Slovakia

Politics

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Many people still do not seem to be aware of the Putin regime’s perfidious hybrid warfare against liberal democracy and the rule of law in Europe. It is therefore all the more important to talk about it publicly in order to fight against it. The European Liberal Forum (ELF) organized a panel discussion entitled “Russian Influence in European Democracy” on November 18 in Sofia with the Project: Poland Foundation and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).

Economy

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I recently overheard an interview in which the irrationality of Slovaks who refuse to buy more economically advantageous electric cars was criticized. Quite often, I encounter the fact that owners of electric vehicles fail to look at this problem through the eyes of the average driver. First, it is important to realize that the average Slovak drives either a second-hand car or his old car. In September alone, 5,000 individually imported cars were registered in Slovakia.

Politics

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The 1990s brought several significant changes for Europe. On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia was dissolved, and as a result, the Czech Republic and Slovakia have since been independent states of the Central and Eastern European region. The focus of European public discourse is not always on Slovak domestic politics, but the assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico in 2024 has shocked the continent.

Economy

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In its program statement, the government announced its intention to increase the progressivity of personal taxation. In the budget plan, it already speaks specifically of the intention to “introduce 3rd and 4th personal income tax rates from 2025,” which is expected to increase public revenues by EUR 78 million. A 3rd rate of 30% is to apply to annual personal income above EUR 80 000.

Politics

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After the rising number of immigrants in 2015, the implementation of the Common European Asylum System became a priority for EU member states. Nevertheless, it has been documented by many studies that the V4 group countries drifted away from these intentions. During 2016, the members of the Visegrad group worked together as a united bloc on migration issues in Brussels.

Think Tank News

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On April 17, 2024, INESS organized a roundtable on the upcoming analysis of high infant mortality in Roma communities. After the presentation of the analysis prepared by Matej Bárta, the participants discussed various aspects of the issue. Our ongoing project, supported by the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, aims to support and improve policies to reduce extremely high infant mortality with the help of educational change.