Czech MEP Jan Zahradil has recently announced his intention to become the ECR's lead candidate for the 2019 European Elections. He is a supporter of a multi-speed Union, with freedom for member states to pursue a foreign policy that best suits their own interests.
As Bulgaria prepares for a Western Balkan summit in May, seen by many as the centrepiece of its EU Council Presidency, Sofia has realised that not all its guests want to sit at the same table.
Experts have warned that Visegrad countries, haunted by a wave of Euroscepticism and populism, can no longer aspire to be role models and “export” their experience with democratic transition to the Eastern Partnership countries. EURACTIV Slovakia reports.
France is looking east to launch a reform of the EU and is seeking Central Europe’s support on defence, migration, trade and posted workers briefs. EURACTIV Slovakia reports.
Visegrád countries are seeking ways to ensure energy security while delivering on their climate commitments. Nuclear is seen as the ideal solution by some, with natural gas playing a limited role. EURACTIV's Central European partners report.
Instead of punishing member states that refuse to accept refugees, there could be improved compensation for those that accept refugees and manage their resettlement, Dr. Giacomo Benedetto told EURACTIV Slovakia in a wide-ranging interview.
The European Union can no longer look at data protection with the presumption of guilt but must be flexible and fast in responding to deficiencies, while managing responses based on hard data and analysis, not on emotions stimulated by politicians, Slovakia's deputy prime minister said in an interview with EURACTIV Slovakia.
The controversial North Stream 2 gas pipeline project has the potential to resurrect cold war divisions in Europe, US Energy Envoy Amos Hochstein said, before calling for greater competition with Russia's Gazprom through increased LNG imports.
The majority of refugees do not want to be beggars or dependent on the state, they want to be productive, but right now there are no integration systems in the EU that allow for this, Angeliki Dimitriadi told EURACTIV Slovakia in an exclusive interview.
It is impossible that 20 % of the Dutch voters should take hostage of a common EU policy. The EU created a gifted class of intellectuals and bureaucrats and others, but they really lack a genuine political experience, Ivan Krastev told EURACTIV Slovakia in an exclusive interview.
The Smer-Social Democrats (Smer-SD) party of Prime Minister Robert Fico lost its majority and will have difficulties forming a coalition government, following elections held on 5 March. The new parliament will be extremely fragmented, with neo-Nazi and protest parties present, leading to speculation about early elections. EURACTIV Slovakia reports.
Challenging the EU’s political correctness, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he will not allow a large Muslim community in his country. Fico’s anti-immigration rhetoric has boosted his Direction-Social Democracy party (SMER-SD) ahead of the 5 March elections.
Slovkia agreed on Wednesday (30 September) to take legal action at the European Court of Justice against the EU plan to distribute 120,000 asylum seekers, Prime Minister Robert Fico said yesterday. EURACTIV Slovakia reports.
The steel for packaging industry is in favour of very high recycling targets, and is concerned by the European Commission’s withdrawal of the revised Circular Economy Package, Alexander Mohr told EURACTIV Slovakia, in an exclusive interview.
When the West intervened in Libya, it later turned into chaos. When the West did not intervene in Syria, it turned into chaos as well. Therefore, it is hard to draw a definitive conclusion whether it is good or bad to intervene, Justin Vaïsse, director of the Policy Planning staff of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs told EURACTIV Slovakia in an exclusive interview.
