Visegrad
Kaczyński’s transgender comments prompt outrage
LGBT rights groups and the opposition have slammed the leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party Jarosław Kaczyński for his statements about transgender people at a party rally. During the weekend’s public meetings in Grudziądz and Włocławek in...
Slovakia to revise national recovery plan due to changed conditions
Slovakia will revise its national recovery and resilience plan, Lívia Vašákiová, director of the recovery plan department, announced after she said earlier that new conditions made it impossible to implement the plan as initially intended. The statement came after Vašáková admitted to...
Czech agrifood associations awarded EU funds without tenders, auditors say
Czechia’s Supreme Audit Office found “serious errors” in EU co-financed programmes aiming to promote agricultural products and foodstuffs under the tenure of the former government led by agri-tycoon Andrej Babiš. According to auditors, beneficiaries of the funding – including the...
Landslide Fidesz victory in municipal by-elections
By-elections were held in four Budapest districts, five county capitals and nine other municipalities where party candidates were running on Sunday and the ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition put forward candidates in 16 of the 18 jurisdictions, winning in 12. The united...
Czechia will not adopt euro anytime soon, says PM
The Czech Republic has no plans to adopt the euro anytime soon, Prime Minister Petr Fiala said amid rising concerns from Czech economists. As Croatia was recently given the Commission’s go-ahead to adopt the euro in 2023, the Czech Republic has...
Russia removing Polish flag from Katyń monument angers Poles
The removal of the Polish flag from a memorial to Polish soldiers murdered by Soviet forces in Katyn in 1940 on Friday (24 June) was met with criticism in Poland, with some saying it is part of Russia’s ongoing anti-Poland...
Slovakia unable to implement COVID recovery plan as planned
Slovakia is unable to implement the national recovery and resilience plan as it was conceived a year ago due to new conditions, Livia Vašáková, director of the recovery plan department at the government office, admitted to EURACTIV Slovakia. One of...
Slovakia second-worst in EU funds absorption after Croatia
Slovakia ranked second to last in the absorption of EU funds in the 2014-2020 programming period only beaten by Croatia, the National Bank of Slovakia says. Slovakia has historic trouble in absorbing EU funds. It also ranked at the bottom...
Famine looms over Africa, warns Czech agriculture minister
If the EU does not help countries in northern Africa, food shortages, famine, and another refugee crisis could be triggered, Czech Agriculture Minister Zdeněk Nekula warns. Agriculture priorities of Czechia’s EU presidency will include food security, reducing pesticide consumption, preventing...
Polish parliament rejects abortion bill
A bill to legalise abortion has been rejected by right-wing MPs, making Poland one of the few European countries with very strict abortion laws. In 2020, the Constitutional Court further restricted the right to abortion, declaring it unconstitutional to terminate...
Polish parliament swearing-in ceremony disrupted by opposition MP
Klaudia Jachira, who represents Poland’s largest opposition party, the liberal Civic Platform, scattered cut-up banknotes in the parliamentary hall as an act of protest against the election of Adam Glapiński, president of the National Bank of Poland (NBP), for a...
Czech FM: EU is losing debate on who is to blame for lack of food
African and Asian countries are facing food shortages due to the Russian blockade of the Black Sea, but often they blame the EU instead, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský warned. Strategic communication towards African and Asian countries is a crucial...
Gas supplies key to lower inflation, says Slovak Central Bank
Double-digit inflation will continue in Slovakia until next year if the government does not cap rising gas prices and if Russia stops gas supplies then inflation will rise even more, Slovak National Bank estimates in a new prognosis. The prognosis is not...
No EU country against Ukraine’s candidacy, says Czech EU minister
No EU country is against giving Ukraine candidacy status, European Affairs Minister Mikuláš Bek said after a General Affairs Council meeting on Tuesday. Candidacy status for Ukraine will be discussed by EU leaders during the European Council summit on 23-24...
Almost a third of Poles believe EU should not grant recovery money yet
Almost a third of Poles believe the European Commission should not grant the money from the EU Recovery Fund for Poland until the government fulfils the conditions regarding judicial independence, a survey has shown. Just over two thirds of participants...
Majority of disabled people face attacks in Czechia
Disabled people are frequent victims of violence in the Czech Republic and only a fraction of those attacked reported it to the police, according to a survey conducted by In IUSTITIA. The survey showed that 76% of disabled people have...
Ukraine becomes ‘participating partner’ of Three Seas Initiative
The Three Seas Initiative’s (3SI) member states have granted Ukraine participating partner status to the group and supported its efforts to join the EU, Polish President Andrzej Duda announced at Monday’s 3SI summit in Riga. Unlike a strategic partnership, which...
Slovakia considers rebuilding Druzhba pipeline to supply fuel to Ukraine
The Druzhba pipeline, through which Russian oil flows into the country, may be converted into a product pipeline to deliver fuel into war-torn Ukraine, Slovak Economy Minister Richard Sulík announced. “In Ukraine, most of the refineries are destroyed. Ukraine needs...
Czech government cracks under Prague corruption scandal
Czech Education Minister Petr Gazdík announced his resignation on Sunday following revelations that he attended several meetings with organised crime boss Michal Redl. Along with Gazdík, who also served as a deputy chair of the Mayors and Independents (STAN) party,...
Poland to appeal for seventh package of Russian sanctions
A seventh package of EU sanctions against Russia, including a ban on technology export, will be called for by Poland, Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. The government will appeal for further sanctions at the EU...
EU Parliament chiefs in Prague ahead of Council presidency
Prague and the European Parliament are partners in these difficult times caused by the war, leading EU lawmakers and Czech leaders agreed during a meeting in the country’s capital ahead of Czechia’s six-month stint at the helm of the EU...
Polish president dismisses minister amid post office scandal
President Andrzej Duda dismissed Michał Cieślak, a minister without portfolio embroiled in a post office scandal, at the request of Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. While visiting a post office in Pacanów in southern Poland, Cieślak was recognised by the post office director,...
Slovak ministry sows confusion over Russia sanctions compliance in EU projects
A warning about sanctions-busting after checks on several EU-funded projects involving Austria’s construction giant Strabag by the regional development ministry has confused Slovak municipalities. Strabag is a Vienna-based company active in several EU member states. Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska was...