Articles
After 5 April 2010 the owner of the long-term (more than three months) Schengen visa can travel freely within the territory of the Union. Yesterday (9 March) the Parliament has voted on the issue.
Password: coordination and trust
According to the Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner, John Dalli it is important to “bring together Europe again” , and the consumer policy may has a big role in it. The Commissioner said, the aim is to create stronger and conscious consumers. The way to strengthen the consumers’ position is to inform them about the products and services they buy, he added.
Europe 2020: Hungary would build on cohesion policy
Hungarian public yesterday (8th March) also received the possibility to discuss the competivity of Europe. The Europe 2020 strategy received lot of expert critics and also the Hungarian Government would propose some changes in the Commission"s text. The latter has great importance for Brussels, as the first revision of the strategy will take place under the Hungarian Presidency.
Preparations of the Wolrd"s biggest diplomatic service have started
EU foreign ministers have met last week (5-6. March) to discuss preparatory tasks of the new European External Action Service (EEAS).
Eastern Partnership: Budapest changes to high speed
Foreign Minister of Hungary, Péter Balázs called the EU countries to fill the Eastern Partnership with "real content". The activity of Hungary shows that the country"s EU presidency is coming closer and closer, but the Commission is still quite cautios with the eastern dimension of the neighbourhood policy.
‘Who does not develop, will drop behind’ – e-skills-programs will be finished in this week
The knowledge of the new informatics technologies and the digitalization means the keystones of the Union’s competitiveness in the future. Although computer has revolutionized people’s life in the 21st century, a huge number of people haven’t got convenient basic knowledge about digitalization. Moreover fewer students intend to continue their studies in the informatics sector. The European Committee Enterprise and Industry DG started a long-term program in 2007 to remedy the problems. Each Member States joined to this initiative, and the campaign will be ended by the e-Skills Week (1st-5th March).
Visegrad Houses will open world wide
The first common V4 representation will open in Capetown next year, announced Foreign Minister Péter Balázs yesterday (2nd March). He underlined the enhanced cooperation of the V4 countries and pointed out future possible steps regarding common foreign policy areas.
Janukovich: EU integration is important for Ukraine
Instead of going to Russia, the first visit of the recently elected Ukrainian president, Viktor Janukovich was leading to Brussels on monday (1st March). The step wants to deny all the rumours arbout Janukovich being too Moscow-friendly.
Barroso casts Europe as "Innovation Union"
The EU"s new growth strategy, due to be rubber-stamped by the new Barroso Commission on Wednesday (3 March), includes a blueprint for transforming Europe into an "Innovation Union" by 2020.
Eastern Partners meet in Budapest
As presidency of the V4, Hungary will hold a special meeting with the countries of the Eastern Partnership in Budapest. Foreign ministers of Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan will discuss the future cooperation with V4 + EU trio presidency countries.
Owner changes soil solar cell project efficiency
‘Think global, act local!’ was the motto of the 2006 solar cell project in the Hungarian city of Szeged. The solar cells on the roof of the city Hospital are still collecting the waves of the sun in regard of global thinking, but local efficiency of the implementation is debated.
According to a conference on Friday the new financial perspective and the recovery from the economic crisis will be the main tasks of the Hungarian presidency. Laszló Surján (MEP- EPP) said the lack of a common European notion makes the compromise harder in dealing with the headings of the perspective.
8 countries outline the Danude Strategy
While in the past few months increasing attention was drawn to the EU"s new macro-regional concept, its" content was not very concrete. While definite steps were not decided yet, an outline of the strategy was agreed in Budapest last Thursday (25 February). The Danube Summit with eight EU-countries seems to show the content, the borders and the financial aspects of the new regional initiative.
Hungary proposes an energy triangle
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai proposed the construction of an energy triangle, pointing in northern, southern and eastern directions. The strategic gas infrastructure in this triangle should prevent Europe from one sided and incompetitive energy market. The Prime Ministers of the Visegrad Group plus countries of the CEE region met on February 24, 2010 in Budapest.
European businesses eyeing India"s green growth
A burgeoning middle class and expanding green industries make India an attractive proposition for expanding European firms. However, understanding local business culture and laws is the difference between success and failure, Poul Jensen, director of the European Business and Technology Centre in India, told EurActiv in an interview.
