The Czech Republic celebrated a major anniversary on May 1 this year. Exactly twenty years ago on this day, the Czech Republic joined the European Union, and thus became part of the Single European Market. Apart from the political implications, joining the EU had major economic consequences. These are the ones we are going to look at now.
Few things stir the public sphere as much as the controversial subject of the adoption of the euro in the Czech Republic. Although one side of the debate always vehemently puts forward arguments in favor of adopting the single currency, while the other side points out the unmissable pitfalls of the euro, one crucial economic argument seems to be continually neglected.
War is male. Men decide on war, men manage war, men plan, conduct, and end wars. Men declare peace. In the world of war, a woman is an addition, a not very useful element, getting in the way, complicating things, getting emotional, crying, longing, being weak, being unnecessary, undermining the point of this masculine clash.
The tax burden directly determines how many resources remain in the hands of businesses and how much goes to the state budget. However, it also has some influence on the price level. The size of the tax burden affects the speed of economic development – the more money a business has in possession, the more development and expansion opportunities it has, the more materials it buys, the more money it invests in the purchase of new equipment.
Can financial markets put pressure on a powerful country like France, the world’s eighth-largest economy? It is better not to test it. The UK has found that out several times. An analysis by Institut Montaigne found that promises made before the election by the leftist New Popular Front would increase France’s annual budget spending by €95 billion and the state finance deficit by 3.6 percent of GDP.
Many governments are interfering more and more deeply in economic processes. Protectionism is on the rise in the world. The result could be a stagnant global economy. Tadeusz Syryjczyk, Minister of Industry in Tadeusz Mazowiecki’s government in Poland, once stated that the best industrial policy is no industrial policy.
The documentary “How Sweden Quit Smoking” by Tomasz Agencki shows the remarkable synthesis of human creativity, innovation and personal responsibility that not only launched Sweden’s success in smoking-related harm reduction, but also points the way for other countries around the world. Sweden’s experience shows that alternative products that allow people to use nicotine in a safer way play a key role in this process.
In July, the Polish Political Science Yearbook published an article “Liberals Among Us”, which examines the structure and determinants of liberal attitudes in Poland. The article is based on research supported by the Economic Freedom Foundation. Why do some people support liberal ideas, while others are their fierce opponents?
The June 2024 EU elections had a tremendous influence on the political landscape throughout Europe. That was especially the case for Polish liberals, since after the Civic Coalition secured new European Parliament seats, the Nowoczesna Party obtained four new MPs in the Polish Sejm, including Aleksandra Kot, the youngest member of the Polish Parliament.
With its Commission Work Programme 2024, adopted on October 17, 2023, the European Commission emphasized its commitment to reduce reporting requirements by 25 per cent. While the Commission promises to cut bureaucracy, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is looming. The CSRD imposes substantial new disclosure and compliance requirements on companies.
