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  • Kaczyński: Our victory will serve equality

    “We have always said that Poland must develop in an equal manner by any means necessary,” Kaczyński said on Sunday in his speech in Opole, South-West Poland. “So that particular regions will be closer, when it comes to development. PiS’s victory in the elections will make that development happen,” he added.

    Kaczyński underlined that there are significant disparities of wealth between different regions of Poland. He criticized the opposition’s metropolitan concept and claimed that the opposition still believes in this concept, despite their denials. This entailed the prospering of a few metropolitan areas from which wealth would trickle down to the poorer ones.

    This is a situation which would allow the poorer Poland to catch up, so that we all could catch up with the wealthier Western Europe

    The PiS chairman said that PiS has always denounced the metropolitan concept. “Everything must be done for Poland to develop as equally as possible,” he said. 

    Kaczyński emphasized the importance of local elections as the policy of equality and will only work if there is cooperation between central, voivodship and regional levels. “This is a situation which would allow the poorer Poland to catch up, so that we all could catch up with the wealthier Western Europe. This would also raise the standard of living in Poland at the same time.”

    Kaczyński reminded how PiS is already fighting these inequalities: through the 500+ child benefit program, government package for school children and raising the minimum wage.

  • PM Orbán shares photo with granddaughter

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shared on Facebook a picture where he is seen cuddling his granddaughter, Aliz (2) at a weekend conservative meeting in the southwest Hungarian village of Kötcse.

    Orbán, a strong supporter of family values has five children – four of which are girls – and Aliz is the daughter of his oldest daughter, Ráhel (29), who is currently pregnant.

    One reader’s comment below the picture says, “This is Viktor’s real hidden power, making him the first Super Politician.”

  • Hungarian automotive industry booming

    Minister Szíjjártó was speaking in the northwest Hungarian city of Győr at the inauguration of a 6,000 square meter plant of the firm Qualitative Production (QP), Origo reports.

    The minister said the growth of the car industry was uninterrupted as in the first half of 2018 it again rose by 7 percent to a value of HUF 4,500 billion.

    Last year, the automotive industry accounted for 29.3 percent of manufacturing output and employed around 167, 000 people. He said the car industry is driving the modern-day industrial revolution and the world’s leading manufacturers deem it worthy to invest in Hungary. This is evidenced by the fact that Audi has begun the production of electric engines in Győr, Mercedes is building its second plant in Kecskemét, Peugeot is assembling engines for its new models in Szentgotthárd. BMW is building a car plant in Debrecen and the construction of a new test track for self-driving cars is underway in Zalaegerszeg.

    He said Hungarian small and medium enterprises are clear beneficiaries of these investments and the QP plant is a good example for that. The plant – supplying piston heads for Audi – was an investment of HUF 6.2 billion, of which the state budget contributed 1.5 billion. QP – from its humble beginnings 25 years ago with 10 employees – now employs almost 200 people.

    The plant will use the latest robotics technology on its new assembly line, with the equipment coming from Japan. 

  • The hijacking of Europe

    Until the European elite realizes the necessity of a radical change in order to safeguard our continent, all speeches about reinforcing security will be but hot air, Magyar Idők columnist József Horváth writes.

    Confidence in the legal system is one of the main pillars of all police, law enforcement and intelligence work. The belief that as long as they follow the letter of the law, they will have the support of the rulers, politicians and citizens. This is most crucial in intelligence work, with operations often spanning over several government cycles.

    During the 1972 Munich Olympic Games Palestinian terrorists hijacked a group of Israeli athletes, finally killing 11 of them while German police shot five of the terrorists, the rest escaped and were celebrated as heroes in Libya. Then Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir ordered Operation Sword of Gideon, to identify, find and liquidate all who perpetrated, planned and financed the attack. The operation lasted nearly twenty years and several governments came and went, but there was no doubt whatsoever that the operation must be completed.

    On September 11, 2001 terrorist group Al Qaeda conducted a tragic attack against several targets on the East Coast of the United States. Two days later, President George W. Bush announced on television that the country will spare no resources in finding and punishing the perpetrators. On May 2, 2011, during the presidency of Barack Obama, Bin Laden was killed in Operation Neptune Spear.

    Unfortunately, Western Europe today shows an entirely different picture. Sami A. of Tunisian origin arrived in Germany in 2005. He was under the surveillance of German intelligence for the previous 13 years. They established that he was a member of Al Qaeda, received military training in Afghanistan and served as Bin Laden’s bodyguard. While in Germany, he attempted to radicalize others, sired four children and all the time received EUR 1,167 social support per month.

    Eventually, in June 2018 he was ordered to be deported to Tunisia where he was also wanted. But a court in Gelsenkirchen vetoed the deportation and ordered the Immigration Office to bring him back because he could be subjected to torture in Tunisia. Now he is awaiting the verdict. 

    I think the above examples are self-explanatory. Not only are intelligence services denied the additional funding required for their growing and increasingly dangerous workload but even the law fails to support them.

    And this will inevitably lead to decreased efficiency, moral dilemmas within the secret service ranks and many will outright resign. Instead of Operation Sword of Gideon or Neptune Spear we are sadly witnessing Operation Hijacking of Europe.

  • Leaders of the Catholic Church gather in Bratislava

    The Catholic Church has given valuable assistance to refugees and migrants crossing its territory, and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are negatively affected by the exodus of young people.

    “It cannot be ignored that the main cause of this phenomenon is that, in the course of the last thirty years, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, despite their adherence to the Western world, have not yet been integrated as equal partners – and the differences in the average wages between the countries of the European West and those of Central and Eastern Europe have remained enormous. It will therefore be necessary to find a different way of integrating these countries into the Western world: a way that shall guarantee the equal dignity of these countries and their citizens,” says the CCEE.

    The bishops are pointing out that education reforms are necessary for the future of these countries and the consumerism is increasingly confronted with the risk of being unjust. “It is necessary that the Central and Eastern European countries are treated fairly in the economic relations of the Western world,” a statement read. The bishops realize the uncertainty of the countries connected with the migration crisis, they state that the Christians must do everything to help their countries of origin to solve the problems that cause migration.

    The body is also worried about the spread of a gender ideology, concealed also in the well-known Convention of Istanbul. “We must do everything to help Europe return to its natural and Christian roots. Its institutions, including the courts, should respect the autonomy of Central and Eastern European countries in the cultural and ethical sphere,” the statement concluded.

  • Open letter to MEPs from Hungarian conservatives

    Dear Madam and Mr. Representative!

    We hope and know that you have sufficient patriotism required to represent the population of your country and Europe genuinely and according to your mandate.

    (…) We ask you not to pass judgement on the rule of law in a country you do not know, probably have never been to and maybe only spoke with citizens of it who do not represent the opinion of the majority. Democracy means that the opinion of the majority is the guidance. You should know this. If you disregard this fact when passing judgement, you are trampling democratic rights and are unfit to sit in the Parliament of the union.

    Hungary is a democratic state governed by the rule of law. We certainly have fellow nationals who are not in favor of the government and prime minister consecutively elected for the third time with a two-thirds majority, but this is the case in most democracies. But the overwhelming majority of Hungarian constituents support the work of the current government and the prime minister and as you can see, does so for the ninth year.

    (…) On September 12 you will vote on the rule of law in Hungary. Please do so based on your conscience, not based on personal or party reasons. If you do, you can only vote “no”. You should know that the significant majority of Hungarians maximally supports Viktor Orbán and when he will speak in defence of his country on September 11 you should also be aware that he represents the will of a democratic country.

    The Sargentini report is full of inaccuracies, is incorrect and rancorous. Please believe that we know our country better!

    (…) You now have the opportunity to prove your integrity and correctitude or the opposite.

    Do not forget that hundreds of millions of people are following your activities and in 2019 they will be the ones who will vote, not the NGOs and outsider businessmen who want to influence and mislead you.

    Best regards,

    László Csizmadia, Izabella Bence, Zoltán Lomnici Jr., Tamás Fricz in the name of the Civil Union Public Benefit Foundation

     

  • V4´s pledge to fight cybercrime

    At a three-day meeting, V4 prosecutors discussed the European Public Prosecutor´s Office (EPPO) and committed to working together to fight cybercrime.

    The meeting which took place from Monday to Wednesday was attended by Supreme Public Prosecutors Pavel Zeman (Czech), Péter Polt (Hungary), and Jaromír Čižnát (Slovakia) and the deputy to the Polish Supreme Public Prosecutor Bogdan Świeczkowski.

    The European Public Prosecutor´s Office will investigate and prosecute crimes against financial interests of the EU, particularly the misuse of EU funds, but also large cross-border VAT frauds.

    The office, the existence of which is anticipated by the basic EU treaties, was established by twenty countries in Luxembourg in the autumn last year after years of negotiating on its form and power. The Czech Republic is, unlike Poland and Hungary, among the member states.

    The Supreme Prosecutors agreed that the establishment of the EPPO must not weaken currently existing forms of international judicial cooperation. They also promised to pay close attention to all forms of cybercrime, in particular attacks against computer networks, intellectual property disruption, child pornography and Internet identity fraud.

  • More than 50 refugees disappear from Diciotti ship

    Fifty out of 177 refugees have disappeared from migrant reception centers following the docking of the Diciotti ship, according to La Repubblica daily,

    Matteo Salvini has ironically remarked that he was right when holding the refugees back on the ship. However, he is now being persecuted for that decision.

    “More than 50 migrants who disembarked from the Diciotti ship needed protection, food and accommodation so much so that they decided to leave (to receiving centers) and disappeared! So didn´t I keep them (on board) by right?,“ Salvini wrote on Facebook. “It is another proof that not everyone who is coming to Italy is nothing but skin and bones and is running away from war and hunger,“ he added.

    “If only one of them committed a crime, who would be responsible for it? The end of uncontrolled migration and immediate maritime blockade,“ Giorgia Meloni who leads the political party Brothers of Italy wrote on Twitter.

    The migrants, mostly from Eritrea, were rescued by the Italian Coast Guard during the night of August 16th. Salvini conditioned their disembarking in the Sicilian port of Catania by redistributing them among EU states. After a ten-day stalemate, Albania and Ireland agreed to receiving around twenty migrants and the Italian Catholic Church promised to take care of the rest.

    Salvini is now being prosecuted for illegal detention of people, misuse of power, neglecting of the office exercise, restrain of personal freedom and pressure on the EU institutions to force the redistribution of immigrants.  This case will be handled by a special court dealing with crimes committed by members of the government. Salvini is facing up to 30 years in prison according to the Italian Criminal Code.

  • Seehofer: Migration is the mother of all problems

    The government should, according to German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer, learn quickly from Chemnitz, otherwise it will lose voter confidence.

    “Migration is the mother of all problems,“ Seehofer said. His statement is in contrast with that of Chancellor Angela Merkel who criticized in particular the demonstrations of the opponents of migration which she calls the far right.

    At a closed CSU meeting in Neuhardenberg on Wednesday, Seehofer said that when people revolt it does not mean they are Nazis. He added that if he were not a minister, he would go to the streets as well.

    Those who performed the Nazi salute at the demonstration deserve a punishment, but it does not mean that when someone comes into the street, he or she is a neo-Nazi.

    “Many people now associate their social problems with the issue of migration,“ Federal Interior Minister Rheinische Post said along with a statement that if Germany does not change its immigration policy, traditional political parties will keep losing voters´ support.

    The traditional political parties indeed lose support. Based on the survey released on Wednesday, the political party Alternative for Germany (AfD), anti-immigration party, has the second largest support in the country.

    Die Welt also recalled that Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer also spoke differently than Merkel who condemned the “hunt for foreigners“. The events in Chemnitz must be described correctly: “Naturally, there were no crowd, no lynch, no pogrom“.

  • Poles spent more time on holiday this season

    The Polish Chamber of Tourism (PIT) estimates a 40 percent increase in sales of trips during the summer season.

    Together with wakacje.pl, travelplanet.pl and fly.pl, PIT have prepared statistics for the 2018 holidays.

    The numbers show that 80 percent of Poles chose week long vacations in travel agencies, 94.6 percent travelled by plane and 70 percent chose an all-inclusive option.

    The average price of reservations was PLN 5,709 up from last year’s figure of PLN 5,962. The price of trips dropped from PLN 2,355 to PLN 2,175.

    28.9 percent of tourists bought their holidays at least three months in advance (22.7 percent last year). 34 percent chose to buy them last minute, 10 days before their departures (36 percent last year).

    PIT also states that 1.24 million people used offers for children and youths, an 8 percent increase compared to last year.

    “Unfortunately, over 25 percent of Poles travelled as companies which are not written into the organizers’ register. Therefore, they were unable to be accounted for in the statistics,” explains Andrzej Kindler, deputy chairman of PIT.

    There were eight large companies who gave their services to over 5,000 people. The largest number of companies were micro companies (3,000) which organized trips for up to 100 children.

    1.34 trillion USD was the global international tourism revenue in 2017. This is the best result since 2010. This sector of economy is responsible for 10 percent of GDP, 7 percent of export and 10 percent of workplaces.

  • Duda: A state is not the judges who feel above the law

    “A state is not the judges who feel above the law and courts which are working slowly – that is not a just state,” Andrzej Duda said during his meeting with the inhabitants of Lubań. “A state is a government who cares for the common, hardworking people,” he added.

    The president spoke of fixing Poland. One of these measures was the introduction of the 500+ child benefit program. Its goal was to help young couples “feel supported by the government in bringing up children.” He is satisfied by how the program is operated and how efficiently the money is distributed.

    A state is not the judges who feel above the law and courts which are working slowly – that is not a just state. A state is a government who cares for the common, hardworking people

    Duda also hopes that prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s commitments will be fulfilled. The aim is to develop small counties and the government wants to thermo-modernize houses, build local roads, cut heating costs and install high speed internet.

    “The government will spend PLN 500 million in counties, small towns, in places where it is needed, where local governments weren’t always able to afford these modernizations,” Duda says.

    The president assured the country that his aim is to be deeply convinced at the end of his term that Poles are indeed living better lives.

  • It’s time to end Sweden’s insane migration policy

    The Polish candidate in Sunday’s Swedish parliamentary elections wants to help Sweden turn back from the Left and its insane migration policy. Beata Milewczyk will run as a member of the Sweden Democrats (SD).

    Milewczyk arrived in Sweden in 2007 with her two young children to join her husband. They settled in Södertälje, where she is now a councilwoman, in which almost half of the inhabitants are now immigrants. Once it was mostly Poles and Finns, now Middle-Eastern immigrants are the dominant group. The Polish population is 2,500.

    “Since the beginning it was an uphill struggle,” Milewczyk explains in an interview for Gazeta Polska Codziennie. It was difficult for her to find a kindergarten due to there being too many immigrants. When she finally joined a language school after a year, Arabic dominated as the language because of a lack of control. “The regional government also wasn’t too helpful in supplying a translator for meetings with clerks or doctors,” she said.

    I was once called into school because one of my children was cussing. It turned out that it was doing so in Assyrian

    “I was once called into school because one of my children was cussing. It turned out that it was doing so in Assyrian. I replied, that it wasn’t my problem but that of the school, because at home we speak Polish and I don’t know Assyrian,” Milewczyk said. 98 percent of children in schools are immigrants, so they are used to speaking in their own language. “Under the influence of their friends, my children started speaking Arabic or Assyrian,” she added.

    Due to her experiences with immigration, Milewczyk decided to enter politics and joined the Sweden Democrtas in 2010. She was motivated by seeing Mona Sahlin, a former social democrat’s leader, not wanting to speak to the leader of the SD, Jimmie Akesson and branding him a racist.

    “I asked myself – is this democracy?”

    Mileczyk

    Milewczyk is running for re-election to the Södertälje regional council as well as Sweden’s parliamentary elections. The SD is currently the second political force in the country, with polls giving them as much as 20 percent of popular support.

