Inside Europe 22 May 2025 – DW – 05/22/2025
Kate Laycock
05/22/2025
May 22, 2025
On the show this week: Poland's presidential elections reveal a country on a knife-edge, Exercise Hedgehog in Estonia and the Baltics' hybrid warfare fears. Plus a Hungarian spy ring, Icelandic intrigue, Swiss bunkers, and Syrians returning home from Europe. A security special packed with stories from the frontlines of Europe's shifting geopolitics.
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DW
4 hours ago
- DW
What next for EU-Poland ties after Nawrocki's election win? – DW – 06/03/2025
Newly elected Polish President Karol Nawrocki is known as an EU skeptic. How can he sway Poland's EU policy, and how is he viewed in Brussels? Right-wing conservative Karol Nawrocki has won the race for the Polish presidency. During the election campaign, Nawrocki touted his affinity with US President Donald Trump and pledged a "Poland first" approach. He opposes Ukraine's accession to NATO and is perceived as an EU skeptic. Polish voters elected Nawrocki with the slimmest of margins on Monday morning, prompting reactions across all of Europe. Many heads of state and government congratulated the future Polish president. Among those belonging to the right-wing political spectrum were Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The latter enthused about a "fantastic victory" and strengthening the work of the Visegrad Group, a political alliance consisting of Poland, Hungary, The Czech Republic and Slovakia. Other heads of state and government, including Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, emphasized common values. French President Emmanuel Macron called on Poland to champion a Europe that's "strong, independent, competitive" and "respects the rule of law." EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sent congratulations as well. On X, she wrote: "I'm confident that the EU will continue its very good cooperation with Poland. We are all stronger together in our community of peace, democracy, and values." Nawrocki ideologically close to PiS party Nawrocki is officially non-partisan, but entered the campaign for presidency as a candidate backed by the right-wing conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party that ruled Poland between 2015 and 2023. During its term of office, the party reformed the Polish judicial system, sparking an ongoing dispute with Brussels over accusations of dismantling the rule of law. This eventually led to a so-called Article 7 procedure. The European Union's Article 7 allows for the suspension of member state rights if that state seriously and repeatedly violates the EU core values. Despite new government, Poland remains polarized To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The procedure was closed last year when the country announced it would implement the required changes. As a result, billions of euros were disbursed to Poland, funds that had previously been frozen by the EU due to concerns about the rule of law. Many Polish government proposals were vetoed by sitting President Andrzej Duda, who also has PiS leanings. Observers expect this obstructive stance to continue under the new president. The EU Commission declined to speculate on possible repercussions. In its daily press briefing, it emphasized its confidence in Poland's further implementation of reforms and its support for the country's efforts. Are new tensions with the EU over the rule of law imminent? Daniel Freund, a member of the European Parliament, fears that Poland's political deadlock will continue. He calls on the EU commission to correct its "mistake" — prematurely releasing frozen EU funds — and to continue putting pressure on Poland. Piotr Buras, Warsaw bureau head of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), told DW that the EU Commission would have to take into consideration what actually happened in Poland. For example, the government under Donald Tusk had seen to it that illegal laws are no longer applied, thus removing the grounds for Article 7 proceedings. Buras believes that a renewed clash with the EU over the rule of law is out of the question with the Tusk government in power. Nawrocki is expected to obstruct the agenda of Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk (pictured above) Image: Frederic GARRIDO-RAMIREZ/European Union How will the ballot impact Poland's EU policy? According to Buras, the newly elected president does not have the chance to exert direct influence on Poland's EU policy, because according to the Polish constitution this is solely down to the government, the political scientist said. