East & Southeast Europe

Philosopher Péter Rauschenberger ist co-founder of the Hungarian green party (LMP), which he left in January 2013. In his article he gives an overview on the different actors of the “democratic opposition” under the Orbán government and explains, why they struggle to build stable alliences.

The focal points of the offices are supporting democratic and constitutional reform processes in the region and strengthening civil society. They work with journalists, lawyers and political scientists, initiate media debates, organize workshops and advise reform-oriented political forces and groups.

For now, the revocation of the Heinrich Böll Foundation’s registration by the Russian Federation marks the end of 30 years of dedicated work in this country.

The Heinrich Boell Foundation (HBF) in the South Caucasus (SC) contributes to the democratization process of the countries of the SC. We support initiatives, which form and strengthen an inclusive political culture that opens room for public participation on democratic development, socio-ecological transformation and gender democracy.

Our main focus points are the promotion of democratic reform within Turkey, the future of Turkish energy policy, and the development of rural regions.

Our main focus is to boost civil society in Ukraine and Belarus. To achieve this, we offer training programmes and assistance, host public discussion meetings in Ukraine, and promote civil-society organisations and initiatives in Belarus.

The political crisis in the Czech Republic, which led to the fall of the government, was triggered by police investigation. The prosecution of three former MPs in the country triggered heated debates and reactions.

In an interview, political scientist Vladimíra Dvořáková of the University of Economics, Prague, enumerates the causes of the current turbulence on the Czech political scene.

A few months after Miloš Zeman first took office as president, we are now seeing the logical outcome of introducing a semi-presidential system. The current clash between the president and the Czech Parliament is a direct result of the political redistribution of power and could significantly influence the future form of the relationships between the government, the parliament, and the president.