Slovakia is a small country. It cannot afford to be uneducated. Still, the country has been sinking in the PISA rankings that measure “smartness” by comparing results of educational systems. Many small countries rank ahead of Slovakia.
The Slovak pension, education, and health systems and services should not depend on the government holding power at any given time. Instead, a fundamental political consensus is required. Better than calls from abroad for Slovakia to behave more rationally, the nation itself must come to its senses.
The European Commission proposes an extension of price reporting for most agricultural products in all its variety for all economic actors of the value chain on weekly and monthly bases. According to the EC, this measure will address a lack of transparency and information asymmetry in the food supply chain.
The Western Balkan countries already have plans for bold and deep institutional reforms that will not only liberalize and deliver a boost to their economies, but will also, most importantly, significantly improve the level of freedom enjoyed by the people in the region.
This conference seeks to shed light on these and more questions, while proposing ideas on the revision of the State aid modernization package. Join us in the discussion together with leading national and EU experts, stakeholders, and scholars on competition policy and state aid!
This article shall serve as a cautionary tale about the fact that if liberal democracy collapses, even liberally-minded people may dismiss democracy and promote liberty-oriented meritocracy, which would cut off numerous citizens from politics – sometimes, for their own good.
One may safely say that Donald Tusk would make the most competent presidential candidate. However, Poles do not vote for statesmen. They are more likely to support the candidates whom they can imagine having a dinner with.
The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, was not only the beginning of the reunification of the Germans, it was also one of several events that in the months and years to come would have more than 100 million people, including Estonians, successfully turn their back to communism.
30 years ago the Velvet Revolution began with a demonstration in Prague. It started all of a sudden. Then, it all happened very quickly. The communist regime, which had remained in power by force since 1948, had become hollow and rotten in Czechoslovakia.
The longer bad blood is circulating in the body, the sicker we get. The same applies to judiciary. The longer we allow politicians to control the courts, to appoint judges, pressure them, the more difficult healing the judiciary will get.
