Olivier Bault | Visegrád Post

Next Generation EU – The EU’s dangerous game with Poland

Olivier Bault June 12, 2023

Could Poland lose access not only to the Next Generation EU “Recovery and Resilience Facility” funds, which are still being withheld by the European Commission over a long-standing dispute concerning the Polish judiciary, but also to the much-needed cohesion funds promised with…

Society

Surveys show Poles and Hungarians continue to like each other despite serious differences over Ukraine and Russia

Olivier Bault April 23, 2023

Poland/Hungary - Poland and Hungary, whose century-old friendship is often presented as the driving force behind the Visegrád Group, or V4, and more generally behind cooperative initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe (such as Visegrád+ and the Three Seas Initiative), have opposite…

Society

No, John Paul II does not appear to have covered up for paedophile priests when he was a bishop

Olivier Bault March 23, 2023

Poland - There was a time, especially upon his death in 2005, when Pope John Paul II seemed to unite the Poles around himself. This has not been the case for a number of years, however, as the media and some politicians…

Society

Polish minority targeted by repressions in Belarus along with democratic opposition

Olivier Bault March 8, 2023

Belarus/Poland - Poland may close its last remaining border crossings with Belarus as a retaliatory measure, according to comments made by a state secretary in the Interior Ministry, Maciej Wąsik, on Polish television channel Polsat News. “For us, [Belarus] is a small…

Politics

The Russian narrative, taken up by part of the European right, is not working in Poland

Olivier Bault December 20, 2022

OPINION --- Do not believe any information until it has been denied by the Kremlin: this warning may sound like a joke, but it was taken seriously in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc, and the attitude remains valid in…

Society

Offshore wind and nuclear power to become the two pillars of Poland’s “decarbonised” energy independence

Olivier Bault December 17, 2022

Poland – As a member of the EU, Poland has committed itself to closing its last mine by 2049, the year it intends to stop allowing the use of coal for heating, while the date set for the closure of the last…

Society

Lower taxes and subsidies against the energy crisis in Poland

Olivier Bault December 15, 2022

Poland – The surge in energy prices began before the war in Ukraine, and this cannot be stressed enough. A little over a year ago, in early December 2021, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki justified the “anti-inflation shield” implemented by his government by…

Society

Poland accelerates its transition to Russia-free energy

Olivier Bault December 10, 2022

Poland – Like the other countries of the former Eastern bloc, Poland long remained highly dependent on Russian hydrocarbons after the fall of communism (in 1989–90) and the departure of the last Russian troops (in September 1993), which ended five decades of…

Politics

Weaponising of energy by Russia started long before war in Ukraine

Olivier Bault December 2, 2022

To what extent is the drastic increase in energy prices directly due to Russia’s war, to what extent is it the result of European sanctions, and to what extent is it due to Russia’s actions aimed at weakening public support for Ukraine…

Politics

Hungarian strategic thinking explained to Poles

Olivier Bault November 9, 2022

Hungary / Poland - The century-old Polish–Hungarian friendship has been going through a turbulent period in recent months due to deep differences concerning the war in Ukraine. While Poland has provided massive support to its Ukrainian neighbour from the outset, including in…

News

Is the American ambassador trying to influence Hungary’s top judges?

Olivier Bault November 4, 2022

Hungary – On Thursday, 27 October, U.S. ambassador to Hungary David Pressman posted a tweet about his meeting with two judges of the Hungarian National Judicial Council, Csaba Vasvári and Tamás Matusik. He wrote that it was an opportunity for him to…

Miscellaneous

Hungary first

Olivier Bault May 24, 2022

This article was published online by Do Rzeczy on 15 May 2022. Explaining the reasons why his country cannot accept an embargo on Russian oil, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said: “It is not a question of lack of political will, it…