    “I’ve been met with a positive reaction from Poles living in Sweden,” Milewczyk says of her campaign. “I know that there are many more like-minded people.”

  • The man behind the “mother of all scams” to be extradited to Poland

    Dariusz Przywieczerski “the brains behind FOZZ” is to be extradited from the USA to Poland. He had been hiding in the US for 12 years.

    Przywieczerski was the man behind managing the communist Polish state debt (FOZZ) fund. He has been wanted since 2005, when he was sentenced to three years of prison for the FOZZ affair.

    Przywieczerski had been accused of withdrawing around US$1.5 million from the fund.

    Przywieczerski had left Poland in the wake of his sentence and was finally located in the US by Interpol in 2006. In the same year, the regional court in Warsaw demanded the extradition of the scammer from the US Department of State. The US asked for addendums to necessary documents and the case went on and was soon forgotten.

    The FOZZ scam is regarded as the “mother of all scams”. Massive sums of money had been withdrawn from FOZZ to private accounts

    The FOZZ scam is regarded as the “mother of all scams”. Massive sums of money had been withdrawn from FOZZ to private accounts. The Supreme Audit Office (NIK) had investigated the reports of improprieties in FOZZ.

    The list of mysterious deaths connected to the FOZZ affair is long. Among the victims was the controller of NIK Michał Falzmann and his deputy Walerian Pańko.

  • Visegrád Four economies are booming

    The Visegrád Four countries are the engine of the EU’s economy, Hungarian Central Bank President György Matolcsy said at an economics conference.

    The conference took place in Debrecen, northeast Hungary, the same city where German car maker BMW decided to build a EUR 1 billion car plant. He also referred to the car maker in his speech, saying that the plant there will make Debrecen the economic capital of eastern Hungary.

    Matolcsy said that the key to the success of the V4 economies was that their convergence paths had a similar structure. As a result, the V4’s weight within the European Union’s GDP rose from a previous 3 percent to the current 6 percent.

    After 2010, Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was given a chance to embark on a sustainable convergence with the more developed European countries. But for this to happen, these countries need strong regional centers and Matolcsy mentioned ten such places: Warsaw, Kraków, Prague, Brno, Bratislava, Košice, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Budapest and Debrecen.

    He also said that V4 countries are frontrunners in the EU in terms of employment data, with the highest employment rate within the 15 to 64 age group. Hungary also stood to benefit from being one of the hubs of China’s US$900 billion New Silk Road.

     

  • Terrorism is on the rise in Europe

    Figures show that 68 people died in the European Union in 2017 due to terrorist attacks. In total, 205 terrorist attacks and foiled attempts were recorded in nine countries during this time period.

    Europol believes that the number of terrorist attacks is constantly growing, however the acts become less sophisticated. The officials claim that 137 attacks were motivated by ethnic-nationalistic or separatist movements. The jihadists are responsible for the most casualties, 62 from the total number of 68.

    According to the report, Europe is still the target of terrorism, the situation in the Middle East and ISIS are representing a threat to the security of the Union. Internet is playing an important role in the radicalization of potential terrorists. In comparison in 2016, Europol recorded 142 failed, foiled and unsuccessful terrorist attempts.

    What’s more, 67 percent of the total attempts were organized in the United Kingdom, 42 in France and 7 in Spain, the number of jihadist-motivated attempts increased from 13 in 2016 to 33 in 2017.

    Europol identified three models of terrorist attacks: the attacks focused on the highest number of victims, the attacks on the symbols of Western lifestyle and the terrorism concentrated on the authorities.

    Terrorism is less visible in cyberspace, but online propaganda is playing a more important role in recruiting prospects. In total, 975 people were taken into custody in connection with terrorism.

  • German president pours oil on fire

    Frank-Walter Steinmeier really did it this time. He invited punk-rock band Feine Sahne Fischfilet to a concert against violence in Chemnitz. He wasn’t even bothered by the fact that the mainstream German media has already apologized and admitted to having overreacted to the events. While there were indeed a few drunk and disorderly youth, it was nothing like the “raging brown horde” as reported.

    State television channel ARD even admitted that the images showing young protestors in Chemnitz raising their hands in a Nazi salute were in fact taken at another rally in another city. No wonder many call German state media “Lügenpresse” (lying press). But back to the concert.

    People need bread and a circus, so let us give them a circus. The organizers were clearly out of their mind, seeing how one of the band’s most popular songs is “Deutschland Verrecke!” (Die, Germany!).

    Feine Sahne

    Feine Sahne Fischfilet concert in Germany

    The German press carried widespread condemnations of the people of Chemnitz – and all Saxons by extension – even Spiegel magazine appeared with a cover suggesting that Saxony is a Nazi nest.

    The truth is that in Saxony – and Chemnitz in particular – there are many different kinds of foreigners: Hungarians, Poles, Vietnamese, Angolans, Syrians coexisting in peace with the native population. Most of them came as guest workers while it was still part of East Germany.

    Germany was a safe and friendly place. Then came 2015 and the changes it brought. The arrival of Middle Eastern and African migrants, who received aid from a government that had no plan on how to integrate, educate and provide jobs for them. It is no wonder many ordinary Germans wonder why the country is spending almost 50 billion euros on them every year.

    Fortunately, we cannot yet speak of a strong far-right in Germany. But if immigration policy and resulting criminality remain on the same course, it is just a question of time before something in people’s head will tilt to the right.

  • Night Wolves lose their tanks and guns

    The European headquarters of the Night Wolves in Slovakia has been emptied according to the authorities. The machine guns, tanks and armored transports were removed from the area belonging to the controversial biker gang.

    The Night Wolves equipped their European base several months ago, officially the reason for renting the area was organizing bike trips and historical activities. However the base was also filled with rented army vehicles and supplies.

    Most vehicles were provided by the Ministry of Defense and the Military History Institute, which rented the various equipment for 469 euros a month. The biker gang was getting access to the older, only partially functional equipment under the alias of the “Museum of Historical Vehicles, Trnava.”

    Due to the medicalization of Miloslav Čaplovič, the head of the MHI was removed from his position and Jozef Hambálek, the leader of the Night Wolves had to return the equipment. The ministry claims the loan happened by mistake. In total seven light machine-guns, two SMG’s, two tanks, three transporters and an anti-air cannon was taken back by the ministry, said spokesperson Danka Capákova.

  • Security expert says politics is responsible for Chemnitz

    Security policy expert László Földi said the events in Chemnitz, Germany are a clear diagnosis of a botched immigration policy.

    In an interview with Magyar Hírlap, Földi – former director of operations of Hungary’s civilian intelligence organization, the Information Office – said that social movements opposing migration have been brewing for a long time in Germany, because the tolerance threshold of the people there is lower.

    Földi said the lessons learnt from the events in Chemnitz is that German political leaders still don’t realize how untenable the current situation is. German politics has allowed the existence of minorities that are above the law. He recounted the case of a friend of his, who lost his passport in Malta and was not allowed to travel home from one EU country to another.

    In contrast, millions are coming to Europe without any identification whatsoever, claiming they are entitled to this on account of being ‘poor refugees’

    Upon arriving in Europe, these people will not even abide to the laws of their own culture, Földi says. Attacking women on the street has serious consequences where they come from, and so does thieving or hooliganism which they do in groups, yet they can get away with it in Europe.

    By now it has become clear that radically different cultures cannot coexist peacefully and such behavior will also bring out the worst from the native population. Whether from the right or the left, the truth is that such public violence can only occur because politics does not extend protection to the majority population.

    The main question is not how eighty million Germans relate to five million migrants, but what will it be in fifty or one hundred years. In fifty years, Europe will have changed radically as traditional order falls and conflicts will become a daily occurrence. He said even the forces of law order are conflicted because of contradictory signs coming from the political leaders.

    “It is quite telling that twenty thousand Berlin police officers asked to be transferred to the countryside because they feel unable to fulfil their oaths while in France, and the number of suicides among police officers is rampant.”

     

  • Hungary rejects “colonist-tone” French remarks

    France should not lecture Hungary in a colonistic tone as to who should get European Union funding, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szíjjártó said in a television interview.

    Minister Szíjjártó – quoted by news portal Origo.hu – was responding to recent French comments, adding that Hungary never was and is not a French colony and EU funding is distributed based on established treaties. The flip side of the coin is that Hungary has opened up its market to the benefit of Western companies.

    “We will never leave such remarks unanswered,” Minister Szíjjártó said

    Asked whether in next week’s European Parliament debate of the Sargentini report Hungary will be reprimanded, he did not wish to speculate, but said that “we will see whether MEPs are defending the interests of the European people or they will fall for a smear campaign against Hungary”,

    The minister said the crux of the issue is migration. Many Brussels officials want to alter the composition of the European population and these pro-migration forces cannot accept that there are governments for whom the security of their citizens is paramount.

    “We must offer assistance at the source of the problems, not bring the problems here,” Minister Szíjjártó said, adding that importing the problems is irresponsible and hypocritical.

    The Hungarian government, on the other hand, is building churches, schools and hospitals at the sources of migration through its “Hungary Helps” program and primarily supports Christian communities.

     

  • Andrej Babiš sets the agenda

    He was the only Czech politician who discussed migration in Italy. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán dealt with Babiš, not with Hamacek or Poche. And it was Babiš who flew to the meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday.

    Poche has reportedly given up his nomination and will leave it to his assistant from the European Parliament, Tomáš Petříček.

    However, he criticized President Milos Zeman as well as Prime Minister Babiš last week and, in contradiction with the government’s program, he advocated the adoption of the euro. Babiš then criticized Poche, and the new quarrel ended Poche’s “retreat plan.”

    CSSD chairman Jan Hamacek can do nothing but follow suit. He has to hope it will turn out somehow, because if he gives up the fight over the post of foreign minister, President Zeman will likely give it to Babiš.

    In addition, every quarrel with the Social Democrats over Poche is welcomed by Babiš. People can start to think that the issue of the Foreign Ministry is the main and only agenda of ČSSD. And that’s good for Babiš before the election.

  • Czechs are more afraid of migrants than in other countries

    A study published by the Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences has found that Czechs have issues with the Roma community, finding them less acceptable than Muslims.

    The data also shows that Czechs would rather accept unskilled workers from closer countries than educated Muslims.

    The study found that compared to the European average, Czechs are less open. They consider an arrival of people of other races, inhabitants of poor non-European countries, or Jews less acceptable.

    About 63 percent of the respondents are against the migration of Roma to the Czech Republic, and 55 percent of the respondents do not want to accept any Muslims.

    “People are afraid of migration, and the Czechs are no exception. They are worried about rising criminality, and the only difference that the Czech Republic shows is that the fears of the Czechs are double compared to other countries,” says Jaroslava Pospíšilová, co-author of the study.

    While in Europe, on average, 30 percent of university-educated people are afraid of migration, in the Czech Republic it is more than 60 percent. The biggest concern about migration is felt by right-wing voters, a total of 79 percent of them. Also, 79 percent of those with the lowest income are worried about the immigrants.

    “The results show that most important for the Czechs are work and material security, health took, although tightly a second place,” explains Pospíšilová.

    Amongst the most satisfied nations of Europe are the Danes, the Swiss and the Norwegians, the least satisfied are the Portuguese, Latvians, and Hungarians.

    However, experts point out the relative nature of such a measurement, because happiness and satisfaction may mean something different for different nations and thus the evaluation is not objective at all.

  • High-speed rail to link Visegrad region

    Hungary’s foreign minister has revealed that the Visegrad Group has agreed to build a high-speed train linking the region.

    Péter Szijjártó said the route will make it possible to travel from Budapest to Bratislava and Brno to Warsaw at a speed of up to 250 km per hour.

    During the Economic Forum in Krynica, Minister Szijjártó also announced that the study of the project should be completed in the autumn of 2019 and that the Hungarian government will allocate 1.5 billion HUF to the project.

  • Refugees continue to distort Czech-German relations

    After talks with Babiš, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the redistribution of refugees remains a controversial point of discussion between the Czech Republic and Germany. Overall, however, they both consider the relationship excellent.

    It was Babiš´s first official visit to Germany as Czech Prime Minister. Upon his arrival, there were about 30-40 protesters who chanted slogans like “Babiš is a liar and thief”, “Babiš to jail” or “Babiš is a threat to Europe”.

    The topics discussed between the two leaders included European issues, the EU-US relationship, migration, and bilateral relations. At a joint conference, both politicians confirmed that they did not agree on the issue of the distribution of migrants.

    According to the Chancellor, it is not possible to leave all the responsibility on Italy. The prime minister stressed that the European Union must clearly define the borders of the Schengen area. According to Babiš, two systems for fighting illegal migration cannot work in Europe at the same time, and every visitor to Europe should have a working visa.

    However, there were some agreements reached during the meeting. Merkel has listed such areas as the protection of the external borders, the fight against smugglers and investments in the countries of the migrants´ origin.

    Another area in which the two politicians agreed on is the need to conclude agreements with other countries similar to the deal on migration between the EU and Turkey.

  • Poland leads Top 500 CEE ranking

    Poland is at the top of the 13th Coface and Rzeczpospolita Top 500 CEE ranking, followed by Hungary and the Czech Republic. The overall revenue for the region is EUR 652 billion.

    Compared to 2017, there has been an 11.8 percent increase in total revenue and 80 percent of all the companies saw an increase in their revenues. This is significantly more than in previous years. To qualify, companies needed a revenue of at least EUR 445 million.

    PKN Orlen is first in the ranking, followed by Czech Skoda Auto and Hungarian MOL. Fourth is Jeronimo Martins Biedronka Poland and fifth is Polish PGNiG.

    Overall, 175 Polish businesses qualified for the ranking compared to last year’s 168. Polish companies had an overall revenue of EUR 262.4 billion. Poland is also the country most versatile when it comes to brands. Mining, pharmaceutics, chemicals, raw materials and plastics are the most represented.

    Below are the financial results of companies in individual countries in billions of euros – the first table from the top is “revenue” and the second is “net profit”:

    Ranking

    Poland leads in the ranking in terms of representatives. Hungary is second (71), but the Czech Republic (67) is a close third. For example, the Czech companies’ total revenue is higher than that of the Hungarians. There will be a strong rivalry for second place next year. 

    Full ranking page: http://www.coface.pl/Aktualnosci-i-media/Rankingi-i-konferencje/TOP-500-CEE-2018

    Romania is fourth with 56 representatives. Although it is significantly less than Hungary or the Czech Republic, the country has high potential when it comes to its domestic market. Romania’s population is 19.5 million people, just shy of Hungary’s and the Czech Republic’s combined.

    Just like last year, motorization companies have the most representatives – 101. Second are companies from the fuel sector with 91 representatives.

  • Lithuanian PM awarded Krynica Man of the Year

    The Prime Minister of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis is the 28th Krynica Economic Forum’s Man of the Year. The award is given to people whose behavior and accomplishments had the greatest impact on Central-Eastern Europe.

    The award was presented by Polish PM Mateusz Morawiecki. In his acceptance speech, Skvernelis highlighted how Poland and Lithuania are connected by their approach to the European Union.

    “Poland and Lithuania share views on the European Union; we are for a Union of sovereign nation states whose national interests are accordingly represented. Changes in the EU must go in such a direction, that no country will feel discriminated,” he said.

    The Lithuanian PM also said that Poland and Lithuania’s stance on migration are similar. “We are against forced relocations and support the strengthening of borders, so that Frontex will work,” he added.

    We are for a Union of sovereign nation states whose national interests are accordingly represented. Changes in the EU must go in such a direction, that no country will feel discriminated

    Skvernelis underlined that the Lithuanian government will “never support sanctions on Poland”.

    “I think that the values which connect us are much stronger and more important. If we will only discuss interests while forgetting shared values, I think that such a perspective would be extremely sad,” he said.

