Institute of Central Europe/IES Commentaries

IES Commentaries

Balkan Team

IEŚ Commentaries 358
27 March 2021
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

Fot. do KIES 356
IEŚ Commentaries 356
24 March 2021
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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Balkan Team

Fot. Albańskie dzieci
IEŚ Commentaries 352
16 March 2021
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

Fot. do KIES 348
IEŚ Commentaries 348
9 March 2021
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

Fot. Konferencja prasowa na lotnisku
IEŚ Commentaries 347
5 March 2021
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

Fot. Ubóstwo w Europie
IEŚ Commentaries 345
3 March 2021
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

Fot. Rafinerie
IEŚ Commentaries 342
26 February 2021
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
26 February 2021
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

KIES-336
IEŚ Commentaries 336
18 February 2021
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
17 February 2021
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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