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the president of Poland appoints the government, signs international treaties, and has the power to veto laws. This is precisely how Nawrocki could interfere with the government's EU policy, said Buras. As soon as EU policy had to be implemented in national legislation, he could block it, thereby reducing the Tusk government's room for maneuver, he added. Buras expects such blockades in issues like the rule of law, abortion, migration and climate policy. He simultaneously pointed out that the Tusk government was itself far from progressive in the areas of migration and climate policy. EU Parliament torn between joy and skepticism Whereas Manfred Weber, chairman of the conservative European People's Party (EPP) group in the European Parliament, hoped that Nawrocki would work "constructively' with Poland's government for the country's benefit, MEP Rene Repasi believed that the Polish government was caught up in a "mess." For the social democrat, new parliamentary elections are not unlikely, because the right-wing conservative Nawrocki and the "Tusk government's progressive agenda" would get in each other's way. However, the right-wing conservative European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, which also includes Poland's PiS party, welcomed Nawrocki's election victory. Europe must remain a "community of free nations," not a "machine" that ignores "the will of the people," said the group's co-chairman, Nicola Procaccini. Political scientist Buras, however, believes that Nawrocki's election victory was not tantamount to voting against the EU. Neither PiS nor Nawrocki had ever called for Poland's exit from the bloc. At the same time, Buras added that skepticism regarding a loss of sovereignty and interference in the country's internal affairs was widespread in Poland, and Nawrocki had taken advantage of that prevailing mood. This article was originally written in German. Edited by: Jess Smee
DW
5 days ago
- DW
Inside Europe 29 May 2025 – DW – 05/29/2025
Kate Laycock 05/29/2025 May 29, 2025 Released RFE journalist Alsu Kurmasheva on her colleague Farid Mehralizada, who is facing a 12 year prison sentence in Azerbaijan. We meet some of the young people on trial in Turkey following the recent crackdown on dissent, and take a look at the Franco-US relationship in the run up to D-Day.
DW
6 days ago
- DW
Czech-Slovak relations chill to glacial – DW – 05/28/2025
Czechia and Slovakia have been independent states for over 30 years. Until recently, the bond between them was extremely close. But among other things, the subject of Ukraine has driven a wedge between the two neighbors. Relations between the Czech Republic and Slovakia since the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 have been consistently good, close and characterized by mutual trust. The governments of the two neighboring countries have supported each other and cooperated on defense. Their respective languages are understood in both countries, and tens of thousands of young Slovaks study at Czech universities, which have a reputation for offering higher-quality education. The first foreign trip for a newly elected Czech or Slovak president has always been to the other country, and joint cabinet meetings are held at least once a year. And in surveys, the citizens of each country consistently rank the other as their favorite country. Or at least they used to. The end of an exceptional relationship? Since Robert Fico became prime minister in Slovakia for the fourth time in October 2023, relations between these two next-door neighbors have deteriorated and chilled significantly. Czech PM Petr Fiala said in March 2024 that his government did not consider it appropriate to conduct meetings with the government of the Slovak Republic in the coming weeks or months Image: Michal Krumphanzl/CTK/IMAGO Fico's nationalist, pro-Russian government, which models itself on that of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has repeatedly clashed with the pro-Ukrainian Czech government of Petr Fiala. So much so that Prague actually canceled the traditional meeting of both governments in March 2024. The message from the Czech capital was that the "exceptional relationship" was terminated indefinitely. "We do not consider it appropriate to conduct governmental meetings with the government of the Slovak Republic in the coming weeks or months," Fiala told journalists at the time. "There is no hiding that there are considerable differences of opinion on several important foreign policy issues." Differences over Ukraine Fico, who had ordered a halt to military aid for Ukraine from the Slovak government and re-established relations with Moscow, responded by accusing Fiala's government of warmongering. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (left) and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban (right) are close allies Image: Omar Havana/AP Photo/picture alliance "We note that the Czech government has decided to risk our relationship just because it is interested in supporting the war in Ukraine, while the Slovak government wants to speak openly about peace," Fico posted on social media. Although cooperation on practical projects continued at a low level, the warmth and mutual understanding of the previous three decades has dissipated entirely, particularly as Slovakia's rapprochement with Russia continues. The culmination of this rapprochement was Fico's participation in the May 9 Victory Day Parade in Moscow. He was the only head of government in the European Union to attend. Growing