Reducing red tape for smaller companies
Micro-companies could be exempted from having to draw up annual accounts. 5,4 million companies could invest more capital to increase their effectiveness. The measure will have huge impact on boost of economy. The Parliament will vote on the amendment this Thursday (February 25th).
The industrial lobby hacked the Hungarian Climate Framework law
Second after the UK, Hungary could have accepted a Climate Protection Framework yesterday (22 February), but the government backed out from it’s own initiative, after heavy pressure of the industrial lobby.
Hungarian Commissioner shows way out from poverty
„Poverty is not just about material income. It is also about lack of opportunities,” said László Andor, commissioner responsible for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. In his speech he gave the main ideas concerning the 2010 European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.
Wallerstein: The EU is a half way house
„Europe is a half way house,” says the iconic figure of international relations theory, Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein. The eighty years old professor believes that the EU is an “important structure”, but there are at least two mayor tasks to finish until it can become a strategic player in the global game.
Moldavia in a complex situation
"Moldavia is not in a difficult, but in a complex situation" - said Iurie Leanca, Deputy PM, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, on Friday (19 February) on his lecture in Central European University. He talked about the chances of the accession to the Union according to the Eastern Partnership, and about short-term and long-term goals of the moldavian government.
Prague and Bratislava among the richest regions
In 2007 the downtown of London was the richest and the Bulgarian Severozapaden was the poorest region in Europe, according to a new Eurostat data. Hungarian, Rumanian, Polish and Bulgarian regions dominate the lower side of the list, while Czech and Slovak regions are thriving upwards, with Prague and Bratislava among the 20 richest regions.
Rehn: Hungary is on the right path
"Hungary has taken effective action," the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) say in their common evaluation about the countries counter-crisis mechanisms.
Climate Act: Better than nothing
The environmental committee of the Hungarian Parliament yesterday (15th February) accepted the draft Climate Bill. While critics seemed endless at the two hours meeting, nobody dared to vote against the civil initiative.
EU regions chief: 2020 strategy must go local
The EU"s new strategy for growth and jobs will not succeed unless it maintains structural funds and gives regions real responsibility, according to outgoing Committee of the Regions (CoR) President Luc Van den Brande.
European microcredits to help entrepreneurs
Thursday (11 February) the Parliament approved to enter the new type of microcredits. Union makes a significant opportunity for thousands of entrepreneurs, who have seriously bad conditions to launch out new small enterprises. Moreover it may reduce the measure of unemployment all over Europe in the long run, even the rate of social differences between the Member States.
Janukovich would thrive for a free trade agreement with the EU
It would be "gross simplification" to say that Victor Yanukovich is a stooge of Moscow, says Márton Ugrósdy, analyst of Kitekintő.hu. Ugrósdy believes that the renewed Russian relations will not be enough to fight the economic crisis in Ukraine, so Yanukovich will strive to start free trade negotiations with the EU.
18,2 million euro for the hungarian agriculture this year
The European Commission decided to allow temporary subsidy for farmers working in the primary agricultural production. Nearly 20 billion euros can be distributed this year for those who suffer from the consequences of the economic crisis.
Obama resinge the attendance on the upcoming EU summit in May
The European Union holds too many bilateral summits too often, sometimes with unclear agendas. US President Barack Obama decided to skip the 24-25 May EU-US Madrid summit as a result of "excessive summitry", analysts told EurActiv.
Fifty-five nations join Copenhagen climate accord
Fifty-five countries accounting for almost 80% of world greenhouse gas emissions have pledged varying goals for fighting climate change under a deadline in the "Copenhagen Accord", the United Nations said on Monday.
Hungarians still see unemployment as the biggest problem
Similar to other EU citizens, Hungarians see unemployment as the biggest problem in their lives, the latest Eurobarometer survey presented in Budapest on Thursday shows.
Common tax, common responsibility
Common, but indirect taxation should be introduced after 2014, Sándor Richter, researcher of the Vienna Institute for Internal Economic Studies believes. However, redistribution should work out on national level, he stresses. Specialists from the Visegrad countries doubt that such an idea would be viable, so even without the net contributors, opinions differ a lot. Starting the debate about the new EU financial framework will be a challenging task for the 2011 Hungarian presidency.
