be prepared to talk to all relevant players in troubled countries and provide financial and logistical help, the former prime minister of Slovakia told EURACTIV.
ECRE head: Asylum management needs compliance, not new laws
Some European countries are trying to enact restrictive policies and create a hostile atmosphere to discourage migrants and asylum seekers, blatantly ignoring EU and international law, Catherine Woollard told EURACTIV Slovakia reports.
Miklos: Ukraine moves on with reforms towards functioning economy
Ukraine is moving towards a functioning market economy and liberal democracy, after stabilising its economy, cleaning up the banking sector and putting inflation under control, the chief economic adviser to the Ukrainian prime minister told EURACTIV Slovakia.
V4 no longer a role model for Eastern Partnership countries
Experts have warned that Visegrad countries, haunted by a wave of Euroscepticism and populism, can no longer aspire to be role models and “export” their experience with democratic transition to the Eastern Partnership countries. EURACTIV Slovakia reports.
Estonia’s top tech official: EU states should integrate their digital systems
Estonia is trying to convince European ministers to agree on the “once only” principle. That means that if one member state has information about a citizen, another member state should not ask for it again, the country’s chief information officer told EURACTIV Slovakia.
Turkey rapporteur: ‘We are sending a very bad signal to the Balkans’
Turkey has lost interest in accession. Yet the EU continues to believe that it can use the process as leverage, Kati Piri told EURACTIV Slovakia.