Recent international events have underscored the resilience of the West and its commitment to defending democratic values and Ukraine. Despite internal divisions, a bipartisan Congressional decision in the United States allocated $100 billion in foreign aid to support Ukraine’s defense efforts against Russia. This decisive action, supported by Republican and Democratic majorities, demonstrated a unified stance against Russian aggression.
On 8 February, American journalist and conservative commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, in the Kremlin. This was a highly anticipated and controversial event which drew much criticism: two liberal members of the European Parliament went as far as to suggest that Carlson could be sanctioned by EU authorities for acting as a mouthpiece of the Russian government – a possibility which the European Commission promptly ruled out.
A new red-tape mission is about to worsen the lives of Eastern European consumers, producers, and suppliers. Under the influence of the Green Deal, the European Union’s Chemical Agency (ECHA) will transition to a hazard-based approachpremised on preventing any potential threat. Regulators will no longer focus on concrete exposure levels to determine whether a product is safe for consumers, as they used to in the older risk-oriented assessments. Instead, policymakers will use lab-related hypothetical scenarios or advanced statistical tests to label a consumer good as dangerous or remove it entirely from store shelves if it could constitute a problem in any way, shape, or form.
A new red-tape mission is about to worsen the lives of Eastern European consumers, producers, and suppliers. Under the influence of the Green Deal, the European Union’s Chemical Agency (ECHA) will transition to a hazard-based approach premised on preventing any potential threat.
In late March, the Hungarian parliament ratified Finland’s NATO membership, which led to joining it as a member a week later. At the time, some Hungarian officials “spent months telling counterparts that they had no objections, and their parliament was simply busy with other business,” as reported by Politico. “Budapest changed its narrative… with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán… arguing the point that some of his legislators had qualms regarding criticism of the state of Hungarian democracy.” While taking longer than perhaps hoped, the Hungarian parliament ultimately voted to ratify it by a margin of 182 to 6 on March 27.
On the same day as the Hungarian prime minister’s State of the Nation address, important international speeches were delivered as well. There is a stark contrast between Obán’s words, and the communication of other European leaders.
CEA Talks host Zoltán Kész interviews the ambassador of the Netherlands to Hungary, Désirée Bonis. The topics include the two countries’ business, cultural and historical connections, and some politics. Ms Bonis talks about the NATO membership of Sweden and Finland and how she imagines the war ending. From the EU point of view, corruption is a big problem in Hungary, and populism is threatening democracy worldwide. But after all, the EU is still a unique society of liberty and freedom, which we should all be proud of.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Ian Kelly talks in the Central European Affairs Talk podcast about Russia’s war in Ukraine, Georgia as a prelude to the current crisis, what Vladimir Putin could count on with economic pain kicking in across the globe and whether the Russian President can be defeated in the chess game with […]
Ukraine’s civil society remains of paramount importance in winning the hearts and minds of its citizens as well as establishing a sound rule of law system. These aspects will empower the Eastern European country to gain international credibility in its hopes to join the EU. Central European Affairs Magazine spoke to Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the […]
French MEP Bernard Guetta (Renew Europe) talks about the European Union entering the phase of political unity and future fights between its member states. He also shares his views on Viktor Orbán’s EP reform proposal, the joint declaration of far-right EU forces and what he thinks is at stake for the European Union at next […]
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