Hungarians are now enjoying a beautiful, long spell of an Indian summer – temperatures will peak today at 26 C (78.8 F) and, with some short interruptions, the National Meteorological Office expects the weather to last until at least next Monday, with highs between 24 and 27 C. The historical average high for October is 15.4 C, but it begins with an average high of 19 and drops daily, to just under 10 C by mid-October.
So if you have the opportunity and means, this is probably a good time to include an impromptu visit to the country. Bonus tip: most outdoor eateries will probably be open at around noon and the number of tourists has ebbed by this time of the year, so you’ll avoid long queues at your favorite (or just discovered) venues and get bargains for most accommodations.
The Swedish Lutheran church has already named Greta Thunberg the “heir of Jesus Christ” as she became the oracle concerning energy issues. Europe is not only shutting down coal energy plants, but also non-emission nuclear reactors.
And when the Union runs out of electricity, it will have to save itself with gas energy, powered by Russian fuel, because renewable energy sources will not satiate the growing demand for electricity.
The left’s recent ecological campaign with Thunberg at its head was a success. Photos and videos of the Swedish teen fighting for climate in the UN flooded the internet and media. Some loved her, she irritated others, but almost everyone was talking about climate for a few days.
PiS huge victory
This is a huge victory, because these are the second elections won in a row and the second time an absolute majority has been reached
The journalist was unsure whether the left’s result was high, as their combined votes pale in comparison to what was said about Robert Biedroń and his crew “conquering Polish politics”, when they merely became a “part” of an agreement.
“I think that the left is a group, in which centrifugal tendencies will appear. These claims of great love and cooperation will turn out to be untrue,” he stated.
Lisicki underlined that democracy in Poland is not threatened, as PiS had not achieved a dominating victory which could possibly lead to that. He warned that if the opposition continues to follow its strategy of claiming that Poland is a “fascist”, “totalitarian” and “democracy-destroying” country, despite a record high turnout in the elections, then he does not “foresee much success for them in the future.”
The president thanked voters who took part in the elections in an interview for TVP Info, and emphasized the importance of such a large turnout (over 61 percent):
“Many people stood in queues, even for a long time abroad, so that they could cast their vote. This was a beautiful celebration of democracy. We proved that there is democracy in Poland,” Duda said, and underlined that this disproves any claims that there is an issue with democracy in the country.
He expressed hopes that the new senators and MPs will work together for the good of the Polish republic and that they will help further Polish society.
The new Sejm
Mandates in the 460-seat parliament will be distributed as follows: PiS – 235, KO – 134, SLD – 49, PSL – 30, Confederation – 11, and the German minority – 1.
Senate
The opposition has won the 100-seat Senate by one mandate, which were distributed as 49 mandates for PiS, 43 for KO, 3 for PSL and 2 for SLD.
Law and Justice is “very pleased with the results,” said PiS leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, “as we have received legitimacy to continue the good change.”
Underestimated: PSL and Confederation
The PiS issues were not “big cities,” the left-liberal voter or the middle class. The issues were two, underestimated parties – PSL and the Confederation. It was those parties, not the KO or the Left, which stood in the way of an even more imposing success
The PiS issues were not “big cities,” the left-liberal voter or the middle class. The issues were two, underestimated parties – PSL and the Confederation. It was those parties, not the KO or the Left, which stood in the way of an even more imposing success
We still don’t have the answer to a key question: what about the Senate? Will PiS be closer or further away from a majority? Experience teaches us that these Exit Poll results will be corrected, and only then can we search for final conclusions.
Today we can form only one conclusion. Law and Justice is faced with a serious choice: either it will truly rebuild the so-called system, or in four years time it will have a huge problem in its fight for a third term.
If we continue to work in the reality created by the Third Polish Republic, then PiS will struggle. If 100 new frontiers are opened – the case is the same. The choice is hard, but you cannot stand still either.
PiS won 43.6 percent of the votes, the Civic Coalition (KO) came second with 27.4 percent, and third was the Left with 11.9 percent.
The Polish peasant party (PSL) was fourth with 9.6 percent and the last political group to pass the election threshold was the right-wing Confederation with 6.4 percent.
The Polish Sejm holds 460 mandates. PiS, according to this exit poll, wins 239 seats, 4 more than in the 2015 elections, giving the party an independent majority.
KO takes 130 seats, according to this exit poll, losing 36 mandates compared to 2015. The Left has 43, PSL 34 and the Confederation 13. Other groups received 1 mandate.
The turnout in the elections was record high, as 61.6 percent of persons able to vote participated.
Poles also chose 100 senators but the elections to the Senate were not included in the Exit Poll research.
Jarosław Kaczyński thanked voters for supporting Law and Justice, but underlined, that PiS is a political formation which deserves more.
Schetyna’s message
Those, who believed that one party will dominate Poland, are wrong. We will not have a Budapest in Warsaw!
“This was and is a celebration of democracy. This was a tough campaign and it was not an equal fight, there were no rules. We did not feel that our opponent used fair methods. But we believe in our victory in the Senate. The next elections are ahead of us – the presidential elections in half a year and we will win. Those, who believed that one party will dominate Poland, are wrong. We will not have a Budapest in Warsaw!” Schetyna proclaimed.
The official election results are expected to be published on Tuesday, the 15th of October at the latest.
Hungary’s municipal elections showed an increasing urban-rural divide, with the ruling conservative Fidesz strongest in the countryside, while a fragmented opposition managed to grab some important metropolitan centers such as Budapest and a few larger regional cities.
These were Hungary’s eighth municipal elections since the 1990 regime change and brought the third highest turnout of just under 50 percent, meaning that about four million of Hungary’s 8.02 million eligible voters cast their ballot.
Perhaps the most sensitive loss was that of Budapest and the majority of its districts. Previous 14th district mayor Gergely Karácsony backed by the majority of the country’s opposition parties beat incumbent István Tarlós, the metropolitan mayor who has served since 2010, by 50.86 percent against 44.10 percent.
Out of Budapest’s 23 districts, Fidesz mayors will remain in the two largest ones – whose combined population exceeds that of Debrecen, the largest city after Budapest – but overall had to concede eight districts, with 14 that will for the next five-year cycle be led by opposition candidates and one independent.
More relevantly for national politics – as local elections are not necessarily reflective of overall party preferences – Fidesz also kept its majority in all 19 county assemblies. It did, however, lose the Budapest assembly, which is a separate constituency outside of the county system. In it opposition parties now have 18 representatives against Fidesz’s 15.
Among the country’s ten largest regional cities, a Fidesz mayor will continue to serve in six of them, including the largest regional town of Debrecen, compared with nine out of those ten, major mayoral positions won in 2014.
Looking at all the mayoral positions nationwide, Fidesz will have 518 mayors compared with 37 opposition or independent ones.
Analysts pointed out several things when commenting on the results:
– The map of the country, colored by party results remained orange (the color of the ruling Fidesz) canvas, dotted with a few, blue opposition hotspots in major urban areas.
– The gains of the opposition will not necessarily translate into a similar result at the next parliamentary elections, as the opposition remains severely fragmented: its winning mayors had the backing of five parties, of which the three largest together have about the same popular support as the ruling Fidesz alone.
– Several scandalous revelations in the finishing stretch of the campaign have drawn attention away from reasonable debate, track record of incumbent mayors and the candidates’ actual agenda.
– The government will for the next three years have to contend with opposition-led cities which remain important because they are both the most attractive targets for foreign direct investment and international tourism, a significant revenue source for the budget and the country.
Title image: Hungary’s biggest ballot paper in the southeastern village of Kunágota, with 49 local council candidates (MTI/Tibor Rosta)
Hungary’s ruling conservative Fidesz party largely maintained its dominant position at this year’s municipal elections, but lost the capital to previous 14th district mayor Gergely Karácsony, who beat incumbent István Tarlós, the metropolitan mayor who has served since 2010.
These were Hungary’s eighth municipal elections since the 1990 regime change and brought the third highest turnout of just under 50 percent, meaning that about four million of Hungary’s 8.02 million eligible voters cast their ballot.
Fidesz also kept its majority in all 19 county assemblies but lost it in Budapest, which is a separate constituency outside of the county system.
Among the country’s ten largest regional cities, a Fidesz mayor will continue to serve in six of them, including the largest regional town of Debrecen, compared with nine out of those ten, major mayoral positions won in 2014. Out of Budapest’s 23 districts, Fidesz mayor will remain in the two largest ones – whose combined population exceeds that of Debrecen – but overall had to concede nine districts, with 15 that will for the next five-year cycle be led by opposition candidates (and one independent).
Looking at all the mayoral positions nationwide, Fidesz will have 518 mayors compared with 37 opposition or independent ones.
Most of the above results are based on preliminary or partial data at the time of writing, so slight changes may occur when the final tally has been made.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán met Forza Italia party president Silvio Berlusconi and vice-president Antonia Tajani in Rome on Thursday, Hungarian news portal 24.hu reports.
The two leaders discussed current European Union issues, bilateral economic relations and cooperation between their respective parties within the European People’s Party (EPP).
Fighting and giving your life for your homeland are sometimes necessary and always worthy of the highest recognition. But they must be a part of rational calculation and strategy, otherwise they oscillate between bloody lottery and suicide.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult for Poland, even to this day, to push through the criticism of those ideals and the political decisions based on them.
An alliance with the US is fundamentally necessary for us, and it should be as strong as possible. But it also must be based on cold calculations, thought-out strategy and mutual interests, and not pleasant clichés and romantic delusions. Just like any other alliance.
Fighting and giving your life for your homeland are sometimes necessary and always worthy of the highest recognition. But they must be a part of rational calculation and strategy, otherwise they oscillate between a bloody lottery and suicide. This is where the great responsibility of politicians comes in.
I hope that we will never again base our state policies on such delusions as our ancestors and those today of the Kurds.
It was a rocky start. Jarosław Kaczyński, surprised by the election, victory put Witold Waszczykowski, a diplomat not famous for finesse, in charge of foreign policy.
Due to Zbigniew Ziobro, the minister of Justice, Poland also struggled with the EU on the rule of law and later with Israel and Jewish communities in the case of the Holocaust law, which cost us much politically.
Since then, Poland has proved that its membership in the EU is not simply about following orders from Germany and France. It was Polish pressure that compelled Brussels to abandon the effort to push a system in which Brussels and not state governments decide on asylum policy.
Poland also blocked a policy of climate neutrality by 2050 that would not support states that are lagging behind. France’s plan to create a two-speed EU — with a smaller group of members integrated around the euro — was also rejected by Germany, partially out of fear of isolating Poland.
Strong V4
The Visegrad Four have become a tight-knit block in the EU.
PiS expertly used the conflict between Donald Trump and Germany and France, to see the deployment of US forces in Poland, initiated by Obama in 2016. The result yielded deeper energy cooperation and inclusion in the visa waiver program.
These close relations also led to Poland being a force drawing London and Brussels closer to an agreement after Brexit.
PiS, just like their predecessors, suffered a defeat in relations with Russia. Czaputowicz’s meeting with Lavrov did not lead to a breakthrough as Russia’s imperialist policies are in clear contrast to Poland’s interests.
After tense relations with Ukraine under Petro Poroshenko, Volodymir Zelensky’s presidency offers a chance for a new opening.
In an article published POLITICO Europe, V4 foreign ministers Tomáš Petříček (Czech), Péter Szijjártó (Hungarian), Jacek Czaputowicz (Polish), Miroslav Lajčák (Slovak) praised the progress North Macedonia and Albania have made in the past decade and a half.
“We must not forget, however, that this progress would not have been possible without the clear prospect of EU membership,” the authors say. “The goal of joining the EU serves as a powerful motivator for the governments and citizens of the western Balkan countries to undergo needed but often painful reforms.”
The authors admit that the decision by the European Union over whether to launch accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania comes at a time the bloc is facing numerous challenges, such as Brexit, migration, instability in the neighborhood, and the start of the new European Commission. This, however, should not overshadow the achievements of these countries, they say.
“The progress made by the western Balkan countries is impressive. They have transformed their economies, judiciary, public administration and security apparatus.”
The authors continue by saying that incorporating the western Balkans into the Union is in the political, economic, and security interests of the EU and is also a joint strategic choice of the EU and its partners in the region.
“By enabling North Macedonia and Albania to take the next step in the integration process, the EU will reaffirm its commitment to the stability, security, democracy, and prosperity of the region. And it will acknowledge the fact that only through the integration of the western Balkans can the EU be complete and its long-term interests properly safeguarded,” the article concludes.
Title image: Hungarian minister of foreign affairs and trade Péter Szíjjártó
Polish author Olga Tokarczuk was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for 2018 “for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.”
The #NobelPrize in Literature for 2018 is awarded to the Polish author Olga Tokarczuk “for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life.” pic.twitter.com/ebU6claM8v
With an international mandate, Tokarczuk will be able to write Polish history anew, as a country of colonizers, slave owners and murderers of Jews.
The Nobel laureate said, when receiving her 2016 “Nike” literary award, that Poles had “created a history of Poland as an open, tolerant state that had never besmirched itself with anything evil towards minorities. Meanwhile, we did horrible things as colonizers, a national majority which oppressed minorities, slave owners and murderers of Jews.”
Tokarczuk claimed that Poles will have to face their own history and write it from scratch, while “not omitting all those horrible things.”
We are the only guarantee. We have proven, that politics should be based on credibility and we guarantee the development and upkeep of those programs.
“I believe that a great many people will go to the ballots, given that these are in fact the most essential elections in the last 30 years,” Morawiecki told TVP Info. “We are choosing between two different models of development of social and international policies.”
The PM admitted that he was worried about the lower level of mobilization on the side of the PiS electorate compared to supporters of the Civic Coalition (KO).
He emphasized that because PiS’ social reforms are so broad, many have taken them for granted and “some may believe that they will be continued” in the case of an opposition victory.
“We are the only guarantee. We have proven that politics should be based on credibility and we guarantee the development and upkeep of those programs,” Morawiecki stated, adding that every vote will count on Sunday’s elections and every hundred will decide whether PiS will continue to reform Poland in the “spirit of solidarity.”
The PM believed that the opposition’s actions are “total chaos” as they do not have a clear election program and a serious lack of consequences. He pointed out that PiS is the only party that unambiguously shows what it wants to accomplish after the elections.
Morawiecki warned that the Civic Coalition (KO) is characterized by radicalism in many different issues and that he has heard that the KO wants to bring the far-right Confederation into a coalition.
He also referred to the incident where Lech Wałęsa suddenly decided to withdraw his support for the KO and chose to support the peasant party instead.
“This is total chaos, we are dealing with very significant confusion and program uncertainty, therefore, a lack of consequence,” the prime minister said.
With a five-vote margin, the Romanian parliament passed on Thursday a motion of no confidence against the Social-Democrat (PSD) government led by the country’s first female prime minister, Viorica Dăncilă, throwing the already unstable Romanian political scene into an outright crisis. (more…)
Eurochambres is the Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry. At its Wednesday meeting in Rome, the Association elected the head of the Austrian Economic Chamber Christoph Leitl as its president for the next two years. President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce Vladimír Dlouhý was elected deputy president.
Dlouhý wants to focus on strategic planning and lobbying the European Union institutions and recommended that the Association set its priorities for the next mandate of the European Commission.
At the same time, Dlouhý became a member of the Eurochambres Board of Directors. The Czech Chamber of Commerce has also been represented in the Budgetary Committee since Vice President of the Czech Chamber of Commerce Ireba Bartoňová Pálková was confirmed a member of the Committee for the next year.
Vladimír Dlouhý remains one of the most famous figures of the post-November economic transformation the Czech Republic in the 1990s. From 1992 to 1997, he was minister of Industry and Trade. After that, he retired from politics to focus on the private sector. In January 2008, he became a member of the National Economic Council of the Government of the Czech Republic. In 2013, Dlouhý ran unsuccessfully for president in the first direct elections of the president of the independent Czech Republic. Since 2014, he has been president of the Czech Chamber of Commerce.
The Czech Chamber of Commerce joined Eurochambres as an associate member on October 3rd, 1994 and became a full member after the Czech Republic joined the European Union on May 1st, 2004.
Next Tuesday, Czech Defense Minister Lubomír Metnar will submit a proposal to the government to provide financial aid for the training of members of the Libyan Coast Guard members. However, the Czech Republic has supported the international mission of EU countries since 2015. The mission aims to prevent illegal migration from Libya to Europe.
