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Albania not ready for visa-free regime with EU
A report by the European Commission, published on 20 May, suggested that Albania had not
yet done enough to meet the requirements for abolishing the visa regime for entry into the
EU. Overall results have been mixed, it stressed. “There is progress recorded in the
fields of justice, freedom and security,” the document said, “but Albania has not met
European standards in border control, issuing of documents, migration, fighting terrorism,
organised crime and corruption.” The Albanian government had been hoping to be included
on the so-called White Schengen list by January 2010.
European
Commission Updated Assessment May 2009 (PDF)
IMF warns government to reduce budget
IMF mission chief in Albania Gerwin Bell on 7 April urged the government to reduce budget
expenditures this year because revenues could not be expected to rise. Bell made the
recommendation at a meeting with Finance Minister Ridvan Bode and Central Bank Governor
Ardian Fullani. The IMF has predicted slight economic growth in 2009, but Bell said that,
given the global economic crisis and its effects on banks, the government should seriously
consider the IMF suggestions.
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Yerevan mayoral campaign at risk of widespread
fraud
Official campaigning for Mayor of Yerevan, the capital city, begins on 2 May, but in
mid April interest in the 31 May election had taken off early. This is because opposition
leader and former President, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, has announced his intention to stand for
the post.
Sociologists believe the level of intention to vote is now as high as in past presidential
elections, where normally local elections attract little interest. One organisation has
predicted that 50% of Yerevan voters will participate, and another nearer to 70%.
Since the 2008 presidential campaign there has been a high level of political unrest, with
complaints against the authorities and some violence.
With the high-level of interest it is believed the level of fraud increases. Reports have
emerged that passports are being held along with signatures pledging votes for the ruling
RPA party. The use of so-called “administrative force” has been a key aspect of fraud
used in previous elections at all levels. Voters who hold jobs at state-supported
institutions are fearful of losing their jobs if they do not sign pledges to vote for the
Republican candidates. It appeared that a process of signature-collecting had already
started at kindergartens, schools, and healthcare institutions.
One 60 year-old mother came forward to say that her daughter, a teacher who works at one
of Yerevan’s central schools had reported that the school headmaster had made the
teachers bring the passports of their relatives to the school – a scheme that in the
past had been used to intimidate employees and falsify elections.
Another official working in a local district administration told how her colleagues got
the lists and they were told to write the names of their relatives, their dates of birth,
addresses and registration data, and if there were dead people, the dates of their death.
When she protested she was told that it was a mandatory order from the district office,
that the data should be collected. “It is clear what they need the data for. They want
to illegally include the dead, or their souls, in the lists.”
2800 years of Armenian history on internet
An internet website has set out to contain the complete history of Armenia, covering the
period between 800 BC and 2004 AD. The site includes 370 pages, more than 1000 references
and hundreds of maps. Yet its organisers say the data online is still just a fragment of
the planned content and it will be continuously updated.
Armenica aims to serve as a free
complete reference source regarding Armenia, its history and other relating issues such as
the Armenian Genocide and the Karabakh conflict.
The launch of the Armenica website came alongside the 24 April 2005 commemoration day 90
years on from the Ottoman Genocide. Among many other topics, it aims to inform and shed
light on the rationale, the implementation and the result of the first genocide of the
20th century.
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Armenia: some facts and figures
Geography - Area of 29,800 square km. Bordering
countries are Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey.
Population - 3.2 million (October 2001).
Capital - Yerevan, population - 1.1 million.
Ethnic composition - More than 95% Armenian. There are small minorities
of Russians, Kurds (Yezids), Greeks, Assyrians and Jews. Most ethnic Azeris fled in the
late 1980s and early 1990s following clashes between the two communities.
Languages - Armenian. Russian is also widely spoken.
Religion - Most Armenians belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, an
ancient independent branch of Christianity. in In AD 301, Armenia was the first state to
adopt Christianity as its state religion. There are small Catholic, Protestant and
Zoroastrian minorities.
