IES Commentaries | Institute of Central Europe

Balkan Team

IEŚ Commentaries 402

Agata Domachowska - Balkan Team

Montenegro: another dispute over the Serbian Orthodox Church

The current government of Montenegro has been facing various internal tensions since its formation. Significant tensions have developed not only between the government and President Milo Đukanovic or the largest opposition grouping – the Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro, but also within the government coalition. The source of the conflict is an agreement to be...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 390

Marlena Gołębiowska - Baltic Team

The New European Bauhaus: the challenges of Central Europe in terms of energy-efficient construction

The path to the ambitious European Union goal of climate neutrality leads largely through energy-efficient construction. Its creation is to be fostered by the New European Bauhaus – an initiative aimed at bringing together the knowledge and experience of representatives of various fields in order to redirect construction to low-carbon tracks. The countries of Central Europe face...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 389

Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik - Baltic Team

Pandemics of social inequalities: status of national and ethnic minorities in Latvia and Estonia

In Latvia and Estonia the pandemic highlighted and deepened socio-economic inequalities due to nationality and ethnicity. The higher rates of COVID-19 among minorities may have resulted from limited access to high-quality health services and information in minority languages. In addition, the lower socio-economic status of the minorities compared to the titular communities,...

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Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 386

Jakub Olchowski - Eastern Team

“Stabilization” of the situation in Belarus

A year has passed since the first protests against the regime, but now the protests have almost stopped, stifled by brutal repressions. Alyaksandr Lukashenka is consolidating, with the help of Russia, an authoritarian model of governance, and at the same time the social and economic crisis in the country is deepening. In international relations, Belarus is consistently moving away...

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Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 382

Jakub Olchowski - Eastern Team

35 years after Chernobyl catastrophe

After 35 years, the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant still affects the public consciousness – and not only in Ukraine. The Chernobyl disaster remains a symbol of the political changes accompanying the collapse of the USSR, and it reminds us of the threats generated by the development of our civilization. It is still surrounded by legends and an atmosphere of...

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Visegrad Team

IEŚ Commentaries 381

Łukasz Lewkowicz - Visegrad Team

Slovakia: The approach to the Sputnik V vaccine divides society

The purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine by the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Igor Matovič (OĽaNO), and the resulting government crisis has caused a clear division in Slovak society. Public opinion polls have shown very high approval for the use of the Russian vaccine, while at the same time scepticism about the AstraZeneca vaccine. On the other hand, a poll conducted after the...

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Balkan Team

IEŚ Commentaries 380

Agata Domachowska - Balkan Team

Albania after the elections: Edi Rama wins for the third time in a row

New parliamentary elections were held in Albania on April 24. The current Prime Minister and leader of the Socialist Party (PS), Edi Rama, was victorious and will remain in office and, for the first time in the history of Albanian parliamentarism, will be the Prime Minister for the third time in a row. The numerous anti-government protests organized in Albania in 2019 and...

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Balkan Team

IEŚ Commentaries 371

Jan Muś - Balkan Team

Slovenia: uncertain future of the Janez Janša’s government

Janez Janša's government is losing the support of the coalition parties and the parliamentary majority that would support his actions. Two attempts by the opposition to overthrow Janez Janša ended in failure. Opposition parties are unable to provide the majority needed to form a new government.

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Balkan Team

IEŚ Commentaries 358

Jan Muś - Balkan Team

The debate on constitutional changes in Bosnia and Herzegovina is gaining momentum

The systemic reforms promoted by the international community in BiH aim at reaching an agreement between the leaders of the Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats. However, it ignores the most important problems faced by Bosnia and Herzegovina and its inhabitants – the ethnicization of politics with the simultaneous state capture of individual political groups. 26 years after the end of...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 356

Damian Szacawa - Baltic Team

Sweden: gender equality and feminist foreign policy

Gender equality policy has been developed for many years in Sweden and is now one of the cornerstones of the country's international activities. It is visible especially in the course of Sweden’s activities on the forum of international organizations: the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It is also the basis for feminist...

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