Latest news with #CentralEurope
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Veto ban would mean the end of EU
A reported EU plan to scrap member states' veto power on matters of foreign policy would spell the end of the bloc and could become 'the precursor of a huge military conflict,' Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned. Slovakia and its Central European neighbour Hungary have long opposed the EU's approach to the Ukraine conflict, criticizing military aid to Kiev and sanctions on Russia. Both governments have repeatedly threatened to use their veto powers to block EU actions they view as harmful to national interests. To bypass dissent, Brussels is reportedly weighing a shift from unanimous voting, a founding principle of EU foreign policy, to qualified majority voting (QMV), arguing that it would streamline decision-making and prevent individual states from paralyzing joint actions. Fico, however, condemned the proposal on Thursday during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Hungary. 'The imposition of a mandatory political opinion, the abolition of the veto, the punishment of the sovereign and the brave, the new Iron Curtain, the preference for war over peace. This is the end of the common European project. This is a departure from democracy. This is the precursor of a huge military conflict,' he said. EU sanctions on Russia currently require unanimous renewal every six months, with the current term set to expire at the end of July. Brussels is also preparing an 18th package of sanctions aimed at tightening restrictions on Russia's energy sector and financial institutions. Earlier this month, during a visit to Moscow for Victory Day commemorations, Fico assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that Slovakia would veto any EU-wide attempt to ban imports of Russian oil or gas. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken a similar stance. While Hungary has not formally blocked a sanctions package, it has delayed several rounds to extract concessions. Orban has also warned that removing the veto would strip smaller nations of their sovereignty. 'We want Brussels to show us, as all other member countries, the same respect, not only symbolically, but also by taking our interests into account,' he said last month. Both Slovakia and Hungary have resisted increased military support to Kiev, with Budapest blocking several key decisions citing concerns over national interests and the potential for escalation. Fico has emphasized the need for peace negotiations over continued military engagement.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Veto ban would spell the end of EU
The EU's reported plan to scrap member states' veto power would spell the end of the bloc and could become 'the precursor of a huge military conflict,' Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned. Slovakia and its Central European neighbour Hungary have long opposed the EU's approach to the Ukraine conflict, criticizing military aid to Kiev and sanctions on Russia. Both governments have repeatedly threatened to use their veto powers to block EU actions they view as harmful to national interests. To bypass the dissent, Brussels is reportedly weighing a shift from unanimous voting, a founding principle of EU foreign policy, to qualified majority voting (QMV), arguing that it would streamline decision-making and prevent individual states from paralyzing joint actions. Fico, however, condemned the proposal on Thursday during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Hungary. 'The imposition of a mandatory political opinion, the abolition of the veto, the punishment of the sovereign and the brave, the new Iron Curtain, the preference for war over peace. This is the end of the common European project. This is a departure from democracy. This is the precursor of a huge military conflict,' he said. EU sanctions on Russia currently require unanimous renewal every six months, with the current term set to expire at the end of July. Brussels is also preparing an 18th package of sanctions aimed at tightening restrictions on Russia's energy sector and financial institutions. Earlier this month, during a visit to Moscow for Victory Day commemorations, Fico assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that Slovakia would veto any EU-wide attempt to ban imports of Russian oil or gas. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken a similar stance. While Hungary has not formally blocked a sanctions package, it has delayed several rounds to extract concessions. Orban has also warned that removing the veto would strip smaller nations of their sovereignty. 'We want Brussels to show us, as all other member countries, the same respect, not only symbolically, but also by taking our interests into account,' he said last month. Both Slovakia and Hungary have resisted increased military support to Kiev, with Budapest blocking several key decisions citing concerns over national interests and the potential for escalation. Fico has emphasized the need for peace negotiations over continued military engagement.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Rivals neck-and-neck ahead of Poland's ‘clash of civilisations' election
