European Union

There is no need for Europe to be great again. As a community it is currently the greatest economic power, which to a large extent already dictates the rules of the game on global markets. The only viable response to the ongoing challenges is a closer integration of the EU – to maintain the status of a global leader.

In order for the EU to prosper as a political, economic and social construct, it needs to be more competitive – including in the field of tax policy, and also to respect sovereignty and find unanimously agreed solutions on major issues.

On June 23, 2016, the UK voted to leave the EU. If Czechs and Slovaks were able to separate an entire country, Czechoslovakia, in six months, surely Whitehall and Berlaymont can find a way to separate one EU member state sooner than in six years.

The 2017 labor law reform significantly improved Lithuania\'s position in the Employment Flexibility Index, moving the country from the 27th to 15th position among the EU and OECD countries, according to Employment Flexibility Index 2019 compiled by LFMI based on the World Bank\'s Doing Business data.

As part of the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights, the European Commission (EC) has adopted a proposal for a Council Recommendation on access to social protection for workers and the self-employed.

Politicians using bluff and masquerade have been unmasked, and leaving the EU turns out to be a humiliation for Britain, not a triumph. Promises of a quick and favorable divorce from the EU for Great Britain – what a surprise – did not work out.

Our progress is already big – for example, you can work almost anywhere in Europe. But we have reached the wall – because we don\'t know what foundation, what system we should have. When we do not have solutions, demons wake up.

The policy of fear reigns in the West. Globalization, international terrorism, financial crises, deindustrialization, and increasingly less stable labor market lead to the emergence of social anxiety that fuels right-wing populism.

On September 12, 2018, the European Parliament voted to initiate sanctions under Article 7 against Hungary. While the decision is definitely not a win for Viktor Orbán on a European level, it did boost his position at home.

If Ukraine loses the chance to receive assistance from the IMF and other international donors in 2018, the government will be hard-pressed to execute planned fiscal expenditures in 2018. The fiscal indicators will be also revised for 2019 to lower real GDP growth and higher inflation.