    Skvernelis, born in Kaunas and a former lawyer and policeman, is one of the most popular politicians in the country. Just behind president Dalia Grybauskaite and ahead of the chairman of the ruling party LVZS Ramunas Karbaukis.

    In previous years, the title of Man of the Year was awarded to, for example John Paul II, Lech Wałęsa, Donald Tusk, Jarosław Kaczyński and Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

  • A slap in the face for good manners and common sense

    The first week of September saw the rise of a nasty media campaign in Poland. The editor-in-chief of “Fakt” Robert Feluś resigned following the publication of the tabloid’s cover relating to the death of former PM Leszek Miller’s son. “The father chose politics and the son the noose” was the headline.

    The resignation was deserved because such a disgrace cannot be explained as a simple mistake. The process of publishing a paper consists of many stages and decisions to approve covers are made on the highest level.

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    This wasn’t the most hideous “Fakt” cover in recent years. There was the 2015 cover which showed a photo of a dying 10-year-old girl being wounded by a thug with an axe. Back then there should’ve not only been a resignation, but a slap in the face but it ended with discussions about controversies in tabloids. When it comes to the recent “Fakt” cover, Feluś’s deputy called the outrage over it a “sh*tstorm”. 

    While we’re on the topic of slaps in the face – when a female government clerk slaps a vulgarly screaming woman supporting the opposition, it’s disgusting. No matter from which political side that person is or how irritating they are – violence towards women is unacceptable full stop.

    It’s a great embarrassment that on the political right people immediately started commending the aggressor. Their rightism is limited to red-white flags and national symbols on social media. They’re mentality is closer to communist scum than conservative, right wing or national values.

  • Chemnitz in the spotlight

    It is not surprising at all that the events in Chemnitz, close to the border generated so much attention in the Czech Republic and in the countries of the Visegrad Four.

    The murder of a citizen by an Iraqi immigrant seeking asylum is fulfilling the darkest fears of societies, which have been present since 2015 when masses of immigrants were heading to Central Europe. And it is not just about the murder but the uproar it caused in Saxony and later in Germany.

    Demonstrations are being organized, the police clash with the masses and hooligans are attacking asylum-seekers. The founder of the initiative Pro Chemnitz Martin Kohlmann is asking for more independence of Saxony and calls for stronger cooperation with the Visegrad countries.

    The murder is tragic. The asylum-seeker from Iraq killed a local citizen on the streets with a couple of stabs. His request for asylum was rejected two years ago, but Germany was unable to send him back despite committing crimes, drug abuse and his reputation of being a dangerous man. This is an exemplary case for unleashing the rage.

    Germany is unable to cope with the rejected number of asylum-seekers, unable to solve the protests in the streets of Chemnitz. The locals have the feeling of being left alone with the issue. From our viewpoint the most interesting is the high proportion of nervousness surrounding the conflict. The well-organized German society is neurotically trying to get rid of the disarray down to the smallest of details.

    Saxony cannot organize its own Brexit, but what will they do? Possibly seek a strong leader, just like the Visegrad countries. The desire for stability in an unstable world is understandable.

  • PiS in the lead before local elections

    Law and Justice (PiS) leads in regional legislatures according to a new IBRiS poll. PiS may win in 12 out of 16 Voivodships.

    Currently PiS rules in just one Voivodship. If the elections were held today, they would govern or co-govern in at least seven. The Civic Coalition (Civic Platform – PO – and the Modern Party – Nowoczesna)) would govern in six. The remaining three would come down to coalitions established after the elections.

    According to IBRiS, PiS can count on 36 percent of votes in the regional parliaments. The Civic Coalition would be voted in by 23 percent. The peasant party (PSL) obtained a very high result – 14 percent and both the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD) and Kukiz15’ would have 7 percent of votes. Regional committees and independent candidates would obtain 5 percent. 

    Upcoming elections will be a real earthquake (…) but the poll shows that PiS has been unable to marginalize PSL

    Experts attending the Krynica Economic Forum commented on the IBRiS poll for interia.pl. Professor Waldemar Paruch said that the upcoming elections will be a real earthquake. Dr. Anna Materska-Sosnowska of the University of Warsaw underlined that the poll shows that PiS has been unable to marginalize PSL.

    It is important to remember that although the elections in large towns may seem prestigious, the regional parliaments hold real power and economic influence. As well as access to EU funds.

    The local elections in Poland will take place on the October 21st and November 4th, 2018.

  • Hungarian water polo legend resigns from federation

    Dénes Kemény, the most successful Hungarian water polo trainer of all time has resigned from his position as head of the National Water Polo Association.

    Kemény made his decision public in February, but now has officially submitted his written resignation, Origo.hu reports.

    Dénes Kemény was never a great water polo player. His best achievement was being on the junior national team which won the 1973 European Junior Championship in Duisburg. A veterinary doctor by training, in 1990 he achieved the position of water polo trainer, and in 1998 the water polo master trainer.

    He was the trainer and president of the men’s national team from 1997 to 2012, during which time the team won 24 medals at 29 major tournaments, including three Olympic gold medals in a row from 2000 to 2008, one World Championship in 2003 and two European Championships in 1997 and 1999.

    Kemény

    Dénes Kemény (bottom row, third from left) and the men’s Olympic gold winner team at the Athens Olympic Games.

  • V4 launch Warsaw-Budapest high-speed rail study

    The relevant ministers of the four countries agreed to jointly complete the study, Hungarian Finance Minister Mihály Varga said at the Krynica economic forum in Poland, Magyar Hírlap reported.

    The rail line will link Warsaw, Bratislava, Brno and Budapest and will have a top speed of over 250 km/h (155 mph). The Hungarian government will contribute HUF 1.5 billion ($5.3 million) to the feasibility study. The public procurement tender for the study will be announced shortly in order to have it completed by next autumn for decision-makers.

    Varga also said that at the forum Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine signed a declaration of intent to devise a strategy for the creation of a Carpathians economic region. The work will last two years and the aim is to boost the participant countries’ competitiveness, sharing of infrastructure and resources and to bolster cooperation between the region’s institutions.

    The Czech Republic, Moldova, Romania and Slovakia will also be part of the cooperation – Romania was already present at the last project meeting. Varga said the participants will also work on concrete projects such as rail and road network development and digital transition.

    In addition to funding from the participating states, Varga hoped that the project will also receive funding from the European Union, the business sphere and private investors. He also said that the new cooperation must be closely integrated with the existing Carpathians framework and the Danube region strategy. 

  • Kick the conservatives and they find an alternative

    The primary liberal media is completely losing its respect for a specific part of society, the conservatives and the religious. If this won’t change, everyone will lose.

    We are surprised how quickly and firmly Robert Fico was able to spread his narrative about Soros and foreign disruption of the state. We are wondering how Harabin gains his supporters, the brown coats are in the parliament and some are calling for the return of Mečiar. We don’t understand those who are reading Hlavné správy based on the Russian agenda. We are following the rise of an elite from a parallel world and asking ourselves whether the world is mad.

    Humankind has realized the need for organization and survival, communication and creating communities.

    I am hearing that Catholics are daft, the members of the church do not think and this is how we should approach them. The conservatives are naturally searching for alternatives in a hostile media environment. Which exists and is waiting for them with arms wide open.

    The conservatives are losing their faith in traditional media, because the traditional media lost faith in them. Liberalism, which during the course of history was teaching tolerance to religion now sees it as the biggest challenge.

  • Strong member states are the EU’s foundation, says foreign minister

    For Hungary, the fundamental values of the EU are the Christian values envisaged by the founding fathers of the Union, Minister Szíjjártó said at a panel discussion of the Krynica forum.

    “Europe was able to achieve its great successes due to the Christian set of values,” he said. “The more we distance ourselves from these values, the lower our chances will be to rebuild a competitive and strong European Union”

    Here in Central Europe we struggle to understand why does Western Europe want to get rid of its Christian heritage? Poles and Hungarians cannot understand when other sates remove Christian symbols from public places or public buildings.

    Szíjjártó_Adamczyk

    Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szíjjártó (L) and Polish Minister for Infrastructure and Construction Andrzej Adamczyk (R) meet at the Krynica economic forum in Poland.

    Minister Szíjjártó said the major challenges faced by the European Union are migration, energy policy, terrorism and Brexit. Those who do not share the EU’s majority views on these issues should not be considered enemies.

    He said a federal Europe was a dead end, arguing that taking away national-level decisions would weaken individual member states and no integration can be imagined as a chain consisting of weak links.

    In order to achieve successful integration, three phenomena present in all debates should be discarded: hypocrisy, political correctness and double standards. As an example for hypocrisy he mentioned that Warsaw is being criticized for solutions also employed in Western Europe, while political correctness can best be seen in the discussions about migration.

    “There was not a single EU leader who named migration as a security risk,” he said. “But if we don’t identify migration as a security risk, we will be unable to safeguard the security of our continent.”

     

  • Hungary supports further EU enlargement

    Hungary is pushing for the completion of EU accession talks with Serbia and Montenegro as well as starting negotiations with Macedonia and Albania, Szabolcs Takács, state minister in charge of EU affairs at the Prime Minister’s  office said in his speech at the Krynica economic forum.

    According to Pesti Srácok, he said that while the other Visegrád countries (the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia) agree with Hungary on this issue, western European countries are of the opinion that before accepting new members the EU should close the debates about the Union’s future.

    “Brexit and migration are two such contentious issues and they only wish to begin (enlargement) negotiations once these have been completed,” Takács said

    He said Hungary is supporting the accession of the Western Balkans sates because they play a key role in controlling ground migration routes. He also said that the discussion in Krynica he took part in was focused on the area exchange between Serbia and Kosovo, a very delicate matter.

    “This, however, also shows that if the Western Balkans states can make such weighty political decisions and see them through it means they are ready for EU membership,” he said.

    Hungary will support any agreement that has the full backing of the Serbian and Kosovar government and is in line with international law. He said Hungary wants Montenegro and Serbia to become full members of the Union by 2025 and the launch of accession negotiations with Macedonia and Albania in 2019, in line with the Commission’s relevant decision.

     

     

  • Muslims benefit from weak European politicians

    Examples in Vienna and Poitiers show that Muslims are very successful in building a strong position across Europe nowadays. They do not need a majority, because liberal leftist parties are standing on their side. It will not take much time before European history would be rewritten. Austrian and French authorities are not doing anything to stop it.

    The statue of King Jan III Sobieski will not be placed in Vienna. The authorities think that such a monument would have an anti-Turkish tone and it is not a good time to erect the statue.

    Another interesting discussion can be seen around the mosque in Poitiers, France. The mosque is presented with a different name for the French and for the Muslims. It is officially called the Great Mosque of Poitiers. Muslims, however, named it “Paved with Martyrs“.

    It is illogical and idiotic to blame Muslims for that. They only take a chance offered to them by the current social and political regimes in Europe to propagate their point of view on history, society and policies.

    Perhaps students in France will soon learn of the evil Karel Martel, who hurt the poor Muslims that have spread Islam to the territory of today’s France. Teachers in Austria will tell the stories about the evil Jan III Sobiesky, who led the coalition forces in the battle against the Muslim Ottoman Empire near Vienna, and his victory delayed the Islamization of Austria.

    Muslims do not even need to represent a majority of the population in European society. Multicultural and left-wing activists who hate the original European conservative anti-Jewish-Christian civilization would like to help them.

  • The battle for the European Parliament

    The victory of nationalists in the EP elections is more likely than surveys suggest. Salvini and Orbán are the main determinants of the agenda. The only other determinant of the agenda is French President Emmanuel Macron. They are now true rivals in European politics, and it is not clear who is going to win.

    Orbán’s Fidesz is part of the faction of the European People’s Party (EPP), Salvini is part of the Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF), a member of which is, of course, the French extremist politician Marine Le Pen. Salvini, who wants to enforce migrant redistribution quotas, has a single common goal with his otherwise opponent Orbán – to demonstrate that the EU is failing to deal with the migration crisis.

    Part of the EPP wants to get rid of Orbán, but without much hope of success. They cannot afford to lose him. EPP will lose many seats next year in the European Parliament elections, but the Orbán MEP’s contingent will remain as strong as it is now.

    The advantage of the nationalists in the European Parliament is also that they have no common positive agenda, so they are not jealous of each other. Moreover, despite what appears on the surface, Angela Merkel is de facto a political opponent of French President Emmanuel Macron, especially when Merkel has practically rejected all of Macron’s proposed Eurozone reforms.

  • Macron’s government is falling apart

    Sports Minister Laura Flessel surprisingly announced yesterday that she has decided to step down.

    Flessel is the second popular member of President Emmanuel Macron’s cabinet to resign in a week. The resignation of the immensely popular Environment Minister Nicolas Hulot was also a blow for Macron.

    Her decision comes as Macron attempts to inject new energy into his reform drive. Although the popular former Olympic fencing champion said she had “personal reasons“ for leaving, other sources claim her decision to leave was linked to her fiscal situation.

    Macron’s office announced that Flessel would be replaced by Roxana Maracineanu and the new Environment minister will be Francois de Rugy.

    Macron also faces an unprecedented decline in popularity. According to an Ifop poll, only 31 percent of French voters are now satisfied with his performance. Even his predecessor Francois Hollande was more popular at the same stage of his presidency. 

  • Babiš meeting with Merkel

    PM Babiš is on his first official visit to Germany today where discussions with Angela Merkel are expected to focus on European issues and EU-US relations, migration and bilateral relations.

    Before his departure, Babiš reiterated that his main topics were the EU budget and migration. “I do not want to engage in any talks about the next European elections; I am engaging myself as the PM of the Czech Republic, who, of course, has some opinion on the solution of migration, and of course the migration solution is connected with money,” he said.

    He added that Europe is unable to solve the problem of migration systematically, and therefore he declares that the Czech Republic will not accept a single migrant. On the other hand, this does not indicate a lack of solidarity, according to him, when the Czech Republic has contributed financial support of almost 100 million euros to other countries since 2015.

    Babiš criticized the draft of the EU budget, in which he sees 75 billion euros that could be used to address migration. Instead of raising Frontex spending, Babiš sees the solution in support of the “first-line” countries – Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain.

    Also, Babiš reiterated the need for an agreement with the states of North Africa – Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya or Egypt – which, according to him, Merkel has “intensive relationships“ with.

    The prime minister is going to meet the head of Parliament and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, too. Babiš named Germany the Czech Republic’s most important economic partner, with a third of Czech exports heading there.

    Today’s meetings will be held in the light of recent meetings with Giuseppe Conte and Viktor Orbán. The Czech media recalls the advantageous situation in which Babiš is located due to the fact that the Czech Republic still has no proper Foreign Minister.

  • Catastrophic drought in Poland

    Polish agriculture suffers after massive drought causes financial losses exceeding PLN 3.6 billion.

    The minister of agriculture Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski has promised governmental aid for aggravated farmers and fishermen of PLN 800 million. There have been 1,311 commissions established in 2098 municipalities to calculate the losses, and the afflicted territory covers almost 3.5 million hectares.

    Those farmers whose losses have exceeded 70 percent can expect compensation of PLN 1,000 per hectare. Fishermen whose ponds were located in the afflicted municipalities can expect PLN 300 per hectare. Motions can be submitted between September 14th and 28th, 2018.

    Harvest of basic grains is 14 percent less than the year before and the harvests of rapeseed and vegetables are lower by 16 and 8 percent

    The deadline for motions for farmers who have lost between 30 and 70 percent as well as the level of aid will be announced “after the assessment of damages for those farms has been completed by Voivodship commissions. This should happen in the next few days.”

    Statistics Poland released estimates of this year’s harvest: the harvest of basic grains is 24 million tons (14 percent less than the year before) and the harvests of rapeseed and vegetables are lower by 16 and 8 percent.

  • Marxist propaganda in Austrian primary schools

    A “scandalous” pamphlet has been discovered in a primary school in Vienna encouraging children to oppose the government and embrace Marxism.