Centrist Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski (left) faces off against right-leaning Karol Nawrocki on Sunday. (AP pic) WARSAW : Warsaw's pro-EU mayor and a nationalist historian vying for Poland's presidency hold their last day of campaigning today, with opinion polls predicting a close race in Sunday's vote, which will determine the direction of the key central European EU and Nato member. Centrist Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, 53, faces off against right-leaning Karol Nawrocki, 42, on Sunday in a run-off presidential vote, with some analysts describing the contest as a 'clash of civilisations'. Latest polls predict a close race, with 50.6% of the vote going to Trzaskowski and 49.4% to Nawrocki, a tiny difference within the polling margin of error. A victory for Trzaskowski would be a major boost for Poland's government, which has been in a political deadlock with the current president. It could also mean significant changes such as the introduction of civil partnerships for same-sex couples and easing Poland's near-total ban on abortion. A win for Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing Law and Justice Party, could undermine Poland's steadfast support for neighbouring Ukraine against Russia. Nawrocki, an admirer of US President Donald Trump, opposes Nato membership for Kyiv and has called for curbs on benefits for the estimated one million Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Analysts say a Nawrocki victory could also lead to fresh parliamentary elections in the EU and Nato member, which has been one of Europe's best economic performers. Given the narrow polling margins, the result of the election may not be known until Monday. 'I would be cautious about popping the champagne on Sunday evening,' said Anna Materska-Sosnowska, a political expert. Tens of thousands of supporters took part in rival rallies for both candidates on May 25, a week before the run-off. 'Clash of civilisations' The final result is expected to hinge on whether Trzaskowski can mobilise enough supporters to come out and vote and whether far-right voters will cast their ballots for Nawrocki. Far-right candidates fared better than expected in the first round of the election on May 18, getting more than 21% of the vote – and leaving Nawrocki a larger pool of votes to draw upon. Trzaskowski won that round by a razor-thin margin of 31% against 30% for Nawrocki. Materska-Sosnowska called the election 'a real clash of civilisations', pointing to major policy differences between candidates who have diverging views on abortion or LGBTQ rights. The job of Polish president is sometimes dismissed as a ceremonial post, but it comes with crucial veto power over legislation. And that has often stymied prime minister Donald Tusk, a former European Council chief whose centrist Civic Coalition (KO) has clashed on multiple fronts with conservative president Andrzej Duda since it came to power in 2023. In Kleszczow, a village in central Poland where far-right candidates got around a third of the vote in Round 1, most people AFP spoke to said they would vote for Nawrocki on Sunday. 'If Trzaskowski wins, they (the ruling centrists) will sell the country, destroy it,' 40-year-old Kamil Skulimowski, who works at the local coal mine, told AFP. Anna Bednarska, a 27-year-old greengrocer, said she would be backing Nawrocki in the run-off because she believes his opponent 'wants to introduce immigrants into Poland'. 'And I think it would be better for Poland to remain Poland.' The final stretch of the election campaign saw Nawrocki mired in a few scandals. While arguing against a property tax, he claimed to only own one flat. Later it was revealed he had acquired a second one in a convoluted deal with an elderly man. A bombshell news report also alleged he had arranged prostitutes for guests while working as a hotel security guard. Nawrocki called the accusations 'a bunch of lies' and said he would sue the news site that published the report.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
CEE ECONOMY Czech economy accelerates in first quarter on higher household spending
PRAGUE, May 30 (Reuters) - Czech economic output jumped by a faster-than-predicted 0.8% in the first quarter, the highest since late 2021, driven by a strong rebound in household spending and inventories, the Czech Statistical Bureau (CSU) said on Friday. The result marked an increase from a flash estimate of 0.5% expansion, and put year-on-year growth at 2.2%. The central European economy has been slow to recover from the COVID pandemic, which was followed by an inflation wave, high energy prices and weak demand in main trade partner Germany. A gradual rebound in real wages, as inflation waned, has been the main driver of the recovery. The CSU said household demand contributed 1.5 percentage points to the year-on-year expansion, followed by inventory adding 1.3 points, government spending with 0.4, while foreign trade and capital investments had negative contributions. "The year-on-year result is the best in nearly three years and was caused mainly by growing household spending," said Petr Dufek, chief economist at Banka Creditas. "The first quarter result lays the ground quite well for the full-year growth of roughly 2%." Chief Economist Pavel Sobisek of UniCredit CZ+SK said momentum would help the economy going forward but there would be negative effects of U.S. tariff policies. "That will undoubtedly cause fluctuations of growth and its overall reduction versus a situation of tariffs not being imposed," he said in a note. The crown was trading flat versus the euro at 24.945 .