Government - Under the 1995 constitution Armenia is a republic.
The President is directly elected for five-year terms, of which he may
serve no more than two. The President appoints and sacks ministers, including the Prime
Minister and Supreme Court officials. The President can disband the National Assembly
(parliament), after consulting its speaker and the Prime Minister.
Parliament - 131 members elected in 2007 for four years.
Parliament can remove ministers by expressing no confidence in a simple majority vote, and
can impeach the President by a two-thirds majority vote once the Supreme Court has ruled
that the President has committed treason or another major crime.
Armed forces - No official figures, number of regular troops thought to
be 50-60,000. Young men are conscripted aged 18 for two years.
Economics
Currency: Dram. (£1 = about 680 drams; $1 = 345 drams).
Inflation 2.0% and GDP growth at 11% in 2006.
Industry - Agriculture, textiles, food processing, construction materials, diamond
cutting, mining and chemicals are all major industries. Gold and molybdenum are mined,
mainly for export.
History - In 2100 BC a greater Armenian state extended from the
Mediterranean Sea to the Caspian. Over the first millennium AD, Armenians lived mainly in
two distinct areas, where they live now and in what is now the eastern Anatolia area of
Turkey.
These areas, western and eastern Armenia, were generally under Persian and Ottoman rule
but also had periods of domination by Byzantines, Mongols, Arabs and Russians. Armenians
also lived in smaller communities in Persia, present-day Syria, Gruziya, Azerbaijan, and
the Lebanon.
Russian armies invaded what is now Armenia in 1820, and Armenians were caught up in the
1914-17 Russian-Turkish war. It is claimed that 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were
exterminated between 1915 and 1923 by Ottoman Turkey. Turkey denies the charge but
acknowledges that thousands of Armenians may have been victims of the Russian-Turkish war
raging at the time.
An independent Armenian state existed from 1918 to 1921 but was swallowed up by the Soviet
Union in 1921, later becoming a full republic until independence in 1991. Russia and
Armenia still have a close strategic relationship. |
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EU takes initiative on better relations
President Aleksandr Lukashenko told a top EU official on 22 June that he sincerely
wanted to build good relations with the European Union.
EU External Relations chief Benita Ferrero-Waldner came to Minsk to offer co-operation
with Belarus on "a wide range of areas of mutual interest". Lukashenko welcomed
her visit and, with an eye on Russia, said he wanted to improve links "no matter whom
that displeases".
Earlier this month Russia imposed a ban on Belarussian dairy products, ostensibly on
health grounds. Belarus retaliated by installing a highly symbolic customs post on the two
countries' joint border. Both measures lasted only a short time. But Gazprom, the Russian
gas monoploy, has demanded that Belarus pay a gas bill for $230 million, covering the
first four months of this year, within a week, virtually an impossibility.
Belarus recently freed all political prisoners and made other concessions. "Belarus
has taken steps in the right direction and we have recognised that," Benita
Ferrero-Waldner said. The EU would be prepared to reward further reforms.
The EU launched its "Eastern Partnership" in May. It aims to improve ties with
six former Soviet republics, including Belarus.
Ukraine starts energy supplies to Belarus
Ukraine is to begin supplying energy resources to Belarus from 1 June, Ukrainian Minister
of Fuel and Energy Yuriy Prodan said on 27 May.
"The question of prices is a trade secret, but in principle we will be exporting
[energy resources] at the price currently fixed for Ukraine," Prodan explained.
The decision appeared to be part of a wider strategy for energy supplies channelled
through Ukraine. Yuriy Prodan said that his Ministry of Fuel and Energy still has three
months to prepare for auctions. "I think we will have time to make some changes to
the laws, because if we want to conquer markets, we need to start gradual
implementation."
