IES Commentaries | Institute of Central Europe

Balkan Team

IEŚ Commentaries 352

Agata Domachowska - Balkan Team

Albania: The Demographic Crisis and Its Consequences

Albania has been facing the problem of a significant population decline for years, caused mainly by mass emigration and demographic decline. Financial bonuses, paid by the state since 2019 at the birth of a child, did not help to change the trend. The declining population of the country will be one of the most important challenges facing the government that emerged after the April...

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Visegrad Team

IEŚ Commentaries 348

Agata Tatarenko - Visegrad Team

Romania: 30 years of demographic decline

Romania is struggling with a demographic decline that has been going on for many years. Eurostat research shows that Romanians are among the youngest in Europe when they have their first child. However, this does not affect significantly the number of babies born each year. The reason for the difficult demographic situation in Romania is mass emigration, mainly to Western...

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Visegrad Team

IEŚ Commentaries 347

Łukasz Lewkowicz - Visegrad Team

Slovakia: Political Crisis with Sputnik V in the Background

Slovakia has officially become the second EU country to approve the use of Sputnik V. According to the adopted plan, 2 million doses will be delivered to the country in the coming months. The decision was made by the prime minister, and the minister of health did not consult with the full government, which caused a serious political crisis within the government coalition. Indeed,...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 345

Marlena Gołębiowska - Baltic Team

When food is scarce – Poverty in Central Europe

The picture of Central European poverty is clearly differentiated. In the Czech Republic, the rate of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion is the lowest in the entire European Union, while in Bulgaria – the highest. In total, 22 million citizens of the “new” EU countries were affected by this problem before the COVID-19 pandemic. The forecasts indicate...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 342

Michał Paszkowski - Baltic Team

Oil companies in trouble: the condition of refineries in Central European countries

The refining industry, like many other sectors of the economy, is in an extremely difficult situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The introduced restrictions (e.g. closed land, sea, and air borders) resulted in a decrease in the demand for all types of fuels. There are over a dozen refineries in Central Europe which had to reduce cut runs. The persistently low refinery margins...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 343

Damian Szacawa - Baltic Team

Passing time: dumped chemical munitions as a challenge for states in the Baltic Sea region

Chemical munitions and chemical warfare agents (CWAs) on the bottom of the Baltic Sea and related incidents are not a new challenge for states in the Baltic Sea region (BSR). The Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) and numerous international projects made it possible to initially identify the problem. However, further monitoring of the situation and research are needed to locate all dump...

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Balkan Team

IEŚ Commentaries 336

Agata Domachowska - Balkan Team

Montenegro: the deteriorating pandemic situation

Montenegro is struggling with a growing number of people infected with SARS-CoV-2. In order to avoid overloading the healthcare system, the country introduces further restrictions. Vaccines, which are still lacking, are the nation’s best chance to improve the situation. The inconsistency of messages from the Ministry of Health leads to an increase in dissatisfaction with the...

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Balkan Team

IEŚ Commentaries 334

Jan Muś - Balkan Team

2030 National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia. Deepening integration with the EU

On February 5, 2021, the Croatian Parliament adopted the 2030 National Development Strategy for the Republic of Croatia. The strategy was adopted after many years of waiting for a document that would indicate the strategic directions of Croatia‘s development in the medium and long term. It contains only general points of reference without giving any specific solutions. Its...

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Eastern Team

IEŚ Commentaries 332

Hanna Bazhenova - Eastern Team

Facilitations in taking up work in Poland for Ukrainian medics

There has been a growing deficit in recent years of employees in the Polish healthcare system. Staff shortages in hospitals and clinics have become more severe due to emigration of medical personnel and the COVID-19 pandemic. On December 28, 2020, President Andrzej Duda signed the Law “On Amendments to Certain Laws in Order to Provide Medical Staff during the Period of Epidemic...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 330

Aleksandra Kuczyńska-Zonik - Baltic Team

Latvia: Social Discontent and a Decline in Trust in the Government

Negative emotions explosiveness in the society. Despite the relatively stable political and economic situation in Latvia since the announcement of a state of emergency (see „IEŚ Commentaries”, no. 308), imposed restrictions resulted in an increase of social discontent. A state of emergency was announced on November 9, 2020, and is planned to be in force till April 6,...

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