    The vice-president of the National Movement Krzysztof Bosak received the leaflet from one of his supporters and published it on Twitter.  It was brought home by a 10-year-old from school. In a “school timetable for 2018/19″ there is explicit content urging children to oppose the right-wing Austrian government. “Become part of the resistance.”

    One can also see LGBT+ symbols, signs promoting anti-capitalism, Marxism and the legalization of marihuana. “LGBT, Antifa, leftism and embittering children towards the ruling coalition in Austria”.

    https://twitter.com/krzysztofbosak/status/1036677932624826369

    TT

    The website wPrawo.pl believes that the pamphlet is a clear example of the alliance between Marxists and LGBT societies. It’s not about tolerance and accepting other sexual orientations, but about striking the core of the European social system – the traditional family as well as profaning religious symbols.

    These are actions in accordance with the scenario written long ago by communists. If so, Russia ruled by former KGB colonel Vladimir Putin may be behind the publication of such pamphlets. The aim is to destabilize the rotten West. Marxists along with the LGBT are perfect for the job.

  • Sulík: A generation of Greeks have lost their future

    Richard Sulík, the MEP of Sloboda and Solidarita party believes that the Economic Adjustment Programme designed for Greece by the member states of the Eurozone has not fulfilled its purpose.

    Greece is going to leave its temporary financial protection and for the first time will become a fully-fledged actor on the financial market since 2010.

    Meanwhile, in Slovakia the second bailout package indirectly caused the fall of the Radičová government.

    “That government shouldn’t have fallen at all if the Prime Minister hadn’t linked the decision about the European Financial Stability Facility and the vote of confidence against her cabinet,” Sulík said. The leader of the SaS believes that for Greece it’ll take twenty years to overcome the crisis and a whole generation has lost its future due to the financial restrictions.

    Sulík admires that Greece was willing to realize a few reforms, but still thinks that the debt of the country is just too enormous. “The Greeks will never pay their debts,” emphasized the politician who thinks this also means that the guarantees behind the financial aid are virtually nonexistent.

    “Greece never belonged to the Eurozone, because the country got there by cheating. Also Euro is hurting them, because it is too stable for the country,” Sulík said.

  • Pellegrini: Bratislava to have one of the most modern stadiums in Europe

    Peter Pellegrini believes that Bratislava will soon build one of the most modern football stadiums in Europe.

    However, Ivan Kmotrík, the chief of investments admitted that the costs and the demands are working out higher than expected.

    He said the state contribution to the building operations will probably be raised due to the increased costs. The exact amount of difference between planned expenditure and the final price of the project is unknown, the developer expects it should not be higher than 12 million Euros.

    Pellegrini claims the state is willing to reimburse the expenses. “We need to ask whether we are willing to have the most modern lighting system and infrastructure or we want something cheaper and older. If we are going to build a stadium, the visitors should admire it,” the prime minister said. In connection with the investment a new playground will be opened next to the stadium.

    The new Slovak football stadium in Tehelné pole should be ready by the beginning of 2019. The construction began in September 2016, the initial price of the investment was set in range of 49 million EUR. The building consortium led by Strabag receives a state contribution of 27,2 million EUR at the end of the project.

     

  • German and Polish experts on war reparations for Poland

    The Polish government has been postulating for a group of experts to deal with the matter of reparations. It is good, then, that on Thursday experts from Germany and Poland will discuss the matter in Warsaw.

    For many years Poland did not bring up the issue of war reparations with Germany. This was neither a mistake or shortsightedness from the Polish side. It was respect for an unwritten agreement between the two countries after the fall of communism in 1989.

    Germany promised to help Poland return to the Western world, became an advocate of Poland’s joining the EU and NATO, a supporter of large transfers of EU funds to Poland and accept Polish borders. This was meant to help Poland catch up civilization-wise, due to its delay because of German actions during the war. In exchange, Poland agreed to German unification and did not raise the issue of reparations.

    The generation which felt morally obliged for Germany to help Poland is passing away. The new one is not as sensitive

    The circumstances in which this agreement was established have changed. The generation which felt morally obliged for Germany to help Poland is passing away. The new one is not as sensitive. Quite the contrary, forces which have had enough of apologizing are on the rise in Germany.

    The leader of the far-right AfD postulated during last year’s election campaign that Germans should be proud of the successes of their troops during WW2. According to polls, the AfD is the second largest political force in Germany.

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    It is hard to consider that the topic of reparations is closed. Legal and political consequences aside, there are also the historic and moral aspects. Reparations should not be discussed solely by politicians wanting to make money from them. Instead of threatening each other with the reparations we should talk about what divides us and what, despite the reconciliation which is the success of both countries, wounds are still left open.

    As a result of WW2 6 million Poles had died (including 3 million Jews). By 1945 Polish intellectual elites were decimated: 40 percent of doctors, 30 percent of lecturers and a quarter of lawyers and priests. 

  • Budapest Opera House announces major national tour

    Due to a complete overhaul of its iconic downtown Budapest home, the Opera House announced a seven-month national tour of symphonic concerts, ballet performances and concert versions of their running opera repertoire.

    Opera

    The main auditorium of the Budapest Opera House during the renovation

    The tour begins on September 8th in the southeastern Hungarian town of Békéscsaba and will last until April 22nd, 2019. The tour includes four-night season tickets in ten Hungarian cities, most of which otherwise don’t have regular opera performances.

    The neo-renaissance Opera House – one of the Hungarian capital’s most beautiful architectural monuments – was built by famous Hungarian architect Miklós Ybl between 1975-1884 and the inaugural concert was directed by Ferenc Erkel, director and composer of the Hungarian anthem.

    The 2016 reconstruction tender was launched with an initial budget of HUF 9.2 billion (US$32.5 million) and currently stands at HUF 28 billion (US$98.8 million). It is expected to be completed in May 2019.

     

  • Defiant scientologist march in Budapest

    Now that the scandal surrounding the Church of Scientology in Hungary has died down, its members recently organized a defiant march in Budapest, claiming that “religious freedom cannot be exercised in Hungary”.

    According to Magyar Idők columnist György Pilhál, it is a well-known fact that last year the Tax and Customs Office (NAV) raided the Budapest headquarters of the organization – Scientology lost its status as a state-recognized church in Hungary in 2011 – on grounds that they have violated the personality rights of their members.

    At the time, Attila Péterfalvi, president of the National Data Protection and Information Freedom Authority said that he had never met such a blatant case in Hungary.

    Raid

    Police and NAV officers search the Hungarian headquarters of the Church of Scientology in Budapest, October 17, 2017.

    When they set up camp in Hungary back in 1991, I wondered why we need this ill-fated group whose activities around  the world have been scandal-ridden? (It is quite telling that its founder, L. Ron Hubbard once said his church is a great investment…) They keep files on every member, their private lives, their acquaintances and even their sexual habits and partners.

    But most of all, they are particularly interested in the financial background of the members, going as far as using a sort of lie detector during the “confessionals”‘ to prevent people from telling anything but the truth. Should someone decide to quit, they will never hand them their own files and sometimes would even use them against them.

    These are the very files they now want back, claiming they cannot exercise their “religious freedom” without them. A group would much rather like to see their “confessionals” in a court of law.

     

     

     

     

  • Henry Cavill to play Geralt in The Witcher

    The biggest question concerning one of Netflix’s biggest upcoming productions has been answered – who will play Geralt of Rivia? Henry Cavill. He is best known for his role as Superman in the DC Comic Book movie adaptations.

    At first, people did not bet on Cavill. His only connection with the TV series was a statement in an interview in which he claimed that he would love to play Geralt.

    Then, the Polish Netflix twitter account confirmed the actor for the role citing a phrase from the novel “The Last Wish” by Andrzej Sapkowski.

    https://twitter.com/NetflixPL/status/1036985559191904258

    Showrunner Lauren S. Hissrich also confirmed Cavill as Geralt. As it turns out, he had already been chosen four months ago. Hissrich complimented the actor’s passion for the role on twitter: “I’ve never forgotten the passion that he brought. He IS Geralt. He has always been.”

    https://twitter.com/LHissrich/status/1036984919791005697

    In early August Cavill told IGN (online video game news station), that he was delighted with Polish CD Projekt Red’s video game “The Witcher 3”. When asked what games he was currently playing, the actor replied: “the Witcher 3. I just finished beating it again. I love this game.”

    In the same interview he claimed to consider playing Geralt as “an amazing role”. This is not all, as the actor also reached for Andrzej Sapkowski’s bestselling fantasy series “the Witcher”. Both the TV series and video games are based on the novels. Cavill called the books “incredible”. Just his familiarity with the source material is enough to earn him trust and credibility.

    Netflix’s “The Witcher” is slated for 2020 and will run eight episodes in its first season.

  • U.S. ambassador praises Hungarian business climate

    U.S. ambassador to Hungary David B. Cornstein has praised Hungary’s business environment at a meeting in Budapest.

    Hungary has a very low corporate tax rate and a pro-enterprise government, Cornstein said at a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce in Budapest. He said U.S. companies had over 100,000 employees in Hungary and this number could rise further due to the Hungarian government’s economic policies.

    He said Hungary had a very capable and intelligent workforce and encouraged U.S. businessmen to continue investing in Hungary that still had ample further economic potential.

    Szabó_Cornstein

    Hungarian ambassador to the U.S. László Szabó (L) and U.S. ambassador to Hungary David B. Cornstein (R).

    He also said Hungarian dependence on one single supplier for 80 percent of its energy needs (Russia) was bad, adding that the U.S. was working on providing 40 percent of Hungary’s energy needs. Referring to the issue of the Budapest-based Central European University he said it would be very bad if the institution had to move to Vienna, but added that a solution was near.

    At the same meeting, Hungarian ambassador to the U.S. László Szabó said that in U.S.-Hungarian relations changed significantly in the past few years and there have been many positive developments. He also added that in the second quarter of the year Hungarian exports to the U.S. rose by six percent and imports by four percent.

    Szabó also announced that an incubator for Hungarian businesses will shortly be opened in Washington and said that when he took office one year ago, his main goal was to facilitate the arrival of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Hungary. There have been positive developments in that respect and hopefully Hungary could reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas.

  • Macron recruits alleged pedophile in war against Orbán

    French minister for the environment Nicolas Hulot resigned on live radio without any previous notice to his superior – a move in itself unprecedented in French politics. Macron in turn asked Daniel Cohn-Bendit, a ’68 anarchist, alleged pedophile and incurable Orbán-hater to replace him, Pesti Srácok columnist György Pilhál writes.

    Even we Hungarians know Cohn-Bendit quite well – the anarchist leader of the 1968 Paris student riots, known as “Danny the Red” for his hair colour, face of rage and far-left convictions. He is one and the same who shouted at Viktor Orbán during a debate of the European Parliament in 2013.

    Unfortunately he has since retired from politics and no longer graces the benches of said parliament. This is unfortunate because he is the most fitting symbol of Europe’s brain-dead condition, more emblematic as such than Mr. “Druncker”, Madam Sargentini or all the other liberals in Brussels and Strasbourg put together.

    Even in his retirement, some of his comments still reach Hungary. Such as his comments on the 2016 Nice terrorist attack that claimed 86 lives:

    “99 percent of immigrants are not terrorists. We should not confuse immigration with terrorism. The Nice attack was perpetrated by a French-Tunisian dual national, a petty criminal, not an immigrant.”

    In the 1970s he worked at a Frankfurt kindergarten, where he attempted to put into practice the anarchist views of his fellow revolutionaries, including a free flow of instincts. in his 1975 book, The Grand Bazaar he shared the following thoughts about this time in his life:

    “It happened several times, that a few children would open the fly of my pants and begin to stroke me. That represented a problem.” 

    Now Macron – who openly said he is the enemy of Viktor Orbán and Matteo Salvini – has invited him to join the fight. And that is good news indeed. Why? Because it symbolizes the two sides perfectly. On the one side, we have Viktor Orbán, a frontline fighter against migration and father of five. On the other side, we have Emmanuel Macron, the patron saint of transsexuals, living in a pretend marriage with a woman who could be his mother and is buddies with his sadistic bodyguard. Now one of the generals of Macron’s army could be the man who likes to open his fly and be stroked by children.

     

  • Murder in Chemnitz? Only the tip of the iceberg

    It is very disturbing to follow the news about current events in Chemnitz. Not only because riots are taking place near our borders, but above all, because the murder that triggered protests and violent clashes is only the tip of the iceberg.

    These events are evidence that European political elites fail to deal with the effects of the migration wave.

    The migration policy of a number of European countries has completely failed. The consequence of events and political decisions made a few years ago has led to the breakdown of society, decrease in security and the growing popularity of radical and populist movements promising quick solutions. However, as we know, quick solutions do not exist and lead only to the violation of the rule of law and democratic principles.

    The ostrich policy practiced by the German government in highlighting the problems that have been brought by the migration wave, and showed that disputable past decisions were completely wrong. If we do not face the problems and offer specific solutions, the breakdown of society will continue and then, only a small spark will be needed to ignite a fire of hatred as happened so many times in the past.

  • Smugglers are risking more and more, says UN report

    According to the UNHCR´s report Desperate Journeys, the number of refugees coming to Europe across the Mediterranean has fallen, but mortality rates have increased.

    Smugglers risk more while transporting people from Libya to Europe, as Libyan border guards supported by the EU have been able to hold back more ships with migrants and the likelihood that people on these vessels will lose their lives is rising.

    “It is already too late, when the refugees make it to Libya. Europe must intervene in the countries they come from,“ says Vincent Cochetel, French official for the UNHCR.

    Although the European authorities made efforts to reduce illegal migration in 2017, according to UNHCR they failed to secure access to a safe and legal way for those in need of international protection.

    The UNHCR stated that 2,276 people died while attempting to get to Europe last year which is one victim per 42 incoming. This year, 1,095 people died which means one victim per 18 immigrants, another 500 people have disappeared without a trace.

    The UNHCR points to the fact that nowadays many people die when trying to get to Libya as a departure point for their travel to Europe and stay in crowded retention camps. Many of them return back after unsuccessful attempts at traveling to the European continent. While many of them fall into smugglers’ hands who sell them as slaves.

    In recent months, UNHCR, together with the International Organization for Migration and other agencies, has been asking for a common approach by all countries in the region to address the migration issue with clear procedures and empowerment of resettlement programs.

    The UHNCR also urged European states to offer refugees seeking international protection faster asylum procedures and increased protection of children. The reason for this demand is an increasing barrier by which the European countries are trying to defend their territories against migration flows.

  • ANO is still the most popular party

    According to a poll by the Kantar TNS agency, ANO could win an election on 28 percent of the vote.

    However, the result of the survey is a bit tricky for government leaders as the movement has lost two percent since October´s elections. The Czech Pirate Party who got under 11 percent in October would now receive 15 percent, and 13 percent of respondents said they would vote for the Civic Democrats.

    The survey also showed that participation in the government coalition does not help the Social Democrats to achieve better results. They would receive 6.5 percent, even The Communists or Freedom and Direct Democracy would receive more. Nine parties would enter the Chamber of Deputies.

    The study also paid attention to sociodemographic indicators. The popularity of ANO significantly increases with age. More than 40 percent of people over the age of 60 would vote for the party formed by Andrej Babis. On the other hand, Pirates are attractive especially for young people.

    Several differences are also reflected in the category of education. People with basic education tend to choose the Communists and Freedom and Direct Democracy. Right-wing parties such as Civic Democrats or TOP 09 are more popular among the people with higher education.

  • PM Babiš to be the head of European election campaign

    “I will not stand in the election, but I will be the leader of the campaign,” PM Andrej Babiš said in an interview with Lidové noviny.

    The election to the European Parliament will take place in the second half of May, but quarrels and discussions have already begun. The most discussed topic is definitely migration, and according to Babiš, it will be the most important issue of the elections.

