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Economy

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In June of 2012 the newly elected Slovak government finally unveiled first official blueprint of highly rummored consolidating measures. The main objective is continuation of cutting the fiscal deficit below 3% of GDP until 2013. Although we find some of the measures positive, an overwhelming majority of the presented proposals will have a negative impact on Slovakia and its citizens as this consolidation mostly relies on imposing more taxes. Despite many government’s reassurances, most of…

Politics

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The regularly conducted monthly opinion typically provide information such as power relations between parties but they rarely reveal anything about how the voters’ behaviour, values and attitudes have changed. Thus, in our newest analysis Republikon Institute’s main goal is to give an insight in deeper contexts, leaving party preferences on the sidelines. Our goal is to find out whether there are any liberal voters left in Hungary – whether the claim often made by liberal…

Economy

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The current soap opera is far from being wrapped up by the bailout for Spain. We’re only at the 44th episode, and the main character of the whole series – Italy – has so far only been flitting furtively through the background. If you were to change the names of the countries to names of characters with a more southern ring, current developments in the eurozone would seem like a quality soap opera, full of…

Economy

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In March 2010, when the Greek debt crisis was heating up, then-ECB president Jean Claude Trichet declared to the EU parliament that the “monetary Union in Europe is far more than a monetary arrangement. It is a union of shared destiny”. Less than two months later the ECB reversed its refusal to monetize debt and openly started buying government bonds in violation of its own charta. Germany also gave up its reservations about bailing out…

Politics

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The current Fundamental Law of of Hungary was adopted over a year ago, in April 2011. Due to this anniversary the recent research of Republikon Institution has looked how the so called ’National Avowal ’preamble fits the constitution’s introductions of  Central and Eastern European and wider European countries. Preambles in general Preambles are usually can be found in the beginning of the text of laws. They could function as a foreword: the legislators mainly mark…

Economy

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Tax Freedom Day that is calculated and promoted by Liberalni Institut every year in the Czech Republic, was celebrated on Saturday, 9th June 2012. This result indicates six-day improvement compared to the last year, i.e. the Czech taxpayers must work 160 days to cover expenditures of the general government. In 2011, the obligation was 165 days (one day difference is due to leap-year). Tax Freedom Day is an indicator that divides the year into two…

Economy

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The European Central Bank (ECB) published its Convergence Report(2012), in which it evaluates the progress of the members states that have committed themselves to joining the euro by following the convergence criteria, better known as the “Maastricht” criteria. At this point in time, Bulgaria has passed the requirements for deficit, debt, inflation and long-term interest rates, but this does not mean automatically that the road to the euro is open. What is more important, the…

Economy, Politics

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Two years ago, here in Wrocław [at Wrocław Global Forum], you called United States and Europe “G2 of the world” and today you referred to them as “catamaran on stormy waters”, so I was wondering if you think that we can observe serious, permanent shift of power in contemporary world or just this storm that is going to pass? Well, I hope it’s a storm that is going to pass and I hope that we…