Lukashenko not taking up invitation to EU summit
It appeared in early May that President Aleksandr Lukashenko would not be attending the EU
summit in Prague on 7 May, despite an invitation from the Czech Republic as current
holders of the EU presidency. The Czechs have planned to host an "Eastern
Partnership" summit with six former Soviet states, aiming to develop closer energy
and trade links with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
Since the authorities in Minsk released political prisoners last year the EU has felt able
to improve diplomatic contacts with Belarus. The EU has also suspended a travel ban it had
imposed on President Lukashenko and other top officials of his regime.
A Czech government spokesman commented that it was "up to the Belarus government to
decide who would represent it" in Prague and that the participating countries were
"supposed to send their number one or two".
President Lukashenko had received a personal invitation from Czech Foreign Minister Karel
Schwarzenberg when on a visit to Minsk. Illustrating the slight easing of hostilities with
the Belarussian regime, on 27 April Lukashenko made his first official visit to western
Europe since 1995, meeting Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican.
Belarus - key data
Geography
Area - 207,600 sq km (80,200 sq miles).
Landlocked, Belarus is surrounded by Poland on the west, Lithuania and
Latvia to the north and north-west, Ukraine to the south, and Russia to the east. A
distinct strip of territory to the west was previously part of Poland and ceded to the
Soviet Union in 1939. Mainly flat, one third of the area is forested, and 46% is farmland.
Extensive Pripyat Marshes lie in the south, bordering Ukraine. The principal river is the
Dniepr to the east.
People
Population 9.85 million, primarily ethnic Slavs; 7 million eligible
to vote.
Ethnic breakdown: Belarussians 77.9%, Russians 13.2%, Poles 4.1%, Ukrainians 2.9% and Jews
1.1%.
Capital city Minsk, population around 2 million.
Religion: Mainly Russian Orthodox. Also substantial Roman Catholic and
eastern rite Catholic communities.
Language The Belarussian language, an eastern Slav tongue similar to
Russian and Ukrainian, has been subject to pressure. Russian dominates the country's
political life and state-controlled mass media, and is therefore spoken by most people.
History
Originally part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th century, then in
16th century controlled by Poland. Partition of Poland in late 18th century made Belarus
part of Russia. Soviet Socialist republic 1939. Severe health and agricultural problems
followed fall-out from the Chernobyl explosion (just south of its border) on 26 April
1986. Independent state from 1991, initially with liberal government until 1994.
Administrative centre of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Under President
Aleksandr Lukashenko, in office since 1994, Belarus has become increasingly isolated. Its
government is widely criticised for repression of opposition politicians and news media;
four opposition figures have disappeared under mysterious circumstances in recent years.
Lukashenko, probably not without reason, frequently alleges international organisations
and governments are working to unseat him.
Political system
Belarus is a presidential republic and the President is elected for five years. The
President appoints the Prime Minister, who must be confirmed by parliament, other
ministers and heads of local administrations.
The Parliament consists of two chambers. The lower house of parliament is made up of 110
members elected every four years. The upper chamber has 56 members -- 10 members are
appointed by the president while others are elected by local councils.
Incumbent President Aleksandr Lukashenko, a former KGB officer, was first elected in 1994.
He then extended his rule through a referendum in 1996 and secured apparently landslide
victories in 2001 and again in March 2006. Both polls were condemned by independent
observers, Western governments and opposition as fraudulent.
Economy
The Belarussian economy is centralised with government controlling most
prices and ordering companies what to produce. In the past two years Belarus has enjoyed a
steady economic recovery, mainly due to an economic boom in neighbouring Russia, its main
trading partner. The government expects to secure about 10% GDP growth this year and next.
The International Monetary Fund forecasts 6.4% GDP growth in Belarus this year. The IMF
stopped giving loans to Belarus in 1996, and has said that reforms, tight monetary
policies and a balanced budget were required to sustain growth.
Relations with the EU
The European Commission policy paper "What the European Union could
bring to Belarus" outlines what Belarussian people could expect if the country
succeeded in establishing good relations with the EU. The aim of the paper has been to
rebuff propaganda from the government in Minsk message that nobody in Europe cares much
about political reform in the country. EU-Belarus:
New message to the people of Belarus |
Link:
The Belarussian exile organisation in Prague publishes the Belarusian
Review in English. Click for an on-line
version.