    “Orban was the first to stop illegal migration. He introduced special measures, built a fence and proceeded according to the Dublin Agreements,“ said Babiš, praising the Hungarian Prime Minister. However, he thought it would be President Macron who would understand the attitudes of the Visegrad Four, but that didn’t happen.

    According to Babiš, the redistribution of migrants is a way to hell. It’s just an invitation for them  – an invitation for illegal migration. The EU needs to reach a financial agreement with all North African countries, mainly with Libya and Morocco. This will help to normalize the situation.

    We can save on Frontex spending. The budget of this organization is projected to rise to €10 billion between 2021 and 2027. That’s unnecessary, let’s use this money to find a solution with the African states.

    Babiš wants to discuss these proposals with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a meeting on September 5th. The subject of the discussion will also surround the European budget, which the Czech Prime Minister does not agree with.

  • The 28th Krynica Economic Forum

    The 28thKrynica Economic Forum will take place between the 4thand 6thof September. Guests will be able to attend 180 panels, lectures, workshops and regional and national presentations. Apart from the issues of policy and economy, much will be dedicated to the discussion of security, business, technology, culture, energy and technology.

    Amongst the guests will be Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki as well as foreign dignitaries and leaders. These include the PM of Lithuania Saulius Skvernelis and the deputy prime minister of Romania and the minister of foreign affairs and trade of Hungary, Peter Szijjarto. 

    Forum of Regions

    One of the key events of the Economic Forum is the Forum of Regions, which has been held since 2007. This is a platform for discussions and meetings between local leaders and regional elites of Central Eastern Europe and business and science environments. This year’s topics include: the policy of coherence after 2020, new ways of functioning of special economic zones and their impact on self-governments and interregional and trans-border cooperation. 

    The Polish foreign minister Jacek Czaputowicz will take part in a panel dedicated to the political security of the Carpathian Mountains. 

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  • Newspaper editor quits after story outrage

    Robert Feluś, the editor in chief of the biggest Polish tabloid “Fakt” resigns following a controversial cover. The cover referred to the suicide of Leszek Miller jr. the son of a former Polish Prime Minister.

    In the Saturday edition of “Fakt” an article titled “The father chose politics and the son chose the noose” shocked the nation. One could read that “depression, alcohol issues and the breaking of a marriage killed Leszek Miller’s only son.”

    The article was met with a massive wave of criticism and former PM Leszek Miller promised to sue “Fakt” and its editor in chief for violating the personal interests of his family.

    The father chose politics and the son chose the noose

    In response, the board of Ringier Axel Springer (the owner of the tabloid) released a statement confirming the resignation of Feluś. They also added that “the board of Ringier Axel Springer Poland underlines that credibility and truthfulness of information is just as important as social sensitivity.”

    Prior to his resignation, Feluś wrote a tweet in which he apologized to the former PM, his family and readers. “We exhibited a lack of respect, breaking the boundaries of good taste and the rules which should be exemplified by journalists. This never should have happened.”

    Leszek Miller jr. the son of former PM Leszek Miller committed suicide last week. His funeral was held on September 1st.

  • In defense of the constitution

    Why should the Polish government be outraged by the opposition’s use of the word “constitution”? Or by wearing t-shirts with that beautiful word? The same goes for the opposition’s actions of dressing statues in those t-shirts. True, they’re throwing rubbish around, but a bit of wool won’t hurt anyone.

    Everyone who supports the Polish government should not only not treat “constitution” as a problem, but they should say it loud and clear because it is they who are realizing the key constitutional values: freedom, justice, equality and care for the weak.

    During the ceremony commemorating the fallen of the outbreak of the Second World War on September 1st, a female government clerk slapped a woman interrupting the celebrations. This woman was doing so by screaming “constitution”. Although this act of violence (unacceptable!) had nothing to do with the constitution itself, but rather with interrupting what is one of the most important anniversaries for Poles.  

    I dream of a great demonstration created by the supporters of the Polish government in defense of the constitution. In defense of its most important resolutions, which are so instrumentally treated by the opposition

    It is true that the Polish government tramples the informal constitution written down during the Polish Round Table Talks. The main rule of this constitution is to make sure that no reforms can be made to change the status quo. This is a different issue, which has nothing to do with the document itself, but stems from the electoral verdict. Similarly, the outcry of the so called “caste” has nothing to do with what is clearly written down in the constitution for parliament to change the judiciary system.

    “I dream of a great demonstration created by the supporters of the Polish government in defense of the constitution. In defense of its most important resolutions, which are so instrumentally treated by the opposition,” writes Jacek Karnowski.

    It has to start from the basics: to not let the people who wanted to create a banana republic run by oligarchs, to monopolize the word “constitution”.  

  • Will the EU really end daylight saving?

    József Nagy (Most-Híd) says it’s not right that the European Union is considering ending daylight saving time due to an online poll, which reflects the opinion of only one percent of the EU.

    Nagy believes that the Slovaks are losing more than gaining with the changes. Jean-Claude Juncker announced the plans of the Union regarding the time change after an online survey, which mobilized 4.7 million EU citizens while 84 percent of them agreed with cancelling the time changes.

    Besides the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Europe still needs to accept the resolution, the member states are divided regarding the issue. The European Parliament however voted for a similar resolution in February, when 384 MEP’s supported the change and 153 opposed it.

    Nagy believes there are logical arguments why to not support the resolution. “Due to the summer time the sun shines 180 days after 7PM. Without the summer time this will be reduced to three months and we won’t have any sunny periods after 8PM,” warned the MEP.

    Nagy thinks that as an alternative solution, Slovakia could change its time zone to Ukrainian, which is on the other hand impractical in the winter.

  • Bratislava mayor campaign turns nasty

    Rivalry between mayor candidates in Bratislava is reaching fever pitch. “Homos leave Bratislava” signs were spotted all around the city but Ján Mrva, the conservative candidate denies his involvement.

    Mrva, who is a conservative and in the past took a stance against homosexual marriages believes that he is targeted by an anti-campaign. The candidate claimed that some groups have evident fear of losing their privileged status, but he will do everything to find better solutions for the inhabitants of Bratislava.

    Martin Poliačik (Progresívne Slovensko) also commented on the incident. According to him, while Mrva is not responsible for the sign, he is a “religious fundamentalist connected with many unacceptable statements.”

    The Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) believe that the anti-campaign is a mistake. “The elections won’t be about conservatism nor catholic beliefs, the elections will show who is and who is not a hostage of oligarchs” said Alojz Hlina, the president of the party, who thinks Mrva should report the case to the police as a religious hate act.

    On the other hand, Peter Weisenbacher from the Human Rights Institute criticized Mrva for his previous homophobic statements. According to the public opinion polls Ivo Nesrovnal is leading the election race (30.9 percent) before Václav Mika (23.6 percent) and Ján Mrva (23.5 percent).

  • Salvini: Merkel underestimated the migrant problem

    Reminding of the recent protests after the killing of a German citizen by migrants in the German city of Chemnitz, Italian Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini said “Angela Merkel has underestimated the risk of social conflicts when she said there is room for hundreds of thousands of them in Germany.” Origo.hu reports.

    He added that violence is not the solution, but the German government has failed and it is clear that violence only generates further violence. The rise of anti-migration party Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) “is an example of the response many dissatisfied Germans are seeking”.

    Regarding his Milan meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Salvini said he was attempting to make the most of his contacts with every side. “Orbán speaks about the protection of European borders, offering support in the source countries and African investments and I can agree with that,” he said. Angela Merkel is proposing a distribution of migrants in Europe, with which Salvini “could soon agree”.

    But the most important thing is that those in need should be offered help in staying home.

    “In this respect, both Germany and Hungary are right in certain respects,” he said, adding that Italy’s current priority is to stop altogether the arrival of migrants by boat on the Mediterranean.

     

  • Poland plans to build huge airport

    The Polish government has begun work on a new project called the “Solidarity” airport (Central Communication Port (CPK)). It is by far the largest recent infrastructure undertaking in Poland.  

    The project is scheduled for 2027, located in Central Poland between Warsaw and Łódź. It will cost around PLN 35 billion to construct – a yearly investment of almost PLN 4 billion. In comparison, Law and Justice’s (PiS) 500+ child benefit program costs PLN 25 billion per annum.

    The construction of a 1.3 thousand km railway network connecting over 120 Central European towns will be the most expensive – costing PLN 40 billion overall. The railways have been qualified for the Connecting Europe Facility, therefore the majority of the costs should be covered by EU funds.

    A gate to a 180 million people market

    The CPK would be the first of this kind of hub in Central Europe. It would have access to a market of more than 180 million people. It is also written into the European Aviation Strategy and would solve part of the issues concerning the limited bandwidth in the European market. It would be a transit and logistics center for the entire region. It is also an opportunity for an access gateway for China into the European market. 

    Poland’s current biggest airport – Warsaw Okęcie serves 15 million passengers per year. The CPK would have to have 40 million (the majority being people in transit from around the Intermarium) for it to be profitable.

    The project is also a signal for the largest airlines to take part in the venture and enter the new market. Airlines such as Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Turkish Airlines have already sent representatives to hold talks with LOT Polish Airlines, the Polish government and other state institutions.

  • Hungary has record number of doctors

    According to data from the Central Statistics Office (KSH), Hungary last year had 39,132 practicing doctors, the highest number since such statistics were compiled in 1960, Magyar Hírlap reports.

    Since the regime change in 1990, the two lowest numbers have been registered in 2000 and 2007, but since the 2007 low of 32,207 active doctors the increase was 22 percent.

    Despite the overall improvement, the number of general practitioners has been continuously declining since a peak of 6,780 in 1998 and stood at just 6,173 last year. But, coupled with a decline in the country’s population, this means that on average a general practitioner was serving the same number of Hungarians – the number hovered between 1,512 and 1,769 from 1990 and was 1,584 last year.

    Data from KSH published earlier this year showed, however, that of a total 65,320 doctors registered in Hungary, only 55.5 percent were active – with those not active either retired, working abroad or on maternity leave.

    Regarding the number of doctors working abroad, the Ministry of Human capacities said that the number of Hungarian doctors seeking work abroad has been falling since 2010. In that year, 845 Hungarian doctors applied for permission to work abroad while in 2017 only 334 did. Of the Hungarian doctors seeking work abroad, 1,498 were in fact still active in Hungary, having either decided not to leave, having returned to Hungary or practicing both at home and abroad.

     

     

  • The discrete charm of credit ratings

    Hungary’s credit rating has again become a topical issue and for the sake of clarity we should take a closer look at what and how they do, economist Imre Boros writes in Magyar Hírlap.

    The three major credit rating agencies each issue their opinion three times a year for several hundred thousands of dollars. They each have ten investment-grade categories and within these systems Hungary is currently at the bottom of the investment grade, so there is ample room for improvement.

    But to better understand how they work, let us take a closer look at their history. Market demand for their activity first appeared when giant infrastructure projects such as the construction of the American railway system began and in addition to banks, part of the financing came from the larger – not financially educated – public. These people had a need for authoritative opinion whether these projects are viable, whether they will get back their money and have some dividend from their investment.

    The 1907 financial crisis in the United States made this demand even more urgent and even resulted in a demand for an independent assessment of the viability of the state itself. This was the era when the three big credit rating agencies – Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Fitch Ratings – took roots. Today the three between them command 95 percent of not only states’, but also corporations’ and banks’ sovereign debts.

    But the past two decades also showed the fallacies of these agencies. In 2001 Enron shares – valued at US$90.75 the previous year – suddenly plunged to just one dollar, despite the best, AAA ratings from all agencies. Even Hungarians remember the 2008 collapse of Lehmann Brothers, which ultimately drove a US$600 billion hole in the financial system.

    We must also see that the entire system – including the European banks that had been driven to the verge of collapse – has been bailed out by the Federal Reserve to prop up the dollar, the currency carrying about half of the world’s financial transactions. The past two decades clearly indicate that credit rating agencies no longer represent an impartial, independent assessment.

    Closer to home, Hungary’s state debt has been on a continuous steep rise from 2002 until 2010, but this was still not enough to downgrade Hungary into the not recommended  (“junk”) category. But shortly after a conservative government came to power with clear economic policies to reduce said debt, Hungary was relegated to the junk category in 2011. It is obvious that the lenders were all too happy to receive the high interest rates from Hungary’s debt and wished this to continue.

    More recently, these very same credit rating agencies remained unimpressed by the small economic miracle of the Hungarian economy: dynamic growth, vanishing unemployment, lower state debt and budget deficit, record-high exports and a huge trade balance surplus. Our rating has remained unchanged, whereas there are nine more categories above us.

     

  • Macron is a liberal puppet

    Far from being the conductor of the orchestra, French President Emmanuel Macron is just a puppet of the liberal forces, Magyar Idők columnist Ferenc Mező writes.

    Several analysts pointed out the importance of the Orbán-Salvini meeting, but let us look at the issue from different perspectives and maybe come up with an alternative conclusion.

    The European Union is facing great changes: it will either remain standing or it will collapse and fall to pieces. Paradoxically, the meeting in question was not raised on a pedestal by its two protagonists but by French President Emmanuel Macron, who called Orbán the adversary. This was a mistake for several reasons. He admitted that at the upcoming EP elections his true ideological opponent is the prime minister of a country significantly smaller than his and also admitted that he is afraid of Orbán. He therefore elevated Orbán to his level, which is very, very good.

    About another perspective: reality. Reality is not buildings, wood, cars or clothes. Reality is created by us humans as a collective, as a society. Even primitive societies (a derogatory term I don’t much like) spent a lot of their time talking and ever since civilization has created networks and thereby realities. This is its essence. This is why ideologies and discussions are important. They establish reality.

    When he set on his difficult path, Viktor Orbán could not have known that he will find allies outside his home country but he had a vision that gave birth to reality. This reality was the one that scared Macron so obviously that it could be seen on his face. He thought that with the weakening of Angela Merkel he remained alone as the conductor on the European stage. But who is Macron? Whose tune is he playing? The vocal and (as yet) majority liberal elite rallied behind him – what’s more, this elite invented him, put him together from carefully weighed components.

    So we shouldn’t see Macron, but the liberal elite behind him that puts the words in his mouth. So when he singles out Orbán as the enemy, it is the liberal elite talking and hurling invectives. But if a body is ill – and Europe is indeed ill – the disease must be called by its name,  a medicine and a treatment identified and applied. This illness is the liberal elite organizing the mass inflow of economic migrants. And the medicine is a Europe of Christian nations that halts illegal migration.

    So Macron has miscalculated when he thought that Europe and France are united in a liberal alliance that will bring victory to his ideas. But that is not the case: there is a new, true reality. We can now discard the old one!

     

  • The EU should not force countries to accept migrants

    PM Andrej Babiš and ČSSD Chairman Jan Hamáček welcomed the words of German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas as a positive shift in German foreign policy.

    According to Maas, it is not wise to force states to accept refugees. The states that refuse to accept any migrants should help to improve the situation directly in Africa.

    During an interview with Bild, the German foreign minister also warned that we should not allow the migration issue to continue to divide the EU.

    Maas suggested that V4 countries rejecting the acceptation of migrants, should help another way and take responsibility elsewhere, for example by fighting the causes of migration directly in Africa.

    Leading Czech politicians appreciated Maas’s statements. “Our diplomacy has always advocated that the solution should be to help the countries where the migrants come from,“ Hamáček wrote on Twitter.

    Maas also suggested a reform of the EU´s foreign policy, which should be discussed right after the European Parliament election in May next year. According to Maas, unanimity should not be required in the foreign policy questions, unlike the issue of migration.

  • Macron Vs. Orbini

    French President Emmanuel Macron is right when he talks about escalating conflict between nationalists and progressors in Europe. But the truth is that he contributed a lot to this escalation.

