Visegrad
The fight against high-level corruption cleared by Slovakia’s new government, has lost some of its momentum
The fight against high-level corruption has led to the imprisonment of two former police chiefs, a special prosecutor, the acting head of the intelligence service, and prominent oligarchs, among others. On Monday, Special Prosecutor Dušan Kováčik was sentenced to 14...
Slovak journalists charged for revealing classified information
Police charged two reporters of the Denník N media outlet for disclosing what they said was classified information in the notorious murder case of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fianceé Martina Kušnírová. Investigative journalist Monika Tódová and Denník N deputy...
Budapest mayor: cyberattack halting primaries came from China
The capital’s mayor and joint PM candidate of green Párbeszéd and socialist MSZP, Gergely Karácsony, said on Monday that the cyber attack that halted the primaries on Saturday for two days came from China, Telex reported. Karácsony said the opposition was prepared for “Fidesz...
Czechia seeks deal over fine in Turow mine dispute with Poland
The European Court of Justice has ordered Poland to pay a daily €500,000 fine because it has not followed its interim measure and continues with mining in Turów, a lignite mine located at the Czech-Polish borders. Czechia considers the decision...
Highways cross but don’t connect
The National Highway Company will open a new highway in Slovakia on 26 September but will not include a crossing with highway D1, the main road connecting the west and east of the country. Drivers will thus have to find...
Hungarian opposition primaries suspended after ‘cyberattack’
On the day of the first round of the opposition primaries, meant to choose one joint candidate for every electoral unit in next year’s election, the pre-election was halted early afternoon by the overload of the IT system that fed...
Czechia to begin COVID-19 booster shot rollout for all
Czechia is offering a third jab to all people who completed their vaccination eight months ago, despite a recent report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) stating that there is no urgent need for booster doses for...
Tusk offers PiS a chance to eliminate Polexit
In the middle of a national debate about leaving the EU – also known as ‘Polexit’ – the European Council’s former president Donald Tusk offered his biggest opponent, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS), a hand in changing the nation’s...
Czech railway: Low quality, high density
Czechia is an EU leader when it comes to the density of railway network. With 9,277 kilometres of rail in the country, it would be difficult to find a more connected state within the EU. Quality-wise, though, there are severe...
Poland’s medical staff go on strike
“You will hang,” far-right lawmaker Grzegorz Braun (Confederacy) told health minister Adam Niedzielski at a debate over the situation in the health sector on Thursday in the Sejm. Braun was thrown out of the chamber and the issue was referred...
The island in illiberal storm’ is getting bigger
Another twenty cities from around the world have joined the Pact of Free Cities initiative launched in 2019 by Bratislava, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw mayors. Faced with conservative illiberal governments, these cities launched the initiative to promote democracy and transparency...
Pope Francis condemns discrimination and prejudice against Roma
Pope Francis wrapped up his official visit to Slovakia on Wednesday by celebrating holy mass in the western Slovak pilgrimage town of Šaštín-Stráže in front of approximately 50.000 people. Before the Pontiff departed for Rome on Wednesday afternoon, he once...
Polish ruling party puts an end to ‘Polexit’ discussion
In reaction to the public discourse in the past weeks, Poland’s Law and Justice (PiS) ruling party adopted a position in which it states that “the objective of PiS is for Poland not to leave the EU”. Ryszard Terlecki, a...
Slovakia plans record-high defence expenditure
The Slovak defence ministry is planning the largest purchase in the country’s history. The government already approved the purchase of 152 tracked and 76 wheeled combat armoured vehicles. Estimated price tag is over €2 billion, EURACTIV Slovakia reports. According to...
Hungary condemns EP resolution calling for EU-wide recognition of same-sex marriage
Fidesz politicians have strongly criticised the resolution calling for cross-bloc recognition of same-sex marriage, Telex reported. MEP Balázs Hidvéghi said that it is another “madness” from Brussels, while Justice Minister Judit Varga described the European Parliament’s resolution “a completely groundless political position”....
Crisis at Belarusian border helps ruling party regain ground
Latest polls show that the ruling party in Poland is regaining some popularity after last months’ losses at the expense of leading opposition parties. The 10 September United Surveys poll for WP.pl showed Law and Justice (PiS) support at 36.4%,...
Polls suggest the collapse of Czech social democracy
Ahead of Czech parliamentary elections due on 8-9 October 2021, Czech social democrats face hard times. Unlike their German counterparts, they are losing ground and opinion polls suggest they might not even pass the 5% threshold required to win a...
Prime minister Heger apologised for wartime Jewish Code
Slovak Prime minister Eduard Heger and his cabinet apologised for the Order on the Legal Status of Jews, also known as the Jewish Code, legislation adopted by the Nazi-allied wartime Slovak state that existed from 1939 until 1945. “The Slovak...
Poland free of Gazprom gas
On the eve of the inauguration of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline bringing Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, the Polish government's plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, Piotr Naimski, has confirmed that Poland will become independent of Russian gas supplies from 2023.
Czech agriculture ministry: Nutri-score will discriminate against traditional food
Czechia’s agricultural ministry is against the “Nutri-score”, a label system converting the nutritional value of food into an overall A-E score. According to the ministry, Nutri-score is too simplistic because it does not consider the size of portion and general...
Pope Francis arrived on an official visit to Slovakia
Hundreds of believers, politicians and the representatives of the Church welcomed Pope Francis at the Bratislava airport on Sunday afternoon, at the start of his four-day visit to the country. Francis came to Bratislava from Budapest, where he also met...
Hungarian opposition candidates hold first primary debate
With less than a week to go until opposition primaries that will decide who will challenge Viktor Orbán in parliamentary elections next April, prime minister hopefuls went head to head for the first time in a rare instance of televised...
No Czech recognition for the Taliban
Prague should definitely not recognise the Taliban government of Afghanistan, Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhánek said on Sunday. However, it will be necessary to communicate with the Taliban, he said, adding that the EU should take a united approach in...