Articles

The voting day in Ukrainian presidential elections passed rather calmly, and observers have not reported major electoral fraud, stating that basic standards of free elections were safeguarded. Hopefully the same will apply to the second round on April 21, 2019.

Each and every one of us knows lack. We hunger for bread, crave love, lack meaning. Lack leaves us restless, raging against the world and ourselves. But despite its familiarity, lack remains a mystery.

According to the Ukrstat, Ukraine exported USD 20.2 bn to the EU, surpassing the previous peak registered in 2008, i.e. before the hardships of two economic crises and the occupation of the part of Ukraine’s territory.

We are pleased to present the tenth issue of 4liberty.eu Review, titled “(Not So) Smart Regulation”. With contributions covering Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Repubic, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, Lithuania, and cross-national analyses, it offers a wide range of perspectives on regulation.

Under EU legislation, Member States are required to abolish any legal provisions contrary to the principle of equal treatment and have to introduce measures that would facilitate getting legal remedies in cases of alleged violations of equal treatment.

Slovakia has managed to muster a constitutional majority passing a bill that would have a detrimental effect on the stability of the Slovak public finances in the long run. The measure is the constitutional limit of the retirement age now set at 64 for men and 63 for women (with two kids).

Even though the victory of Zuzana Čaputová in the presidential elections in Slovakia is undeniably a positive development for the Central European region, it should not be perceived as a new macro trend.

Humankind is inherently attracted to games. As play is an important aspect of childhood, which adult did not look back yearning for those years? What needs emphasizing is that games, just like humankind, have evolved.

Liberty-minded people should not strive for utopias, but instead encourage people to see how much better the world became through the ideas of free markets, rule of law, and democracy. If we continue on this path, we have a good chance of living in the best world that can ever be.

The ruling politicians are unfortunately going in the opposite direction. While a person working for a minimum wage in 2015 paid 29% in taxes and levies, with the planned minimum wage, they will pay more than 40% next year.