Not just Hungary is in Favour of the Danube-strategy
The European Parliament yesterday (21. January) voted in favour of the Danube strategy. After member states, now MEPs call on the Commission to elaborate a strategy for regional cooperation of the Danube-countries. The idea is a flagship of the 2011 Hungarian EU presidency as well.
Pécs: Hungarian capital for Europe in 2010
Government and opposition party major celebrated together the kick off event of the Pécs, European Capital of Culture 2010 project on sunday (11 January). This rare cooperation in Hungary can be a good sign for the 2011 EU-presidency.
Beres: I will ask questions about 30 million people unemployed
Pervench Beres is the head of the EP committee responsible for employment and social affairs. As she is the one who will head the hearing of Hungarian commissioner candidate, László Andor, EurActiv wanted to know what questions are there to expect.
Hungarian commissioner is monitoring the needs
Because of the financial crisis, the Hungarian commissioner believes to become a heavyweight in the Barroso II. Commission. László Andor, who will likely receive the portfolio for employment and social affairs, believes the crisis has not ended yet and tackling the record-unemployment in Europe will be a crucial part of his future job. He is therefore collecting information, standpoints and proposals.
Brussels awards, Moscow arrests 82 years old activist
Christmas Wishlist from Hungary to the European Commission
EurActiv Hungary has asked the Hungarian political and civil organisations to write a wishlist to the European Commission. In our article you can read what topics the Hungarian pubic wants to see on the top of the EU"s agenda.
EU agency vote revives Slovakia-Hungary language row
A recent decision to host a new EU energy agency in Slovenia has revived tensions between Budapest and Bratislava, which had hoped to host the agency in the Slovak capital.
Friends of Earth Europe and the Stockholm Environment Institute believes that everithing that Europe has to do to reach its climate goals can be listed in two pages. Moreover, it is possible by only using domestic resources.
Hungarian MEP receives negotiating mandate
There was a bit confusion in the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the European Parlament yesterday (3rd December), when the draft report concerning the modification of the European Union"s financing instrument for the promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide was on the agenda. There was no voting, however, Hungarian MEP and Co-Rapporteur Kinga Gál received a negotiating mandate in the issue.
EU takes stock of H1N1 vaccice
The European Commission will soon take stock of the H1N1 vaccines available in the member states to see how much of the serum is available in case of urgeny, Andrulla Vassiliou has announced on tuesday (december 1.).
A report by the European Court of Auditors claims, no evidence has been found that European health programs would have any effect on citizens" state of health. As such, the board questions the use of such programs.
European nations activate flu pandemic response plans
Governments across Europe last night triggered national pandemic response plans in the wake of the World Health Organisation"s decision to raise the flu pandemic alert level to phase six. This marks the first full-scale global pandemic in 41 years, though the WHO stressed that most of those infected to date have made a swift recovery.
Swine flu alert issued as first cases reported in Europe
While confirmed cases of swine flu have sparked fears of a worldwide pandemic, the World Health Organisation voted to raise its alert level, but did not think it appropriate to impose travel bans.
EU countries urged to embrace telemedicine
The European Commission is pushing EU member states to remove legal barriers to the provision of distance healthcare, potentially a very profitable new niche market for health in Europe.
Commission started school milk campaign las week. Agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer-Boel started her road show in Cyprus where she tried to boost attention on the healthy effects of drinking milk and consuming milk products. Health commissioner Androulla Vassiliou presented the financial tools available for schools in Europe.
Criminals cashing in on fake swine flu medicines
European medicine authorities are growing increasingly alarmed by the number of bogus swine flu remedies being sold over the Internet. The news comes as MEPs gear up to debate new rules covering counterfeit medicines.
Global cooperation against pandemic
Health ministres from the G7 countries, Mexico and the WHO held a special meeting of the Global Health Security Initiative hosted by the European Commission last Friday. A common statement setting out the common approaches against the influenza A (H1N1) virus and the pandemic was adopted by the participants.
60 million vaccine needed in Europe
60 million people could need the vaccine against H1N1. However, the stocks will not be sufficient, European commissioner for health has warned.
