EURACTIV Slovakia
CoR President: Regions must be involved in crisis response
The EU must shrink the gap between its institutions and regional actors to respond to contemporary crises and challenges effectively, Apostolos Tzitzikostas told EURACTIV Slovakia.
Bratislava mayor: Where national governments fail, cities step up for democracy
Democracy was born in towns and cities, and local leaders are closer to the people than national governments, Matúš Vallo, the mayor of Bratislava, told EURACTIV Slovakia. Liberal democracy is going through a challenging time. Populism, declining media freedom, minority...
Slovak government will not yet invest in satellite internet
While EU countries like Germany are investing in satellite internet connections to provide connectivity in hard-to-reach places, Slovakia has decided not to do so, at least for the moment.
Fatal Charleroi airport arrest weighs on Belgian authorities
The controversial arrest of a Slovak man at the Charleroi airport in February 2018, which resulted in his death, has come back to haunt the Belgian authorities after fresh video footage recently emerged, prompting Slovakia to voice concern and demand an investigation.
Chief European Prosecutor: We’re ready to start at full speed, safeguard our independence
For the newly established European Public Prosecutor's Office to be a real game-changer, it must have sufficient financial resources and enough full-time European delegated prosecutors to conduct independent investigations in the member states, chief prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi said in her first exclusive interview in the new position.
MEP Novakov: EU Cohesion policy needs a tough lady like Elisa Ferreira to defend it
Rule of law should be a matter of respect everywhere, not only in the Cohesion Policy. But ordinary beneficiaries should not be held responsible for the action of the whole country infringing common EU standards, MEP Andrey Novakov told EURACTIV Slovakia in an interview.
Michael Ignatieff: Hungary will not be a single-party state forever
The democratic transition is not over in Central and Eastern Europe and we will continue our mission of training people and creating "free minds, people who think", Michael Ignatieff, a Canadian academic and president of the Central European University, told EURACTIV Slovakia.
Czech MEP: I want to be ECR’s lead candidate, not an EU top job candidate
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.
Kosovo conundrum looms large over Western Balkans summit
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.
Fico blames Soros for provoking instability in Slovakia
A fully-fledged political crisis is evolving in Slovakia after the brutal murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancée.
V4 no longer a role model for Eastern Partnership countries
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.
Nathalie Loiseau: France has ignored Eastern Europe for too long
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.
V4 energy security: The land of nuclear and coal
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.
Trans-Europe Express: Refugees forever
The refugee problem won’t go away. No matter how hard populists try to put up walls and seal off borders, they keep on coming.
Monti group advisor: EU money could be better targeted at external borders
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.
Slovakian deputy PM: EU data rules must be based on facts, not emotion
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.
US energy envoy: North Stream 2 could resurrect cold war divisions
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.
Tannock: Mozambican migrants can vote in the UK referendum, but my Slovak wife can’t
The UK referendum on Europe is heavily stacked in favour of the Brexiteers, MEP Charles Tannock told EURACTIV Slovakia in an exclusive interview.
Analyst: Most refugees want to work
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.
Ivan Krastev: Referendums cannot negotiate with each other
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.
Slovakia turns unpredictable ahead of its EU presidency
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.
Slovak PM: ‘It’s impossible to integrate Muslims’
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.
Slovakia pushes ahead with legal action over EU refugee quotas
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.