Members of the Libyan National Coast Guard and Navy are trained within the EUNAVFOR MED operation SOPHIA. EU countries have thus far provided EUR 2.7 million in funds to the initiative. “To ensure the continuation of the operation, we have to spend another EUR 120,000. This sum includes the proposed EUR 20,000 financial help from the Czech Republic,” said Ministry of Defense Spokesman Jakub Fajnor. In 2016 and 2017, the Czech Republic contributed a total of EUR 90,000 to the mission.
“The proposed financial contribution in support of the training of the Libyan National Coast Guard aligns with the Czech government’s long-term plans as it supports a system solution to the migrant crisis. Furthermore, it enhances cooperation with the countries producing large numbers of migrants as well as transit countries. This way, migration can be dealt with on the spot,” added Fajnor.
Last year, the Czech government also approved a contribution of EUR 8.75 million within a V4 and Italy joint project focused on integrated border controls as well as managing migration flows in Libya.
In a statement provided by the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic, the Foreign Affairs Office of the Beijing Municipal Government stated that representatives of the Prague City Council deliberately violated the sister pact as they were grossly interfering in China’s internal affairs.
“As the political premises for the partnership between the two cities no longer exist, the Beijing Municipality hereby declares that the City of Beijing terminates the sister pact with the City of Prague, effective immediately,” the Office wrote.
Earlier this week, the Prague City Council also decided to terminate the memorandum between Prague and Beijing. According to the Prague Councilors, the reason was the unwillingness of China to renegotiate the deletion of the clause on recognition of the “One China” policy.
On Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in the Czech Republic criticized the Councilors´ decision. According to the Embassy, termination of the pact resulted in a breach of trust in Chinese-Czech relations. Ambassador Zhang Jianmin then urged the Prague Municipality to change its approach towards China.
In the past, the dispute between Prague and Beijing resulted, among other things, in postponing or canceling of performances of several Czech ensembles in China. The most likely reason was an earlier statement by Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib who requested the removal of the “One China” policy clause in the sister-city partnership pact.
Czech Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek also intervened in the dispute between the Chinese ambassador to the Czech Republic and Prague City Council, and he warned that statements by the Chinese ambassador damage the image of China in Czechia.
As a result of 77 consecutive months of wage growth, Hungarian workers are returning home, Imre Palkovics, president of the Hungarian Workers’ Council said on national television channel M1.
Palkovics said that while there is no central database on people working in other EU member states, tax and social insurance data indicate that the net workforce movement balance is positive for Hungary. He said that even in the economic sectors that have previously been virtually deserted by the workforce such as catering and construction, there is an encouraging trend of returns.
The main reason for this is the continuous growth in domestic real wages, together with the Hungarian government’s substantial demographic program that offers young couples sizeable financial benefits for having children. These include state subsidies for building or purchasing homes, tax incentives and an improved nursery network.
Palkovics added though that the average Hungarian wages are still significantly behind those in Western Europe, standing at only one third of them at present. Hungary – with a population of just under 9.8 million – had 441,000 of its citizens living abroad according to 2017 statistics. This was 6.8 percent of the working-age population, not the worst, but not the best statistic in the region either. In the Czech Republic, the same ratio was 3.3 percent.
By far the worst-hit among Central and Eastern European countries is Romania, with the number of its citizens leaving the country second only to Syria in the whole world. According to United Nations estimates, 3.4 million Romanians have left their country since 2007 and last year alone its population declined by 70,000. From an all-time high of 23.21 million in 1990, the population of the country dropped to an estimated 19.36 million in 2019.
Tomasz Sakiewicz writes that we should not believe the opposition when they tell us that they will maintain the social programs introduced by PiS. He says even the government will have to use all they’ve got to keep them running. The Civic Platform is surrounded by economists who will be unable to find enough funds for the initiatives.
The opposition and Gazeta Wyborcza’s calls for restoring democracy are also funny, because if that was the case, then why are they participating in the elections?
PiS activists have never mass-abused the election process. The same cannot be said of some of their predecessors. If the opposition wins, there is a fear that their swindles will reach an even larger scale, and they will entrench themselves when the economy starts to fall apart. They’ll use the courts and special services against journalists even more impudently than they did before.
Frans Timmermans
Poland must move away from coal, which will be painful
Timmermans claimed that “Poland must move away from coal, which will be painful.”
The European commissioner emphasized that the rest of the EU will “stand with Poland” and find necessary funds to support the process. During the last EU summit in June, several countries blocked the proposal concerning the EU reaching climate neutrality by 2050.
The Trump Administration is again turning American investors’ attention to Central Europe and there is further room for improvement in areas such as energy and defense, Eric Stewart, president of the Hungarian-American Business Council told Magyar Nemzet in an interview.
Stewart said he was on a visit to Hungary to further develop bilateral economic relations. He added that the delegation also included thirteen businessmen, who will not only have the opportunity to meet Hungarian business leaders but also government officials and the staff of the National Development Council, which he praised as a very effective organization.
Stewart said there isn’t one, single reason why Hungary is an attractive investment target but a multitude of factors: low taxes for business, creative and industrious workers, good prospects and the recent successes of the Hungarian economy. Also, Hungarian policies are not only aimed at attracting new investors to the country, but also keeping existing ones satisfied and encouraged to make further investments.
He said that while Hungary was focused on information technology – which is a good direction – the two areas where he saw the most potential for development are defense and energy.
Defense has good growth prospects primarily because of Hungary’s NATO commitment to increase its military spending to two percent of its GDP. Stewart said some of the businessmen in the delegation were defense contractors. The other field with significant development potential was energy: biodiesel, nuclear power generation and even the import of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States.
He said that in contrast to the Obama Administration, which focused on Asia, the Trump Administration is again devoting more attention to Europe – and Central Europe. This means that political relations are improving, which is also beneficial to businesses.
Stewart also said he appreciated how the Hungarian government had a clear set of priorities: while remaining committed to its membership in the European Union, it was also judiciously seeking ties with Russia, China and the United States.
To consider what a Christian person is and how they relate to oft-mentioned liberty, I will begin by positing two things: 1. A Christian is free. 2. A Christian is helpful.
People nowadays examine this “Christian liberty” thing from various angles. There is ignorance and ridicule from the left – which we’ve become accustomed to – while on the right we find competing interpretations.
The very existence of Christian liberty is essentially philosophical. We should thus examine Christian liberty using all the tools philosophy puts at our disposal, not from a leftist political perspective.
The philosophical roots of Christian democracy go back milennia and it is a comprehensive world view, offering guidance in life, nature, knowledge and transcendent issues. Political thinking based on Christian ideas is also a complete belief system.
Logic thus dictates that the “life built on the ideal of Christian liberty” – as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán puts it – is a comprehensive system of ideas.
Comparatively, the liberal world view does not have a similarly deep and broad foundation. It plucks the individual out of the world, giving him only liberties, without any sense of social responsibility or commitment to nation and culture. Moreover, the very basics of liberalism, the first generation of human rights all have their roots in the teachings of St Paul.
“Christian liberty,” far from being a contradiction in terms, is in fact the foundation of the liberal ideals of freedom and human rights.
We have a difficult job in explaining to our liberal friends – or even more difficult in the case of someone from a fundamentally different, Asian culture – what Christian liberty stands for. Convincing Western public opinion about the legitimacy of Christian liberty does not look like a hopeless task. On the contrary, Anglo-Saxon cultures will understand references to John Locke, who said that faith cannot be forced.
By the same logic, liberal democracy shouldn’t be forced on anyone either. In a liberal democracy, personal faith has no field of interpretation while its values must be accepted unconditionally. This is why Christian liberty is a threat to liberal democracy: the Central European model of Christian liberty leaves everyone free to express their own identities.
“A very sad and unexpected message. Professor Jan Szyszko has passed away. A scientist, politician but most importantly, a good and caring person, a lover of nature, who I had huge sympathy for and trusted. Fiat Voluntas Tua…RiP,” President Andrzej Duda wrote on Twitter.
Bardzo smutna, niespodziewana wiadomość. Dziś przed południem odszedł Pan Prof. Jan Szyszko. Naukowiec i polityk ale przede wszystkim dobry i życzliwy Człowiek, pasjonat przyrody, którego darzyłem wielką sympatią i szacunkiem. Fiat Voluntas Tua… RiP
PM Mateusz Morawiecki also sent his condolences to Szyszko’s family. “The sudden passing of Professor Jan Szyszko is a huge loss for us and for Polish science. I will always remember Jan Szyszko as a good man and naturalist who eagerly shared his knowledge and passion. The Professor will be sorely missed. My deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” he said.
Nagłe odejście Prof. Jana Szyszko jest wielką stratą dla nas i dla polskiej nauki. Zapamiętam Jana Szyszko jako dobrego człowieka, przyrodnika, który chętnie dzielił się swoją wiedzą i pasją. Będzie nam bardzo brakować Pana Profesora. Rodzinie i bliskim składam wyrazy współczucia
The head of Law and Justice’s parliamentary club and deputy Speaker of the Sejm, Ryszard Terlecki underlined how much of a loss Szyszko’s death was for PiS. “A truly surprising death, as he had appeared in media just yesterday and the day before. It’s sad, yet another death during this campaign which strikes us. It’s a painful loss, I really liked the minister,” he said.
The deputy Speaker emphasized Szyszko’s experience as a specialist in environment protection, forest conservation and agriculture. Terlecki admitted that although several PiS politicians including himself had different views on hunting and animal protection, Szyszko always “crushed” them with his competence, experience and knowledge.
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Aliquam volutpat ultricies malesuada. Donec malesuada euismod auctor. In ut lectus a turpis eleifend gravida quis eu nisl. Nunc in pharetra nulla. Quisque suscipit mi tellus, sit amet sagittis risus tempus eget. Duis fermentum efficitur aliquet. Phasellus vel diam urna. Etiam laoreet ligula id sem convallis, ut elementum arcu facilisis.
Vestibulum arcu justo, vehicula vitae orci facilisis, feugiat aliquet tellus. Nunc justo dui, sagittis id feugiat sed, ultrices in nunc. Phasellus vel dapibus orci. Etiam varius eleifend condimentum. In dignissim libero quis lectus sollicitudin elementum. Nullam sit amet cursus nulla. Praesent molestie congue dui gravida egestas. Sed accumsan dolor in tellus pharetra fringilla. Aliquam et tincidunt urna. Phasellus nisi erat, lobortis quis neque et, viverra rutrum lacus. Aliquam interdum turpis nec volutpat rhoncus. Aliquam quis metus gravida, congue diam et, sodales nibh. Nunc in sem et orci aliquam ornare vel fringilla ligula. Proin luctus eros in posuere sollicitudin.
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PKN Orlen released a statement outlining that starting in 2019, the Orlen brand will appear in Czech, German and Slovak gas stations. “This is an element of the introduced cobranding strategy, which entails the co-existence of local Benzina and Star brands with the Orlen logotype,” Orlen explained.
The company also announced that “as part of the actions that are meant to fully rebrand our chain, we will carry out coherent communication, in which our continuing engagement with Formula 1 will play an important role.”
Minister Marek Gróbarczyk
Historic day for Poland, Eastern Poland, Pomerania, the Warmian-Masurian voivodship, Elbląg and the entire Vistula Lagoon
He praised the current government, in that it indeed fulfills the will of “Solidarity”: “This is the first government after the Round Table, which is trying to include previously excluded human masses. It wants to give them more freedom, more social subjectivity.” Morawiecki had not withheld criticism either, as he pointed out that a government should not only give something to the people, but also demand something of the people. Yet he understood, that the major course taken after 2015 was the one of “Solidarity.” And the one beautiful names on the side of the opposition will change nothing here. Poland is facing a chance to maintain that good direction and strengthen in, because on the other side, there is only void. There is no deeper thought there, no more beautiful dreams, just a sea of individual and “class” egoism, micromania and grotesque insecurities. We cannot waste our chance.
Kaczyński stated that even sociologists don’t doubt that if the electorate mobilizes itself, then “PiS will win. He hurried voters to convince others to participate in the election as” one person can determine who becomes an MP and a thousand who will win the elections. ” PiS ‘leader argued that Poles will have to choose between two paths; one of Law and Justice and the good changes it introduced, and the other which entails” rejecting, trampling and shaming everything in Poland and Christ’s mission. ” Kaczyński underlined that Poles can be rich with citizens of Western Europe, but that it doesn’t have to come at the cost of freedom and Polish and Church traditions, in favor of” the ideology that is currently reigning ”in the West.
A country of freedom
“Poland must be a country of freedom, and freedom means that those, with whom we disagree, also can demonstrate their views.”
Kaczyński underlined that Poles can be rich with citizens of Western Europe, but that it doesn’t have to come at the cost of freedom and Polish and Church traditions, in favor of the “ideology that is currently reigning” in the West.
Jarosław Kaczyński is convinced that his party has no intention of limiting the freedoms of citizens, including those who disagree with:
PiS ‘leader admitted that though events such as the pride parade are attacked, the government cannot allow that to happen and that it is the police’s duty to prevent such assaults.
“We are a democratic state and only the stories of our enemies do we want to oppress someone, limit democracy or civic freedom,” Kaczyński said.
Aenean eget nibh et erat sagittis consectetur. Fusce vitae scelerisque mauris. In vestibulum commodo viverra. Ut et arcu mi. Duis blandit purus faucibus lacus rhoncus accumsan. Nunc cursus erat ut urna vulputate viverra. Pellentesque a ante ut sapien convallis mollis. In fermentum justo vel magna sollicitudin vulputate in sed libero. Sed luctus quis lacus non iaculis. Sed bibendum quam leo, vel pretium augue consequat vel. Mauris venenatis condimentum erat, id pellentesque sapien. Aenean commodo ante nec risus auctor, sed commodo massa dignissim. Vestibulum sit amet eleifend augue. Donec luctus volutpat neque in dapibus. Duis laoreet ligula placerat placerat pulvinar. Mauris elementum ultrices lectus a sagittis.
Donec quis sem velit. Maecenas tortor turpis, faucibus sed malesuada nec, bibendum at tellus. Sed eget scelerisque purus. Nulla id ante eget nisi tempor tristique. Integer fringilla metus at mauris fermentum, eget ultrices ligula porttitor. Suspendisse potenti. Curabitur cursus libero id odio vehicula, eget varius dui vulputate. Cras nec dui vitae ligula accumsan tempus eget et lectus. Aenean nec sapien elit. In tincidunt lectus nec libero posuere efficitur.
Fusce malesuada, turpis id venenatis varius, nibh felis condimentum nisi, eu tempus mauris tortor ut neque. Nulla vulputate hendrerit dolor, vel sollicitudin elit. Curabitur euismod ex vel urna dictum sodales. Phasellus pellentesque iaculis ipsum, id consectetur lectus. Aliquam ut lectus fermentum, egestas enim sed, rutrum urna. Praesent sagittis aliquam elit vel ultrices. Praesent sagittis urna efficitur elementum euismod. Praesent tristique ipsum erat, ac finibus felis consectetur et. In in pellentesque massa. Fusce vitae massa consequat, tincidunt velit sed, tempor elit.
Mauris cursus elementum felis, nec ornare mauris pellentesque id. Pellentesque pellentesque nisi vel urna volutpat porta. Morbi vel blandit tellus, ac finibus ante. Duis efficitur lacinia posuere. Fusce dictum, arcu non laoreet cursus, mauris sapien blandit diam, at feugiat est ex sit amet diam. Praesent eleifend a neque non porttitor. Cras sollicitudin dapibus enim vel tincidunt. Proin congue enim nibh, eget sagittis dolor ultrices in. Suspendisse blandit neque mi, at convallis sapien imperdiet sit amet. Suspendisse sit amet ex eu eros hendrerit venenatis. Nulla facilisi. Integer at turpis eget turpis gravida rutrum.
Ut blandit mollis lobortis. Vestibulum sit amet luctus magna. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Suspendisse potenti. Aenean vulputate imperdiet diam, vitae maximus mi luctus ultrices. Ut in placerat lacus. Donec sollicitudin, urna et finibus venenatis, turpis est ultricies turpis, in facilisis metus ipsum sit amet risus. Etiam magna orci, posuere sed dignissim eu, imperdiet vitae lectus. Donec laoreet eros id turpis venenatis, sit amet porttitor erat interdum. Aenean eleifend lectus at sagittis eleifend. Nulla sed velit a diam tempus porttitor et blandit est. Nulla nisi turpis, dignissim sit amet aliquam vel, vestibulum tempor lacus. Mauris in nisi lectus. Duis sit amet orci metus.
Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; In neque sem, suscipit sit amet lectus nec, ultrices blandit turpis. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut vestibulum sagittis nibh. Duis nec pretium dolor. Morbi risus dolor, mattis a nunc et, cursus pulvinar purus. Sed egestas, arcu et aliquam finibus, purus nunc ullamcorper ante, eu porttitor erat ligula at dolor. Donec eu quam metus. Aenean luctus sapien commodo ex interdum, eget rhoncus magna faucibus. Sed luctus porttitor dui quis eleifend. Fusce pellentesque a felis sit amet imperdiet. Nam vel nunc eu ante bibendum sollicitudin. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Suspendisse vitae quam a nunc vestibulum pulvinar sit amet at nisi. Sed pretium turpis vitae ante interdum dapibus in nec ligula. Pellentesque ut bibendum elit.
Vivamus ut massa enim. Mauris a venenatis lorem. Ut scelerisque ipsum vel metus malesuada, in mollis mi aliquet. Pellentesque augue tellus, consequat a risus vitae, aliquet efficitur eros. Nulla ut justo nulla. Etiam risus libero, suscipit vel ante et, vestibulum tincidunt nunc. Aenean eleifend elementum volutpat. Donec gravida sit amet ante sit amet luctus. Donec eleifend tempor tristique. Pellentesque fermentum metus consequat neque faucibus porta. Mauris vel neque ipsum. Mauris lobortis lorem sit amet ligula scelerisque finibus. Etiam ac tellus et risus fermentum porta. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Vestibulum commodo arcu et risus pellentesque pharetra. Vivamus nec aliquam dui.
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Donec pharetra ac erat vitae tristique. Orci varius natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Pellentesque varius nulla sit amet sapien ultricies, at sagittis erat volutpat. Mauris nec orci blandit, ultricies velit eget, lobortis justo. Vestibulum viverra magna at risus semper iaculis. Sed sed consectetur ex. Aenean eget elit vel nibh scelerisque pulvinar. Fusce dui quam, tempus quis arcu ut, luctus bibendum nulla. Nulla nec nulla molestie, elementum nulla sed, facilisis diam.
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Mike Pompeo’s trip to Budapest was a “historic visit,” Zoltán Kovács said. I wish you a good evening. According to the State Secretary for International Communication and Relations, the United States has previously been inclined to forget about Central Europe and to leave this area behind. The American secretary of state visited Hungary first during his Central European journey and announced the expansion of US trade, diplomatic, and cultural relations. We are discussing the reasons and the expected developments with my guest today, István Gyermati, a foreign and security policy expert. Good evening.
Good evening.
A very short question at the beginning. For whom was this meeting more important and useful: the United States or Hungary?
I think for both of them. Which is interesting, because if we say that the visit was important to both the giant and the small country, it means that the visit must have included some interesting and special elements. And, that is the case here, especially if we consider what we can expect from the visit.
We are going to discuss the details in a moment, but, before that, let us recall what the US Foreign Minister said here in Hungary.
You know, the US has been too far away from Central Europe recently. This is unacceptable. The gap that we created was filled by our competitors. Today, we are reaffirming our commitment and we will compete for the region. We will do this through the renewed diplomatic relations. This means strategic cooperation, which also allows us to honestly discuss issues that we do not agree on with our allies. We will achieve this goal by expanding US commercial, diplomatic, and cultural relations.
The thoughts we have just heard mean that the US has taken it for granted that Central Europe does whatever the US says and complies with the conditions that the US dictates, and that time has passed and now they have to realize that some rivals have appeared in the Central European region.
To answer this question, I think we have to go back to the Obama period. Back then, the Americans thought—and this was strongly expressed in politics as well —that this area, and Europe in general, had already being taken care of. Everything is fine. There is no need to do anything. Here, democracy and cooperation with America are raging. There is NATO, the European Union, and so on. Then they realized that this was not the case. To mention just one item, my generation still remembers the tremendous role that the United States played during the Cold War to keep Europe and Central Europe—although we were on the other side formally—safe. There was no war, and then the region was freed from communist oppression. Young generations no longer remember this, which is natural. I do not mean it as a reproach. And, for them, the United States is just another superpower like the rest, and superpowers are not pleasant in general. But, the image of America should be preserved and they have forgotten that.
To what extent has this image become eroded?
To a great extent. I think the Americans, on the one hand, neglected the area, and, on the other hand, they did some things that the region didn’t like very much. For example, we are still arguing about whether the Iraq intervention was right or wrong. And, obviously, those who are America’s opponents have been pushing into this area. It is mainly Russia, and Russia’s policy has significantly changed in this decade anyway. So, the Americans neglected the region, and the Russians began to concentrate on this area.
We will discuss this later in more detail. Going back to the V4, what is the relationship between the Visegrád countries, not only Hungary, and the United States? There is always a big challenge of how to create a balance between the West and Eastern Europe that is acceptable for all the parties.
The Americans have not noticed for a long time that the Visegrád 4 exists, that these four small countries are here. So far, Poland has been important to them. Then, a non-V4 country, Romania, came in the picture. So, these two countries have been strategically and militarily important for America. They didn’t really deal with the Visegrád 4. We don’t remember that the American president invited the leaders of the Visegrád 4 to Washington.
He spoke little about this region and Hungary.
I don’t even remember him mentioning the Visegrád countries. But, the Visegrád countries have become stronger for all sorts of reasons and have become an important factor in the region. And, the Americans noticed that there is not only Poland and Romania, but there are others who are very important. To mention just one issue, America does not have a more important ally in Europe concerning the Middle East and Israeli politics than the V4. And, the Visegrád 4 are going to Israel right now, and the Israeli prime minister will take time in the middle of his election campaign to meet the V4 leaders. This should be noticed.
This event is very important. What can we expect from this meeting?
I think that the meeting itself is very important.
But, it’s not just symbolically important.
In diplomacy, symbolism is of immense importance. If I were American or if I were the Israeli prime minister—fortunately I am not—then I would try to discuss with the V4 that the four of us should transfer our embassies to Jerusalem. Our prime minister said that he did not really want to do it alone, which is perfectly understandable. But, I think it would be quite understandable and normal for the Visegrád 4 to do it together, and it would not be very easy for anyone who dislikes it to protest against it.
Let’s turn to economic issues. It is obviously important for Hungary, but from this meeting it seems that it is important for America as well, to develop economic relations—which have been pretty good even previously—between the two countries.
The specific situation is that, unlike China, this area does not have an industry that causes unemployment in the United States, so the US does not really have a commercial war with us. Let me note that the USA does not really have a commercial war with the EU either, because the American war on trade with the European Union is mainly about Germany. So, there is no such problem with us, and they can safely develop economic relations here. Trump’s slogans of “America first” and “bring production back to America” do not apply to this area.
However, from an economic point of view, certain conflicts arise in relation to defense expenses. One can hear that America has not received any orders from the Zrínyi 2026, and they are somewhat deplored about that. The question is whether it can change in the future. This is not only about security issues, but about material issues as well.
It has to be mentioned that American diplomacy has been about economic relations, the representation of American economic interests, for a very long time, just as much as about the representation of other political interests. Now, in the Trump period, I think it is getting stronger, understandably. From the lively, strong US economic relations, the element has been lacking so far to get something from the US military industry, but it seems that now it is being replaced.
What can economic actors expect? In which areas can this cooperation be expanded?
In all areas that are of interest to America and Hungary, starting from the defense industry. Of course, this is a big cliché. I think we need to focus on expanding our technical and technological cooperation with the United States, because both sides need it. It is no longer true that America does not have a rival in technology, because today China has overcome the Americans in artificial intelligence research. In this area, America really needs to have brain capacities. And, they don’t have to do it with brain drain—they could bring the research here.
In addition to economics, which is closely related to defense systems and defense spending, if we look at ideology, then now it seems that Hungary can set an example for the US. For example, in terms of border protection, the fence was a positive example that was publicly appraised not so long ago and was mentioned as an example to others.
There are many more questions in which cooperation can be much more powerful than it was before.
For example, is migration a good example?
Well, migration is, in principle, a good example, but in practice, migration in America is different than in Hungary. But, the fact that the Americans are not protesting loudly against about what Hungary and the V4 countries are doing in this area is a good thing. And, we can find areas where we can work together. I have a lot of ideas on how to improve border protection. From drones to equestrian soldiers it’s all conceivable. And then, at what level and in what area we can coordinate and cooperate with the Americans, this is another question.
Another question is, how much money the parties are willing to spend.
Yes, but now it seems that America, or the American government at least, is willing to spend money on it, but Congress is not so much yet. And, we are willing to as well.
To what extent can the conflicts between the two countries, such as the CEU issue, weaken the good relations between the two countries? Everyone is saying that this was a historic visit. Zoltán Kovács, the government’s spokesman, even said that a new era begins. So, how could this new era be damaged by such conflicts? And, this is just the Hungarian case, but there are some problems among the other Visegrád countries that need clarification.
Democratic countries are always arguing with each other. One of the essences of democracy is debate, both internally and externally. The fact that two democratic countries are arguing with each other and disagreeing is a perfectly normal thing. And, debate is not done by shouting at each one another in the press, but by sitting down and discussing the issue, and it always results in something. The worst—or the best—scenario is saying that we do not agree on something, but that does not need to compromise our relationship. I think this has been and this will be one of the essential elements of Hungarian–American relations, that if we disagree on something, then we will sit down, discuss it, get some results, agree on something. If not, we will say that “okay, you think differently.”
We have already touched upon the issue of rivals, as China and Russia are in conflict with the US in certain areas, which is a relatively big deal. And, not only Hungary, but the whole V4 community is in the middle of that. Let’s see what Mike Pompeo said about this.
America has been a friend, partner, and ally of the Slovak people for the last thirty years, and they can count on us in the next decades. This relationship was based on common values that are particularly important to be strengthened now, when Russian aggression undermines freedom on this continent. But, we also need to strengthen those values because of China, which is gaining more influence abroad while the people are living under oppression in the country.
Should America be afraid of the growing Russian and Chinese influence?
To this, I would just like to add that “Slovak” could be replaced with “Hungarian” in the secretary of state’s speech. It applies to both countries, and even more countries. The US should not be afraid. The United States must recognize that there are countries that do not agree with it and compete with the United States, and that appropriate American policies must be developed for this situation. If Ronald Reagan had been afraid of the Soviets, then the Russian troops would still be here. There is no need for fear, but a normal policy must be pursued. I think that, in relation to dictatorships, it has to be said that there is a border here; if you go beyond that, there is a problem, but if you don’t go too far, we can cooperate in many areas. The problem with Russia is that we really see only the opposition at the moment, not so much the cooperation, mainly because of Russia itself. But, we should try to show the Russian leadership that Russia would benefit from working with the United States and with us and with others, and, in return, they should, say, give up sending troops to Ukraine.
The US secretary of state said the following about the situation in Ukraine: “We cannot allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to drive a wedge between our friends and the NATO.” Wouldn’t it be better if he thought a little bit more about what he says and get more information? Because, if we think about the Hungarian minorities abroad, it may not be a good position for America to make such a statement.
In principle, what he said is right, and we also don’t want anyone to drive a wedge between us and our friends. I don’t even think that this has happened. It may be the intention, but it has not succeeded. We see the Ukrainian problem differently, in some ways, but not in many ways. We see it differently mainly because of the language law and its consequences, but America is a global power, so it has to look at Ukraine differently than we do. America needs to understand that we have other aspects and we need to understand that they have other aspects.
I think there is no huge problem here. We should accept that a country that is going to have an election soon, especially a weak country like Ukraine, cannot afford to make huge compromises, especially in the face of the Russian threat. So, we should wait patiently for the elections. In this regard, it should also be noted that there are high level ministerial consultations between Hungary and Ukraine on the language law. I think we’ll agree somewhere.
So far no one seems to have compromised yet.
No, but they cannot compromise before the elections. I think these consultations prepare an agreement for after the elections. The other thing I would like to note is that, yes, Hungary is visibly blocking the NATO–Ukraine Council meeting. However, this does not prevent the NATO–Ukraine cooperation. So, Hungary does not allow a spectacular gesture to be done, but practical cooperation is taking place. Look at today’s ministerial meeting in Brussels—if the ministers arrive there despite the strike. There will be no NATO–Ukraine council meeting, but there will be a breakfast called by the British defense minister, where they will discuss the same issue.
And, what is the situation with China? In the Chinese case, it is the economic interests and influence that are the major issue. At the same time, analysts have been saying for years that the Chinese balloon could pop in any minute, since Chinese economy is relatively unstable because of the overspinning.
Frigyes Karinthy said that a mother is always right. She keeps telling her son to put on a sweater otherwise he’ll catch a cold until one day he does catch a cold. So, of course, one can say that for years. The downfall of the Soviet Union had been predicted since 1918 too. There could be some popping of the Chinese balloon, but I don’t think so. The Chinese economy is not only strong, it is also very firmly controlled, so a huge popping is definitely prevented. Of course there are problems, but there are problems everywhere, in Europe as well.
How much of the American interest can or does China want to get?
I think that the Chinese–American war is coming to an end now, and the Americans will win. It does not mean that the Chinese will be greatly defeated, but I think the end of the war will be more beneficial for America, since America is in a better economic position. Surely there will be a next commercial war, but we don’t know when that will happen, but the next one might not be won by the Americans.
We have very little time left. To sum up this visit, what future goals can be formulated, and what can be changed in the relationship between the US and the V4 or the US and Hungary?
We can strengthen the cooperation in many areas: in military aspects, in strategy, in economy, in research and development, in culture, etc. In addition, I think that those who have malevolently thought that Hungarian–American relations are really bad, they now have to be silent, because it is just not the case. This had not really been the case before either, but now it is definitely not the case. It is partly our responsibility to live with the opportunities that this visit opened up.
Do you see any chance that leaders of the two countries will meet in the near future?
Yes, absolutely.
Did this visit lay down the foundations for that?
Yes. I do see the chances. For sure they will meet at the London summit in the fall. Will there be a separate meeting for the two leaders? I think that the possibility should not be overstated. Of course it is great if you are invited to the White House, I’d like to go there too, even though I’m not welcomed by the president, and it has a huge symbolic value. I do think that the meeting will happen sooner or later.
István Gyarmati, thank you for coming to us.
You’re welcome.
And our viewers, thank you for your attention. This was the program on the Visegrád cooperation. We are looking forward to seeing you next week. Have a nice evening, and goodbye.
The controversy that surrounds Huawei is not about the trade war between the US and China or about the theft of data. It’s about being able to turn off access to people’s services and contents on the net.
Since December 2018 an increasing number of Huawei employees have been detained. It began with the arrest of the daughter of the founder of the company who was serving as finance director. Then we had the arrest in Poland and in the last few days Denmark has deported two Huawei employees.
Poland and Europe alike need digital independence not only from China but also the US
The reason for these events lies in the 5G technology which is the new standard for mobile internet connectivity. Huawei is dominant in this market segment and is the supplier of the equipment necessary for the new telecommunications infrastructure. Chinese decision makers are counting on their company’s global domination of the process and development of the new technology.
In Europe, 90 percent of the IT infrastructure comes from appliances produced in Asia. This is why the US suspect that in a conflict situation China would be able to switch off the infrastructure.
The switching off the web could have similar consequences to the harsh winter of the century that afflicted the Polish economy 40 years ago. Poland and Europe alike need digital independence not only from China but also the US. The testimony of Edward Snowden shows that the US may also have similar ideas to the Chinese.
Mike Pompeo, in remarks made after his bilateral meeting with Polish FM Jacek Czaputowicz urged Poland to resolve the restitution issue.
We also appreciate the importance of resolving outstanding issues of the past, and I urge my Polish colleagues to move forward with comprehensive private property restitution legislation for those who lost property during the Holocaust era.
The meeting between the Polish FM and Pompeo took place ahead of the Middle East Conference this week. Both men were in full agreement on Nord Stream 2 and how it is a threat to European energy security.
However, when turning to Polish-US relations Pompeo made the comment on post-holocaust restitution.
“Not much coverage @SecPompeo of these words. But they should not be ignored when reporting the meeting with FM Czaputowicz,” tweeted journalist Tomasz Fenske:
O tych słowach @SecPompeo mało słychać, a nie powinny być pomijane w relacjach ze spotkania z Czaputowiczem: I urge my Polish colleagues to move forward with comprehensive private property restitution legislation for those who lost their property during the Holocaust @TOKFM_NEWSpic.twitter.com/zOTAId1AEs
Some observers of the restitution issue will be concerned that this was an expression of US administration support for the 447 JUST (Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today) resolution that went through Congress last year.
“This is an important step towards beatification as it now opens the way for examining prayer responses and miracles,” Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő said from Rome.
Mindszenty was the leader of the Hungarian Roman Catholic Church from 1945 to 1973, during the Soviet occupation of the country. He was convicted of treason by the country’s Communist authorities in a 1949 show trial and spent eight years in prison before the 1956 uprising made it possible for him to seek refuge in the American embassy in Budapest where he lived for 15 years.