Innovation is the key against global pandemics
The capacity of the World will not be enough to produce sufficient number of vaccines, WHO chief warned on Tuesday (14. June). Margaret Chan called for the innovative development of health science.
Uncertainty grows after first round of Romania poll
Incumbent Traian Basescu won the first round of Romania"s presidential election on 22 November, exit polls showed, but the slim margin gave few clues as to who would form the next government and help resolve the economic crisis.
EU farm chief stresses need to "bolster production"
The European Union should resist the temptation to cut support for its common agricultural policy and instead give farmers the right tools to increase food production in Europe, EU Farm Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel told EurActiv in an interview.
Oil and gas are the first commodities that come to our minds if we talk about energy. These are the two resources causing the most economic and political problems today. While most of the panels of the high profile 4th Energy Forum were dedicated to these raw materials, a few experts missed the renewabed from the discussion.
Eastern Europe has no place on the top of the EU
Europe"s heads of state and governent have decided to chose barely known candidates from old Europe to lead the EU. Critics say, they
Obama "doesn"t care" about Eastern Europe, analyst says
US President Barack Obama sees Eastern Europe as a "Bush administration project" and is not conscious of the need to counter growing Russian influence there, Edward Lucas, who has been The Economist"s correspondent for Eastern Europe for over 20 years, told EurActiv Slovakia in an interview.
Commission examines Hungarian Audi aid
State aid is planned for the investment project of the Hungarian Audi factory, the Hungarian Government announced. The European Commission however believes, the aid does not match EU rules.
EBRD: Hungary will recover slowly
The flaws in Eastern Europe"s model of growth have been exposed by the financial crisis and commodity-reliant countries like Russia must expand their industrial base to make them more resilient, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) said in an annual report on Monday (2 November).
Hungarian-Austrian meeting: problems along the border
Austrian and Hungarian MPs hold a common meeting yesterday (27th october) discussing questions that seem as bilateral, however could be dealt with at EU level. Hungary tries to reap the benefits of its EU membership, and doubts that the incinerator planned in Burgenland matches EU legislation.
Pan-European extreme right party?
Last weekend a pan-European party was established in Budapest by extreme right parties from different European countries. They aim to represent their objectives much better in the European Parliament.
International lawyer: Klaus is a hazardeur of international law!
The arguments of the Czech president against the Lisbon Treaty are at least triple unfounded, says international lawyer Tamás Lattmann. The expert believes that Klaus´s game is not just a legal but also a political gamble.
EU trades treaty guarantees with Czech president
European Union leaders, who have promised to give Václav Klaus guarantees on the Lisbon Treaty and its charter of fundamental rights, are now asking the Czech president to return the favour and pledge to sign the treaty, diplomats told EurActiv. Hungary"s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Balázs however stated, Hungary will not allow the EU to guarantee anything related to the Benes Decrees.
Development of technology is the aim of the reopened EU funding for SMEs. The National Development Agency says, this is the most popular support, but interest groups say more attantion should be paid for the problems of this sector.
EU membership gives international prestige
After joining EU, the international attitude towards Hungary"s has changed. This was also very visible in Hungarian-Chinese relations, said a diplomat told EurActiv. László Kuti, vice-head of the Department for Asia and Pacific of the Ministry of Foreign said, presidency could be the next jump for the country.
EU throws final lifeline to dairy sector
The European Commission has proposed to allocate an extra €280 million to help dairy farmers. But the EU executive stressed that this is the very last time it will loosen the purse strings for any agricultural sector for now.
Slovakia could follow Czech Lisbon demands
Slovakia yesterday (18 October) indicated that it might follow the Czech Republic should the latter demand certain opt-outs from the Lisbon Treaty. However, sources told EurActiv Slovakia that this may in fact strengthen the EU"s resolve to resist Czech demands.
Hungarian winner:the EU can be exciting
The European Parliament"s annual journalism prize, for work that promotes better understanding of EU institutions or policies, was awarded by EP President Jerzy Buzek on Thursday. The prize (€5,000 in each category), went to Ines Possemeyer (written press, Germany), Szlankó Bálint (internet, Hungary), Zbigniew Plesner (radio, Poland) and Elke Sasser and Kristian Kähler (TV, Germany).