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| Bosnia (Federacije
Bosne i Hercegovine) |
EU concerned about political irresponsibility
EU Security and Foreign Policy commissioner Javier Solana said on 20 May that there
was a lack of responsibility among politicians in Bosnia-Herzegovina, a matter of concern
to the EU.
One example of this lack of responsibility was that while the rest of Europe was worrying
about the economic crisis, Bosnia-Herzegovina had completely different issues on its mind.
“More needs to be done in order to tone down national rhetoric and step up work in
Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Solana said on Bosnian national TV. He wanted the country “to
become more active in its integration into the European family.”
The situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina could change in two ways: calling new elections or
reaching an agreement between leaders to change their policies. He suggested a better
structure for the institutions of government, but to achieve this political will was
needed to make decisions and pass laws.
“Bosnia wants to be a member of the EU and that is why Bosnia must speak with a single
united voice, not three different ones,” Solana said. This was why he opposed the
suggestion that a referendum should be held on the Republic of Srpska’s secession.
Bosnian Serb PM calls for clearer focus on EU conditions
Milorad Dodik, Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska, said on 19 May that
Bosnia-Herzegovina needed to find a way of meeting the conditions for EU integration.
Following a speech made by US Vice-President Joe Biden while on a visit to Sarajevo on 19
May, Dodik claimed that the Dayton Accords could guarantee Bosnia-Herzegovina’s
stability for ever, provided that different people did not interpret it as they saw fit.
“Mr Biden clearly stated that the issue of internal organisation is something that rests
with us and that the two entities are not in question,” he said.
“Therefore, the point is for us here to calm the situation on the basis of the support
that the EU and US are clearly giving Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is not for everyone to
interpret what Biden said or what the US advises, but to try to respond to the question of
how to ensure that the citizens get the white Schengen,” he said, referring to the aim
to ease the Schengen visa regime for Bosnian citizens.
The Schengen “White
List”
Applicant states have to undertake reforms in order to qualify for
visa-free travel with the Schengen countries. The necessary reforms are far-reaching, but
it is clear that these reforms would be beneficial not only to the Balkan countries, but
also should help protect the EU against crime and illegal immigration from all over the
world.
The requirements for Bosnia & Herzegovina were presented to the government on 5 June
2008. This 25 May the European Commission has scheduled the discussions of its newest
assessment reports on the issue with EU member states' officials. But it is expected that
neither Bosnia nor Albania yet meet the conditions for visa free travel.
In the area of external relations and fundamental rights, the assessment says, “It
appears that Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the right track to meet the benchmarks under
this block. Additional efforts should be concentrated on protection of minorities and
fight against discrimination.”
Requirements
for Bosnia & Herzegovina (PDF download) |
Balkan countries and the EU
EU foreign ministers agreed on 21 November 2005 to start negotiating a
stabilisation and association agreement with Bosnia-Herzegovina. The move
came exactly 10 years after the end of the Bosnian war. The SAA was eventually signed in
June 2008.
All the Balkan countries hope to follow in the footsteps of Slovenija,
which joined the EU among the central European accession group in May 2004. Croatia
began EU accession talks in October 2005, while in the same month Serbia and
Montenegro began stabilisation and association talks. Macedonia
was granted EU candidate status in December 2005. Albania reached a
stabilisation and association agreement in June 2006.
EU
progress reports (2005) |
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EC support for compensating nuclear plant closure
The European Commission’s President Jose Manuel Barroso has voiced a clear position in
support for further compensating Bulgaria for the closing of two units of its Kozloduy
nuclear power plant.