Mindszenty became a symbol of resistance to Communism, and he was eventually permitted to leave Hungary in 1971 through the personal intervention of St. Pope John XXIII. He died in exile in Vienna, Austria, in 1975,
A decree of “heroic virtue” means that Mindszenty is now entitled to be called “venerable,” and that his sainthood cause must await one approved miracle for beatification and another for eventual canonization.
At the same time, the Vatican also ascribed a miracle to Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890), perhaps the most renowned Anglican convert to Catholicism of all time. A theologian, poet and essayist, Newman was beatified in 2010, meaning the new miracle clears the way for his canonization, the formal act of declaring him a saint.
Apart from Kushner those who are aware of the details of the proposal are State Secretary Mike Pompeo, the special envoy to the Middle East Jason Greenblatt and the US Ambassador in Israel David Friedman. The full proposal will be unveiled after the parliamentary elections and the formation of a new government in Israel.
The US administration fears that some parts of the proposal may not be well received by either the Israeli public opinion nor the Jewish lobby in the US. In Warsaw Kushner will concentrate in getting Arab states on board. This is because it is reported that a key element of the peace plan are parts relating to containing Iran’s influence.
Kushner hopes Arab states will give financial backing to Palestine and agree in the long term to recognize Israel
Kushner hopes Arab states will give financial backing to Palestine and agree in the long term to recognize Israel. It is likely that a part of the package would include US recognition of Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem.
Palestine will not be represented at this week’s Middle East Conference in Warsaw. It views the US as being an ally of Israel and therefore not able to play a mediating role in the conflict.
Undoubtedly the fact that the peace plan is being unveiled in Warsaw is a diplomatic coup for Poland. Poland is becoming a key ally for Israel in Europe. Like Spain in 1991 when that country hosted a joint US-Soviet Middle East conference in Madrid, Poland is attempting to use the Middle East debate as a means to establish a more global diplomatic presence.
“This is an important step towards beatification as it now opens the way for examining prayer responses and miracles”, Hungarian Primate Cardinal Péter Erdő said from Rome.
Mindszenty was the leader of the Hungarian Roman Catholic Church from 1945 to 1973, during the Soviet occupation of the country. He was convicted of treason by the country’s Communist authorities in a 1949 show trial and spent eight years in prison before the 1956 uprising made it possible for him to seek refuge in the American embassy in Budapest where he lived for 15 years.
Mindszenty became a symbol of resistance to Communism, and he was eventually permitted to leave Hungary in 1971 through the personal intervention of St. Pope John XXIII. He died in exile in Vienna, Austria, in 1975,
A decree of “heroic virtue” means that Mindszenty is now entitled to be called “venerable,” and that his sainthood cause must await one approved miracle for beatification and another for eventual canonization.
At the same time, the Vatican also ascribed a miracle to Cardinal John Henry Newman (1801-1890), perhaps the most renowned Anglican convert to Catholicism of all time. A theologian, poet and essayist, Newman was beatified in 2010, meaning the new miracle clears the way for his canonization, the formal act of declaring him a saint.
Cardinal John Henry Newman
Title image: Cardinal József Mindszenty (Fortepan archive)
President Andrzej Duda confirmed after his meeting with VP Mike Pence that a decision on increasing US military presence in Poland was expected very soon. He also hinted that once the capacity of the LNG terminal in Świnoujście was increased there would be more scope for increasing LNG imports from the US.
VP Mike Pence, speaking at the press conference after the meeting with President Duda emphasized the importance of economic security which required avoiding energy dependence on “aggressive Russia”. Interestingly he said that “we can’t wait to develop cooperation in developing other sources of energy such as nuclear power”.
We can’t wait to develop cooperation in developing other sources of energy such as nuclear power
The American VP declared that the US value “Polish partnership” in efforts to protect the US telecommunications sector against China. He went on to say that “recent actions against a high ranking Huawei employee and his Polish collaborator” helped in ensuring that the sector was not damaging national security.
Mr Pence acknowledged that Poland gave significant support for the US in Iraq and that “this week Poland has taken on itself another significant role by being the host to the conference on promoting a peaceful and secure future for the Middle East.”
Poland has taken on itself another significant role by being the host to the conference on promoting a peaceful and secure future for the Middle East
Finally, VP Pence said that “no danger is felt more than the specter of aggression from the East.”: Apart from the military aggression in Ukraine and Georgia, “Moscow wants to divide thanks to its oil and gas resources, arsenal of nuclear weapons and interventions in elections taking place in other countries”. According to the VP facing these provocations, “President Trump has done more to show solidarity with Poland and face down Russia than any other US President in our recent history.”
In the report Freedom in the World 2018 published last week, Freedom House has deemed Hungarian press to only be “partly free”. Hungarian think-tank Center for Fundamental Rights (AK) has highlighted the most obvious errors of said report.
“Before compiling their report, Freedom House obviously neglected to inform itself about the constitutional and public law system of Hungary”, AK writes. “As a result, the document is but a desperate attempt at influencing the European elections and ‘punishing’ states which are critical to the open society concept.”
It said that AK will on future occasions gladly assist Freedom House in getting their facts right as “no reasonable person can honestly think that Senegal, Botswana, South Africa or India are more free than Hungary”.
AK said the report brings unjustified criticism to the State Audit Office for scrutinizing the finances of opposition parties and to public service media for its attitude towards opposition politicians “when in fact both organizations were only performing their legal duties”.
It also said that the Freedom House also wrongly stated that the government is the one who appoints the members of the Constitutional Court or in its assessment of the 2018 elections which is based on “grave factual errors”.
The billionaire financier and his lobbyists held a meeting to discuss a European leadership that has obediently followed their agenda. Now that the European Union is at the edge of a precipice, the pretend philantropist is burying those lackeys and the present structure of the EU with his own hands.
The article in which he does so has been published by the very same Project Syndicate that aired his plan years ago, despite the denials of the left. This one will be pretty difficult do hide.
The most pertinent part of the article – besides the usual Soros diatribes – is him likening the European Union to the pre-collapsed Soviet Union.
“Europe is sleepwalking into oblivion, and the people of Europe need to wake up before it is too late. If they don’t, the European Union will go the way of the Soviet Union in 1991,” Soros writes. “The current leadership is reminiscent of the politburo when the Soviet Union collapsed – continuing to issue ukazes (ukaz – imperial proclamation in Russian) as if they were still relevant.”
The second sentence also gives a very poor account of the EU leadership and unmasks them at the same time. Not that it would take a particular leap of imagination to liken an ailing Juncker to a Yeltsin on the brink of collapse.
It seems that finally some light has penetrated into the Soros-tunnel and he realized what has for years been obvious to all Europeans capable of rational thought.
Zdechovský, who is number two on the candidates’ list, thinks that the alliance fulfills an idea of a united conservative, Christian-Social, and Christian-Democratic viewpoint. At the same time, a reform of the EU is at the core of the alliance, specified Zdechovský while likening its stance to German CSU and Austrian OVP.
According to Zdechovský, the EU is too rigid, unable to react accordingly to sudden events like Brexit, adding that he was surprised by a lack of self-reflection. It often takes a leftist approach to issues as its main tools are regulations and quotas, said Zdechovský. Usually, as put by Zdechovský, the EU tends to blame others instead of critically looking at its failures in communication and action to be politically correct.
By not being able to name and face the migration issue, the EU has alienated itself from Czech citizens, said Zdechovský. He hopes that the next European Parliament and Commission will be more conservative and rightist. According to Zdechovský, it is essential to ensure European security and to know who, why and from where they are coming to Europe.
Namely, Zdechovský would welcome an institutional and value-based reform and subsidies limited only to public-sector projects. He also wishes for a more transparent and faster EU with less bureaucracy. The EU is focusing exclusively on a matter that needs a common European approach like the fight against terrorism, environmental protection, etc., he added.
Zdechovský condemned a so-called ‘somersault politics’ implemented by the liberals, socialists, and communists. We cannot go from one extreme to the other; we need time-tested measures and institutions, he added.
After stock prices dropped around the world in the last few weeks of 2018, due to the fears of a slowdown of the Chinese and world economies, the Prague Stock Exchange had a more successful outcome at the beginning of the new year. Also the indexes in Warsaw, Budapest and Bucharest are so far in the positive figures in 2019.
According to analysts, in spite of the strengthening at the beginning of the year, Central European stocks offer interesting investment opportunities for the future. “We continue to see very interesting growth potential in our region’s shares,” said Marco Marinucci, portfolio manager of Generali Investments CEE.
Also, Tomáš Pfeiler, portfolio manager of Cyrrus, positively assessed the situation. According to him, the Central European stock exchanges are currently a good opportunity for money appreciation even in comparison with more advanced Western European stock markets. “Local economies are currently growing faster. Even regional firms are in better shape, for example, they maintain a lower debt ratio,” said Pfeiler.
The potential can also be seen in the lower rate of the household debt ratio, which is likely to rise in the future as people get more credit, whether for housing or purchasing consumer goods.
Central European exchanges may, however, be affected by slowing economic growth, whether in the eurozone or other parts of the world. The risks also include the uncertainty surrounding Britain’s upcoming EU withdrawal and the possible continuation of the trade war between the United States and China. On the contrary, a positive impulse for Central European stock markets may be a change in the behavior of key central banks that can encourage investors.
SinceJanuary 1st, Austria has introduced the so-called indexation of the family benefits, which will not affect Austrians themselves. The impact will be mainly on foreigners working in the country, but leaving their families at home. According to the new rules, the amount of benefits will begin to derive from the amount of allowances paid in the child’s country of residence. Primarily workers from countries where living costs are lower than in Austria will be affected by the reduction.
There are 8,000 Czech workers in Austria, who pay taxes just like Austrians. Since the very beginning of the year, these people do not share the same benefits. The new law is discrimination for people who came to Austria from Eastern Europe, and the European Union should do something about it because this legislation only strengthens eurosceptic voices across Europe.
Also, Austria’s action is contrary to the EU´s law and undermines the basic principles on which the European Union stands. The free movement of people, together with other freedoms, including the free movement of goods, services, and capital, is one of the pillars without which there could be no functioning internal market. The fact that the decision of the Austrian authorities will affect Czech citizens is also unfortunate because the possibility to travel freely to work anywhere in the European Union was one of the main reasons why the Czech Republic joined European integration in 2004. What is even sadder is that this fundamental freedom is now being jeopardized and paradoxically those countries that joined the Union later must fight for its preservation.
At least, the new Austrian law on the compensation of family expenses which introduced the indexation of childcare allowances has alarmed the European Commission. At the end of January, Brussels gave Vienna two months to explain the new rules. Thus, a fundamental procedure has been launched that could also be brought to the European Union Court of Justice. In Europe, where there must not be two categories of citizens, employees and children.
Pompeo came to Bratislava from Hungary as the first US Secretary of State to visit Slovakia since 1999. During his official visit, he met with Slovakia’s top representatives and visited the Gate of Freedom Memorial dedicated to victims of the so-called Iron curtain. He noted that he witnessed how bad Communism can be when he patrolled the Czechoslovak borders as a young soldier in the 1980s. According to Pompeo, Slovakia has never been as prosperous as it is now.
At his meeting with Slovak PM Peter Pellegrini, Pompeo stressed defense cooperation between the US and Slovakia. Recently, to modernize its army, Slovakia purchased Black Hawk helicopters from the US. Additionally, earlier in December last year, a contract worth 1.6 billion EUR for 14 most advanced F-16 fighter jets was signed between the two counties.
Slovakia is sensitive to EU-US trade relations, as they may have an impact on its economy as well, Pellegrini told the media. For example, Slovakia exports cars to the US and any additional import taxes and duties could damage the economy.
Pictured above: Former Polish PM Donald Tusk and former Orlen CEO Jacek Krawiec (2013).
The CBA has detained two former department heads and a former CEO of PKN Orlen. They have been taken to the public prosecutor’s office in Łódz where they will be charged. Authorized searches have taken place at the homes of those detained.
According to the public prosecutors the arrests come after a detailed investigation by the CBA into commercial and tax offences as a result of a lack of due diligence in procurement.
According to Maciej Wąsik, the deputy to the minister responsible for coordinating security services operations, the three detainees will be charged with corruption.
CBA have detained three people, among them the former CEO of PKN Orlen Jacek K. The public prosecutor will charge them with corruption.
CBA zatrzymało trzy osoby, w tym byłego prezesa PKN Orlen Jacka K. Zatrzymanym prokurator postawi zarzuty korupcyjne
According to Anita Gargas, investigative reporter for state TVP, Krawiec is suspected of causing damage worth 3.3 mln PLN:
OUR NEWS. Former CEO #OrlenJacek K. is suspected of causing his company damage to its assets worth 3.3 mln PLN when accounting for the Verva Street Racing-Dakar event at the National Stadium by paying all the invoices, even though they were inordinately high and did not take into account income from ticket sales.
NASZ NEWS. B.szef #Orlen Jacek K. jest podejrzewany, że przyczynił się do wyrządzenia spółce szk. majątk. w wys. 3,3 mln zł przy rozliczaniu Verva Street Racing -Dakar na Narodowym poprzez zapłatę wszystkich faktur, mimo że były zawyżane i mimo braku potrąceń ze sprzedaży biletów
According to the research, 75 percent of voters are convinced that the tapes will not force the ruling party leader out of Polish politics. Only 10 percent believe he might retire from politics as a result of the revelations.
The interview given by Kaczyński to Sieci magazine confirms this judgement. The ruling party leader says that “there is nothing illegal, no corruption.”
According to the survey by the IBRiS agency, 38 percent expressed keen interest in the tapes and 36 percent expressed modest interest, with 26 percent declaring faint or no interest at all.
38 percent expressed keen interest in the tapes while 26 percent showed no interest at all
It was noticeable how a high degree of interest in the tapes was among the liberal opposition rather than ruling party voters. Nearly 70 percent of Civic Platform voters reported great interest in the tapes whereas the figure for the ruling party was below 20 percent.
In terms of demographics it was the well educated and those in full employment who were most interested, whereas 60 percent of those unemployed or engaged in contract work expressed disinterest in the tapes.
According to Rafał Chwedoruk, political scientist “political divisions are affected by various factors: economic status, education and age. Those who are not interested tend to be older and less well off, another words groups with a lower propensity to actually turn out and vote. The other side, who are interested in the matter, will be more mobilized. This means that existing divisions will only grow stronger.”
Mike Pompeo’s tour of Central Europe is aimed at reducing Chinese influence in the region. This is a problem for Poland as it was counting on Chinese investments in infrastructure.
But the Americans are also expecting Polish backing for their conflict with Iran, the issue set to dominate the Warsaw summit on February 13th and 14th. Such backing is tricky as it threatens relations with EU partners such as France and Germany.
The reward, according to US diplomatic sources is to be the strengthening of the US military presence in Poland. VP Mike Pence is to mention this in Warsaw, though the final decision will be taken by the Pentagon in March.
Poland’s liberal opposition is critical of the Middle East Conference. Its foreign affairs spokesman Paweł Zalewski says that “it is in Poland’s interests when the West works together, so Poland should be working as a mediator and not with the US against the EU”.
The conference in Warsaw has divided the EU. Poland, the UK and Italy are sending their foreign affairs ministers to the conference as are five other states, but Germany, France and Spain are sending low level representation.
Mobile operators are beginning to deploy the technology of 5G (fifth generation) networks promising faster data transfer, faster response times and massively improved device connectivity. But again, fear of the unknown is beginning to consume Hungarians.
5G networks operate in the 6 to 86 GHz frequency range, essentially the microwave band also known as “centimeter band” based on its wavelength. In urban areas, these wavelengths require more base stations, but that also means that individual stations will be able to use weaker signals.
While low levels of microwave radiation are not proven to be harmful, some healthcare foundations – mainly in but not restricted to the United States – warn that the effects of long-term exposure are as of yet unknown. Others point out that microwave technology has been around since the 1990s in the form of both point-to-point radio communication and more recently as WiFi routers. Typical domestic WiFi routers also operate in the microwave band.
Opponents of 5G most often cite a case that supposedly happened in the Hague, Netherlands last November when some 300 birds allegedly died during a test deployment of a 5G base station. That particular item – claiming healthy birds died of sudden heart failure – has since been thoroughly debunked as a hoax. The birds had most likely been poisoned.
But as with all hoaxes, it keeps making the rounds on social media fueling people’s fears.
Both diplomats were at one with regard to the Nord Stream 2 project. “We believe that the venture is a mistake and is damaging for energy security in Europe,” said Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz after his meeting with US State Secretary Mike Pompeo.
