At the NATO summit in Madrid, the decision was finally made to agree to the accession of new members: Sweden and Finland. In recent weeks, the presidents of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, and Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, have emerged as the biggest opponents of expanding the alliance to include the Nordic countries.
On June 1, the European Commission approved Poland’s national recovery plan worth ca. EUR 35 billion. Ursula von der Leyen, has warned that money will be transferred only if Poland doesn’t fail to reach all “milestones” in granting judicial independence: abolishing the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court, rewriting its rules and allowing judges sanctioned or suspended by the chamber to have their cases reviewed.
Sejm has approved removing the Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court, a body used by the PiS government to sanction outspoken independent judges, and which has drawn condemnation from the European institution.
Since Prime Minister Morawiecki has come to the conclusion that he needs additional funds from the EU, one has to wonder from where they will come. The EU budget does not come from nothing.
When we face serious problems, such as economic crises, the people, at least in France and Spain, prefer to leave the government in calmer hands – perhaps less charismatic, but better prepared.
As far as power goes, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán cannot complain. His party, Fidesz recently won its 4th consecutive elections, with a supermajority no less.
On April 24, a parliamentary election took place in Slovenia. The results reflect a clear message from voters that the government needs to change. In mature liberal democracies, a change in government is a time for reflection for all involved in the politics of a country.
Kaja Kallas, Estonia’s first female prime minister, has become one of Europe’s leading voices against Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. She has been instrumental in getting the EU to take tougher action against Russia.
Poland’s government was quicker than Germany to recognise the danger posed by Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and his superpower ambitions. And the Polish government acted quickly.
Though Fidesz supported sanctions against Russia, the government is not allowing the transfer of lethal weapons through Hungarian territory to Ukraine. The narrative that Fidesz supports peace while the opposition supports war was completely false, nevertheless it worked.
