Articles

During his first trip to Europe, Joe Biden kept repeating that ‘America is back\'. We have to wait for the long-term effects of this visit, though. Only after some time we will see whether specific political decisions will follow handshakes and declarations. Nevertheless, we can already see that America under its new leadership is more pragmatic, predictable, and surrounded by allies, and therefore stronger.

In the years 2019/20, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom reminded of the “peaceful freedom revolutions” (H.-D. Genscher), which took place 30 years ago and which were most symbolically manifested in the fall of the Berlin Wall and the German reunification, in the form of various events and publications. However, this revolutionary democratic change did not spread across the whole continent.

What is the attitude of Poles towards the European Union? Has the Law and Justice government already turned us from a nation of Euro-enthusiasts into Euro-skeptics? Some time ago, the alarming information spread to the media signalling that Poles’ trust in the EU has decreased.

The European Commission has presented a proposal for The Digital Markets Act (DMA). Its goal is to create fair and competitive digital markets in the EU. It aims to achieve this by introducing new ex ante regulations that will automatically apply to so-called \"gatekeepers\". The gatekeepers are to be large internet platforms that meet selected size criteria.

The OECD claims that financial literacy is a significant skill in participating in modern society. Pupils should be improving their financial knowledge as early as possible to become active agents of their abilities to plan simple finances. Kids should learn how to plan their spendings and savings and how to build responsible financial behavior.

On Tuesday, the 15th of June, the Hungarian parliament passed a new law to protect children from pedophilia. However, the law also bans LGBT+ related content in schools, advertisement and TV. While the opposition boycotted the vote, 157 yes-votes and one dissenting vote enabled the new legislation to enter into force under the leadership of Viktor Orbán’s government.

Currently a hotly debated topic that has sparked a new wave of anti-vax conspiracy narratives is the vaccination of minors. A recent survey found that only 46% of Slovaks support vaccinating children under the age of 16 years.In his recent post, Slovak opposition politician Ľuboš Blaha who often spreads problematic content, accused the governing coalition of allowing Slovak children to become \"test subjects\".

Viktor Orban\'s new legislative package equates homosexuality with paedophilia. For next year\'s elections, Orban\'s government needed another bogeyman against which it could mobilize populistically. But sexual identity is protected in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. The European Commission must immediately initiate infringement proceedings against Hungary, demands Moritz Körner in an interview.

Join Atlas Network & Institute for Market Economics as we convene the 2021 Europe Liberty Forum Online! The 2021 Europe Liberty Forum Online—#EuropeLF21—is sponsored by Atlas Network and co-hosted with our partner organization in Bulgaria, Institute for Market Economics.

The 21 Research Center and its collaborative partner Projekt:Polska invite you to a discussion on people’s political preference formation in rural areas of Hungary and Poland and the polarisation observed in their political views and perceptions.