Politics - Page 6 of 8

Hungarians protest against their government’s pro-Russian policies

The streets of Budapest on Sunday, 1 February, were full of people demonstrating against their government. The policies of Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, are widely seen as pro-Russian. The timing of the demonstration was also chosen to maximize the reach of their message, as Angela Merkel was expected in Hungary in order to address the government’s commitment to EU sanctions against Russia. Angela Merkel did arrive in Budapest on Monday, 2 February, and held a joint press conference after her talks with Orban. It did not look that their meeting had gone well.

Syriza government: the first week

The press conference that followed the meeting of Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and the head of the Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem captured the attention of the European public. It was a media performance on both sides. Varoufakis drew his government’s hard lines and stated that they would no longer negotiate with the troika. Instead he put forward the demand for a conference to discuss debt relief. Deiselbloem’s performance of the infuriated eurocrat was out of protocol and has been largely understood as colonial by the Greek public. In a later communication with the Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Dijsselbloem referred to the episode as a misunderstanding.

Conflict re-ignites in Ukraine, leaving EU in dead end

The recent escalation of fighting in Eastern Ukraine challenges once again Europe’s position. The differences in opinion among EU members regarding the severity of the sanctions against Russia reflect the varied historical trajectories of the European countries. Traditionally, Italy finds itself on the moderate side on matters regarding Russia, while Poland squarely in the hawkish camp. The recent events and Polish reactions regarding the possible visit to Auschwitz by Mr Putin are indicative of these tensions.

Syriza allies with the Independent Greeks

Syriza and the Independent Greeks will jointly have 166 MPs, but Mr Tsipras is looking to secure a wider support in order to start the promised renegotiations with Greece’s creditors.

With all the votes counted, Syriza won the Greek elections with a 36.34% of the electorate, against a 27.81% of its rival Nea Dimokratia. The noe-fascist party Golden Dawn came third with 6.28%, followed by the centrist The River with 6.05%, the Communist Party at 5.47%, the Independent Greeks at 4.75% and Pasok at 4.68%. George Papandreou, the former Prime Minister, failed to re-elect into Parliament with his new party.

Syriza wins Greek elections

According to the exit polls that were conducted on behalf of the Greek tv networks Syriza is the winner of the Greek elections. This is the exit poll for Mega Channel that has Syriza in the lead with a comfortable margin. According to the statistical scenarios Syriza would need to gather 36.5% in order to get the majority in the Parliament. At the moment this seems a very likely development.

Syriza 35,5 – 39,5%

Nea Dimokratia 23 – 27%

Golden Dawn 6,4 – 8% The River 6,4 – 8%

Pasok 4,2 – 5,2%

EU re-affirms sanctions on Russia

The EU’s foreign policy regarding Russia was at the table at the recent meeting of European foreign affairs ministers. Federica Mogherini had circulated a paper among the group exploring the mood for a potential softening of the sanctions against Russia. Ms Mogherini suggested the EU might seek to improve relations with Russia by opening dialogue on a range of topics such as visas and energy policy. However, representatives of the UK, Poland and the Baltic states, traditionally cautious of Russia, considered it as an error in EU strategy.

Should Europe introduce tighter security measures after the Paris attacks?

Spain along with France and Germany push for introducing limits in passport-free travel within the Schengen area through national border ID checks.

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is the new Croatian President

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović will become Croatia’s first female president following a narrow victory over the incumbent Ivo Josipović. This has been a male job ever since the country became independent after the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991.

Big homework for small Latvia

Latvia’s six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union comes at “a critical time for Europe”, according to Jean-Claude Junker, President of the European Commission. In his visit to Riga on 7 January, Mr Junker welcomed Latvia’s Presidency and the country’s priorities for the upcoming semester.

Ukraine: the worst year since World War II

Nearly half a million Ukrainians have fled the country since April. More than 387,000 went to Russia, and among them most were Russian speakers from the east. The official count by the UN is 4707 dead since the Ukrainian revolution turned violent at the end of February 2014.