    Without naming Orbán, Macron was scathing of politicians who scapegoated migrants in his speech in April.

    Orbán and Salvini named Macron as their main opponent at their meeting in Milan. While he is the leader of those who support migration, Hungary and Italy want to stop illegal immigration.

    There is no need to doubt the existence of a block of anti-immigration forces in Europe. Denmark and Austria run a policy similar to Hungary’s, and the rest of the Visegrad Group is doing the same.

    However, Macron has not yet been able to get any significant companions in other European countries. Even Germany is not interested in joining the criticism of Salvini.

    Immediately after his victory over Marine Le Pen, Macron’s Movement (En Marche) began to establish branches abroad. One was established in the Czech Republic with the name “So Yes“. Its chairman is Martin Rozumek from the NGO “Organization for Aid to Refugees” but the movement does not show any activity except its terrible looking website. And as far as I know, the effort of Macron´s movement wasn´t successful anywhere in Europe.

    Emmanuel Macron’s main problem is that he missed his time. En Marche would fit perfectly into the second half of the nineties. He is something like the French equivalent of Tony Blair. However, the current problems force politicians to send their army to the border. And that’s exactly the kind of activity that does not suit politicians of Macron’s type.

  • Zeman: Weakening of the V4 would be a huge mistake

    President Zeman praised the Czech Republic’s current activity in the EU and said weakening of the Visegrad group would be a huge mistake.

    Zeman is very glad that there has been a fundamental shift since Czech politicians stood in the corner during meetings of the European Council in the past. He also appreciates that the Visegrad Group has succeeded in the fight against migrant quotas, reminding that Angela Merkel recently declared that the refugee quotas were a mistake.

    Efforts to abolish or weaken the Visegrad Group would be a gross political mistake that would also weaken the Czech Republic’s position, he said.

    Zeman also paid attention to discussions on renewable resources and the European budget. These will be the two biggest battles the Czech Republic has to win. The European Union suffers from a fixed idea that the share of renewables in the energy mix should be increased.

    Member States have to oppose this idea. According to Zeman, Green fanaticism has already led to the fact that Germany has the most expensive electricity in Europe because it has restricted nuclear power plants and hopes for subsidized renewable sources.

    Regarding the EU budget, Brexit will mean a 15 percent decline in revenue. “I believe that European countries should promote a simple principle of subsidiarity,“ Zeman said. Each country should therefore be allowed to choose the structure of subsidies.

    At the end of his speech, Zeman said there are no striking differences between his and the government’s attitude toward Czech foreign policy.

  • The secret meeting between Babiš and Orbán

    The news that Czech Prime Minister Babiš was heading for a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was revealed to journalists at the airport just a few moments before departure.

    During the meeting, the two politicians discussed migration and the European budget. Both prime ministers criticize the budget, according to sources. Babiš, for example, disagrees with raising money for the administration.

    At both the V4 and EU summit, Babiš is going to promote his proposal to address the migration crisis. There should be a plan similar to the Marshall plan for the African states, as PM Babiš has repeatedly said before. Migration should be addressed in the north of Africa, where money should be sent, not in Europe.

    Babiš also told reporters that PM Orbán had accepted an invitation to Prague and would visit the city at the end of October along with a business delegation.

    PM Orbán, after the meeting, expressed his sympathy for Babiš, who made the migration policy his main topic over the last few weeks. “I trust people from business. European politicians usually just repeat their political blah blah,” said PM Orbán.

  • It was Germans not Nazis who attacked Poland

    Maciej Eckardt states that 79 years ago Poland was not invaded by Nazis but by Germans. Germans who mostly were Nazis because they wanted to be them. Unanimously they voted in a criminal system. As long as they were winning, they adored Hitler and his sadistic host with a passionate love. They believed that they were the master race. Many still do.

    With true German precision and systematicity they murdered millions of Europeans, including European Jews. What they could not steal, they destroyed. Just like the Huns. Although the Huns did not give birth to philosophers and composers. Europe was devastated by a nation which was seemingly a leader in culture and civilization.

    Germans believed that they were the master race. Many still do

    September 1st showed how weak Poland was. This isn’t about the tragic policies of Józef Beck or the amateurism of the Polish military. That day showed that Poland doesn’t have any friends and she isn’t well liked because she’s a problem. Poland can only count on herself.

    Europe has drawn conclusions from the Second World War. It is free from the desolation of war, although there are still some simmering conflicts on its outskirts.

    Despite the multicultural flood, it is still a continent of nation states realizing their national interests. That is completely understandable, and Poland should also behave that way.

  • Wałęsa won’t listen to Duda

    Former Polish president Lech Wałęsa walked out as President Andrzej Duda started his speech at the anniversary ceremony of the 1980 Solidarity event.

    Although Lech Wałęsa’s odd, extravagant and often preposterous behavior surprises no one, his leaving the Church of saint Bridget in Gdańsk just as president Andrzej Duda was starting his speech is worthy of outrage. Especially since moments before they had shaken hands during mass, see below.

    WalesaWałęsa’s departure was captured live by Polsat News tv station:

    https://t.co/lAPH90MBQN

    It is clear that compared to the current head of state, Wałęsa lacks dignity and civility, states wpolityce.pl. As usual he shows nothing more than his frustration and megalomania.

    The speech was on the occasion of the celebrations of the 28th anniversary of the August Agreements of 1980. Apart from the two presidents, prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and head of “Solidarity” Piotr Duda also participated.

  • Friedman: The EU cannot ensure Poland’s security

    From a military standpoint, only two countries matter for Washington – Poland and Romania says Friedman in an interview for Rzeczpospolita. If Russia is to be stopped, then these two countries are key. This is because they take up strategic locations – Poland the North-Eastern lowland of Europe and Romania, the Carpathian Mountains.

    The EU cannot ensure Poland’s security. Europe is waging a war with itself in a certain way. The crisis of 2008 showed that its institutions are not functioning properly. Although the financial effects have been overcome, the political and social ones have not.

    Donald Trump calling NATO “obsolete” stems from the point of view that Europeans had weakened the partnership by trying to change it into a Brussels debate club. They betrayed the alliance by neglecting the upkeep of their militaries. This is why America will only defend those countries that are important to its interests.

    The question is whether Germany will allow the transport of US troops through their territory to Poland, due to their relations with Russia

    This isn’t about NATO anymore but bilateral agreements. The question is how Germany will react to such a change and whether they will allow the transport of US troops through their territory to Poland, due to their relations with Russia.

    Armies are not stationed on the frontlines, where they are at risk of being destroyed. They should be positioned in reserve so that they can be moved forward. It’s not about how many US troops are stationed in Poland but how many can be moved there over the course of a few weeks.

    The line that the US can hold isn’t that of Ukraine. It’s the Intermarium mentioned by Józef Piłsudski. That line is Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and maybe Turkey.

  • German psychologist: Stop the false tolerance!

    Problems connected with immigration should be talked about openly, says Ahmad Mansour, a German psychologist with Arab roots.

    Mansour believes there is a “false tolerance“ in society which is in the long run damaging sucessful integration efforts. According to the phenomenon of “plush toys“, many people think that they are helping the newcomers by protecting them from any kind of criticism. They are deceiving themselves by overlooking problems which are connected with strictly keeping the rules of Islam.

    The psychologist was focusing mostly on the schooling system. “It is emphasized many times that I need to respect religious freedom. But how is it possible, if some of the Muslim students refuse to shake hands with others, girls cannot bathe together with the boys and the keepers of Ramadan are unable to follow the instructions?“ Mansour pointed out.

    The expert believes that one can become stigmatized as a racist even by trying to start a discussion about the topic. The Germans are neglecting their own culture and integrity for fear of being seen as racists and Islamophobes. “The real racism is that some people are willing to protect certain Muslims from any kind of critique.“ Mansour also mentions the case of a social worker who experienced similar fears while pointing out the educational methods of the Muslim parents.

  • PiS bets on credibility

    After the spectacular party convention, Norbert Maliszewski explains why voters can trust PiS and how they have achieved their trustworthiness.

    PiS has proven their credibility by realizing their social programs. Even though the opposition claimed that they were impossible to fulfill. Given this proven track record, PiS can offer Poles new solutions which have a high chance of being accomplished.

    During the latest party convention on Sunday, PiS’s politicians often underlined how successful their party is and how they fulfilled election promises. PiS also proposed a concrete series of programs such as house insulation or energy savings both of which will be positively felt in Polish wallets.

    These are not random promises or abstract plans which may be fulfilled in an unknown future. PiS has proven it is a party which thinks about Poland as a whole: from the reconstruction of Police stations, to the construction of local roads and houses for the elderly.

    The next political battlefield will be the Polish countryside

    The convention was addressed towards the political center, with a positive message. The next political battlefield will be the Polish countryside. It will be a struggle with the peasant party (PSL). For PSL, these elections will be make it or break it. If PiS wins, they will assert their position and eliminate PSL from politics. For PSL this will mean the collapse of their network of local governments and their base for the next elections.

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    PiS is still seen as a party of success. Despite the image painted by the Polish media, Poland is not just Warsaw. PiS’s program remains popular in smaller towns because it fulfils voter’s expectations.

  • Finance Minister: EU budget talks are pointless now

    Hungary should postpone any negotiations with Brussels regarding the budget for the 2021-27 cycle until after the EP elections, Hungarian Finance Minister Mihály Varga has said.

    During an interview with Origo.hu, the minister said there is a good chance that the next head of the Commission will not be Juncker and that the next Commission should be given the opportunity to oversee its own budget.

    A fair budget distribution should remain based on offering more support to economically lagging regions. The idea to take these funds away from Central and Eastern Europe and redistribute them to the Mediterranean is unacceptable, as is the plan to take money away from European taxpayers and increase funding for migrants and their accommodation.

    But the main focus of the interview was the performance of the Hungarian economy, about which Varga said that the government’s GDP growth target of four percent was realistic and the final figure may even be higher.

    GDP growth in the first half of 2018 was 4.5 percent, putting Hungary among the three best performers in the European Union. The figure that exceeded analysts’ expectations was primarily due to the last high investment rate, Varga said.

    “The trend will remain for the coming months as services, retail trade and construction will continue to put in a good performance. The growth in salaries also points toward further (economic) expansion,” Varga said.

    Negative impacts on the economy could only come from outside and there are several things Hungarian economic policy should pay attention to, such as the effect of the Fed rate hike, steps taken by the European Central Bank and the trade and tariff wars that can have an impact on Hungary. The effects of these wars, however, have yet to show in Hungarian industrial output and export indicators.

    Varga added that Hungary was now better prepared to weather any negative outside effects. Debt financing is stable, the foreign trade balance has been positive for years and the budget still has ample reserves for this year, which will be even higher next year.

    The debt-to-GDP ratio has dropped to 73 percent from 83 percent and the ratio of foreign currency debt has fallen below 20 percent from the earlier 50 percent.

     

     

  • Italy joins Central European anti-migration drive

    So far some could think they can easily dismiss the Central European countries’ anti-migration stance but since Italy joined their position that is no longer the case, Levente Boros Bánk, director of the Médianéző Institute told Magyar Hírlap in an interview.

    One of the crucial aspects of the Orbán-Salvini meeting is that the Central European cooperation has been joined by a Western European frontline country directly affected by migration

     

    Now Italy has also declared that illegal migration must be stopped. This also has the potential to threaten the Brussels elite and the ruling powers because it could be the nucleus of a broader political cooperation.

    Although the Orbán-Salvini meeting in Milan was not meant to be a campaign opener for next year’s European elections, it might as well have been, judging by the vehement reactions it triggered. There is no question that illegal migration will be the central issue of the EP campaign and elections next May.

    Referring to the protests in Chemintz, Germany after the murder of a German citizen by migrants from the Middle East, Boros Bánk said those were in equal measure prompted by the killing itself and the inability of the German authorities to tackle migrant criminality. If politicians fail to take effective countermeasures, even larger protests can be expected.

    He also spoke about David Cornstein, the new U.S. ambassador to Budapest who steadfastly refuses to condemn Hungary as a country where democracy is lacking. Washington’s foreign policy has changed, it no longer condemns Hungary and left-liberal opinion-mongers have so far been unable to extract a single condemning statement from him.

    Regarding Hungarian opposition parties’ preparedness for the EP campaign, Boros Bánk said they are in an obvious disarray and so far there are no signs that they could or are even attempting to formulate a cohesive strategy.

  • Orbán and Salvini will defeat Macron, says Belgian professor

    President Macron can only lose if he takes on Viktor Orbán and Matteo Salvini, Belgian professor Jean Bricmont said.

    Not only is Macron a hypocrite, but he has made a fatal mistake by picking a fight with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Italian Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini on the issue of migration.

    “Both Orbán and Salvini and very popular at home – Macron cannot claim the same about himself”, Jean Bricmont, professor at the Louvain Catholic University said in an interview with Origo.hu.

    Bricmont – a theoretical physicist and rationalist philosopher – said Macron has maneuvered himself into a suicidal position.

    Bricmont

    Professor Jean Bricmont, Université Catholique de Louvain

    Bricmont said Macron’s hypocrisy is evident from the fact that while he publicly states his position to welcome migrants, he is keeping the Italian-French border closed to the thousands of migrants who want to enter France.

    He also spoke about the differences between Hungary and Italy, saying that “Italy and Hungary are a little bit different – Hungary has never been a colonial power. They are not responsible for the wars in the Middle East… Why should they accept migrants? … Maybe you can say by charity. But they can say ‘We have got a lot of problems to solve first”.

    As for Salvini’s and Orbán’s potential to redraw the map of the European parliament in the next elections, a very strong anti-migration discourse has emerged in France and Bricmont said he expects a large bloc of anti-migrant deputies to be elected.

  • Hungarian shop workers ask for Sunday closing

    Hungarian commercial workers have asked the government to re-introduce a short-lived Sunday shop holiday because of the chronic workforce shortage.

    In a letter sent to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the Independent Union of Commerce Workers (KDFSZ) asked for the re-introduction of a short-lived Sunday closing time to alleviate a workforce shortage and prop up family values, Magyar Idők reported.

    “The summer season and the pre-school shopping rush made it clear that there is a critical manual labour shortage,” said KDFSZ president Csaba Bubenkó

    He said the sector needed an additional 10,000 workers to maintain service levels in line with the increase in customer numbers and to ensure safe working conditions.

    Hungary introduced Sunday closings in March 2015 in a bill put forward by the smaller coalition partner Christian Democrats. The move proved unpopular and after the Supreme Court gave a green light to an opposition referendum on the issue, the government rescinded the measure in April 2016.

    Falling unemployment levels and an ensuing workforce shortage have already prompted major retail chains to increase wages by HUF 50,000 in the past two years, but that still isn’t enough: the sector is still struggling to maintain service levels amid a high fluctuation rate and many had to introduce compulsory overtime.

    Bubenkó said several industry meetings in the past few months suggested that in the current climate when consumer spending has been rising almost uninterrupted for the past five years, the general opinion was that Sunday closing would have little impact on shop revenues but would both alleviate the workforce shortage and create better working conditions.

    He said KDFSZ sent the letter to PM Orbán on Monday.

     

  • Mice and cocaine found in MEP offices

    Mice and cocaine have been found in MEP offices in Brussels, it has been reported.

    What’s more, the repair bill for revamping EU offices could cost half a billion euros, a secret the bloc tried to keep quiet before the elections.

    MEP Jiri Payne found mice in his office in Brussels and published photos of several damaged documents on his Facebook page.

    “Mousetraps, that were banned by the EU, are all over the office, but the mice seem to respect the ban and are biting European documents instead,“ Payne joked in his post. At the same time, however, he also warned that the building has many issues, hot water does not flow and the whole building is infested with cocaine.

    The repair of the building would cost half a billion euros. However, this amount could harm the pro-EU camp in the election, so they have kept it quiet.

