Taming Ukraine’s oligarchs?
Ukraine’s oligarchic forces continue to push back against the reform efforts that have dominated the political agenda since 2014, notes Serhiy Verlanov, the former Head of Ukraine’s State Tax Service…. Read more »
Category: Central/Eastern Europe
Kleptopia: How dirty money corrodes democracy
In 2014 Ukrainians got so fed up with the grotesque corruption of their political class that they staged a revolution, The Economist reports. Since then, reformers have been trying to… Read more »
Illiberal Hungary’s budget veto over EU rule-of-law ‘could create havoc’
Hungary will veto the European Union’s 2021-27 budget and its COVID recovery scheme if access to funds is made conditional on governments’ adherence to the rule of law, a move… Read more »
‘Populist but not popular’: Poland’s illiberal regime on the rocks?
After weeks of watching massive peaceful demonstrations against neighboring Belarus’s authoritarian regime, Poles have finally taken to the streets to confront their own illiberal government, says Sławomir Sierakowski, founder… Read more »
Georgia opposition calls for protests after ‘far from flawless’ election
Thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets of Georgia’s capital Tbilisi on Sunday to demand snap polls after the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed victory in a parliamentary vote,… Read more »
Tbilisi Tallies: Georgia’s elections ‘a litmus test of legitimacy’
This weekend’s election in Georgia is seen as a litmus test of legitimacy for the ruling Georgian Dream Party (GD) and as a referendum on party leader Bidzina Ivanishvili’s oligarchic… Read more »
CEE road map points to democratic post-pandemic agenda
A generation ago, the United States and Central Europe helped lead the West’s post-Cold War agenda of enlarging the democratic space, argues a new analysis. The peoples of Central Europe, with… Read more »
Values matter: Cooperation, solidarity vital to post-pandemic democracy
Solidarity is the only solution for handling a global crisis like the Covid pandemic, an international forum heard this week. Talk about “saving” democracy is not helpful because democracy changes… Read more »
EU sanctions Russia for Navalny poisoning, Belarus leader for crackdown
The European Union agreed Monday to impose targeted sanctions against Russian officials and entities allegedly involved in the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny but officials insisted the move should… Read more »
Montenegro showing imprint of Kremlin influence?
Montenegro’s president nominated Zdravko Krivokapic, the leader of a pro-Serb opposition alliance backed by the powerful Serbian Orthodox Church, to form a government on Thursday, ending three decades of socialist… Read more »