The two ministers were in agreement as to the aims and objectives of foreign and security policy and confirmed the excellent relations between the two nations. Pompeo described Poland as one of the best friends of the US in Europe and emphasized US satisfaction that Poland is honoring its NATO commitments to the fullest.
Mike Pompeo stressed that NATO was always able to oppose any aggressor and every threat. He added that US President Donald Trump is grateful that Poland has been fulfilling its duties and supports the Alliance as far as it is possible.
“We discussed plans for enlarging the presence of US forces in Poland,” wrote the Polish Foreign Ministry on Twitter during the press conference:
“Omówiliśmy przede wszystkim plany dalszego rozszerzania i utrwalania obecności sił amerykańskich w Polsce. Mam nadzieję na kontynuowanie dialogu politycznego w tej sprawie z naszymi partnerami z USA”. pic.twitter.com/p8OpLOTGtB
— Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych RP (@MSZ_RP) 12 February 2019
The two men will together chair the Middle East Conference in Warsaw. “We hope for the opening up of new channels for dialog in the Middle East.”
“Mamy nadzieję na otwarcie nowych kanałów dialogu w dyskusji na Bliskim Wschodzie i wyznaczenie kierunków przyszłych działań”.
Opel – a subsidiary of the French PSA Group – ran an ad in Hungary promoting its Grandland compact SUV. The ad opens with an aerial shot of downtown Budapest, quickly switching to a young man negotiating the potholes, cobblestones streets and speed bumps, with the ad saying
“Thank you, Budapest, for reminding us how comfortable our ergonomic seats are.”
The ad – originally intended for Germany – made its way to Hungarian social media with comments equally divided between those that acknowledged the state of some Budapest roads and others that feel the ad was disparaging the Hungarian capital.
Opel has an engine factory in Szentgotthárd, western Hungary with a capacity of 500,000 engines per year.
You can watch the whole ad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=mTAlib4DVXk
“To be brief, we support her. I think politics should stay away from the elections of the European chief prosecutor. Therefore, only considering her technical capacity, we endorse her,” EPP Vice-President Esteban Gonzalez Pons told Romanian news portal HotNews.
Kövesi was shortlisted by a jury of 12 EU legal experts as their top pick for the position, followed by Jean-François Bohnert from France and Andres Ritter from Germany.
Kövesi, born Laura Codruta Lascu in Sepsiszentgyörgy/Sfântu Gheorghe, graduated with a degree in law from the Babes-Bolyai University in Kolozsvár/Cluj Napoca and obtained her PhD in law in 2012. She was appointed Prosecutor General of Romania in 2006 at the age of 33, the youngest ever person to hold the position and the only one so far who served her full term in office.
She then served as Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) from 2013 until she was sacked in 2018 by justice minister Tudorel Toader for alleged abuse of power, and President Klaus Iohannis reluctantly signed off on her dismissal after the constitutional court in Bucharest ruled that he could not block the decision.
She was married to ethnic Hungarian Eduárd Kövesi and kept his former husband’s surname after the divorce.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki predicts that the elections to the European Parliament will show a different Europe to the one currently seen in Brussels.
PM Morawiecki explained that Central Europe’s different attitudes towards migration stemmed from differences in the level of economic development between the west and east of Europe. He saw no reason “why Poles who are far less wealthy and endured terrible times should be forced to take in migrants at the same rate as Germany. That would be discriminatory. I should not have to remind you that we have taken in 1.5 million Ukrainians.”
He argued that an “open door” policy was not the answer. He felt that it would be better to help poor countries develop their economies and that Poland was doing just that with its aid program. He acknowledged that there was also a need to defend Europe’s identity and security. “We have to hear what people say they are afraid of,” he said, adding that the link between Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism could not be denied.
PM Morawiecki saw the future of Europe as one of nation states rather than one of a United States of Europe, which he felt was held by French President Emmanuel Macron. “European nations have their own magnificent cultures,” he said. He accepted that there were “common European values” but felt that there could be no “universal European identity” as there was a multitude of languages and interests.” These had to be respected rather than contested, he added.
Finally, he predicted that the elections to the European Parliament would show that “Europe is totally different from the way Brussels perceives it.” He felt that rather than label new movements as ‘populist’, their democratic origins should be acknowledged and voices heard.
The ANO movement would win 32 percent of the votes. Pirates would receive 16.5 percent, ODS 13.5 percent. Both parties would lose 2.5 percentage points compared to the November result. According to analyst Pavel Ranoch, the outflow was mainly due to young voters under the age of 30, and mainly the fourth SPD (seven percent) and sixth TOP 09 (5.5 percent) benefited from it.
The Communists would end fifth with 6.5 percent of the votes. According to the survey, five percent of votes would be won by STAN, ČSSD, and KDU-ČSL. The People´s Party, who, like the Communists, improved its results, would end outside of Parliament as well as TOP 09.
Kantar CZ also focused on entrepreneurs whose support the government is currently seeking among other things by raising the limit of spending flat rates. However, according to Ranoch, the Pirates and the ODS would score the most with about 25 percent of the votes. The ANO movement would end third with 15 percent; the other parties would get less than ten percent of the votes.
For example, Viktor Orbán, according to Die Welt, said that the aim of the talks was “for the Germans to choose a strategic partnership with the Visegrad Group and not just focus on France”. No doubt, there is something to it. However, France, unlike the V4, has a consistent policy towards Germany.
Although the Visegrad Group brings benefits, and Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia as a whole have their weight, there is no point in having false hopes that the V4 could be, in the eyes of the Germans, of equal importance as France. France is economically twice as powerful as the V4, and also, it has nuclear weapons and is a permanent member of the UN Security Council. But the key reason can be elsewhere.
France has a consistent policy towards Germany, albeit not always consistent. But the “German policies” of the V4 countries are sharply different. PM Orbán has allies in the CSU and CDU. Poland broadly defends its interests towards Germany as far as to calculate the reparations for the Second World War, which is the SPD and Communists´ agenda in the Czech Republic. Slovakia is pragmatic if not pro-Germanic. And the Czech Republic seems to be guided by the principle: let’s be pro-German, at least for economic interests, but no one has to know about it. Rather do not shout loud that we do not want the euro or accept the quota of migrants.
From this range of approaches, a common policy, which should be taken just as seriously as the French approach, cannot be formed. However, it does not mean it should be done in this way.
An evergreen of all elections is classic alarmism that in the upcoming elections, much more is at stake than in all previous elections together. In this regard, the upcoming European elections are no exception. Paradoxically, the people who fight the loudest against fake news are also saying that conservative right-wing parties are a threat for the European Union because of their pro-Russian and anti-European stances.
Those journalists and politicians say that the most dangerous examples are Poland and Hungary with their right-wing conservative governments. They say they want to ruin the European Union. But let’s look at a recent poll on how the citizens of the individual EU countries would vote in a referendum on the withdrawal from the Union. Ninety-two percent of Poles and 81 percent of Hungarians would vote for staying if needed. For example, what about France? Only 60 percent would vote to stay. Even though France is led by Emmanuel Macron, the “Big European”. Isn’t it strange? Maybe those parties are not anti-European at all. They can be Euro-sceptic, but it does not mean they are anti-European.
In the Czech Republic, it is the same. The conservative Civic Democratic Party (ODS) with its leader Jan Zahradil is being attacked all the time. But Zahradil does not want a Czexit. He just wants to reform the EU´s functioning from the inside, prevent further centralization and federalization, and leave more power to the member states, just like for example the Polish Law and Justice does. For pro-European journalists, it’s not enough. Zahradil never showed any sympathy for Russia. He has always been criticizing the regime of Vladimir Putin. Guess what? He was labeled as an agent of the Kremlin.
Finally, let’s say one more thing. Indeed, the European Parliament consists of candidates who are anti-European, and an exit of their country from the EU is part of their program. Whether it is the Czech SPD, the former French National Front or others, these are parties who are much closer with the extreme left, and some nationalist elements. They have almost nothing to do with conservatism and the right. Handling these populist parties together with conservatives is just a continuation of efforts to delegitimize another view of the EU´s leadership that does not see it as a European superstate with the greatest possible suppression of national elements.
Is ex-president Václav Klaus right when he says that the European Parliament is “mostly a dumping ground for second-rate politicians for which there are no sufficient roles at home”?
To a great extent, he is. The EP plays a minimal role in the political life of the Czech Republic, compared to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, and is only exceptionally at the center of citizens’ attention.
MEPs are fundamentally limited by traveling from the Czech Republic to the seats of this assembly – it takes their time and energy. On the other hand, MEPs have a high financial rating and a lot of opportunities to hire their colleagues. And most importantly, it is relatively easy to get into this institution. In previous elections, only 80,000 votes were enough, which is not so much when the whole country is the constituency. The experience of the three Euro elections confirms to us Klaus’s thesis of a dumping ground to a great extent.
It has to be said that even the candidates for the new EP mostly do not convince us – they are often matadors and seem to the voters as some inventory that we somehow know it exists, but no one remembers any extraordinary act of some of the “inventory numbers”, although there might be hard-working and active MEPs among them. However, their activities are not in sight of the voters.
This year, TOP 09 chairman Jiří Pospíšil, who as MEP ran for the Prague City Hall last year, is an illustrative case. Currently, he is the TOP 09 leading candidate for the European elections. Everyone thinks that such a chairman, sitting on many chairs, probably will not be interested in working in the Czech Chamber of Deputies, and if so, how anyone could combine so many jobs? In short, even some domestic politicians support the idea that the euro mandate is just a good “side job”.
We can think about whether MEPs do not promote their work badly, but that is a mistake. The reputation of the EP as a dead-end institution is determined by the meaning of this assembly, so this year again, people will vote on the basis of domestic problems, promises, and preferences. We cannot say that there was a vote in the Europarliament that would be remembered for decades. It is not quite possible. The whole body is a derivation of the domestic policies of individual countries, and the EP alliances only reflect a current harmony of particularisms. After the May elections, this structural error will probably be even more significant, because the anti-integrative parties will grow stronger.
Ex-president Klaus is known for his Euroscepticism. In the interview, he reiterated that he is skeptical about the importance of the European Parliament, which he described as “mostly a dumping ground for second-rate politicians for which there are no sufficient roles at home”. This statement has aroused criticism from Prime Minister Babiš and the leaders of other parties. The prime minister responded that Klaus talked about the time when members of the “old” ODS and other traditional parties ran for the European Parliament, and he certainly did not mean the current ANO candidates.
Although Klaus cannot choose a party he would give his vote to; he no longer considers his candidacy. According to him, the biggest disadvantage is that on the Czech political scene, no such party that would clearly mark today’s EU as a dead-end street did dare to emerge. Klaus made it clear that we should start a debate on the meaningfulness of the Europarliament, which is currently rather a game of parliament. He added that for this reason, the sacrifice of the candidate politicians is admirable.
Regarding Brexit, the EU, according to Klaus, did not have the slightest interest in any positive outcome of the negotiations that the United Kingdom failed to manage, if not could not manage at all. However, the ex-president respects the British decision to abandon the “wrong construct of European integration”. In this context, Klaus described the words of Donald Tusk, who spoke of a “special place in hell” for the architects of Brexit, as meaningless.
The editor asked Klaus about his contact with Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist of US President Donald Trump, who recently launched an initiative in which he wants to bring together various nationalist subjects across Europe. At first, Klaus opposed any negative connotations of the concept of nationalism. He emphasized that the ambitions of the Europeans to whom Bannon’s activity relates cannot be considered nationalistic in the traditional Western sense, i.e., negative meaning. Klaus specified that he and Steven Bannon had agreed on views of Europe, the organization of the world, and human freedoms, but he does not actively participate in further political talks.
At last, Václav Klaus commented on the situation on the domestic political scene. He thinks that the Czech Republic needs to calm down the public relation to politics. Klaus appreciates that lately, politics has not been “the biggest fury for the Czech public”, and that people are “not buying the non-stop media-created and inflated agendas”. One reason for this is the prosperity that the Czech Republic has experienced in recent years, along with the rising economy and almost zero unemployment. On the other hand, Klaus cannot positively evaluate Czech foreign policy. He fears that it is rather part of the European Union´s or German policy, and disagrees with certain activities of Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček, which have also been criticized by President Miloš Zeman.
Fifty percent of the respondents expressed confidence in President Zeman. Zeman´s Slovak counterpart Andrej Kiska and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose standing significantly improved since the last April survey, ranked second and third.
President Andrej Kiska jumped up from 33 percent to 44 percent. In the new ranking, Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán improved by one place. He overcame French President Emmanuel Macron, and 34 percent of Czechs have confidence in Orbán. These positions show the power of the V4 partnership.
The list of the most untrustworthy leaders, according to CVVM, did not change much from April to December. Angela Merkel is not trusted by 70 percent of Czechs, Putin and Trump received 66 percent of respondents´distrust, while only circa 20 percent of the respondents trust them.
Fourth place belongs to Kim Jong-un, who is trusted by only three percent of Czechs. The newly-ranked Iranian spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was relying on two percent confidence. He became the least trusted politician of the list.
The CVVM survey took place from December 1st to 13th last year. It included 1,078 people aged 15 years and over.
Jan Olszewski was 89 years old when he passed away. He served in the youth section of the Home Army during the war and participated in the Warsaw Rising in 1944. In communist times he was an opposition activist and as a lawyer he defended famous dissidents such as Jacek Kuroń and Adam Michnik.
He was prime minister between 1991 and 1992. His government was brought down when it attempted to open the files of the secret police.
He was a member of Parliament twice, led two political parties he himself founded and ran for President in 1995.
President Andrzej Duda tweeted:
Jan Olszewski, lawyer and defended of the opposition in communist times has passed away. He was the PM of the first fully non-communist Polish government. We can call him the PM of a free, independent and sovereign Poland. He served Poland right until the end. We salute his memory.
Odszedł Jan Olszewski. Adwokat – obrońca Opozycji w czasach PRL. Premier pierwszego prawdziwie niekomunistycznego polskiego rządu. Z pewnością można Go nazwać Premierem Wolnej, Niepodległej i Suwerennej Rzeczypospolitej. Do ostatniego tchnienia służył Polsce. Cześć Jego Pamięci!
Smutna wiadomość nadeszła z Warszawy: premier Jan Olszewski nie żyje. Odważny obrońca w procesach politycznych, uczestnik Solidarności, dobry człowiek. Niech spoczywa w pokoju.
Jan Olszewski był osobą krystalicznie uczciwą i wierną swoim poglądom, a jednocześnie ogromnie odważną. Udowadniał swoją niezłomność wielokrotnie – najpierw podczas II WŚ, później okresu PRL oraz w III RP. Rzeczpospolita poniosła dziś niewyobrażalną stratę. Cześć jego pamięci.
“Andy didn’t just do action movies – he was an action hero himself,” his friend, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger said at the funeral. “Andy had great vision and he had the guts to do anything everybody else said was impossible.”
Vajna died in his Budapest home on January 20th, aged 75.
Throughout the last two weeks liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza has been publishing revelations based on taped conversations between Jarosław Kaczyński and an Austrian developer who was scoping a construction project. A company owned by a foundation on the Board of which Kaczyński serves owned the land on which the construction of two towers was to take place.
The project never came to fruition. The Austrian developer is now accusing the ruling party leader of having cheated him by not ensuring that he was paid for the work carried out.
In the interview with Sieci, Kaczyński states that “there is no financial relationship between the foundation and the party (Law and Justice)”. He argues that “there is nothing in those tapes”. However, he is anxious to put the record straight on some allegations that have been made.
First he makes it clear that a party leader has the right to be a chairman of a Board of a foundation. He regards it as “an outrageous manipulation” to claim that the matter has anything to do with the legislation on political parties which forbids them from being directly involved in commercial activities. He argues that there are no financial relations between the Law and Justice party and the foundation. “They are two totally separate institutions,” he says.
Minister Gulyás said the Hungarian government is prepared for an unregulated Brexit with respect to its nationals living there and all other aspects. He added that Hungarian citizens can already apply for permanent residence in the U.K. and will be able to retain their employment rights.
The minister said that ever since the launch of Brexit negotiations Hungary’s main aim was to achieve a regulated settlement, safeguarding the rights of Hungarian citizens learning and working in the U.K. and maintaining the closest possible economic and security policy cooperation after the country has left the EU.
Gulyás said the draft agreement – while not yet approved by either the EU or the British parliament – provides continuing and lifelong rights for all those EU citizens who opt to exercise their right to free movement up until Brexit becomes official.
