Central Europe’s Nationalist Paradox
Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, a nationalist? On the contrary. Would he then sign partnership agreements with large foreign investors? And Slovakia’s Robert Fico picking up right-wing voters and thus shifting toward nationalism? Hardly, or he wouldn’t be dedicating so much energy to saving the country’s largest private employer, the U.S. Steel ironworks in Kosice, which the [...]
Plamen Goranov – Martyr Of the ‘Bulgarian Spring’
In a desperate act of protest against goverment austerity measures, 36-year-old Bulgarian Plamen Goranov set himself on fire in front of the City Hall in Varna. He is one of six self-immolators in Bulgaria in the course of just one month, the most recent being a 41-year-old man from the village of Sitovo, he remains [...]
Tropical Fish, Beer, Pornography and Havel
Czech president Vaclav Klaus will soon leave office, and as only the second leader of post-revolution Czech Republic, he spends much time attacking and devaluing his predecessor’s legacy. One day he refers to “nothing but holes in the walls” he allegedly found in Prague Castle when he took over from Vaclav Havel, suggesting the former [...]
They Eat Horses, Don’t They?
One of the attractions that the residents of the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana and informed visitors enjoy is a relatively unobtrusive stand in the middle of Tivoli Park in the city centre. At any time of day or night, you can buy an excellent, huge hamburger – made of horsemeat. It is a favourite spot [...]
Revolution (Again) in Hungary
From revolution to revolution, I have watched Hungary evolve over the past half-century. The more dramatic of the two revolutions took place in the autumn of 1956 when a beaten, starved and humiliated subject people of fewer than 10 million souls managed to stare down the brutal might of the Soviet Union. The more triumphant [...]
In Serbia, Too Few Babies
Thirty-two-year-old Sonja pushed a pram along the main pedestrian street in Belgrade on a brisk day in mid-December. The capital is one of the few places in Serbia with a growing population. Though that growth is mainly thanks to urbanisation, Belgrade is also the easiest and cheapest place in the country to have a child. [...]
Pan-Balkan production of The Odyssey goes on tour
Macedonian playwright Goran Stefanovski’s rendition of the classic Odyssey completed an initial run in Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia to rave reviews. One of the largest co-productions ever arranged in the Balkans, its cast features actors and actresses from across the ex-Yugoslavia region, led by Croatian Ozren Grabarić in the role of Odysseus. Participating institutions include [...]
ESA approves €10 billion space programme
The European Space Agency met with European Ministers to approve the allocation of €10 billion for the future of Europe’s space programme at a 20-21 Nov. summit in Naples, Italy. Twenty ESA member states, Canada, and eight observer states (Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, the Slovak Republic and Malta) attended the meeting, approving the [...]
Hidden Prosperity In the CEE
What do countries as different as Slovakia, Moldova, Slovenia and Estonia have in common? In the 2012 Legatum Prosperity Index, published by the London-based Legatum Institute, these four made the biggest leap forward among European countries, raising the prosperity of their citizens in the eyes of the index’s analysts. There are numerous charts that try [...]