Bulgarian PM Sergei Stanishev had met with Barroso during the EU Summit in Brussels, and
afterwards announced that Bulgaria could receive further compensation, amounting to €600
million. Barroso had said that Bulgaria had a very strong and well grounded point for
requesting further compensations. He had taken the responsibility to work together with
European institutions to ensure a fair outcome for Bulgaria. The opportunity for agreeing
further compensation would arise during the review of the EU’s budget.
Former Kosovan PM arrested entering Bulgaria
Agim Çeku was prime minister of Kosovo from October 2006, in the period leading up to the
region’s unilateral declaration of independence in February 2008. He had previously been
Chief of the General Staff of the Kosovan Liberation Army, a paramilitary formation of
insurgents that he had turned into a regular western-type army. But, based on a Serbian
conviction for genocide and war crimes in 1998-99, he has been for some years on the
Interpol ‘wanted’ list. On 23 June he was detained entering Bulgaria from Macedonia at
the Gyueshevo checkpoint.
Two border policemen reported to their commander that they had detained Agim Çeku. “He
says he is a former PM of Kosovo and he has a valid visa”. Çeku was driving a black BMW
alone. During the check up of his identification documents the Interpol order for
immediate arrest of this person had appeared on the monitor. The border policemen
therefore arrested Agim Çeku and put him in custody in the south-western town of
Kyustendil. Now the Kyustendil regional court must rule within 40 days on whether to
extradite Ceku to Serbia or to set him free, as Kosovo insists.
Çeku was on the Interpol list after being sentenced in absence by a Serbian court to 20
years in prison. Serbian prosecutors had accused him of genocide and war crimes, claiming
he should take command responsibility for the murders of 669 Serbs and 18 other
non-Albanians during Kosovo's war for independence.
Official representatives of the United States, Britain and France, are reported to have
intervened demanding Çeku’s immediate release. The Kosovan government pointed out that
the arrest warrant had been issued at the time of the Miloševic government, and its
deadline had long since expired.
This is not the first international incident concerning Çeku. In May he was expelled from
Colombia, after Serbia urged his arrest. There was no attempt to stop him when he then
stopped off in France en route to the Balkans. In 2006 he had been detained in 2006 in
both Slovenija and Hungary.
The independence of Kosovo, unilaterally declared in February 2008, has not yet been
universally recognised. The United States and more than 50 other countries have recognised
its independence, but more than 100 have not, including Serbia and Russia. Bulgaria has
recognised Kosovo despite misgivings about the international legality of its declaration
of independence.
40th National Assembly officially dissolved
Members of the 40th Bulgarian National Assembly (parliament) held their last session on 25
June. Its MPs had not convened between 15 and 24 June due to the election campaign for
Bulgaria's parliamentary elections.
But internal party bickering marred even its official last day. The parliamentary groups
of the far-right, nationalist "Ataka" party and of the movement
"Forward" fell apart while the RZS group ("Order, Lawfulness and
Justice") became the largest opposition force.
Ataka's group actually fell apart a week ago when two of its MPs left, reducing the group
to 9 MPs while the required minimum is 10. Two more Ataka MPs declared themselves
independent on the final day.
The Speaker of Assembly, Georgi Pirinski, further declared at the final session that the
parliamentary group of the "Forward" movement was now non-existent because the
MPs from the VMRO and the Agricultural People Union parties had transferred their
allegiance from "Forward" to RZS, making the RZS group swell to 19 members.
At the end, the Parliament concluded its work with 7 parliamentary groups. The new groups
during the four years of the session were Bulgarian New Democracy (BND) and RZS.
During the official ceremony to mark the end of the 40th General Assembly, Prime Minister
and leader of the ruling Bulgarian Socialist party (BSP), Sergey Stanishev, thanked the
MPs for the trust they bestowed on him and the huge work they had done. 189 MPs out of 240
attended the final session along with members of the Cabinet, high ranking magistrates and
the PM. But a noted absentee was the leader of the ethnic Turkish DPS party (Movement for
Right and Freedoms).
