EU/North America

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.

The results of the German general election were met in the Czech Republic with interest but not much excitement compared to the emotional responses which they evoked in Germany. 

Viktor Orbán, facing an upcoming general election, may generate domestic political capital if the German government becomes more decisive in demanding that EU member states comply with the European Union’s migration-related regulations. 

Hungary’s liaison with the Kremlin has turned the economic “Eastern Opening” into the construction of a full-blown illiberal democracy. This goes hand in hand with Russia’s growing leverage over Hungary with respect to economic as well as soft power.

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.

Since the election of Donald Trump as U.S. president, Germans have lost trust in the United States. Will Merkel cozy up to Trump after the election or continue to criticize his actions? Commentary in Foreign Affairs.

For decades, Russian civil rights activist, historian, and German scholar Irina Scherbakova has been working to shed light on the repressive policies of the former Soviet Union. This Monday, she was awarded the Goethe Medal.

Viktor Orbán and his closest allies have taken control of most of the Hungarian media. Journalists at loyal outlets are expected to closely follow instructions from the state apparatus; in exchange, they receive advertising money from government institutions.

In Hungary, NGOs are now required to register as “civic organisations funded from abroad” if they receive financial support from a foreign source. The government is trying to delegitimise any organisation that criticises certain government policies, says Veronika Móra.

Ecological modernization is the key to a just society of the future. The core project of such a modernization is the transformation of the energy system - as it was discussed at the conference "Work in Progress: Energy Transition".