The minister also said the Hungarian government is busy creating a comprehensive legal framework for post-Brexit relations with the United Kingdom, but stressed that Hungary is not among the EU member states particularly vulnerable to an unregulated divorce.
The team is looking into specific differences in the way artificial and natural systems interpret information based on a comparison of German data from monkey experiments with the mechanisms used by AI systems, Gergő Orbán, research fellow of the Wigner Center told national television channel M1 in an interview.
“Our goal is to identify the underlying mathematics of biological systems,” Orbán said, adding that finding the similarities and differences between the mathematical algorithms used by live organisms and artificial neural networks should lead to a better understanding of the way our brains work.
Orbán said the operation of neural networks can help predict how our brains will process unexpected information and his team came to the conclusion that the mathematics of artificial and natural systems are quite different.
He said that natural systems – in this case, monkey brains – have their inner models of the world surrounding them which enables them to have a concept of and be able to handle uncertainty, something artificial systems are not yet capable of. Orbán said their research should ultimately be conducive to creating better AI systems.
The Civic Platforms eight years in power (2007-2015) have left conservative Poles with no illusions about the credibility of the party led by Grzegorz Schetyna. This is why the party is now seeking support on its left flank.
The new great hope of the left, Robert Biedroń the leader of the “Spring” party says that he “can see Grzegorz Schetyna as a Deputy Prime Minister and Interior minister” in the government in which Biedroń would be Prime Minister. But he is ruling out the possibility of an electoral coalition with the Civic Platform for the time being.
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Interviewed in Super Express, he demands that the party “must support our program of a secular state, rooting out cronyism, ending reliance on coal for energy needs and adopting the full packet of women’s rights, including the right to abortion on demand up until the 12th week of pregnancy.
Not long ago, Mr Schetyna declared himself to be a conservative. But the dynamics of the situation is such that he may well not only support Biedroń’s program but also claim that it was his in the first place.
In January, Norway decided to ask Poland to bring home the consul for his campaign against the Norwegian children’s agency “Barnevernet”. The consul, Sławomir Kowalski, was accused of “inappropriate behaviour” towards Norwegian officials.
Poland however backed its diplomat, an individual who was awarded the title of “Consul of the year” in 2016 for his work on the rights of children, and asked for the matter to be resolved by dialogue. On Monday, the Norwegian authorities declared the Polish consul to be PNG. Polish deputy foreign minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk declared that the Norwegian decision was totally inappropriate and said that reciprocal measures would be taken immediately. Two hours later the order for the Norwegian consul to leave was issued.
The mother and the consul were denied the right to see the children and when they protested the police were called
The Polish Ministry of Justice voiced its disproval of the action taken by Norway and promised it would continue the work of fighting to protect the rights of Polish children with Mr Kowalski’s successor. Since the arrival of Law and Justice (PiS) into power in 2015, the ministry has been working to protect the rights of Polish children in Germany and Scandinavia in cases where Polish parents have had their parental rights removed.
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According to media reports, consul Kowalski was involved in an incident with Norwegian police in the town Hamar when he tried to help a Polish mother contact her four children in a Norwegian facility to which the kids had been taken. The mother and the consul were denied the right to see the children and when they protested the police were called. Kowalski was accused of interfering in the work of the center and of obstructing the police.
Minister Varga said at the meeting that given the weight of the issue, Eurozone financing – a separate budget within the overall EU budget – must be unanimously agreed upon by the heads of state of all EU member states, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. It also said that the heads of state agreed last December to work out an appropriate budget for the Eurozone. While this was originally a joint German-Finnish proposal, it was different in its final form from the original.
Within the larger European Union budget, this will be a separate means of ensuring the long-term competitiveness and convergence of the Eurozone. Varga said that during the negotiations, Hungary will insist on establishing the new budget within the EU’s multi-annual financial framework (MFF) and that all decisions be made with the full consensus of all 27 member states, taking into account the interests of the nations that are not part of the Eurozone.
Varga also said that any separate financing of the Eurozone can only be in addition to the existing policies and financing mechanisms of the European Union, either through increasing the overall budget of the EU or through additional contributions of the Eurozone states. Hungary does not support the usage of the existing EU financing framework for such purposes, Varga said.
In the second half of the past century, Budapest mostly adhered to a specific school of diplomacy: bowing our heads to the ground. If anyone visited us, we the Hungarian diplomatic corps would automatically assume they are better, smarter, more talented and richer than us.
Sure, we may hate their westerner ways, but we are still awed by their flashy suits and fancy cars. And if they happen to come from the east, than we are bound by our historic camaraderie. No, not just bound by it, but idolize it.
Moscow is big and strong, and we are just one of those small “also ran” nations. This school of thought is still alive: some still say that EU development funds should be handled by Brussels, because their hands are clean and they are incorruptible – unlike ourselves. Mike Pompeo is the foreign minister of a global power, so according to this school of thought we must instantly agree with their wishes upon arrival.
When Putin comes to Budapest, we are pro-Russian, when Erdogan arrives, we side with Turkey, and so on. And we are automatically being subservient.
But now we have a different approach to diplomacy. We will carefully listen to the proposals of whoever comes here and act in line with our best national interests.
And that is because for too long we have bowed to anyone vying for our treasures. Because Hungary itself is our biggest treasure. No longer must we accept with our heads down to be robbed of our treasures – if we just believe in our cause and work hard, even Mike Pompeo’s visit will fall into its place.
Note: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Budapest on February 11th and met Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szíjjártó, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Defense Minister Tibor Benkő.
Title image: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szíjjártó (R). (MTI/Zsolt Szigetváry)
Polish defense minister Mariusz Błaszczak assured that “the transaction comes at a good price” and that many other NATO states use these systems and that they had proved their worth in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syrian conflicts.
HIMARS is the High Mobility Artillery rocket system which uses guided missiles. The rocket launchers are placed on light armoured vehicles.
HIMARS system is capable of striking targets at distances of up to 300 kilometers
According to the Polish defence ministry, the HIMARS system is capable of striking targets at distances of up to 300 kilometers.
Mariusz Błaszczak, Polish defense minister
The Polish defense minister also recalled how the government last month signed a multi-million deal to buy the first batch of four US-designed, Polish-built Black Hawk helicopters for the country’s armed forces as well as its purchase of the Patriot air defense system last March
“I have been deeply troubled by reports in recent months that some opposition party members in Hungary have been willing to entertain the possibility of alliances with the extremist Jobbik party,” Lauder said in a message on the WJC website. “I recently traveled to Hungary to assess the situation for myself and was dismayed to find that they are entirely true.”
The issue of the possible alliance has reached such notoriety in Hungary that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán mentioned it in his annual state of the nation speech.
“A few short years ago, Jobbik rose to prominence openly utilizing antisemitic, racist and xenophobic rhetoric and ideology. Party members and leaders have since repeatedly been mired in controversy over their hateful antisemitic statements and actions. Despite recent rebranding attempts, Jobbik has not done nearly enough in terms of concrete actions to distance itself from its antisemitic roots, or to stem the continued flow of antisemitism and racism still reportedly emanating from local Jobbik cells,” Lauder said
“Jobbik must do far more to credibly demonstrate that it opposes antisemitism and racism, and to prove by way of its actions that it does not pose a threat to the security and well-being of the Jewish community and other minority groups in Hungary. As long as extremism reigns within this party, Jobbik must be designated by its peers in the Hungarian parliament, as well as by the international community, as an outcast not worthy of alliance. Until these changes come about, it is dangerous for any Hungarian political party to do business with the extremist Jobbik party or to allow Jobbik into the mainstream of Hungarian politics,” Lauder added.
Its not his impressive CV which really defines him, rather the fact that he represents the passing generation of Poland’s intelligentsia. A generation that was complex and one which had to make very hard choices in a world far away from current twitter storms and Facebook fights.
A generation which did not live by PR and whose journalists were not just instruments of propaganda. Representatives of a world which we are already beginning to miss.
He said that what differentiates patriots from nationalists is that patriots can understand the feelings that other nations have
Jan Olszewski was not afraid to say things which were risky and unpopular. In the last few years of his life he argued for Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation pointing out that just as for Poles Bandera was a terrorist, so was Piłsudski as far as the Russians were concerned. He said that what differentiates patriots from nationalists is that patriots can understand the feelings that other nations have. That you cannot see the world purely through one’s own interests and to see one’s own as always being right.
One of his last statements before he passed away came just after the tragic death of Mayor Paweł Adamowicz. He called for national reconciliation, ending senseless theatrical hatred between political actors on both government and opposition sides. That was his testament of wisdom.
Good evening and welcome. The V4 will have a summit on February 18th and 19th in Jerusalem. This will be the first time in the history of the alliance that the heads of governments of the Visegrád countries have a meeting outside of Europe. The details of the meeting were discussed between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu at the inauguration of Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, at the beginning of January. We will discuss the significance of the summit with my first guest today, Bálint Rotyis, an analyst for Médianéző. Good evening. Welcome.
The idea of the summit is not new, but what is the reason for the date? Why are the prime ministers of the V4 countries meeting in Jerusalem now?
The significance of the summit from the point of view of the V4 countries is that they are able to publicize themselves again this year and that they are able to demonstrate that their alliance—which wants to be a visible cooperation—can deepen its cooperation in a foreign country as well. The significance of holding the summit in Israel is manifold. On the one hand, it is prestigious, because the V4 can demonstrate that the leaders of other countries are interested in the alliance.
Whom does the V4 demonstrate this to?
I think it has significance within the EU, because now the V4 can show point to one more country in the international arena that counts on the alliance. This can strengthen the power of the V4 to represent its interests within the EU in the next period.
What is the actual benefit of that for the V4? The symbolic significance is clear: this is the first time that they are meeting somewhere else than in their own countries. It is also clear why they picked Jerusalem. This has certain precedents, and if we have time we will talk about them. But, in practice, what kind of political capital can be gained from this meeting, for example, for the V4’s political fight against the EU?
The standpoint of the Israeli government is in many ways similar to the V4’s standpoint. Firstly, this standpoint focuses on national sovereignty. For Israel, it is very important to maintain national sovereignty and to secure national borders. The V4 represents the same standpoint, but it does that within the EU. So, practically, we can say that an alliance is being formed in a global arena that keeps emphasizing the importance of nation states and that the culture and identity of the nation states have to be protected. This can be an image for the future for Europe too.
Political parties in Israel are divided on the issue of the summit. The smaller, centrist parties do not support the summit and do not want it to happen. Let’s look at it from the perspective of the EU. A year and a half ago, when Benjamin Netanjahu visited Budapest, Viktor Orbán said that the EU needs to develop a reasonable relationship with Israel, and if it does not do so, the EU would be punishing itself. What is the relationship like now? What does the EU think about the fact of the summit?
The relationship between the EU and Israel has seen some conflicts recently. The Middle East itself is a problematic region, and Israel, as one of the few stable states of the region, is a key actor. For this reason, it would be in the interest of the EU to maintain a close relationship with Israel. However, the situation is the opposite currently. Within the European region, it is the V4 countries that are the real and significant allies for Israel. Previously, Israel had difficulties to cooperate with the American government as well, but ever since the Trump presidency this problem has been solved. I think that for Israel it is very important to secure the support of those EU member states that are able to bloc, prevent, or persuade the critical Western European countries.
The major source of conflict between the EU and Israel is that Israel has been criticizing the way that the EU has been handling the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Previously, Viktor Orbán said that, on the basis of an Israeli recommendation, a working group would be set up to combat terrorism. What can be known about the work of this group?
The territory of Israel and the Israeli–Palestinian situation are extremely complicated, and it is necessary to have a deep knowledge about it. The question is how we react to this challenge: do we try to intervene in the conflict from outside, or do we act as a mediator? The V4 countries represent the principle in foreign policy that each country should handle its own domestic issues and that there is no need to give outside—and in this case, unwanted—advice to other countries.
I asked you about the tasks of the working group for counterterrorism intentionally, because Viktor Orbán said in connection with the upcoming summit that the Hungarian–Israeli cooperation in security and defense policy should be tightened. What could this cover exactly?
It could refer to Israel’s position on a very dangerous territory; on the one hand, because of its neighbors, and, on the other, because of migration, which can affect Israel too. From this perspective, we have certainly a lot to learn from Israel. There are techniques and methods that we could learn from them in order to ensure our security. Israel is a very developed country in terms of technology and security technology, so the V4 countries could definitely benefit from a working group or cooperation like that.
We will continue this discussion after the summit. Thank you for accepting our invitation.
Thank you.
We are continuing with another meeting. On the invitation of Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will participate in the V4 summit in Bratislava on Thursday. We will discuss this with my next guest soon, but first let’s see a brief summary about the relationship between Germany and the V4.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Slovakia again after more than four years to attend a meeting of the V4 prime ministers in Bratislava. As part of the program, the chancellor will also talk to Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and Head of State Andrei Kiska. The German chancellor is also visiting Slovakia, because she would like to pay tribute to the Central and Eastern European countries that took part in the fall of the Iron Curtain and the reunification of Germany on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. Since the outbreak of the refugee crisis, the relationship between the Visegrád countries and Germany has been tense. The German chancellor has previously criticized the Central and Eastern European alliance, including Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland, for rejecting the mechanisms for the distribution of asylum seekers within the EU. In her view, it is unacceptable that the Visegrád countries are trying to redeem solidarity with money in the issue of asylum. In October last year, Angela Merkel said during her visit to Prague that although the Visegrád countries are acting together on a number of issues in the European Union, their positions are often different from those of the western EU Member States. Merkel also said that the European Union is already multiple-speed, and it cannot wait for all 27 Member States to cooperate. Although there is no consensus on the issue of quotas between the V4 and Germany, they have similar views on the common European border protection. According to the German chancellor, it is important to strengthen Frontex, and Member States should develop a comprehensive monitoring mechanism to record who is in the EU and who has left Europe.
We are continuing to discuss this topic with István Pócza, a senior analyst of the Center for Fundamental Rights. Good evening and welcome.
Good evening.
Does the meeting tomorrow have a symbolic significance, or does it have practical implications as well?
I think it has a real stake, because they will touch upon various topics, as we heard in the intro. One of the most important topics is perhaps the next seven-year European budget, which is far from being a symbolic issue. The other important and outstanding topic is the upcoming European parliamentary elections, which again has real and practical implications, as it only happens every five years. Therefore, this will be a very important summit between the V4 and Germany. The participating countries will also have discussions one by one, not only together. We are also expecting a press conference to follow the summit.
That is right. Thank you for calling our attention to the fact that it is not only a summit between the V4 and Germany, but also a meeting between the participating countries. Let us briefly discuss the different—more economic than political—interests that tie each Visegrád countries to Germany. You mentioned the next EU budget cycle. First of all, I’m thinking about the cohesion funds. We have heard several times that the Central European region will be a definite loser of the 2021–2027 budget cycle. My question is: can the threat of reducing the cohesion fund be interpreted, on the level of law and regulations, as the EU’s political criminal asset? For the time being, it seems that it can be. But, can the V4 represent a real political power against this?
It is important to see that the question of whether the V4 will be the losers of the next EU budget has not been decided yet. It is true that the EU wants to diminish the expenses.
According to our current knowledge, yes, it would be harmful for the V4.
According to the original plans, yes, the EU wants to decrease the expenses. However, Germany, for example, unlike other member states, like the Netherlands, is pretty flexible in these questions, because it realizes that despite the fact that Germany is a net contributor to the EU budget in the traditional setting, it also gains a huge profit through doing business, for example, with the V4 countries. Actually, German politicians and even the German commissioner in the European Commission admitted that Germany is not a net contributor but a beneficiary of the cooperation. They will definitely touch upon these questions during the upcoming meeting. Knowing the EU regulations and legal background, it is important to state that political debates or political threatening (even if they are disguised as legal questions) and the European Union’s budget are two separate things, and they cannot be intertwined. Obviously, trying to blur the two things together is a political move. It was former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi who came up with this idea, and, unfortunately, it became popular with many other member states.
In contrast, we are facing a reality that includes an economic relationship and economic interests between the V4 and Germany. All of the V4 countries are attached to Germany through multiple economic ties. If we are looking through the most recent media publications, we find headlines that regularly accuse Hungary of considering the EU as an ATM. But, is Germany not the biggest beneficiary of the economic relationship with the V4 countries? During the meeting last year between Angela Merkel and Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister said that the volume of commerce between Germany and the V4 countries is 50% higher than the volume of commerce between Germany and France. What are we talking about then? Cutting back the cohesion funds would be harmful for Germany as well.