    “After today’s experience with the mouse, I have again clarified the idea of how the European Union works: it cannot defend itself against mice, bacteria, thieves or immigrants,“ Payne wrote at the end of his post.

  • Politicians and media label demonstrators in Chemnitz

    Opponents of migration are not neo-Nazis. Tell it to politicians and media.

    Western governments former decided that there should never arise National Socialist dictatorship once again. Real fascism almost disappeared, but politicians had to invent his followers in time to maintain their superior moral goal.

    This is a good set up for politicians, especially during massive demonstrations against immigration policy, which imports criminals. The demonstration in Chemnitz was attended by about 5,000 people, a few dozen of them were supporters of the far right. But the media, as well as Angela Merkel, focused only on these neo-Nazis.

    However, arrogantly pushing thousands of ordinary citizens into one bag with neo-Nazis will lead to the opposite of the intended. Politicians chose to mark everyone who is against mass imigration as racist and fascist, not only in Germany.

    They know these stickers are fake, but they think it will pay off. How will they behave when they find out that politically unacceptable views expressed attitude of the vast majority? Rather, do not think what a silent majority will do if the politicians will overlook it for a long time. We should hope that this conflict will be solved  by the elections.

  • The Visegrad Group has been cooperating since the Middle Ages

    In 1335, three Central European kings met in the Hungarian medieval royal palace Visegrad and signed a co-operation agreement. It was an anti-Habsburg alliance.

    In 1991, three Central European presidents met in the same place to follow up on this 656 year old treaty. Cooperation was also intended as a defense against the then-existing USSR.

    The declaration was signed on February 15th, 1991, and its aim was to create a formation that would help its member states with shaping a new political and economic arrangement in Central Europe. When Czechoslovakia split into two states in 1993 the original Visegrad Three became Visegrad Four.

    In 2000, V4 states established the International Visegrad Fund that supports activities in the field of cultural cooperation, scientific exchange, research, education, youth and cross-border cooperation among V4 states, and also among V4 states and other countries. The Fund finances projects involving as many V4 entities as possible.

    One of the interesting events supported by the Fund is a project “Visegrad reads to children“. The intention of the project´s authors is to raise awareness of the benefits of reading to children. Within the Week of reading to children took place a number of interesting events during which participants could get to know literature for children of Czech, Slovak, Polish and Hungarian authors.

  • Church alumni are responsible for the Holocaust, says Archbishop

    Archbishop of Łódź, Grzegorz Ryś has said Church alumni are responsible for the Holocaust. Rafał Ziemkiewicz says he is “talking nonsense”.

    During the ceremonies of the 74th anniversary of the liquidation of the Łódź ghetto, Archbishop Ryś claimed that the “destruction was caused largely, and I say this unfortunately with a heavy heart, by people brought up by the Catholic church during masses.”

    Ziemkiewicz criticized the archbishop by saying that his words are largely due to the current trend of hate and revolt against the Church.

    He asks on Twitter whether the archbishop would be able to say that “the most murderous of ideologies, communism, was created by alumni of Jewish Cheders? After all, it is a statement just a truthful and just as “wise”. Pathetic, to say the least.”

    https://twitter.com/R_A_Ziemkiewicz/status/1035174383915020288

    In Ziemkiewicz’s opinion “many archbishops rose to prominent positions but somewhere along the way, they have given up on God.” Ziemkiewicz asks whether those bishops are now meant to backtrack from their statements? “There is much leprosy in the Church.”

    We have come to live in times when even the Pope talks rubbish. This is a very hard and dangerous moment

    “We have come to live in times when even the Pope talks rubbish. This is a very hard and dangerous moment,” he warns.

  • A shooting range in every county

    The Polish Ministry of National Defense (MON) has announced an open competition for financing construction of or reparation of ranges. The ministry may cover up to 80 percent of expenses.

    The condition necessary to be granted a subsidy by MON is possession of a property by the local government and the ability to cover 20 percent of the costs of construction or repair. MON is waiting for offers until September 21st, 2018. The competition is to be decided by October 19th, 2018.

    MON explains that the project has been created in answer to rising interest in shooting sports as well as issues of security among Poles. It is meant to increase the shooting skills of Poles, which may be useful in crises or dangerous situations. One of the main institutions interested in the construction of these ranges is the Polish army itself.

    A constructed or modernized range must fulfill safety conditions determined in regulations, to guarantee safety for its users. It must also possess a positive specialist opinion in terms of external ballistics and a final evaluation of safety conditions.

    The Competition Committee will choose offers determined by formal and merit-based evaluations according to the points scored by the offers in their ranking list.

  • Are Ukrainians being taken advantage of?

    Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian immigrants have come to Poland over the last few years. They are valued by Polish employers because of their higher work ethics and better abiding of safety regulations.

    Some employers take advantage of their enthusiasm, however, and pay them below the minimum wage – as low as PLN 9 (EUR 2) per hour.

    Many Ukrainians (38 percent) possess a higher education and feel exploited by having to work 60 hours a week in Warsaw and earn what are “starvation wages” in Poland. 

    We will not toil for Poles for the lowest of wages. Go get workers from India or Nepal

    “Ukrainian workers will not fix your economy. We will not toil for Poles for the lowest of wages. Go get workers from India or Nepal,” writes blogger Roman of web portal Bizemigrant. “I thought Poland was meant to be Europe. Nice jobs with advanced technologies and a modern lifestyle. When I worked in construction, I had to carry materials because the employer did not have a crane.”

    There are hundreds of bloggers like Roman. Some posts have reached even 2 million views. Eastern immigrants talk of not only exploiting employers, but also simple conmen who offer a few hundred PLN to find a job for Ukrainians, only to vanish with the money. Job agencies have also raised commissions due to high demand from employers.

    Ukrainians are a crafty lot, and so are Poles. It’s an explosive mixture

    “Why does a Polish agency want to take money from our salaries for mediation? Enough of this slyness. We can find an employer on our own,” writes Roman. He also stated that if it were possible, Ukrainians would work in Germany, not Poland.

    Ołeh, a Ukrainian who graduated in Poland, looks at the matter differently. He’s content with what he has, because he earns much more than he would back home in Tarnopol.

    “Polish employers using us is also our fault because we’re so desperate to find a job,” he says. “Ukrainians are a crafty lot, and so are Poles. It’s an explosive mixture, which is why these situations are happening. Your government offices have to work to stop this by making it easier for Ukrainians to get visas and work permits.”

  • “Pro Chemnitz” take to the streets

    Several hundred people took to the streets of Chemnitz in a march organized by the right-wing “Pro Chemnitz” organization. There were no left-wing counter-demonstrations on Thursday. 

    On twitter, journalist Tobias Bosse reports that the leader of “Pro Chemnitz” Martin Kohlmann asked the gathered: “Aren’t Poles, Hungarians, Czechs and Slovaks better for us than the stupid Wessi [slang for West Germans]?”

    https://twitter.com/bosse_tobias/status/1035215339859202050

    Aren’t Poles, Hungarians, Czechs and Slovaks better for us than the stupid Wessi?

    Another tweet from Julia Grass shows protesters singing the German national anthem and shouting “We are the nation!”

    https://twitter.com/grassgesagt/status/1035223209887584256

    The minister of the interior of Saxony Rolland Woeller underlined that “the situation remains tense.” He also added that “we will not allow for radicals eager for violence and right-wing perpetrators to run the streets.”

    The situation remains tense

    The local authorities also held a meeting with citizens in the Chemnitz stadium as “a citizen’s dialog”. Order was maintained by the local police who also surrounded the stadium. The police checked people arriving to the stadium to make sure that they weren’t affiliated with “Pro Chemnitz”.

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    Last Sunday during a town festival there was a fight between locals and a couple of Middle-Eastern immigrants. The result was the death of a German man and the arrest warrant for the Syrian and Iraqi and a riots on Monday.

    After the riots which erupted during the right and left-wing demonstrations, the police were criticized for not deploying enough officers.

  • Visegrád Group support Orbán and Salvini

    All sides are mustering their troops for the upcoming European elections and public opinion in the Visegrád Four clearly supports the Orbán-Salvini line, political analyst István Pócza said.

    The campaign for the EU elections has started early and at high intensity, Pócza, lead researcher at think-tank Századvég, said in an interview with Origo.hu.

    “On one side, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and French President Emmanuel Macron have clearly stated their position for a United States of Europe, while on the other side we see two firm proponents of sovereignty, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Italian Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini,” Pócza said

    Usually European elections don’t trigger major political debates, but this time the position on migration is an issue that clearly highlights the fault lines between the concepts regarding the future of Europe.

    But, while the German Foreign Minister’s position is undermined by Chancellor Merkel’s statement that “it is only his personal view” (i.e. not official government policy) and President Macron is quickly losing support at home, both Orbán and Salvini enjoy substantial popular support at home.

    “I am certain that the Visegrád countries will rally behind the group spearheaded by Orbán and Salvini,” Pócza said.

    With regard to migration, it is evident that should the proponents of a U.S.-type approach come out on top, that would result in a Europe of mixed ethnicities, whose cultural foundations are shaky and security is questionable.

    On the other side there is a Europe with deep Christian-Jewish roots that can guarantee security and “where most of us want to live,” Pócza said.

     

  • Migrants should be helped at home

    German group Alternative Help Association (AHA) says rather than supporting migrants, they should be helped to solve the causes of migration at its roots.

    AHA Europe was established by patriots who take into account European interests by helping migrants at home instead of bringing them to Europe, AHA press secretary Nils Altmieks told Magyar Hírlap in an interview.

    “Mass migration, instead of solving the problems, will only create new ones,” Altmieks said

    First of all, it is irresponsible to let in millions of people without thoroughly verifying their identities as terrorists will inevitably take advantage of such a situation.

    Besides the terrorists, thousands are seeping into Europe bringing utopic illusions about what they can expect here. In the end they will become frustrated by the lack of actual opportunities. This in turn triggers criminality, which creates disdain against them and real racism.

    Secondly, this has catastrophic result for their home countries. People who by local standards are well-educated, often have moderate political and religious views will leave their country in disproportionately high numbers. The middle classes will be the first to leave. This only amplifies the problems of these countries as it will reduce both the workforce and the number of consumers. Who will then rebuild these countries – both in the physical and moral sense – if not them?

    Some Western help – such as the one provided by the U.N. High Commission for Refugees – does reach its intended target and some smaller initiatives are also helpful, but typically assistance is very rudimentary, only accessible in hotspots or ideologically tainted.

    The other issue is that of financial support. Politicians will say that the roots of migration should be addressed, but for example in the Syrian conflict – which is actually the most critical – it is impossible to determine how much money was spent on what projects.

    The German Foreign Ministry says the government spent two billion euros in the region and 20 billion euros on the migration crisis in Germany but have only actually seen projects in the millions of euros range.

    The most important thing is to eradicate the causes of migration, mainly poverty and instability. If we really want to help people there, our assistance should be geared towards helping them help themselves. This is the basic principle of AHA. In Syria, for example, reconstruction and stability can only be achieved by involving the country’s government.

    In case someone has a legitimate reason to come to Europe, we support their cause. But in most cases they only come here seeking a better life.

     

  • PM Orbán to defend Hungary in Strasbourg

    Hungarian  Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will attend a plenary session of the European Parliament that will discuss a report by the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) regarding the rule of law in Hungary.

    According to Magyar Idők, the contentious plenary session will take place on September 11th.

    The report, compiled by Green MEP Judith Sargentini concluded that freedoms are being curtailed in Hungary and as a result the country could lose its voting rights in the EU.

    When the LIBE committee approved the report, PM Orbán commented from Budapest that the report sponsored by billionaire financier George Soros was attempting to put pressure on Hungary to change its migration policies but that it will not succeed. At the time, the European Parliament was discussing the need for a compulsory quota for each country to take in a given number of migrants. That issue is no longer on the table.

    This is not the first time PM Orbán will personally stand up for Hungary in the European Parliament. In the last such debate about migrant intake quotas PM Orbán demanded that Hungary receives an equitable treatment and also answered MEP’s questions during the debate.

    Another such occasion was during the 2013 debate of a report compiled by Green Portuguese MEP Rui Tavares when PM Orbán firmly rejected any attempts of the European Parliament to “establish tutelage over Hungary”.

     

  • Hungary protests Swedish politicians’ statements

    Hungary’s foreign minister has called in Sweden’s ambassador to Budapest following Swedish cabinet members’ criticisms of the country.

    The pro-migration Swedish government has launched a fresh attack on Hungary after it previously sided with the European Union in a court case where the EU and Sweden blamed Hungary for wanting to establish a transparency criteria for foreign-funded NGOs operating in Hungary, Peter Szíjjártó said.

    Following Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s meeting earlier this week with Italian Minister of Interior Matteo Salvini, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Walström tweeted the following:

    “I just read today that Viktor Orbán in Hungary and Matteo Salvini in Italy want to form an alliance against ”the democrats and the left” in Europe, naming Macron as their main opponent. I have one thing to say to them: bring it on. “

    Walström

    In a seminar in southern Sweden, Swedish immigration minister Heléne Fritzon criticized Hungary’s immigration policy saying that at a previous meeting she reminded Szíjjártó how Sweden gladly accepted Hungarian refugees in 1956.

    She was referring to a wave of refugees that left Hungary after Soviet troops crushed an anti-Communist uprising.

    Minister Szíjjártó said Walström’s tweet was “a lie”, Viktor Orbán and Mattoe Salvini clearly stated that they fighting against illegal immigration. He added that the two politicians were voicing European people’s opinion who do not want immigration.

    “Brussels and the Swedish government are attacking Hungary because it expects transparency from foreign-funded pro-migration organizations,” Szíjjártó said

     

     

  • Smer: We will always be against accepting immigrants

    The events in Chemnitz show that the integration of immigrants into society is a lengthy process with doubtful outcomes, claims governing party Smer on its Facebook page.

    The party states that despite pressure from the “slnieckars” (the urban liberals), it will not change its initial position and will always be against accepting immigrants.

    “The demonstrations and the violence in the streets of the city as a reaction to the inexplicable and unforgivable attack of the immigrants to a German citizen is showing that the events traumatized the public. Due to our own cautiousness the Slovak citizens are not confronted with similar events,” Smer states.

    Chemnitz has been facing protests and rallies since Sunday when in the early morning hours a 35 year old German citizen was stabbed by a young Syrian and Iraqi immigrant. The two suspects were arrested and charged with manslaughter.

    On Monday, demonstrations by the far right resulted in 20 injuries including two policeman, and similar demonstrations took place in other cities as well as Dresden and Cologne, where the right and left clashed.

  • The compromise trap

    Germany will provide financial aid to Turkey to save the country from an economic crisis. The migrant issues between politicians are kept aside in such situations, writes Radovan Geist.

    Politics is the art of making compromises and presenting them as a victory. Three years ago the migrant crisis put another nail in the coffin of European unity, and the discussion about solidarity with the countries surrounding the Schengen border was resembling rather a trench war then a process of finding a common solution.

    The only thing the European Union agreed on was a plan to export the problem outside the borders. The agreement with Turkey signed in 2016 served as a desirable model: Ankara received financial aid for keeping the immigrants in the country. However Recep T. Erdogan does not hesitate to use the deal for political pressure.

    This is visible in the light of the recent Turkish political crisis. Germany is seriously considering financial aid to the country, not because of its love of Erdogan or the feeling of remorse, rather because of the fear that the economic problems can destabilize the country and question its ability and will to fulfill the migrant agreement.

    First the plan was to provide a series of loans from the countries of the European Union with the participation of the IMF. Because of possible resistance of other countries now Germany is considering a bilateral loan.

    The Greeks should be really angry: the German government, which agreed on financial solidarity with the Eurozone with disgust and extremely strict conditions wants to provide the loan to a country which is violating human rights and its president calls other European politicians Nazis and fascists. This is the outcome of a compromise of a country with its own values.