Court slams EU dairy deregulation policy
The European Union should focus on satisfying the needs of its domestic dairy market and ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers rather than deregulating the sector, the European Court of Auditors said yesterday (15 October).
Will there be a Hungary vs. Slovakia case?
The government announced on Tuesday (13th October) it would make a complaint to the European Commission against Slovakia. Hungary presumes that our northern neighbor violated the EU principle concerning the free movement between member states. The government spokesperson highlighted that the measure had no hostile intentions.
45 percent of the EU gas need is supplied from imports. In 2030, Russia may become 60 percent supplier of this amount, and EU energy dependency could increase to 80 percent. Turkey is the gate to a better energy-future for Europe, but this also means that Hungarian-Turkish relations have to become more intesive.
László Surján: We need targeted EU resources
The 2010 EU budget is on it"s way, with the lead of a Hungarian MEP, László Surján (EPP-ED). The Fidesz-delegate believes, that only very well targeted EU financial resources can help the Unión to reach it"s goals, no metter if we talk about agriculture or rural development. EurActiv and MR Pécs made a joint interview in Brussels.
Bildt struggles to secure peace in Bosnia - again
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who helped secure peace in Bosnia with the 1995 Dayton agreement, is holding talks with Bosnian politicians on 8-9 October to seek a solution to deepening ethnic divisions and the threat of new conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
László Andor, member of the EBRD Council of Directors is the favorit for Hungary"s EU Commisiioner, the Hungarian press reported. While the nomination of the economist is not verified yet, the socialist party will probably pressure the PM to choose a politically more affiliated person. Socialist MEP Edit Herczog is seen to have good chances.
Polish president ratifies on Sunday! Or not?
Visegrad Group countries for the European integration of the Western Balkans
V4 foreign ministers take visa free travel of the Western Balkan citizens as a strategic goal. The heads of diplomacy met in Budapest yesterday (october 6.) to discuss the euro-atlantic integration of this region. Foreign ministers pledged to harmonise their development aids.
Szeged-Prague-Bukarest laser-line
The common czech-roman-hungarian applicaton has won the right to build the superlaser called Extreme Ligh Infrastructure (ELI). This is the first time, that a common research centre is built in the new member states.
Experts: false views dominate about value creation
The emergence of dinamic societis from both East and West motivates Europe to try to catch up in the international competition. Consequently, the recognition and support of talents has significant importance. This was the central thought of the program "Value Creating Talent", organised at Eötvös Loránd University on Thursday (24 September). In their conversation the experts and the students also discussed the issues of the Hungarian educational system.
The European Commission would reduce bottlenecks on EU-Russian border
The negotiation of the strategy of customs cooperation between Russia and the EU was the aim of László Kovács"s visit to Moscow. On his two-day trip (21-22 September) the Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union endeavored mainly to find a solution for the bottlenecks at the EU-Russian border. However, the control of the trade of chemicals used for producing drugs was also on the agenda.
EU with agreed language to the Pittsburgh Summit
The EU will go with a clear position to the G20 meeting next week in Pittsburgh, the Union"s leaders announced yesterday evening (17 September) following an extraordinary summit held in Brussels.
MEPs call for beefed-up energy security policy
MEPs yesterday (16 September) urged the European Commission to beef up the early-warning mechanisms that failed during the gas supply crisis in January.
Warsaw, Prague alarmed at US plans to scrap missile shield
Polish and American officials discussed plans for a US missile defence shield on 17 September amid rising concerns in Warsaw that President Barack Obama will shelve the project in order to improve ties with Russia.
Gazprom seeks role in Ukraine politics
Gazprom chief executive Alexei Miller has warned against another gas crisis early next year due to Ukraine"s insolvency and the political uncertainty which could follow presidential elections in January.
Visa free travel for citizens from the West Balkans?
After two years of preparatory works, the European Commission adopted the proposal for granting visa free travel to the citizens from the West Balkans yesterday (15 July). Citizens of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia would finally become free of the inconveniences connected with their entrance to the Schengen countries, if the proposal becomes approved by both of the European Parliament and the Council. Visa liberalisation for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina could be included in a new proposal by mid-2010, provided that the pace of the required reforms is maintained.
Obama, Medvedev edge closer on missile defence
The presidents of Russia and the USA appear to have achieved progress yesterday (6 July) over missile defence, an issue with a direct impact on transatlantic relations, the international press reported.