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rivals neck-and-neck ahead of Poland's 'clash of civilisations' vote
Warsaw's pro-EU mayor and a nationalist historian vying for Poland's presidency hold their last day of campaigning on Friday, with opinion polls predicting a close race in Sunday's vote, which will determine the direction of the key central European EU and NATO member. Centrist Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, 53, faces off against right-leaning Karol Nawrocki, 42, on Sunday in a runoff presidential vote, with some analysts describing the contest as a "clash of civilisations." Latest polls predict a close race, with 50.6 percent of the vote going to Trzaskowski and 49.4 percent to Nawrocki, a tiny difference within the polling margin of error. A victory for Trzaskowski would be a major boost for Poland's government, which has been in a political deadlock with the current president. It could also mean significant changes such as the introduction of civil partnerships for same-sex couples and easing Poland's near-total ban on abortion. A win for Nawrocki, backed by the right-wing Law and Justice Party, could undermine Poland's steadfast support for neighbouring Ukraine against Russia. Nawrocki, an admirer of US President Donald Trump, opposes NATO membership for Kyiv and has called for curbs on benefits for the estimated one million Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Analysts say a Nawrocki victory could also lead to fresh parliamentary elections in the EU and NATO member, which has been one of Europe's best economic performers. Given the narrow polling margins, the result of the election may not be known until Monday. "I would be cautious about popping the champagne on Sunday evening," said Anna Materska-Sosnowska, a political expert. Tens of thousands of supporters took part in rival rallies for both candidates on May 25, a week before the runoff. - 'Clash of civilisations' - The final result is expected to hinge on whether Trzaskowski can mobilise enough supporters to come out and vote and whether far-right voters will cast their ballots for Nawrocki. Far-right candidates fared better than expected in the first round of the election on May 18, getting more than 21 percent of the vote -- and leaving Nawrocki a larger pool of votes to draw upon. Trzaskowski won that round by a razor-thin margin of 31 percent against 30 percent for Nawrocki. Materska-Sosnowska called the election "a real clash of civilisations", pointing to major policy differences between candidates who have diverging views on abortion or LGBTQ rights. The job of Polish president is sometimes dismissed as a ceremonial post, but it comes with crucial veto power over legislation. And that has often stymied Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former European Council chief whose centrist Civic Coalition (KO) has clashed on multiple fronts with conservative President Andrzej Duda since it came to power in 2023. In Kleszczow, a village in central Poland where far-right candidates got around a third of the vote in round one, most people AFP spoke to said they would vote for Nawrocki on Sunday. "If Trzaskowski wins, they (the ruling centrists) will sell the country, destroy it," 40-year-old Kamil Skulimowski, who works at the local coal mine, told AFP. Anna Bednarska, a 27-year-old greengrocer, said she would be backing Nawrocki in the runoff because she believes his opponent "wants to introduce immigrants into Poland". "And I think it would be better for Poland to remain Poland." The final stretch of the election campaign saw Nawrocki mired in a few scandals. While arguing against a property tax, he claimed to only own one flat. Later it was revealed he had acquired a second one in a convoluted deal with an elderly man. A bombshell news report also alleged he had arranged prostitutes for guests while working as a hotel security guard. Nawrocki called the accusations "a bunch of lies" and said he would sue the news site that published the report. bur/mmp/yad
