"Elections in Slovakia: Fico is dangerous, but he knows the power of social protest" Interview With the return of former Prime Minister Fico, old authoritarian patterns could resurface in the upcoming elections. However, progressives also have a chance to win. By Jan Philipp Albrecht, Adéla Jurečková and Zuzana Kepplová
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on rule of law in Central Europe: Turning Crisis into opportunity? Background The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 disease has brought about an extraordinary situation. Although the past decades have brought numerous challenges like terrorism or the climate change, the global spread of a disease for which there is neither a cure nor vaccination available is something that political leaders have no experience in tackling. By Pavlína Janebová
A political map of Slovakia two years after the tragedy of the murder of Ján and Martina Background February 2020 will be written into the modern political history of Slovakia as a month with a great turning point which combined in a special way two dramatic themes in the internal political development of the country. By Grigorij Mesežnikov
How the German parliamentary elections resonate in Slovakia Analysis The domestic media in Slovakia discussed especially the policy of the future German government towards the EU and the US, as well as the success of the right-wing AfD in Germany. By Grigorij Mesežnikov
Orbán’s theatrical struggle against big, bad Berlin Orbán tries to destroy Germany’s positive image in Central Eastern Europe, depicting Germany as the capital of the decadent, liberal, pro-immigration EU that is doomed to fail. Tolerating such a behaviour would be a huge long-term strategic mistake for Germany. By Edit Zgut, Bulcsú Hunyadi and Péter Krekó
Nord Stream II: Shaking hands with the devil The gas pipeline Nord Stream II should double the existing natural gas transport capacity from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea. Juraj Mesík explains why the Kremlin will be the biggest winner of this project. By Juraj Mesík
Slovak echoes of Brexit On 1 July 2016 Slovakia assumed the Presidency of the EU Council. The government had been planning to implement the agreement reached between the UK and the EU in February 2016. But now they have to deal with the fact that Great Britain is leaving the European Union. By Grigorij Mesežnikov
Migration, elections and extremism: the case of Slovak politics During the Slovak parliamentary election campaign even moderate parties adopted anti-immigrant language. But the strategy backfired and far-right politicians entered parliament. By Grigorij Mesežnikov
After the EU Summit: Between Appeasement and Campaign Rhetoric It remains to be seen whether the majority decision on the redistribution of 120,000 refugees was a clever move. In Central Eastern Europe, the voices against the “dictate of the majority” cannot be ignored. By Eva van de Rakt
In Favour of a Solidary EU Refugee Policy A special EU summit of heads of state and government will take place on 23 September. After years of neglect, however, a solidary EU refugee policy cannot be elaborated in summary proceedings and under pressure. A commentary by Eva van de Rakt. By Eva van de Rakt
