European Commission | Visegrád Post

Obstacles left by the outgoing Juncker Commission to improved relations with Warsaw and Budapest

Olivier Bault September 14, 2019

By Olivier Bault. This article was originally publishedon Kurier.plusby the Felczak Institute of Polish–Hungarian Cooperation European Union - While Poland and Hungary can hardly count on the new European Parliament constituted after the May 23–26 elections to take a less offensive…

Politics

Brussels will remain in conflict with Poland even with a new European Commission

Olivier Bault August 5, 2019

By Olivier Bault. Poland - Together with its fellow Visegrád Group countries, Poland has managed to veto the bid of Dutch socialist Frans Timmermans to become the next President of the European Commission. Although Timmermans is expected to retain a vice-presidency of…

Politics

Linking EU funds to rule of law and “European values”: a move against Poland and Hungary?

Olivier Bault April 18, 2019

By Olivier Bault. This article was originally published on Kurier.plus. European Union - “The more I listen to Timmermans talk on rule of law and respond to questions, the more obvious it seems that spitzenkandidaten should temporarily leave their EU paid roles during…

Politics

Visegrád – Austria Summit: Confirmed Entente

The Editorial Board June 22, 2018

The Visegrád Group and Austria met in Budapest for a summit on immigration therefore bypassing and declaring their boycott of the planned "mini-summit" on the subject. Hungary - On Thursday, 21 June, Budapest hosted a summit of the Visegrád Group (Poland, Czechia,…

Society

E.U.’s Energy Policy: a Threat to Poland?

Antoine de Longevialle April 30, 2018

Poland - ‘Poland today is not a country that can show Europe the way, it's a country that has decided to go against European interests in many areas’, French president Macron said at a press conference in Bulgaria, in August 2017. This…

Society

How energy plays a big part in the gap between the Commission and Hungary

Antoine de Longevialle April 25, 2018

By Antoine de Longevialle. Hungary - ‘For seven years I’ve been working to build a foreign policy based on our national interests, rather than on the mentality and logic of a reluctant ally. We’re doing well, but there’s one piece of the…

Society

Victory for the V4: the European Union bans double quality of brand products

The Editorial Board April 16, 2018

European Union – The European Commission has announced on April 11th its will to ban difference of quality level for brand products depending on their destination market. A lot of brands sold products in Central and Eastern Europe that were presented as…

Politics

Triggering Article 7 against Poland: nuclear bomb or wet firecracker?

Sébastien Meuwissen February 5, 2018

By Sébastien Meuwissen. Pologne - Forty years ago, Poland lit the spark that would put an end to Communist totalitarianism in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, the European Commission has launched the first phase of Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty against…

Politics

Is the Polish reshuffle a way of easing relations with Brussels?

Olivier Bault January 12, 2018

By Olivier Bault. Poland - The dominant discourse in the international media after the 9th of January's cabinet reshuffle in Warsaw was all about the PiS, after changing the Prime Minister in December, trying to appease relations with Brussels. In fact, if…

Politics

Hungary to veto EC’s “unprecedented and astounding” article 7 procedure against Poland

The Editorial Board December 23, 2017

Article originally published on Hungary Today. Hungary - The European Commission’s decision to launch Article 7.1 procedure against Poland over its judicial reforms is “unprecedented and astounding”, Zsolt Semjén, Hungary’s deputy prime minister said, adding that Hungary may veto it. The decision seriously…

Politics

How the European spruce bark beetle destroys the the Białowieża forest in Poland with the support of environmentalists and of the European Commission

Olivier Bault December 12, 2017

By Olivier Bault. Article originally published in French on Réinformation TV. The European spruce bark beetle is a beetle that colonizes the spruce forests, a very common tree in the beautiful forest of Białowieża, North-East Poland. Ecologists consider it a primeval forest…

Interviews

L. Kövér: “We would like to take the European Union in the opposite direction to the one the Commission wants for a few years now”

Ferenc Almássy December 3, 2017

Hungary - Interview with the Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly, László Kövér: "We would like to take the European Union in the opposite direction to the one the Commission wants for few years now." On the occasion of an informal summit…