  • Soros-founded university to stop helping refugees

    Central European University has ended a program for refugees, following the implementation of the “Stop Soros” law.

    The Hungarian Prime Minister has already said that migration is a burden on the state budget. The law package approved by the Hungarian government came into effect last week and it restricts non-governmental organizations which helps migrants, charging them with a 25 percent tax.

    CEU announced suspending of such a program. The University also said that its programs were “only for persons legally admitted to Hungary.”

    Some non-profit organizations have also announced the end of their activities. These include, for example, the Migration Aid, which provided blankets, food and other life needs as well as medical and legal aid.

    In May, the billionaire George Soros’ Open Society Foundations moved staff and offices from Hungary to Germany.

  • European policy trap

    Political contradictions point to a fundamental dilemma – how to remain compassionate and not change Europe and new Africa at the same time.

    We don´t want to let others die because of the terror of their rulers or bad weather. We realize, however, that our asylum rules are beginning to be unsustainable. There are several examples of such contradictions.

    Kamberský highlighted views on Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. When he started to build a fence on the southern border of Hungary, many criticized him. But when the same thing was done by Turkish President Erdogan, it was considered as a success of European diplomacy.

    Also the disputes between the Czech and Italian prime ministers are a good example. Both of them want to stop immigration from Africa. But their different views have become a quintessence of quota dispute.

  • Muslims offer reward for killing Geert Wilders

    Chairman of the Dutch Freedom party plans to organize a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest.

    Protests in Pakistan are growing and there has even been a reward put up of US$24,000 for killing Geert Wilders and his far-right party colleagues.

    On Monday, the Pakistani Senate passed a resolution condemning the forthcoming drafting contest.

    Dutch deputy and anti-Islamist fighter Geert Wilders plans to hold a drawing contest on the theme of the Prophet Mohammed in autumn, right in the premise of the Dutch Parliament, in his office. He has already gathered 200 contest contributions.

    The American cartoonist Bosch Fawstin will be a judge at this content, and the anger of Pakistani Islamists is, therefore, also aimed at the United States.

    The Dutch counter-terrorism office has authorized the contest. However, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that it was hard for him to understand “what positive aims“ the contest could bring. But at the same time he stated that Wilders is only exercising his right to freedom of expression given by the Dutch law.

    The contest was rejected by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, and new Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Kureshi complained about the competition to his Dutch counterpart and also contacted the UN and the European Union on the issue.

    Pakistani cricket player Chakid Latif has announced a reward of US$24,000 for Wilders and his right-wing party colleagues´ heads. The Dutch police already arrested a 26-year-old man on Tuesday suspected of planning an attack on Wilders.

  • Will Zeman or Babiš visit the USA?

    The US are intensively preparing for a visit from a top Czech politician but it is not yet clear who it will be. PM Babiš and President Zeman are both in the running.

    Hynek Kmonicek, the Czech ambassador in Washington and the former head of the foreign department of the presidential office, made the revelation over the uncertainty in a recent interview on Czech Television.

    At the same time, he denied that the earlier invitation of Zeman to the White House was only a courtesy. He emphasized, however, that an unpredictability is a characteristic trait of US President Donald Trump.

    Zeman had been invited to the White House before Donald Trump´s inauguration in December 2016. However, the visit has not yet taken place.

    “The State Department is now working intensively with the White House on a realization of – an now I quote – a visit at a higher level than ministerial,“ Kmoníček said. Nevertheless, he refused to say when the visit could take place.

    The Ambassador admitted that “Americans have a long-term tendency to focus on the person of the prime minister in the non-presidential regimes“. Thus, the preparations could also end up with Donald Trump welcoming Andrej Babiš. Although, Kmoníček did not want to suggest this option.

  • Together with Duda, Trump wants to change Europe

    President Trump wants to change Europe with Andrzej Duda. The Polish president’s visit to Washington may help abolish Nord Stream 2 and establish permanent American military bases in Poland.

    Trump desperately needs reliable allies in Europe. The UK is leaving the EU and both France and Germany have declared that they do not trust the United States. Poland can be that ally, writes Jędrzej Bielecki in an analysis for Rzeczpospolita.

    Law and Justice (PiS) has recently been leading a pro-Atlantic strategy. Although this may lead to aversion from Western Europe, it has led to a reward from Donald Trump – Andrzej Duda’s visit to Washington on September 18th.

    The two presidents will have many issues to discuss, which can alter the energetic, geostrategic and military balance of Europe. This has Germany worried so much so that they have applied for access to the Three Seas Initiative. In response, Poland has opted to give Germany an observer’s status. The German minister of economy and energy will also visit Warsaw prior to Duda’s trip to the US.

    The two presidents will have many issues to discuss, which can alter the energetic, geostrategic and military balance of Europe

    Duda’s visit to the White House will take place immediately after the Three Seas Summit in Bucharest starting on September 17th.

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    Nord Stream 2

    Poland’s appeal to the US to put sanctions on parties involved in Nord Stream 2 (NS2) has also had effect. Rzeczpospolita writes that a positive American decision is highly probable. The head of German Uniper, one of the five companies behind NS2 has stated that he would withdraw from the project in face of American sanctions.

    Andrzej Duda will also hold talks with Trump about converting the Świnoujście LNG terminal into a hub which would deliver American LNG to all of Central Europe.

    American military base in Poland

    The newly improved Polish-American relations will also present an opportunity to increase US military presence in Poland. Although there are many options as to how this presence would look like, Duda should try to convince Trump to install perhaps a heavy weapons depot with a permanent US military unit.

    Such a decision would finally abolish the NATO military restrictions in Central Europe signed twenty years ago to appease Russia. The Polish president’s announcement of a new weapon contract, which will probably land with an American company, should help matters.

  • Polish diplomats return to Damascus

    Poland’s embassy is to return to Damascus as part of the government’s plan to help Syrian refugees. Poland is to be represented by a chargé d’affaires in Syria.

    The Polish ministry of foreign affairs announced the visit of the deputy foreign minister Andrzej Papierz to Damascus on their website recently. The Syrian pro-government agency SANA confirmed that there is cooperation between the two governments to help refugees return home.

    The whole matter was publicized by Russia’s Sputnik, which has connections to the Kremlin. They released information that Papierz was accompanied by the head of the Polish Foreign Intelligence Agency Piotr Krawczyk. This is confirmed by photos released by SANA in which Krawczyk can be seen walking alongside his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad and Papierz. This was the highest level meeting between officials of the countries since 2011.

    This was the highest level meeting between Polish and Syrian officials since 2011

    The Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has declared readiness to help Syrian refugees but by working on their home soil and therefore helping them return. Faisal Mekdad commended the Polish approach to the matter as “realistic and rational.”

    The other context of this visit is also the upcoming assault on Idlib, the last stronghold of opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s rule. The United Nations have warned that the assault may lead to a humanitarian crisis “on a scale never seen before.” 

    The return of the Polish outpost to Syria is also part of the government’s broader plan to increase the number of such institutions throughout the world. Until 2012, the Polish embassy in Damascus also represented American interests in Syria. This was similar to how the Polish embassy in Baghdad represented those interests during Saddam Hussein’s reign in Iraq.

  • Poles are more than happy in Poland

    A report by the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS) has found that more than 60 percent of Poles are more than satisfied with living in Poland, the highest result in history.

    In August, 64 percent (a 4 percent increase on July) of Poles declared that they are happy with how they and their families are living. The highest satisfaction rates are among the young, the conservative voters and citizens taking part in religious practices.

    32 percent of the respondents (a 3 percent decrease on July) claim that their lives are average. Only 4 percent of those polled said that their lives are bad.

    The supporters of the current conservative government are the most satisfied amongst voters – 86 percent claim to have good lives.

    The electorate of Kukiz’15 are also among those most content. Civic Platform (PO) and peasant party (PSL) voters are the least satisfied, although more critics of the government’s social changes can be found among the PO voters.

    The supporters of the current conservative government are the most satisfied amongst voters – 86 percent claim to have good lives

    Satisfaction is more commonly expressed among young people and those with higher education and higher salaries. Contentment with workplaces is highest among inhabitants of towns with populations between 100 and 500,000.

    There has also been an increase in the evaluation of living conditions. 61 percent of the polled claim to be satisfied, 32 percent deem them average and only 7 percent would call their living conditions poor.

    28 percent of the polled believe that the overall situation in the country will improve, but 45 percent are of the opinion that it will remain as it is. 18 percent think it will get worse.

  • No place for Germany in Three Seas Initiative

    Polish conservative experts and commentators criticize the idea of accepting Germany into the Three Seas Initiative. An example is an interview with professor Artur W. Wróblewski in which he warns of German domination of the Initiative.

    The member states of the Three Seas Initiative joined together to have stronger clout and a better negotiation position. The moment Germany would become part of the project, it would neutralize some of its advantages.

    In 2015 the Weimar Triangle project had died. These were the trilateral talks between France, Germany and Poland. This happened because the Law and Justice (PiS) government strives to free Poland from dependency and submission to German and other European interests. The Three Seas was meant to be about the member states freeing themselves from those influences and creating alternative direction for foreign policy.

    If Germany joins the Three Seas Initiative, they will dominate it

    “If Germany joins the Three Seas Initiative, they will dominate it,” warns professor Artur W. Wróblewski and also points at fundamental differences of interests between members of the initiative and Germany.

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    The Three Seas Initiative is meant to be based on the energetic and infrastructural cooperation of Central and Southern European states. “This powerful lobbyist group is meant to be a kind of competition for Germany and France,” he says.

    The Three Seas Initiative is also meant to help negotiate gas deals with Russia. Countries such as Poland, Croatia or Slovakia want to diversify their energy sources, whereas Germany is focused on Russian gas.

    Poland is interested in American LNG and will also be pumping gas from Norway through the planned Baltic Pipe. When the current gas deal with Russia expires in 2022 “the negotiations with Russia will look very different.”

  • African swine fever outbreak in Romania

    Romanian President Klaus Iohannis criticized the government’s inadequacy in handling the recent African swine fever outbreak in the country which already caused millions of euros in damages and has threatened thousands of jobs.

    “The government is incapable of managing African swine fever which has very serious consequences for the Romanian economy,” Iohannis said.

    Romania has a semi-presidential system with no actual executive powers but significant indirect influence on the governing of the country.

    In the past few weeks, 780 separate cases of African swine fever outbreak have been reported in Hungary. Swine fever doesn’t affect humans but it can be deadly for domestic and wild boars, and cause massive losses for farmers.

    The outbreak last week hit the country’s largest swine farm in south-eastern Brăila county, prompting the culling of 140,000 animals. In response to the outbreak, southern neighbor Bulgaria built a 133 km (83 miles) long razor wire fence in four weeks to prevent wild boar movement.

    The swine fever first appeared last June in the north-eastern Satu Mare county bordering the Ukraine and Hungary and has resulted in the culling of 117,000 animals.

    Hungary has ordered fences to be built around swine farms so wild boar cannot infect the animals.

  • Now Germany rejects illegal immigration

    The German government now rejects illegal immigration, minister in charge of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás said after meeting his German counterpart in Berlin.

    Gulyás met Helge Braun (CDU), who was appointed Head of the Chancellery on March 14th this year in the fourth coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel, Origo.hu reports.

    According to Gulyás, his counterpart confirmed that anyone defending the outer borders of Europe is a friend of Germany.

    “We must act against all forms of illegal immigration and now that is also the consistent opinion of the German government,” Gulyás said

    It is now official government policy in Berlin that countries of the Schengen area must meet their border defense obligations. “This means that while our stance has remained unchanged, the two (countries’) opinions are now closer,” Gulyás said, adding that by defending its own borders, Hungary is also protecting Germany.

    He said that in the last three years the two countries’ relations have changed “at least as much as the German position on migration”. This also means that by now the two have the same priorities in many areas.

    Gulyás also said that there are still disagreements regarding integration and parallel societies, but that Hungary continues to point out that it can live with such disagreements. German-Hungarian relations have a thousand-year history and economic relations are beneficial to both sides. There are only positives in our economic ties and Hungary could benefit from working together with Germany on digitalization and innovation.

    He also praised the role of German car makers in the Hungarian economy, saying that Audi AG (a Volkswagen Group subsidiary) has a manufacturing base in western Hungary, Daimler AG in the central region and BMW in the east and as such contributes to a regionally balanced economic development.  

     

  • Hungarian left won’t have joint EU candidate list

    Nine months ahead of the EU elections it became clear that Hungarian leftist opposition parties will not have a joint candidate list after former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány’s party announced it will go it alone.

    The announcement was made by Zsolt Gréczy, MP for the Democratic Coalition (DK) a party formed by Ferenc Gyurcsány from a splinter group of former Socialists, Magyar Idők reports.

    Gréczy said they decided to have their own list because at the EU parliamentary elections voters can only choose between party lists – as opposed to individual candidates – and separate lists for opposition parties have the potential to yield more seats in the European Parliament.

    Regarding DK’s expectations, he said the party is aiming to have at least the number of seats it won at the last election. In 2014, DK won two seats of the 21 available for Hungary.

    Meanwhile, the Socialists remain divided over the issue of a joint candidate list with Párbeszéd (Dialogue for Hungary), mainly because at this year’s Hungarian parliamentary elections in April, Párbeszéd could only pass the threshold due to a coalition with the Socialists. This resulted in three seats for them, while the Socialists only got 16 against the 28 they won in 2014.

    Socialist Party president Bertalan Tóth has consistently said that the two parties should have a joint list.

    The majority view among Hungarian analysts is that at next year’s EU elections the ruling Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Union could increase the number of its MEPs by one or two from the current 12.

  • Leader of Night Wolves fined

    Jozef Hambálek, the leader of the Slovak Night Wolves motorcycling gang connected with Russia was fined by the authorities. The businessman asked to pay the fine in small installments.

    The 33,000 euro fine was connected to Hambálek equipping a former agricultural station with military accessories, including tanks. After pictures of the station went public, the Ministry of Economy started an investigation.

    The Slovak authorities claim that Hambálek, who is also well-connected to former Minister of Interior Robert Kaliňák failed to fulfill his legal obligation to inform the authorities about the station and the stored mechanisms. The businessman was asked to pay his fine in installments.

    Hambálek’s arsenal was partially provided by the Militaric History Institute, Miloslav Čaplovič, the head of the institute was removed from his function after the scandal. The organization claims that the tanks and armed vehicles were lent to the businessman and should be returned shortly. According to media information the equipment was used for military training by the Slovenski Branci, which is considered to be an independent paramilitary group.

    The investigation found irregularities only regarding the administration of the former agricultural center, Hambálek did not break the law. The leader of the Night Wolves in Slovakia was also defended by police chief Milan Lučanský who claimed that he is providing help to the fire-fighters by remaking old, decommissioned vehicles.

  • Pellegrini: Uprising doubters belong in the dung pit of history

    “Twisting the history cannot be allowed and those who question the Slovak National Uprising belong in the dung pit of history,” said Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini.

    On Wednesday, the country was remembering the 74th anniversary of the uprising. According to Pellegrini, those who don’t know what happened in 1944 are trying to rewrite history, which cannot be allowed. His statement was mostly related to Marian Kotleba and the far right party LSNS.

    The Prime Minister greeted the inhabitants of the Banska Bystrica region for refusing these politicians in the last elections and addressed the result as a “small Slovak national uprising.”

    Pellegrini thinks that nowadays it is hard to believe the terror of fascism and the threat of deporting or killing our own family. He pointed out that despite their fear, the Slovak people find courage to resist and take care of army men and partisans in the forests, looking after the sick and the weak. The Prime Minister believes that one can find places in every corner of Slovakia which proves that the nation cannot reconcile with poverty, oppression and grievance. “We will always defend our traditions, culture and values, we won’t allow anyone to trample our history like the fascists,” he said.