Anti-Democratic Trends Mean 65% of CEE Citizens Now Live in Electoral Autocracies: Report
Among the new ‘autocratizers’ are Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia, says report compiled by V-Dem Institute in Sweden. KAYNAK: Balkan Insight
Democracy Digest: Poland’s PiS Names Hardliner as PM Candidate to Shore Up Right
Elsewhere, Hungary and Slovakia see fallout from surging fuel prices; extremist Slovak activist convicted; Czech Television presenter quits over fears about editorial independence; and Orban shelved major plan to overhaul…
Democracy Digest: Poland in Talks with France on European Nuclear Deterrence
Elsewhere, Hungary’s foreign minister meets Putin just 5 weeks before election; Slovakia’s police inspectorate detains several officers linked to former anti-corruption agency; and Czech PM and far-right ally avoid having…
Democracy Digest: Hungary, Slovakia Step Up Pressure on Ukraine Over Oil Supplies
Elsewhere, Poland’s political cohabitation under strain as institutional clashes meet coalition fragility; Czech lower house to debate lifting parliamentary immunity of Babis and Okamura; Slovak coalition is working on changes…
With Birth Rates in Free Fall, Czechia Faces Demographic Reckoning
Once one of the continent’s demographic high achievers, the Czech Republic has, in just a few years, experienced a dramatic fall in its fertility rate – the 5th fastest in…
Democracy Digest: Orban Goes to Washington and Receives Trump’s Endorsement
Elsewhere, Slovakia and Hungary blame Ukraine for lack of oil through pipeline apparently bombed by Russia; Polish bishop becomes first to stand trial over alleged failure to report sexual abuse;…
End of an Era: Last Coal Mine in Czech Republic Closes
In Stonava, miners emerge from the pit one last time as the sun sets on the Czech Republic’s 250-year coal era – a victim of shifting markets and Europe’s green…
Children at Risk in Czechia: A System Struggling to Protect
A mix of systemic problems and a culture that tolerates corporal punishment has led to a broader national failure in the Czech Republic to detect and prevent violence against children.…
With No Peace in Sight, Europe’s Ukrainian Refugees Yearn for Home
Four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, some of the Ukrainians who fled the conflict are struggling to integrate in their host countries, while anti-refugee sentiments have risen…
Democracy Digest: Brussels Takes Hungary, Slovakia to Task
Elsewhere, Slovakia’s top court suspends part of amendment to the Criminal Code; Rubio to visit Slovakia then Hungary; Czech PM inclined to back ban on social media for under 15s;…