EURACTIV.pl Archives

Stay in the EU or leave? According to experts, for Poland and the Czech Republic, it is important to remain in the EU, despite widespread Euroscepticism in both countries.

The presidents of Kosovo and Serbia have floated the idea of a land swap to settle their disputes. The proposal, involving the predominantly Serb northern Kosovo and Preševo Valley in southern Serbia, has been welcomed by some and criticised by others for fear it might create further instability in the Balkans.

The expulsion from the Schengen zone of Lyudmyla Kozlovska, a Ukrainian human rights activist, was due to serious doubts regarding funding of her organisation, Poland's Internal Security Agency said on Monday (20 August).

The EU's stand on migration policy is moving towards the demands of the Visegrad group, one of the best functioning groups in the bloc, says Dr Kai-Olaf Lang, adding that in many respects, Germany and V4 are much closer to each other today than Germany and France.

When it comes to migration and refugees, the Visegrad 4 governments speak with one voice: the EU should abandon any idea of a compulsory mechanism for refugee relocation. EURACTIV's network reports.

All new member states have seen their per capita income rise since they joined the EU. But this convergence cannot be taken for granted and the countries with a large share of low-skilled workers are at a risk "of not converging effectively", a World Bank official warned.

One EU-funded project in Poland all started with a girl allergic to food additives and ended up with an innovative start-up, which connects 150 farmers with 100,000 people who want to eat healthy food straight from the producers. EURACTIV Poland reports.

Wedged between Israel (its mortal enemy), the Mediterranean Sea and war-torn Syria, Lebanon has been heaving under the burden of refugees away from the international spotlight.

More and more voices are calling for an urgent reform of the strained Dublin asylum system as migrants continue arriving across the Mediterranean and migration takes centre stage in Europe again.

Despite progress in recent years, local circular economy efforts in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia are still plagued by inefficient management, cheap landfilling and problematic reporting. EURACTIV's network reports.

Since 2015, Poland has strongly opposed receiving refugees from Italy and Greece. Until now, not a single person has been accepted under the quota system set by the European Commission. And the majority of Poles actually side with their government on the issue, EURACTIV Poland reports.

Over the past decade, Katowice – capital of Poland’s Silesia region – has transformed from a coal and steel city into a booming centre of business and culture. Its Culture Zone hosts major European and international music, cultural and business events and boasts unique architectural pearls.

Viktor Orban's landslide victory last weekend is not good news for the EU. But it may also turn out to be a mixed blessing for the Visegrad group of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

On 23 March, tens of thousands of people hit the streets of Polish cities to protest against imposing further restrictions on the abortion law. Poland's is one of the strictest in Europe, second only to Ireland, where a referendum aiming at liberalising access to abortion is planned next month.

The European Union must become a global leader in promoting circular economy but needs to make the best of the ambitious new EU legislation, said participants at a stakeholders’ debate on recycling, pointing to the positive example of Poland.

China has used the international economic crisis to elbow its way towards a dominant position on the global market. Its New Silk Road is seen as an attempt to create a massive, multi-national zone of economic and political influence, including in Central Europe. EURACTIV Poland/Czech Republic/Slovakia and Political Capital report.

The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, voiced hope that Poland's government would 'come to its senses' and avoid further confrontation with Brussels which could result in unprecedented sanctions. But Polish leaders appeared to remain defiant.

It is not clear whether the Council will be able to state in December that sufficient progress in Brexit talks has been made, David McAllister, who chairs the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, told EURACTIV.

The Internet has democratised the world but the side effects of this democratisation are the success of fake news and the campaign of organised disinformation, MEP Michał Boni argues in an interview with EURACTIV Poland.

The European Parliament adopted on Wednesday (15 November) a resolution calling for the application of the so-called ‘nuclear option’ for Poland, Article 7 of the EU Treaty, because of the threat to the rule of law in the biggest Eastern European country. EURACTIV Poland reports.

MEPs will on Wednesday (15 November) discuss and adopt a resolution on the rule of law in Poland. The draft contains a request for the EP's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to prepare a report - the first step towards initiating the infringement procedure of Article 7 against the country. EURACTIV Poland reports.

During a visit to Ukraine (5 November), Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski expressed his indignation over Germany’s current policy towards Poland, insisting Berlin supports the country's opposition forces.

In a further sign of strained relations between Warsaw and Kyiv, Poland’s Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said on Thursday (2 November) that procedures to bar people “with extreme anti-Polish attitudes” from entering the country are being launched, drawing an angry reply from Ukraine.

Czech President Miloš Zeman instructed Andrej Babiš to form a new government. With 99% of the votes counted, his party ANO, collected 29.76% of popular support.