Exactly. This is a common interest to maintain economic and commercial relations on the same level. If Germany consciously decides to reduce or eliminate the funds from which German businesses very often indirectly benefit, such as investments and developments, then eventually it would harm itself. And, it would harm not only itself, but the entire economic performance of the European Union. The EU’s economic performance has not been a success story recently. It has been lagging behind the Far East as well behind the United States. So, the EU should focus on making economic changes happen not with political tools—which would result, as I said, in harming itself anyway—but it should make economic cooperation its priority, as it was the original idea of the EU. After that is achieved, political questions could also be discussed, but in a way that does not harm us. Europe, and Germany as well, are not the strongest in IT technology and other areas, and in the future these areas will have to be developed, because as a result, industrial and production relationships could be harmed. France could suffer a setback in this regard as well. So, there are important future interests that should not be sacrificed for the sake of the current debates, and the German–French axis, or the Western European axis should not force its ideas upon the Visegrád region.
By the way, speaking of axis. French President Emanuel Macron earlier brought his “roadshow” to the Central European countries with the intention of dividing them into two groups. Do you think that Angela Merkel could make potential allies within the V4?
Macron’s intention was to turn Poland and Hungary against Slovakia and the Czech Republic. I think that currently this is not a realistic idea, just as it was not realistic earlier either. It is an old, well-proven method to promise different development resources for all the countries, and the result is that these countries become divided politically. The current governments are much more mature than the previous governments. We can think back to the EU accession period in 2004. This was the case back then, but now countries are seeing these initiatives through and do not allow themselves to be fooled. And, the goal is to preserve the unity, because if the unity breaks down, then the power of the region will be disrupted.
This is clear in the political sense, but if we look at these goals in economic terms, Slovakia is forced to pursue a special policy because of its membership in the euro zone. Slovakia must pay attention to also orientate towards the core Europe. Can this duality be represented by Slovakia at the same time? Can Slovakia keep the V4 unit on the one hand, and on the other hand maintain its membership in the core Europe via the eurozone?
Slovakia is not in an easy position. We can refer back to a previous issue; we are in the same position. The EU should not just focus on creating a situation in the euro zone that separates Slovakia from the other Visegrád countries (i.e., by artificially creating economic and financial matters that distance Slovakia from other countries). Instead, the EU should focus on preventing the further strengthening of the idea of a multi-speed Europe, which is already present in the European Union. We have seen, unfortunately, that Merkel is not necessarily committed to this goal. I am thinking here of the agreement they made in Aachen on the strengthening of the German–French axis, which clearly shows that they want Europe to be of multiple speeds, even more than it is now, and that they want to decide the direction of the integration. And, unfortunately, the story is also about the fact that, ultimately, the other countries are excluded from the debate on the future of the European Union. This is also a very important preliminary plan for the meeting, to discuss the future of the European Union. There’s plenty to say about that.
If we are talking about the future, let’s talk a little about Angela Merkel’s future. Her position is weakening, specifically as the party president, but also it is questionable whether she can remain in the chancellor’s position until the end of her term. Could her weakening strengthen the V4 alliance in a practical, political sense?
The problem is that it is not possible to know if you need to negotiate with Merkel or whether you should focus on others now. And, this is not only a problem for the V4s but for other countries too. Looking at the developments in the German party politics, Merkel seems to have been left out of the talks on the future and is increasingly being neglected within the government, even though she is the head of government. So, there seems to be a strong shift of power. Obviously, Merkel is a clever politician. She has a great deal of experience, and she is trying to balance her position in every way until the last moment. I think she wants to set the time and mode of her retirement. This plan could be distracted if there suddenly would be an external challenge or if an unexpected process, like the migration crisis was, happens. In those cases, she would not be able to set the conditions and the time for her resignation.
This is the final word for today. So, tomorrow, Germany–V4 summit. We will follow the events. Thank you, István Pócza, for coming to us.
Thank you.
Dear viewers, this was the show on the Visegrád cooperation. We will, of course, return again with fresh information next week. Goodbye.
Babiš noted that countries supporting science and research are the most prosperous. He believes that thanks to its research background, technical tradition, and stability Czechia is well placed to become one of those countries.
We cannot be Europe’s assembly plant forever; we must support innovations, science, research, new technologies and interconnect it all with the digital state, said Babiš. Our industrial tradition, research background, and entrepreneurial skills will help us close the research and education gap, he added.
According to Babiš, Czechia must also offer good conditions for scientists that can make them stay in the country or even return from abroad. He believes that the state has to create a positive environment for innovative projects. To do so, it has to be more citizen- and company- friendly and allow them to deal with its agenda online, added Babiš.
Babiš highlighted the Digital Czechia strategy adopted by the Government in December, which aims to support online communication between the state and its citizens. Now, it is important to implement the strategy; the technical conditions are met, he added.
Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček called on the EU members to join forces in modern technologies to face up to global competition. MEP Dita Charanzová pointed out that in information technologies, the EU is currently lagging behind the United States and China. Charanzová proposed creation of pan-European companies that could be competitive on the global market, mentioning Airbus as an example.
Merkel highlighted the impact of EU funds on the Visegrad countries, adding that they’ve used the funds to increase their living standards. She added that it should be kept in mind when drafting the new EU budget for 2021-2027, so the progress may continue. Europe has to be strong and effective, economic power and innovations are necessary to ensure the well-being of the people, Merkel said.
The summit was also attended by Czech PM Andrej Babiš, Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki, Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán, and Slovak PM Peter Pellegrini.
The V4 countries and Germany developed a project to be realized in Morocco, which aims to tackle migration to Europe, Pellegrini told the media after the meeting. Babiš said that NATO members should consider common European protection.
Babiš also reminded the importance of the upcoming European elections for the future of the EU. Orbán believes that both the European Parliament and the EU are going to change after the elections.
Regarding Brexit, Morawiecki said that the V4 respects it, but would prefer the UK to stay in the EU, adding that Brexit is bad for the Union.
Before the summit, Merkel held a bilateral meeting with Pellegrini. We want Germany and Slovakia to closely collaborate on the European level, namely in the matter of digitalization which is our common future, Merkel said.
She also supported the idea of setting up new European agencies into new member states, for example in Bratislava.
Jourová will also have a chance to become the Vice-President of the European Commission. She admitted that she discussed her possible second term with Babiš and said that the nomination is to be made by the Government, not just by the PM. However, the opinion of the PM is crucial and is basically out of the question for any of Babiš’s ministers to oppose his nomination.
Babiš himself refused to comment. Allegedly, he considered MEP Dita Charanzová for the position. Charanzová was actively involved in the abolition of roaming charges. She has always been loyal to Babiš and unlike Jourová never openly criticized him in connection with his scandals.
However, Jourová is a more strategic choice for Babiš. Commissioners who stay on for a second term have to change portfolios. Thus, the Czech Republic has a chance to gain one of the ‘more powerful’ resorts than Jourová’s current Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality post.
As she expressed earlier, based on her work experience, she would prefer the Regional Policy post.
The Czech president is rarely known to apologize. That is why the Czech media and public paid so much attention to Zeman´s apology to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in November for the Foreign Ministry’s proposal to remove the Czech embassy in Hungary from the list of key embassies.
Regarding this proposal, the president sharply criticized Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček, claiming he is making “gross mistakes”.
Since then, however, much has changed and the ministry seeks to set up better relations with the president. The result of this effort is a settled dispute over whether the Czech embassy in Hungary should be removed from the list of politically key embassies. According to Aktuálně.cz, Zeman and Petříček agreed that no such list is needed.
“At the meeting, we agreed on the total abolition of the internal list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the so-called politically most important embassies,” Petříček said after a meeting with the president, adding that the list did not reflect the foreign policy priorities of the Czech Republic.
The President´s spokesman Jiří Ovčáček also rejected such a misleading categorization. According to him, removing the embassy in Hungary from the list would damage relations between the Czech Republic and the Visegrad Group and would lead to a lower strength of the whole group. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš supports the abolition of the list, saying that all countries are important to him.
The agreement between the head of diplomacy and the president has undoubtedly contributed to improving mutual relations. Still, Petříček’s future at the office is unclear, especially as the Communists are trying to end it.
V4 – The Future of Europe. Good evening. You are watching Echo TV’s program about the Visegrád alliance. Compared to previous expectations, the first round of the Polish local elections of October 21st brought about surprising results. The governing Law and Justice party (PiS) performed worse than expected, while the Civic Coalition (the KO) created by the opposition parties, achieved better results. Here are the details.
The governing Law and Justice party (PiS) will have the most seats in the regional voivodeship councils, and the party will rule more regional assemblies than in the previous period. Based on the integrated results published by the National Electoral Commission, the PiS won 254 mandates in the 16 voivodeship councils. The Civic Coalition, the opposition alliance of the Civic Platform and the Modern Party, won 194 mandates, while the Polish People’s Party won 70 mandates. The Independents, who are collaborating with the Civic Platform, won 15, and the Democratic Left Alliance won 11 mandates. The PiS holds an absolute majority in 6 voivodeships, and in those three voivodeships where the party does not hold an absolute majority, coalition negotiations have begun.
Miklós Mitrovits, a historian and an expert on Poland, is here with us in the studio. Welcome and good evening.
Good evening.
The local elections were preceded by a very loud campaign in Poland. What do you think the reason was for the PiS to win the first round of the elections?
Since the last parliamentary elections, or rather since the last presidential elections, the PiS has been the majority party, and it enjoys the support of the population. It is not an absolute but rather a relative majority. I think that the results of the local elections are not so surprising, as you said in the introduction. The results show the reality of Polish society. 6–8% more people favor the governing party over the opposition parties, which include the Civic Platform, the .Modern, and the Polish People’s Party. I would rather say that the PiS performed worse than opinion polls had predicted.
Some people say that even though the PiS won the first round, it could still not be in power after the second round on the 4th of November. What does that mean exactly? How surprising can the results be in the second round?
There are two issues at stake here: the composition of the voivodeship councils and the mayors. During the second round of the elections the mayoral positions will be at stake in the localities where there was no absolute majority after the first round. There are 16 voivodship councils in Poland.The PiS won in nine of them, and the opposition won in seven of them.
Are we talking about the mayors?
No, we are talking about the voivodeship councils. So, although the PiS won in nine of the voivodeship councils, it has absolute majority in only six of them, meaning that the PiS does not need any coalition partners in these councils. In the remaining three voivodeship councils, the PiS might not be able to govern because the opposition parties can create a majority by forming an alliance. As a result, the PiS could eventually win only six voivodeship councils, and the remaining 10 would be governed by the opposition parties. We should add, however, that this result can be considered a victory in comparison to the elections four years ago. Four years ago, the PiS held a majority in only one voivodeship council, now it holds a majority in six. So, I think that this is an improvement. On the other hand, the Polish People’s Party won four voivodeship councils four years ago, but this year they did not win in any of them. Moreover, the PiS won most of the councils that were previously ruled by the People’s Party. So, compared to the results of four years ago, this was a victory, but compared to the polls and the government’s expectations, it can be interpreted as a failure that actually is a victory.
What is the reason of the PiS’s strengthening over the past four years? We mentioned that the campaign was very loud; what messages accounted for the victory of the PiS?
There is an objective change compared to the situation four years ago: the PiS was in opposition both in the Sejm and in the parliament four years ago. The Civic Platform basically won everywhere back then and they were governing. Now, the PiS is governing. So, on the one hand there is an “attraction to the winner,” and obviously a lot of people like the Polish government’s social policy, its supports provided for families, and its agriculture policy. On the other hand, I think that it was surprising four years ago that the People’s Party could win in four voivodeship councils, because those are rather the electorate of the PiS. So, the PiS’s victory in the voivodeship councils is not so surprising. As I said, the government’s family and social policies obviously account for a lot of votes, especially in the underdeveloped regions, that is, the Southern and Eastern parts of the country. If we draw a diagonal line on a map of Poland, there seems to be a continuous divide in the electoral behavior of the two imagined halves. A lot of developments were realized in those regions. Of course, the thing that happens in every country happened in Poland too: a previous government begins developments and a new government completes them. I’m sure there will be developments that were started by the present government and will be completed under a different government. But, obviously, people are affected by the developments that were realized under the present government, and the PiS could utilize that very well. It can also be said that the population of the countryside and smaller towns overwhelmingly supports the PiS, and this trend was reinforced under the current government cycle.
How does the Polish population relate to the European Union? To what extent is Poland a euro-skeptic nation? How important are these election results in relation to next year’s EP elections?
I recently saw a survey of Eurobarometer that said that 30% of the Polish population would support an exit from the European Union. I have a hard time believing this data, because my 15 years of experience with Polish issues does not reinforce this. Currently, there is no political party in Poland that would promote this project. I would remind the viewers that Jaroslaw Kaczynski opened his campaign on September 2nd by saying that there will not be a Polexit. So, this matter is not on the table. Poland is part of the Western world, part of the European Union, and its goal is to secure the greatest possible influence. This is not a message about leaving the EU. Being euro-skeptic or having reservations and critiques about the current mechanisms of the EU does not mean that they would want to leave the EU. I can’t even see what part of Polish society would want to quit the EU, since the agrarian population, which makes up most of the voters of the PiS and the People’s Party, is the biggest beneficiary of the EU funds. Of course, you can always ask for more funds, but in European comparison, per capita Poland is an absolute beneficiary. Almost every third family has a member who is working and living in Western Europe. It is thus unclear why they would want to leave the EU. So, I think that we should consider the previous survey results and not these newest Eurobarometer results, as the earlier ones show that the majority of the Polish population is pro Europe. Being euro-skeptic and critical of the EU and of the EU’s sanctions against Poland is a different issue.
Those who are skeptical and critical should vote at next year’s EP elections to express their opinions. The second round of the local elections will take place November 4th. We will follow up on that. Miklós Mitrovits, thank you for coming to the studio.
Thank you.
In contrast, Euro-skepticism is growing in East Central Europe. The Czech population has been critical of the EU’s politics for a long time. Our staff in Prague asked Jan Kovar, an international relations expert, about this phenomenon and about Czech–Hungarian relations.
How skeptical are the Polish people about the European Union?
Czech Euro-skepticism has its historical roots. Since the 1990s, the Czech Republic has been one of the most Euro-skeptic among the newly accessed countries.
What is the reason for that?
It has many reasons. Considering historical reasons, Czechs and Slovaks were always parts of bigger political structures. During the Austro–Hungarian Monarchy, Vienna decided what the Czechs should do. During the Soviet era, Moscow dictated to Prague. Today, it is the EU that wants to play this role. So, now some parts of Czech society feel that Brussels wants to dictate what we do.
What do you think about Czech–Hungarian relations?
Obviously, the Czechs and Slovaks are much closer to each other, because they belonged to the same country for a long time. It is also obvious that Hungarians and Slovaks cannot really get close to each other because of the minority issue. In general, I would say that Czech–Hungarian relations are not bad, but they are not as close as those of the Czechs and Slovaks. Prime Minister Babis respects Orbán in some matters, so the current political elite has some sympathy for how Orbán governs Hungary. I would not like to say whether it is good or bad, but that is the case. On the issue of migration, the two countries are on the same page. The Czech and Hungarian contributions are similar in tone about how the EU handles the crisis. If we consider the issues on the rule of law, Hungary and Poland are kind of covering for each other. This is a very pragmatic attitude, because this way it is more difficult for the EU to launch sanctions against them. To sum it up, the Czechs are not as close to Hungary as the Polish are, but the relations are good in general.
The German chancellor and the French president visited Prague on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s establishment. We are now connecting with our Prague-based correspondent, Péter Balla. Hello Péter! How were Maron’s and Merkel’s visits welcomed in Prague? What is the significance in timing their visits to be present for this occasion?
Hello! French and the German leaders had not been in the Czech Republic for two years. The 100th anniversary was honored with great celebrations, and I think neither the French nor the German leader would have wanted to miss out on that. Macron spent two days here, and he attended many cultural programs. Prior to his visit to the Czech Republic and Slovakia, French newspapers argued that the aim of his visit was to disintegrate the Visegrád alliance and to divide them into good countries and bad countries. By choosing to visit the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Macron wanted to separate them from Poland and Hungary.
Former Czech President Vaclav Klaus gave an interview last week on one of the most popular Czech TV stations. What did he talk about? He usually addresses the V4 with strong criticism. How strong are the voices of those criticizing the EU?
Vaclav Klaus was president until 2003, and even though he retired from politics, he still tries to play an important role. For example, he campaigned for the AFD, the Alternative for Germany, during various German elections. His opinions and critiques are pretty popular in the Czech Republic. However, the answers that he comes up with are less popular, and his influence on Czech society is weaker than it was a couple of years ago. It was interesting when he said that the creation of Czechoslovakia finally brought independence for the Czechs from Vienna. His thoughts are similar to Viktor Orbán’s in saying that now Brussels is trying to create a new empire and limit the Czech Republic’s independence by acquiring more and more competences. So, his critiques are quite strong about the EU.
