As the populist radical right-wing parties of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament gain momentum before the June elections, their efforts to move towards the center and cooperate with the mainstream could be disrupted by Fidesz's effort to join the group. At the same time, the parties in the Visegrad countries could make or break Fidesz's bid to join the ECR, as they see Russia's war against Ukraine very differently from Fidesz.
In February this year the European Commission presented new EU targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. How do the Visegrad Group countries assess the Commission's proposal?
Will there be a radical right turn in Europe that will bring Viktor Orbán and his allies to power? – this is how many are framing the stakes of the European Parliament elections in June. And yet, according to forecasts, Eurosceptic formations will win at most a quarter of the seats. This is hardly enough to turn Europe upside down, but their influence will grow. Together with Fidesz possibly joining a radical right political group in the new parliament, this could significantly impact the balance of power in Brussels and the future of the European project.
Apart from the Kremlin, everyone is interested in improving the Hungarian-Ukrainian relations that have deteriorated since 2017. Ukraine is open to a rapprochement as it needs Hungary’s support in the Western alliance system, while the Orbán government needs to reduce its international isolation. Thus, in the next six months, we will see what is more important for Orbán: Hungary’s relationship with and position in the West or its cordial relationship with the Kremlin.
Slovakia falls behind in attracting high-quality investments into the sector and in registering new electric vehicles, new study confirms. One of the biggest challenges of greening the automotive sector is the increasing demand for highly skilled employees, which the education system has so far failed to respond to.
The unsuccessful presidential candidate Danuše Nerudová has probably the best chance of becoming the next Czech EU Commissioner. However, in the Czech Republic, it has always been a habit to select a new member of the European Commission at the last minute and without a conceptual approach.
In Czechia, the debate over the abandonment of the unanimity principle in some EU policy areas opened recently – particularly in the light of war in Ukraine and vision of EU enlargement.
As “turbinegate” shook the Polish politics, 42 green NGOs appeal to the new ruling majority for “urgent adopting a bill allowing the development of wind energy in a way that is safe for both people and the environment.”
Voter interest amongst Czech citizens in the upcoming EU elections is the lowest across member states, as only half of the surveyed respondents would currently participate in the polls, according to the newest Eurobarometer survey results. On the other hand, in neighbouring Poland, citizens intend to massively vote boosted by the October national elections.
France offers an alternative to the fuel currently produced in Russia and cooperation in building new reactors. "We want to involve Slovak companies in the supply chain for nuclear fuel and we are also communicating about a repository of the used-up waste," French Ambassador PASCAL LE DEUNFF says in an interview.
The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the Visegrad countries hard but not equally in terms of seriousness and its evolution in time.
The V4 countries are only a political decision away of improving their digital infrastructure, they should be more ambitious, says senior fellow from German Marshall Fund Brussels Office Kristine Berzina in an interview with EURACTIV Czech Republic.