distance between the two populations Domestic developments in Slovakia, where the government has been taking action against independent public media and cultural institutions, making the fight against political corruption more difficult, are also not going down well in the Czech Republic. The cooling of relations between the two governments is now starting to impact attitudes in society, too. Slovak PM Robert Fico (eyes closed, center) and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic (to the right of Fico) attended the May 9 Victory Parade in Moscow Image: Yuri Kochetkov/Pool Photo via AP According to the annual survey conducted by the Czech polling institute STEM, which was published just a few days ago, Slovakia has slipped from its traditional No. 1 spot on the list of Czech citizens' favorite countries to No. 10 in the ranking. A 'clear drop' in Slovakia's popularity "The attitude of the Czech public towards other countries and foreign politicians remains largely stable in 2025. However, the current survey registers a clear drop for Slovakia and the United States," notes the institute on its website. "It is highly probable that the clear decline in positive attitudes after the downward trend of the last two years is linked to the current political situation in the country, where relations with the Czech Republic cooled after the Fico government came to power in fall 2023," STEM analyst Silvia Petty told the media. The chill in relations was accelerated when the clearly pro-Western Slovak President Zuzana Caputova, who was hugely popular in the Czech Republic, was succeeded by Fico's minister and preferred presidential candidate Peter Pellegrini. "Pellegrini has an approval rating of 38% among Czech men and women, which is much lower than that of his predecessor, Caputova. She had an approval rating of 68% among Czechs in the final year of her presidency," said Petty. One in five Slovaks supports Russia But it is apparently not only the governments of both countries that disagree on Ukraine, so too do their respective citizens. According to a survey conducted by the institute CVVM dated April 2025, 58% of Czech citizens support military aid for Ukraine. According to an IPSOS survey from early 2025, only 16% of Slovaks do. The Progressive Slovakia party led by Michal Simecka (pictured here at an anti-government rally in December 2023) is ahead in the polls in his country Image: Patrik Uhlir/CTK/picture alliance Indeed, one-third of those who voted for Fico's Smer party and 20% of Slovaks overall would welcome a Russian victory. In the Czech Republic, only 7% would. The Slovak weekly magazine Tyzden noted that Czech President Petr Pavel received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Prague Castle just days before Fico visited Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The photos from Prague Castle and the Kremlin defined the character of two opposing worlds, noted the magazine's editor-in-chief, Stefan Hrib. Slovak opposition welcome in Prague Members of the ruling coalition in Bratislava are trying to play down the gulf between the two neighbors. "The basic message should be that despite some differences of opinion at government and sometimes even presidential level, our common foundation still exists," Richard Rasi, spokesperson of the Slovak parliament and deputy chair of the coalition party Hlas, told DW. Rasi went on to say that while a joint meeting of the two governments before the parliamentary election in the Czech Republic in October is unthinkable, he believes that "we will return to the negotiating table after the elections." Ivan Korcok told DW that PS would 'bring Slovakia back from the periphery to the center of Europe and restore our wonderful Czech-Slovak relations' Image: Petr David Josek/AP The Slovak opposition, which is led by the Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, has good relations with Prague. PS politicians such as party leader Michal Simecka and former foreign minister and former Slovak ambassador to Berlin, Ivan Korcok, are received at the highest levels in the Czech capital. What does the future hold? Korcok narrowly lost the Slovak presidential election last year and joined PS in late 2024. Speaking to DW during his recent visit to Prague, he said: "I would like to say this to the Czechs: Believe me, there is a political alternative in Slovakia in the form of the opposition and Progressive Slovakia. It will bring Slovakia back from the periphery to the center of Europe and restore our wonderful Czech-Slovak relations." Since the start of the year, Progressive Slovakia has been ahead in all polls. Were an election to take place now, it and other opposition parties would win a parliamentary majority. In the Czech Republic, however, the ANO movement led by Czech oligarch Andrej Babis, is ahead in the polls. Babis makes no bones of his support for both Fico and Hungary's Viktor Orban. So, if the polls are right, the political leadership of both countries could change, but the current political ice age would continue. This article was originally published in German.