Links:
Bulgarian Government
The European Stability Initiative looks at the transformation of Bulgaria since
1997
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Border dispute still not resolved
Croatia and Slovenija failed to resolve their long-standing border dispute at an
EU-brokered meeting between Foreign Minister Gordan Jandroković and his Slovenian
counterpart Samuel Zbogar in Brussels on 18 June.
Samuel Žbogar later said that Croatia has broken off negotiations by turning down EU
Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn's latest proposal on the issue.
Gordan Jandroković, however, denied that, saying his government had accepted the final
compromise offer. Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader has urged Slovenija to lift its
blockade of Croatia's EU accession talks. He offered two proposals aimed at ending the
impasse, both involving documentation of the border. Žbogar said he found it
"puzzling" that Croatia was offering alternative proposals while negotiations
were still ongoing.
Constitutional Court lifts ban on Sunday work
On 19 June the Constitutional Court declared the cabinet's decision to
ban work on Sundays to be unconstitutional. This means that all limits to retail trade on
Sundays must be cancelled. The work ban, introduced in January, had retailers and other
business owners protesting over declining sales. |
Agreement reached on privatising shipyards
Following a meeting with EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes in Brussels, Economy
Minister Damir Polancec said on 17 June that the Croatian side had finally agreed with the
European Commission (EC) on privatising all six shipyards in the country. The
restructuring has been a main impediment during Croatia's EU accession talks.
The agreement clears the way for negotiations on the competition chapter of Croatia's
acquis to open. The EC requested that restructuring begin before the chapter opens, as it
believes state subsidies violate EU rules. Polancec said the agreement also paved the way
for the launch of tender procedures for the six companies, possibly early in July. The
plan foresees a separate privatisation model for the Uljanik shipbuilding company, the
only profitable one.
HDZ performs strongly in Croatian elections
In local elections held on 17 May the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) and its coalition
partners managed to win the most votes in 14 counties out of 22 counties. Preliminary
results from the State Electoral Commission suggested that the leading opposition party,
the Social Democratic Party, had won in five counties, while a regional party, the Istrian
Democratic Assembly, won county council elections in Istria.
As expected, the SDP outperformed its main opponent in most of the major cities, yet by a
smaller margin than expected. Rijeka remains the SDP's stronghold. It also retained a very
strong presence in Zagreb, gaining 33.3% of the votes, compared to 18.4% for the HDZ-led
coalition. But in Split the SDP must still fight in a second round for electing the mayor
on 31 May.
Results in Osijek confirmed the dominance of the regional HDSSB (Croatian Democratic
Parliament of Slavonia and Baranja), which secured nearly one third of the votes for the
city council.
Croatia (Hrvatska) - facts and figures
History Slav coastal tribes the Chrobati and
the Hrvati migrated from White Russia in the 6th century. The Croat kingdom reached its
peak in the 11th century. The king of Hungary subsequently claimed the Croatian throne
(1091). In 1526 the defeat of Hungary by the Turks brought the north-eastern part of
Croatia into the Ottoman Empire; the rest of the country elected Ferdinand of Austria as
king. In 1918 it became part of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, joining
with Montenegro and Serbia in what became in 1929 Jugoslavija (the south Slavs). Croatia
left socialist Jugoslavija in 1991, following the collapse of communism across central
Europe, but had to wage an independence war with its ethnic Serb minority and the Jugoslav
army. The war ended with a peace treaty in 1995, after it had recaptured territory held by
rebel Serbs in a swift offensive.
Croatia's first President and architect of its independence, Franjo Tudjman, died in 1999,
and a pro-western reformist coalition came to power in 2000.
The government estimates that some 300,000 ethnic Serbs have left Croatia since 1991,
mostly after their rebellion was crushed in 1995, and gone to such areas as Serb-held
Bosnia. According to recent U.N. figures about a third have returned to their pre-war
homes in Croatia.
