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Ruling coalition in Lithuania is not going to be dissolved after Minister of the Interior Raimundas Palaitis resigned on March 19, as The Lithuania Tribune writes. Raimundas Palaitis resigned after making a controversial hasty decision to fire heads of the Financial Crime Investigation Service – Vitalijus Gailius and Vytautas Girzadas. Former Minister said: “I would like to say that I have no regrets whatsoever over my decision. I feel I was acting legitimately and rightly…

Economy

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The Slovak Spectator presents the latest data concerning unemployment rate published by the Statistics Office. The unemployment rate in February 2012 reached13.76%, which means a monthly growth of 0.07%. In a year unemployment rate increased by 0.6%. The increase was observed in 6 out of 8 regions (unemployment rate decreased only in Trenčín and Bratislava regions). More information can be found here.  

Economy

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This week about how FED doesn’t want to leave alone the “Print” button and what you can go to jail in Argentina for. In Europe, we will have a look at the biggest default in the history, hope that German Luftwaffe won’t take off, we mention Iron Lady and make fun of the new title Kill Bill Saving EU. Only a few days of falling stock markets after the press conference, when the governor of…

Economy

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This week about Big Berta, Stiglitz’ duel with bad speculators, why Greece needs planning commissioners and about open hunting season for bad news messengers in the European Parliament. The second round of three-year tender loans of the European Central Bank (according to ECB President Mario Draghi so-called “Big Bertha”) flooded the system with 529.5 bln of future euro. 800 banks took 3-year loans with interest rates 1% (it was 523 bln. during the first round…

Economy

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About good news from Iceland, the next act of Greek drama, Spanish ghost city, Presidential poetry and tough love in Europe. We have good news for you. Iceland is not junk anymore. Iceland is a country whose credit rating, unlike in the rest of Europe, started to rise. Why is it important? Iceland has done what European insolvent countries and monetary union still resists doing. After the crisis, which mainstream economists and governors didn‘t see coming,…

Economy

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INESS, Bratislava 7.3.2012 We added to our The State Waste database the whole proceeded year 2011. Database now consists of 824 documented cases of waste, clientelism and lawsuits brought up by the printed media since the year 2007. The total sum of revealed inefficient use of public funds in the year 2011 in the categories Waste and Lawsuits reached EUR 553.5 mil. It is not only the waste during this period of time but also…

Politics

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John Nadler writes in Time that young Hungarian, dissatisfied with ruling Fidesz, are becoming more and more active protesting and demanding change. Surprisingly, a lot of young people are attracted to extreme right-wing, anti-Roma Jobbik. According to research of the think tank Demos and Hungary’s Political Capital Institute done on the group of Jobbik’s FB fans 36% of them were students, 22% held university degrees and 6% had postgraduate or professional degrees. Experts find reasons…

Politics

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The results of BBSS Gallup’s survey from March 19, 2012 can be found in The Sofia Echo. Polls show that ruling party GERB has 30% of support while the opposition Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) would gain 18% of votes if the parliamentary elections were held now. The Sofia Echo points out that the support for the ruling party is stable in spite of controversies such as Cabinet changes, negative outcome of the European Commission report…

Politics

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As Bloomberg Businessweek writes current coalition government may be dissolved, which brings about an option of early elections or working in minority government until elections in October. Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, leading Homeland Union requested Internal Affair Minister Raimundas Palaitis to resign, which he (with support of President Dalia Grybauskaite) refused to do. It led to tensions between Homeland Union and the Liberal Center Union which seem to make the further work of coalition impossible….

Politics

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As The Slovak Spectator writes Robert Fico was asked to form a one-party government – situation like this has not happened since the fall of communism in 1989. Robert Fico initiated last week talks with other parties in the Parliament but all of them refused to be a part of coalition with Smer. 83 seats in the Parliament which Smer gained in the latest elections will suffice to set up a government of one party….