Visegrad
Slovakia’s ageing population to drastically increase public spending
Slovakia will increase public spending to deal with the challenges of its aging population to a level not seen in any other EU country by 2070, the Slovak Institute of Financial Policy has claimed. “Expenditures on pensions, healthcare, long-term care...
Budapest rejects Chinese university building site plans
Budapest’s green mayor Gergely Karácsony, who recently announced his run for the prime ministerial post in the opposition primaries, has rejected the construction of the Fudan university on its planned site after talks with Innovation and Technology Minister László Palkovics...
Czech government approves national recovery plan
The Czech government approved on Monday a national recovery plan with investments worth €7.9 billion, mostly funded by the EU recovery fund. The plan is ready to be submitted to the European Commission for approval. However, the final version has...
Poland’s Civic platform party continues to lose members
Polish MEP Róża Thun announced on Monday she was leaving Poland’s main opposition party Civic Platform after diverging from the party line over the vote on the EU recovery fund. Thun’s departure comes after lawmakers Paweł Zalewski and Ireneusz Raś...
€1.5 billion needed to decarbonise Slovakia’s steelworks
After a business trip to Pittsburg, Slovak Finance Minister and former PM, Igor Matovič, unveiled a €1.5 billion plan to decarbonise Slovakia’s U.S. Steel Košice steel mill, which aims to reduce the steelwork’s emissions by 80%. “There’s no other way...
Czechia on Russian list of ‘unfriendly states’
Russia has published a new official list of “unfriendly states” featuring just two countries – Czechia and the US. According to the decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Czech diplomatic mission in Russia can employ a maximum of...
Poland’s ‘New Deal’ project to focus on health reforms
Poland’s ruling coalition announced a New Deal project for the post-pandemic era on Saturday, foreseeing a boost for the healthcare sector equivalent to 7% of the country’s GDP, with 6% to be reached by 2023. The 160-page document contains proposals...
Budapest mayor announces prime minister run
The Hungarian capital’s mayor Gergely Karácsony has confirmed his widely expected candidacy for the pre-election of opposition parties for the prime ministerial post. “We have one life and one country,” said Karácsony, speaking in his hometown of Nyírtass, putting the...
Slovakia to support families in material need
The government decided to pay a one-time allowance of €333 per child to families in material need. According to Slovak Labour Minister Milan Krajniak, the first wave of support will target 45,000 children. Families should receive the money by the...
Czechia’s fourth health minister since pandemic sparks another controversy
The Czech Republic’s new Health Minister Petr Arenberger, who took office on 7 April, has been challenged to explain alleged substantial irregularities in his tax returns, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš said on Thursday. The PM’s words come after recent...
Hungary launches vaccination certificate mobile app
Hungary launched a mobile app allowing holders to certify their vaccination status on Thursday (13 May), though several users encountered problems with using the tool, Telex reported. Unlike the country’s vaccine certificate, which carries information on both those who got the...
Polish right-wing opposition party opposes ‘vaccine passports’
The “green certificates” to be introduced across the EU will “significantly hinder or even make it impossible for tens of millions of people, including at least 10 million Polish citizens to travel in Europe,” Michał Wawer, a lawyer and treasurer...
Hungary hands in revised recovery plan following initial alleged rejection
Hungary handed in its revised recovery plan to the European Commission on Wednesday, under which the country will request €7.2 billion in grants, forgoing claiming €9.6 billion in cheap loans, after press reported that the initial plans of the government...
Babis’ minority government could face no-confidence vote in June
The two opposition coalitions in the Czech parliament’s lower house said on Wednesday they want to initiate a vote of no-confidence in the minority government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, with a possible date at the beginning of June, due...
Polish government speeds up post-lockdown reopening
The Polish government has brought forward by eight days the reopening date for cinemas, theatres, philharmonics and opera houses, allowing these establishments to operate at 50% capacity from 21 May as the country’s daily new coronavirus case numbers continue to...
Slovak journal denies removing article criticising Sputnik V
The Russian Fund for Direct Investment (RFDI) has asked Slovak newspaper Denník N to withdraw a story, citing the Slovak authorities’ assessment of the Sputnik V vaccine, which it stated is “misleading.” The Slovak newspaper said it would not adhere...
Slovakia suspends use of AstraZeneca following death
Slovakia has temporarily stopped the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine after a 47-year-old woman who had been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca jab died from cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. Only those who have already received a first dose of the vaccine...
Polish Health Minister appoints COVID-19 research team
Polish Health Minister Adam Niedzielski has assigned a team to monitor the epidemiological situation in terms of coronavirus variants and conducting molecular epidemiological surveillance in Poland. The team, to be led by Deputy Health Minister Waldemar Kraska, will propose legislation...
Czechia negotiates bilateral travel agreements for vaccinated citizens
Czechia is working on bilateral travel agreements with several EU member states to allow citizens vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel freely across Europe. “After a year and a half, people deserve holidays abroad. Our goal is to reach as soon...
Slovak government again divided over ousting of justice minister.
A proposal put forward by the opposition to oust Slovak Justice Minister Mária Kolíková from the coalition party Za ľudí due to conflict of interest was shot down by members of government. However, lawmakers from the leading coalition party, OĽANO...
Hungarian police confirms government COVID-19 websites under cyberattack
The Hungarian police have stood by claims that the country’s COVID-19 related websites were targeted by a cyberattack, but declined to give further details to Telex. The statement contradicts experts who said it is unlikely that the websites were attacked,...
EU won’t expel Russian diplomats despite Czechia’s solidarity call
The EU does not want to escalate tensions with Russia by expelling Russian diplomats, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday, after a meeting of EU foreign ministers. “Everybody agreed on the need not to continue an escalation....
Eastern Europe leaders condemn Russia’s acts of sabotage on NATO territory
Leaders of the Bucharest Nine (B9) group condemned acts of sabotage committed by Russia on the NATO territory and expressed their view that the Atlantic alliance members must address the security implications of China’s global rise together. The leaders of...