We do not have a place in the EU
Early joining could be the reason for the ever lower participation rates in EP-elections in Eastern-European countries. The analyst of the Hungarian Foreign Policy Institute says, behind the languidity lies the frustration of the non-achievable requirements of Brussels.
EU-Russia meeting: not much has changed
Leading EU politicians have discussed stategic questions with Dimitrij Medvedev in Habarovsk during the weekend. The meeting has showed, serious conflicts still exist in the questions of energy security, trade reations and neighbourhood policy.
France"s GDF Suez to join Nord Stream pipeline
GDF Suez, one of the world"s largest utilities, is negotiating its participation in the Nord Stream gas pipeline project, which is designed to bring Russian gas directly to Germany by bypassing Ukraine, representatives of the project told EurActiv yesterday (29 July).
Informal meeting on climate issues
EU environment ministers have met in Sweden over the weekend (24-25. June) and they have agreed to increase the 20 percent emission reduction target to 30 percent, if other, non EU countries also table more ambitious plans. Ministers enhanced that only those developping countries will recieve EU funds that have strong commitments and concrete plans regarding emmission reduction.
eu can play intermediary role in russia-ukraine gas conflict
The European Union does everything to avoid an other gas crisis. Brussels would even intermediate between the two sides, said Andris Piebalgs, comissioner for energy after that he participated on the meeting of the ministers of energy.
Informal climate meeting in Åre
The three days meeting of EU energy, and environment ministers starts today (július 23.) in Are. The goal is to prepare for the december UN meeting in Copenhagen, but also the strategy for building an eco-efficient EU-economy will be tabled.
Carl Bildt and EU foreign affairs
The swedish foreign affairs minister, Carl Bildt presented his priorities to MEPs. Carl Bildt underlined that Europe has buildt itself up as a credible trustworthy partner, and this picture has to be preserved in the times of the crisis.
State aid to Mercedes-Benz Hungary
The European Commission yesterday (16 July) permitted Hungary in a resolution to subsidize the Mercedes-Benz Hungary with 111,5 million euros. The company owned by Daimler AG will build a factory in the city of Kecskemét.
Commission to support small enterprises with 100 million euros
The European Commission has proposed to set up a new microfinance facility for small businesses and for people who have lost their jobs and want to start their own small businesses. It will have an initial budget of 100 million euros, which could leverage more than 500 million euros in a joint initiative with international financial institutions, in particular the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group. The new facility is one of the actions announced in the Commission"s communication: "A Shared commitment for employment".
Debated results of the ECOFIN council
Finance ministers support the plan of reforming the EU bank supervisory system, but several details will have to be finalized at the june European Council. Ministers would enhance the fight against tax paradises, what they expect to bring 250 million euros for the EU each year.
On the Council"s meeting on the 15th of September, the foreign ministers of the member states primarily discussed the issues of Central Asia and South Caucasus. In accordance, the meeting of foreign ministers of Europe and Central Asia has been held.
"The European Union (...) recognises the need to start the process of integration at the grass roots level" - says the Fact sheet of the EU Contest for Young Scientists. As long the three Hungarian contestants sweat in Paris, the EU finds it more and more difficult to match the goal for 2010: Increase the R&D expenditure to 3 percent of the GDP.
The road is free for Croatia to join EU
Prime Ministers of Slovenia and Croatia agreed on friday (september 11.) about the border dispute between their countries. This means the road is now free for Croatia to join EU.
EPP also misses conservative traditions from Hungarian party
The European People"s Party (EPP) suspended the membership of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) because it"s MEP joined the conservative group after elections. Martens stated his regrets, that the party founded by József Antall "does not exist any more".
"Both countries accept the recommendations of OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities [concerning the language law in Slovakia)" - announced PM Gordon Bajnai after the meeting with his slovakian counterpart Robert Fico.
Slovak ambassador tipped for commissioner job
Slovakia came one step closer to naming its new candidate commissioner when the Social Democratic party (Smer-SD), the senior party in Slovakia"s ruling coalition, was chosen to pick their favourite. Like in Romania, a politically neutral candidate is in the lead. EurActiv Slovakia reports.