One more question, Péter. What does the newly appointed Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs Tomas Petricek think about the Visegrád 4?
He is with the Social Democrats. His view is that the Visegrád alliance within the EU is a good thing. So, in this respect he is positive about it. However, we have to see that he is close to MEP Miroslaw Poche, who was the only Social Democratic representative to support the Sargentini report. This means that he will not be overly pro-Hungary. But, it seems that he will not be very influential in foreign politics; this role still belongs to Andrej Babis.
Péter Balla from Prague, thank you! Our next topic is Slovakia. Marek Madaric, who previously resigned from leading the Ministry of Culture, announced recently that he is quitting Smer, the governing party. For more details we are now connecting with our correspondent in Bratislava, Titusz Németh. So, how did Marek Madaric explain his exit from Smer?
Hello, Anett! Madaric’s decision is interesting because it marks the first time that a member is quitting the party since Smer has been in the parliament. Madaric’s explanation was that he could not identify with President of the Slovak National Party and Slovak National Council Andrej Danko’s statements in which he expressed that he agrees with Viktor Orbán’s policies in many respects. So, Madaric said that he couldn’t be a member of a coalition where one of the leaders says such things. We have to see though that the obviously anti-Hungarian Slovak language law can be connected to Madaric. He voted against the government on several occasions before, so his decision was not completely unexpected, as President of Smer Robert Fico said.
Emanuel Macron visited Bratislava not so long ago and talked about the future of the EU. What picture did the French president paint?
He said that Slovakia belongs to the Core Europe by being a member of the Schengen area and of the eurozone. Macron wants this membership to grow, and he also wants to reinforce French–Slovak cooperation.
Titusz Németh from Bratislava, thank you. Dear viewers, this was the news from the Visegrád countries. We will be back in a week with fresh information. Thank you for watching, and goodbye.
The Czechs are at the very top, with 56 percent of those surveyed liking them. Second are Italians with 55 percent, Slovaks and Hungarians are third with 53 percent declaring their sympathy, and 51 percent like Americans.
Romanians and Arabic people are the least liked. Poles also dislike Ukrainians (31 percent for sympathy and 41 percent for aversion). Russians are liked by only 28 percent of those polled.
CBOS published the results of their survey on Twitter. The colors are: green for sympathy, blue for ambivalence, orange for aversion and grey for “hard to tell”. The top five are: Czechs, Italians, Slovaks, Hungarians and Americans. The bottom five: Jews, Russians, Romanians, Roma and Arabs.
[10-17.01.2019] Na 22 uwzględnione w sondażu narody, grupy narodowościowe lub etniczne w stosunku do 16 w mniejszym lub większym stopniu przeważa sympatia, wobec 6 zaś – niechęć. pic.twitter.com/Scw3xlDGJx
“Out of the 22 nations, national and ethnic groups considered in the survey, in the case of 16 sympathy outweighs the rest more or less, in the case of 6 – aversion.”
This type of surgery is the only way to restore fertility for women who have undergone radiation or chemotherapy, the team said. These treatments – while often successful in combating cancer – also render 96 percent of the women infertile because they destroy ovarian cells.
“This is a huge result both from a professional and an emotional perspective,” the team said, adding that most women after successful cancer treatments are dismayed to find out that they can no longer have children.
The procedure begins before chemotherapy or radio therapy, when surgeons remove part of the ovarian tissue and freeze it after carefully checking it for cancer cells. Following the cancer therapy, the tissue is re-implanted in the ovary and in 23 percent of the cases normal ovarian function will be restored in four to five months.
The doctors said that the 23 percent success rate is considered excellent in a procedure that has just been developed.
Bolton posted the tweet after meeting Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szíjjártó in Washington. Szíjjártó was attending a conference for the coalition against the Islamic State and during the trip he also met U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton and Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Wess Mitchell.
Origo reports that Bertalan Havasi, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s press secretary confirmed that Orbán will meet Pompeo on Monday, February 11th in Budapest.
On the 30th anniversary of The Round Table Talks, presidential advisor professor Andrzej Zybertowicz lists the flaws of the Third Polish Republic (III RP) and its relation to the Round Table Talks.
– In the III RP, it is allowed and even encouraged to undermine Polish national myths, excluding those which concern the creators and “heroes” of establishing the III RP.
– “The “Round Table” is the largest Polish political success after the Battle of Warsaw of 1920 and it happened without spilling a single drop of blood.” Many seem to forget the deaths of Waldemar Kuczyński, advisor to the first PM of III RP and two priests Stefan Niedzielak, Stanisław Suchowolec and Sylwester Zych in 1989.
– Owing to the elections in 1989, the communists lost power; those who did not lose influence or power (such as Jaruzelski and Kiszczak), automatically stopped being communists.
– The public debate in the III RP is not meant to help build social agreement and ignite social energy around common goals but is meant to keep everyone in line.
– Political groups are divided into progressive, reactive (fascist) and periodically tolerated. To know the current classification, one should pick up the newest issue of “Gazeta Wyborcza”.
– The group supported by former post-communist PMs (like Leszek Miller) and proposing the necessity to abolish the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) is regarded as anti-communist and progressive.
– Who does not belong to the category of great Poles such as Nobel prize winner Lech Wałęsa, Jerzy Owsiak or Paweł Adamowicz, is not worthy of expressing opinions about them. Unless they want to admire such persons.
– The youth cannot be told that politics has a backstage aspect to it, as the incorrectly made aware youth will not support the right political parties.
Merkel was lucky to attend the Bratislava summit instead of one say, held in Nice, France. Seeing how France has recalled its ambassador to Italy and the same two countries cannot even agree on a Louvre exhibition on the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, it would have been quite difficult for her to demonstrate European union there.
In Bratislava, however, she met a group of heads of state that present a united front that is quite unusual in today’s European Union. Despite having ideologically different political backgrounds and affiliations, these four managed to find a common denominator in the defining European issues such as halting migration and a joint stance in the upcoming debate of the EU budget for the next seven-year cycle.
One of the most significant diplomatic achievements in recent years is that not only did the Visegrad Group reach substantial political cooperation but they have also grown a common voice – in large part thanks to the Orbán cabinet.
From time-to-time the voice of the Visegrad Four is also joined by those of Croatia, Austria and Romania. Their combined size of this assembly exceeds the 83 million of Germany.
But there was a sweet and sour overtone to the entire meeting: Merkel’s voice was about as far from the original as Rami Malek’s rendition of Freddie Mercury in the Queen movie – her soundtrack is running from playback and stage hands are already gathering to dismantle the set – perhaps in 2021, but maybe earlier, should Merkel’s Christian Democrats get less votes in the upcoming European elections than say, Salvini’s League. And that will also be the end of her infamous Willkommenskultur.
Title image, left to right: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Slovak Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at the Bratislava V4-Germany summit (MTI/Prime Minister’s Press Office, Balázs Szecsődi).
“We do not want to increase the dependence (of the European Union – PAP) on Russia and also harm the interests of EU states such as Poland and Slovakia,” SZ’s sources claim.
The information has not yet been confirmed by either Paris or Berlin.
By voting against NS2, France has to take into account that this will create friction between them and Germany, who is a very important partner in Europe.
Without Paris, the German government will have difficulties in forcing its will
SZ’s source claim that only a direct intervention from Emmanuel Macron would be able to change the position of the French government.
The amendment to the EU’s gas directive would foresee NS2 being covered by European Union laws, which would benefit opponents of the gas pipeline.
Although several EU states support such a change to the directive, Germany and others, such as Holland, Belgium, Austria, Greece and Cyprus have successfully been blocking the amendment in the last few months. Germany’s main ally in this endeavor, however, has been France.
“Without Paris, the German government will have difficulties in forcing its will. Germany would have to find support in other EU states, which will not be easy now as another large member state will oppose them, which is France,” SZ underlined.
Eszter Vitályos, State Minister for EU development policy, said that Hungary has the best ratio of using European Union funds not just among members of the Visegrád Group but in the whole Central European region.
She said that from the funding available within the Human Resources Development operative program (EFOP) for the 2014-2020 period, Hungary has already accessed 31 percent of the money available to it, while the same ratio stood at 28 percent in Poland, 26 percent in Romania, 25 percent in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria and 24 percent in Slovenia and Slovakia.
Vitályos said that the EU will provide HUF 952 billion (US$3.4 billion) to Hungary for human resources development in the said period, of which the Ministry of Human Capacities has already signed development programs for HUF 960 billion – the EU system allows for a 10 percent cost overrun.
She said that of those funds HUF 360 billion has been allocated to improving the public education system, 350 billion for combating poverty and social exclusion and 160 billion for the development of public healthcare, half of it in the form of infrastructural investments and the other half to increase wages in the sector.
Vitályos highlighted that in the healthcare sector 60 hospitals will be modernized, including the establishment of emergency rooms for children and day surgery facilities. She added, however, that according to the budget draft for the 2021-2027 cycle, EU funding for Hungarian human resources development will be reduced by 24 percent.
The interest in Robert Kubica spiked after he came to Warsaw at the end of January to discuss his return to F1 under PKN Orlen and Williams Racing.
The commercial equivalent of the public interest (how much Orlen would have to spend on commercializing this news) is over PLN 8.5 mln. This number should also be multiplied, as Kubica has been the subject of more than just sports media.
2019 F1 Williams team
The director of communication for Orlen, Adam Burak, recounts that “only in context of the press announcement concerning the cooperation with Williams Racing and Robert Kubica’s press conference, over three thousand transmissions were emitted in the Polish media. This is the equivalent of PLN 17.1 mln and a reach of over 200 mln.”
It is important that for the first time in F1 history, a Pole is behind the wheel in a Williams race car
PKN Orlen’s deal with Williams Racing is proof that the Polish company is looking for a long-term engagement. Unofficial sources claim that Orlen has spent PLN 100 mln on ads for Williams Racing with Kubica at its helm.
“It is important, that for the first time in F1 history, a Pole is behind the wheel in a Williams race car,” underlies Burak.
Formula 1 is the most powerful global sports marketing platform, with Grand Prix in 21 countries and transmissions in 200 countries with a TV audience of around 2 bln.
Petříček will meet with Pompeo on February 22nd. It will be the first official meeting between Foreign Ministers of the Czech Republic and the US since 2012. As put by the Foreign Ministry, his visit aims to support strengthening bilateral relations and to follow up on last year’s visit of then-Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, Defense Secretary James Mattis and Energy Secretary Rick Perry in Prague.
Petříček also has on his schedule meetings with the National Security advisor to Donald Trump John Bolton and USAID chief Mark Green. He is due to visit the US Departments of Security and Commerce, representatives of both Czech and American companies and Czech compatriots living in the US.
High on Petříček’s agenda will be a potential meeting between Czech PM Andrej Babiš and Donald Trump. Petříček believes that Babiš’s reception at the White House could significantly help improve Czech-US bilateral relations. There is a chance that the meeting will take place in the coming months.
As reported by Hospodářské noviny, the recent Huawei scandal opened doors to Washington for Czech politicians. The Czech National Cyber and Information Security Agency issued a warning against the use of both software and hardware of Huawei and ZTE. Protection against Chinese technologies is one of the main topics for Trump’s administration.
The EU itself is a last-minute deal expert. However, this time it is about an international agreement, not the EU’s internal issues, so it may not be the case. Recently, there have been some positive indications about a possible compromise.
Let’s be optimistic. The EU is not going to re-open the deal itself; it may re-open its political preamble and add some amendments or appendix. At the same time, Brussels will for some time pretend none of that is possible, as a part of tactics. Moreover, the EU27 won’t be willing to compromise unless the British Government secures enough votes to approve potential amendments.
Secretary-General Martin Selmayr, who is allegedly the second most powerful man in Europe, was in touch with representatives of the Exiting the EU Committee of the House of Commons. He was supposed to investigate whether British MPs would support a deal with a temporary Irish backstop. Representatives, in turn, asked whether the EU is willing to give such a guarantee. Both sides, however, got no clear answer.
Angela Merkel said that with creativity and goodwill, Britain and the EU can still perhaps resolve the Irish issue. So, there is hope that the EU will manage to find a middle ground regarding the Irish backstop as well. Part of the deal will probably be an open political declaration so that no one feels cornered. The preamble won’t mention any scenario other than the British one. Ireland might be willing to compromise as well.
Financial Times commentator Gideon Rachman brought up a question – how long can this new era last, the era that started when Trump got elected, and the UK voted to leave? Even though it is still unclear whether it is just a temporary deviation or the beginning of a new era, it is likely that 2016 will be seen as the start of a new cycle.
The bad news for liberals is that a cycle usually lasts a long time, sometimes even 30 years. This new cycle gained momentum. The biggest South American country elected Trump’s admirer Bolsonaro. Both Saudi and Israeli Governments prefer Trump over Obama. The governments of Poland and Hungary are ideologically much closer to Trump than to Brussels. Italian Deputy PM Salvini is a fan of Trump and so on.
The anti-establishment forces that gave birth to Brexit are getting stronger as well. In France there is the Yellow vests movement, in Germany the Alternative for Germany party is on the rise. If this trend takes root, it could last for decades. Europe experienced two such eras – from 1945 to 1975 and then from 1975 to 2008. It is crucial for the new era to have some visible achievements so that it can last longer.
The Czech Republic has an area of 20,000 square meters available in Syria. The campus will gradually become a kindergarten, a school, an accommodation, a dining room, and a sports complex.
“Cooperation should work by our Red Cross and the Syrian Red Crescent,” said Babiš. Syrian companies are going to build the center, and a local architect is to create the project. “We agreed with the Syrian partners that we would pay for the first year of operation of the center,” Babiš said.
At the end of last October, MEP Michaela Šojdrová (KDU-ČSL) announced that she would like to transfer five dozen unaccompanied Syrian children to the Czech Republic from the overcrowded refugee camps in Greece as a solidarity humanitarian gesture. For this purpose, she wanted to meet with Babiš and Interior Minister Jan Hamáček (ČSSD).
However, Babiš stated that there is a need to help Syrian children in Syria. In November, the PM presented a plan to build a kindergarten for about 150 orphans to President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.
“We hope that the Syrian problem will be resolved prospectively and the refugees will return home. I am convinced that we have to help people in their environment where they were born and where they are used to living,” added Babiš.
According to the Czech Statistical Office, the leading industrial producer is Germany with a 30 percent share, followed by Great Britain, Italy, and France. Czechia has always been one of the most industrial counties in Europe, now more than half of the country’s production goes to export, said Radek Matějka, Director of the Industrial Statistics Unit.
Last year, Czech industrial production improved year-on-year in 9 months and was lower only in March, September, and December. July marked the highest growth rate at 10.2 percent and March the biggest drop by 1.5 percent. By comparison, in 2017 Czech industrial production increased year-on-year by 6.5 percent.
Production of computers, electronic, optical and electrical devices and metalwork contributed the most to the growth of industrial production. The leather manufacturing industry, for example, decreased by more than a third.
According to Matějka, the data shows that Czech industry growth doesn’t have to rely fully on the automotive industry, which doesn’t contribute the most to overall production anymore. Also, the energy industry despite its small share has been crucial for smooth energy supply, he added.
Picture above: A. Michnik, L. Wałęsa, B. Geremek and T. Mazowiecki (standing on the right) during Round Table Talks in 1989.
Cenckiewicz is in opposition to President Andrzej Duda, who evaluated that the Round Table talks were necessary: “although the account is not unambiguously good, it is positive. (…) I have no doubts, that it was necessary”. The President also claimed a statue of Mazowiecki should be erected in Warsaw.
Cenckiewicz opposed Duda, claiming that “we should have waited for Communism to fall on its own, because the communists just wanted to make themselves a partner. The Round Table was a betrayal of the elites.”
The Round Table was a betrayal of the elites
The historian also opposes the construction of a statue to commemorate Mazowiecki. “I negatively evaluate that character. I even thought about writing his biography, but I don’t think I’ll have time to do that.”
“Since the end of March 1989 there was a certain agreement, which isn’t written down in a secret addendum, but people from Adam Michnik [Gazeta Wyborcza head editor] accepted a form of government prepared far away from the Round Table,” the historian argued
The Round Table talks
The Round Table talks of 1989 were the negotiations between the opposition and communists in Poland. They led to the first partially free elections in Central-Eastern Europe after World War 2 on June 4th 1989 and forming the first government in CEE with a non-communist Prime Minister – Tadeusz Mazowiecki.
PiS huge victory
This is a huge victory, because these are the second elections won in a row and the second time an absolute majority has been reached