On 4 October 2005 the EU opened membership talks with Croatia. It followed a
statement by Carla del Ponte, the UN chief war crimes prosecutor, that the government was
now fully co-operating with the Hague tribunal. The talks had been due to start in
March, but were held up by Croatia's failure to hand over General Ante Gotovina, charged
with war crimes against Serb civilians during a 1995 offensive.
Population 4.4 million (2001 census): Croats 3.98 million,
Serbs 201,600, Italians 19,600, Slovenes 13,000. Muslims 20,755, Hungarians 16,600,
Albanians 15,000
Geography The land area is 56,538 sq km (21,829 sq
miles) plus territorial waters of 31,900 sq km (12,316 sq miles). The Adriatic coastline,
which includes 1,185 islands, islets and reefs, is 5,740 km (3,566 miles) long. There is
fertile plain in the cetre and east and a fairly barren mountainous coastal region. One
thrd of the country is forested. The river Danube forms its north-eastern border with
Serbia. Croatia is bordered by Slovenija in the north-west, Hungary in the north, Serbia
in the east, Bosnia in the south and Montenegro in the south-east. It also has a maritime
border with Italy in the Adriatic.
The capital Zagrab (Zagreb) has a population of 867,865.
Language The official language is Croatian, written
in Roman script.
Religion Roman Catholic 88.6%, Orthodox 4.5%, Muslim
1.3%, with 5.3% of the population declared as agnostic or atheist.(2001 census).
Economy Mainly agricultural, with tourism a major
contributor on the Adriatic coast. Natural resources include bauxite, coal, copper, and
iron. Other industries are metal-working, electrical engineering, lumber and oil-refining.
The Balkan civil war badly affected its economy. Croatia became member of the World Trade
Organisation in mid-2000. It was left out from the first group of former central European
communist countries to join the European Union in 2004 because of its poor human rights
record and nationalist government. Croatia applied for full membership in February 2003.
EU leaders agreed in December 2004 to start entry talks with Croatia if the
country co-operated with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Jugoslavija.
The opening of accession talks was delayed until October 2005, but Croatia still hopes to
join the second enlargement group together with Romania and Bulgaria.
Annual inflation was forecast at below 2% this year. Before an austerity programme was
introduced in 1993, inflation ran at 38% a month.
In 2002, Croatia's GDP grew 5.2%, reaching $5,130 per capita and is expected to rise to
almost $6,000 this year. Unemployment stood at 18.3% in September.
Currency - the kuna, introduced in May 1994, valued at about 7.6 to the
euro and 6.5 to the U.S. dollar. |
Link to Croatian Information
Centre
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top of right-hand column |
| Czech
Republic (Česká republika) |
No Czech European commissioner until October elections
Prime Minister Jan Fischer said on 15 June that the country's next European Commissioner
should be agreed upon only after the elections to be held in October. When asked whether
this would mean that the Czech Republic missed out on some of the more significant posts
within the Commission, however, the PM said he feared that might well be the case. The two
biggest parties in the Czech Parliament, the Social Democrats and the Civic Democrats, had
said that they did not want Fischer's caretaker cabinet to decide upon the country's next
European Commissioner, while the smallest party in Parliament, the Greens, want
negotiations to start right away, saying the post of European Commissioner should not be a
cushy job for some retiring politician.
New political party expects high membership
The newly launched centre-right party TOP 09, said on 14 June that it was receiving
hundreds of requests for membership. A quick poll conducted by the STEM research centre at
the weekend suggested that the new party could receive as much as 40% voter support in the
elections to take place in October. TOP 09 is currently being led by Karel Schwarzenberg,
a former foreign minister who held that post on behalf of the Green Party and has been
consistently ranked the country's most popular politician.

The TOP 09 party was unveiled in Prague on 11 June by one of its
founders, the former Christian Democrat and finance minister, Miroslav Kalousek, and the
party’s designated leader, Senator and former foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg. In
the general elections scheduled for October, the new group will seek to offer an
alternative to those dissatisfied with the state of Czech politics. Speaking on Radio
Prague, Karel Schwarzenberg explained why he had agreed to lead the new party. “The
results of the last elections – the worst were the election to the European Parliament,
but even the national elections – show that the degree of support for political parties
by Czech citizens is going steadily down. People are evidently not content with the
parties that are offered to them, and they are more and more fed up. … We decided to
offer at least some alternative.” … “First of all, we have to get into Parliament.
