Visegrad
Slovaks rush to Hungary for cheap gas as ‘petrol tourism’ era ends
After the government in Budapest announced it will only allow cars with Hungarian license plates to buy petrol for capped prices at the country’s petrol stations, motorists from neighbouring Slovakia rushed across the border. Meanwhile, petrol station owners warn the...
Slovak customs snowed under by trains crossing Ukraine border with goods
Slovak customs are currently overwhelmed by the increase in trains carrying goods crossing the Ukrainian border as Russia’s blockade on ports has forced Ukraine to deliver goods via train instead. Trains with goods were stuck at the borders due to...
Poland could double army size thanks to voluntary service, says minister
Voluntary basic military service is such a tempting option that Poland will be able to double the size of its army, said Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak. Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Polish government began talking about its plans...
Czech EU presidency to be plagued by limited travel links
Czechs who need to travel frequently due to the upcoming EU Council presidency in June will likely face flight problems as only one company currently operates two direct flights from Prague to Brussels Zaventem airport. Brussels Airlines currently flies twice...
Polish opposition demands more power for regional governments
Four opposition parties signed a declaration on Wednesday calling for more financial muscle to be handed over to local authorities as opponents of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party eye next year’s municipal elections as a chance to take...
New Slovak anti-inflation package sails through parliament with far-right help
The new anti-inflation package worth €1 billion proposed by the ruling OL’aNo party was adopted by the National Council on Wednesday with the help of far-right deputies after part of the ruling coalition refused to back the bill. The package,...
Orbán amends constitution, proclaims state of emergency
On the day the new government took office, the ruling Fidesz-controlled Hungarian parliament amended the constitution allowing Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán to proclaim a state of emergency on the same day. On Tuesday (24 May), the Hungarian parliament approved...
Slovakia faces brain drain as many leave for Czechia
Two-thirds of young Slovaks aged 18-25 want or are already studying abroad due to the quality of education, with most of those who already left having picked neighbouring Czechia, a new survey has found. In the past 15 years, more...
Czech EPP vice-president hopeful calls for leadership renewal
The European People’s Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament has lost its visibility and its leadership needs to be renewed, Czech EU lawmaker Tomáš Zdechovský – who wants to run for vice-president of the political family – told EURACTIV.cz...
Polish company fails to deliver drones to Ukraine
Polish company Level 11 did not deliver 200 drones ordered by the Ukrainian forces despite having received payment in advance, TVN24 TV station reports. Taras Troiak, a businessman from Kyiv responsible for ordering drones for the Ukrainian army, signed an...
No progress in democracy and EU values in Hungary, Commission says
The European Commission had few positive words to offer about democracy and respect for EU values in Hungary following a hearing on the drawn-out Article 7 procedure on Monday (23 May). Article 7 outlines procedures for suspending certain rights from...
Proposal for Slovak election-based TV quotas met with criticism
Setting up quotas for the participation of politicians in TV discussions based on election results, as proposed by the Former Slovak Prime Minister and current Finance Minister Igor Matovič, draws backlash from coalition partners, journalists and NGOs. Matovič (OĽaNO) proposed...
Czechia only country to ask EU asylum agency for help with Ukrainian refugees
Czechia is the only country from Central and Eastern Europe to have requested help from the EU’s Agency for Asylum (EUAA) to deal with the massive influx of refugees from Ukraine, the EUAA has confirmed. Since the start of the...
Oslo rebuts Morawiecki’s claims of benefiting from Ukraine war
Norwegian Foreign Minister Eivind Vad Petersson rejected Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s accusations that his country benefits from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Norwegian public broadcaster NRK reported. During the Nationwide Congress of Youth Dialogue on Saturday, Morawiecki criticised Norway for its increasing...
Hungarian agri minister backs supporting Ukraine’s grain exports
The Hungarian government is working hard to help Kyiv sell grain abroad, said Agriculture Minister István Nagy, who described the instability of Ukraine’s grain export in light of Russia’s invasion as an “emergency”. “We have an emergency situation, I can...
Poles to be granted ‘special status’ in Ukraine
Poles in Ukraine will be granted “special legal status” similarly to the one Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s war receive when entering Poland, according to a draft bill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has promised he would submit to parliament. Polish President Andrzej...
Owners of Russian companies in Czechia changed citizenship
Of the 9,582 companies in the Czech Republic with Russian ownership, dozens have changed their citizenship since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine to avoid sanctions or outflow of clients. As news site Seznam Zprávy reported, 154 owners of...
Former Slovak FM: Ukraine must attack Russia and take back Crimea
Ukraine can defeat Russia and even regain control of Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, said former Slovak Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš, noting that anything other than the military victory of Ukraine would be a dangerous compromise. Mikloš is the former advisor...
Czechia’s Babis visits voters in caravan trip, says it’s no ‘campaign tour’
Former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš still refuses to say whether he is preparing his presidential campaign for next year’s elections although he was seen going across the country in his caravan to meet voters. Czech media this week were flooded...
Poland to receive most EU funds for helping Ukrainian refugees
The European Commission will grant Poland €144.6 million from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund for helping refugees from Ukraine, while Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia will receive €39 million, €27 million, €21 million, and €15 million respectively....
Ukraine war hits Slovak economy hardest in EU
The Slovak economy suffered the most out of all EU countries from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to a comparison of the February and May macroeconomic forecasts of the European Commission. GDP in Slovakia for 2022 is expected to...
Poles begin universal basic income experiment
The Association of Warmia and Mazury Borderland Communities will distribute a monthly 1,300 PLN (€280) to thousands of Poles to measure how a universal basic income impacts their lives. The monthly income will be distributed across 5,000 to 31,000 beneficiaries...
Hungarian Constitutional Court quashes opposition referendum
Despite previous greenlights from parliament and the Supreme Court (Kúria), Hungary’s Constitutional Court blocked referenda on controversial Chinese university investment and unemployment benefits. In a decision announced on Wednesday (18 May), the Constitutional Court, widely considered by its critics to...