Slovakia | Institute of Central Europe

Baltic Team, Visegrad Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1176

Aleksandra Poznar | Michał Paszkowski - Baltic Team, Visegrad Team

Ukraine has restricted crude oil transit via the southern branch of the Druzhba pipeline

In June 2024, the Ukrainian authorities expanded their list of sanctioned entities to include Lukoil, which supplies crude oil to MOL Group refineries. This led to the suspension of crude oil supplies in mid-July 2024 to the Bratislava (Slovakia) and Százhalombatta (Hungary) plants. Both plants, thanks to the derogations they received in 2022 for sanctions imposed by the European...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1175

Marlena Gołębiowska - Baltic Team

Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania under the excessive deficit procedure

After the pandemic-related loosening of fiscal rules – in the new framework following the reform – the EU’s excessive deficit procedure is returning. On 26 July 2024, the Council of the European Union decided to initiate it against seven member states, including three from Central Europe: Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary. This is the result of failing to meet the deficit...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 1133

Michał Paszkowski - Baltic Team

Slovakia: prospects for natural gas supplies from Azerbaijan

The Russian-Ukrainian war has initiated a strategic shift in Slovakia, moving away from the reliance on natural gas supplies from the Russian Federation. In this new geopolitical context, Slovakia’s challenge lies in securing alternative sources of this commodity, rather than in developing infrastructure, which has already been established over the years and currently...

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Baltic Team

IEŚ Commentaries 941

Bartosz Jóźwik - Baltic Team

Public Finance Sector Stability in Central European Countries (Part 3)

The Spring 2023 economic forecasts published by the European Commission indicate that, despite a gradual improvement in the stability of the public finance sector, many Central European countries will continue to experience budget deficits exceeding 3% of GDP. The largest budget deficits will be observed in Slovakia and Poland. Despite these challenges, both economies will...

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Visegrad Team

IEŚ Commentaries 717

Łukasz Lewkowicz - Visegrad Team

Slovakia: an unstable public support for Ukraine and the West

Survey research from July 2022. “How are you Slovakia?”, conducted by researchers from the research agencies MNFORCE, Seesame and the Slovak Academy of Sciences, shows that the majority of Slovaks support a victory for Russia rather than Ukraine in the current Russian-Ukrainian conflict. At the same time, an earlier survey, conducted by the think tank Globsec, shows...

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Baltic Team, Visegrad Team

IEŚ Commentaries 585

Michał Paszkowski | Łukasz Lewkowicz - Baltic Team, Visegrad Team

Slovakia: natural gas supply diversification with a government misunderstanding

Slovakia has condemned unequivocally Russia’s attack on Ukraine and is now consistently in favour of introducing an embargo on the import of energy resources and oil products from Russia. The country’s high dependency on natural gas supplies necessitates the creation of a more diversified structure of imports, which, however, in current market conditions, will be a serious...

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Visegrad Team

IEŚ Commentaries 501

Łukasz Lewkowicz - Visegrad Team

Slovakia: Controversy over a Defense Agreement with the United States

On January 12, 2022, the government of Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) adopted a draft framework defense agreement with the US, which, inter alia, regulates the legal status of US soldiers and allows the US to use and modernize the Slovak military infrastructure. The document still has to be ratified by the parliament and signed by President Zuzana Čaputová. The contract will run for 10...

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Baltic Team, Visegrad Team

IEŚ Commentaries 475

Łukasz Lewkowicz - Baltic Team, Visegrad Team

Slovakia resists construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

The Nord Stream 2 (NS2) gas pipeline that is being built by the Russian company OAO Gazprom will have a significant impact on Slovakia‘s energy security. The country, like Ukraine, is concerned about limiting its role as a transit country, as well as Russia’s use of its monopoly position in Central Europe. Nevertheless, this is not a topic often raised in political debate....

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Baltic Team, Visegrad Team

Fot. KIES-450_Rozpoczęcie budowy połaczenia gazowego Polska-Słowacja

IEŚ Commentaries 450

Łukasz Lewkowicz - Baltic Team, Visegrad Team

Slovakia: price crisis and possible problems with access to natural gas

Currently, a significant challenge facing Slovakia is the rapidly growing prices of energy commodities, including natural gas. This problem affects not only large enterprises, but also individual clients. In addition to rising prices, the low level of filling of natural gas storage facilities is also worrying. Russia’s steps to reduce gas transport via Ukraine also directly...

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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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