We hope to gain around 10 rather than around 5 percent. Each percentage point on top of
that would be wonderful but one should be modest.”
Previously as foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg had been a Green party member. He said
that he recognised he did not have the support of any part of the Green constituency, but
that as a former forester he would remain a proponent of that party's ideals. The Green
Party chairman and vice-chairman also resigned earlier in the week.
Former finance minister Miroslav Kalousek proposed that the new party would stand for
tradition, responsibility and prosperity. It would be based on a platform of social
conservativism and fiscal responsibility with a strong emphasis on "Europe's
Judeo-Christian tradition". Gpoing back some time as a leading member of the
Christian Democrats, Kalousek because of what he saw as increasing leftward tendencies.
Five other Christian Democrat MPs have also left the party, reducing its tally of MPs from
13 to seven.
President Klaus presents Arpad Göncz with
Saint Adalbert Prize
President Václav Klaus on 13 June presented the former Hungarian president Arpad Göncz
with the Saint Adalbert Prize for Peace, Freedom and Co-operation in Europe. Arpad Göncz
himself could not be present at the ceremony in Prague for health reasons so the award was
accepted in his name by his daughter - Hungarian Foreign Minister Kinga Göncz. The prize
comes from the Adalbert Stiftung foundation in Krefeld, Germany, and was awarded for the
contribution made by Arpad Göncz to Hungary's peaceful path to democracy and for his
long-time efforts to deepen good neighbourly relations on the continent.
Constitutional Court sets a precedent in age-discrimination case
The Constitutional Court has ruled in favour of a man who had accused the Office of the
Government of age discrimination. The man claimed that he and five other employees over 50
had been sacked on the grounds of a planned re-organisation under which their posts were
to have been scrapped. But a few months later these positions were all filled by young
people under 28 years of age. Several court verdicts went in favour of the Office of the
Government until the man filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court, which has now
overturned the earlier verdicts. Its ruling is seen as an important precedent. The case
will now go back to a lower court to be reviewed.
Commemorative ceremony to mark Lidice massacre
A commemorative ceremony has been held to mark the 67th anniversary of the Lidice massacre
by the Nazis. The country's political leaders, among them President Václav Klaus and
Senate chairman Premysl Sobotka, cultural figures and war veterans attended a wreath
laying ceremony and concert held in memory of those killed in the brutal massacre. The old
Lidice, a village north-west of Prague, was one of two villages which were completely
destroyed by German forces in reprisal for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, the
highest ranking Nazi official in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. On 10 June 1942,
all 192 men over 15 years of age were rounded up and shot, the women were sent to
concentration camps and the children to be re-educated. The second village Ležáky was
razed to the ground in a similar manner a fortnight later.
Speaking at the commemorative ceremony in Lidice, President Václav Klaus expressed
concern over growing extremism in the Czech Republic and said the authorities should take
a much tougher line. He said that some ministers and mayors were unnecessarily cautious in
using the law. Last week the police conducted the biggest ever anti-extremist operation in
the country, arresting and charging ten far-right radicals in the process. The interior
ministry has promised to provide towns and municipalities with a manual on how to fight
various forms of extremism more effectively.
Sculpture that sparked controversy in Brussels meant to be “fun”
The sculpture Entropa has been one of the most reported on aspects of the Czech
presidency of the European Union. The artwork, which was placed in an EU building in
Brussels, lampoons national stereotypes, for instance portraying Romania as a Dracula
theme park and France as a country on strike. Sculptor David Černý also managed to
deceive the government, who commissioned Entropa for its period of EU Presidency,
into thinking it was the work of artists from various EU states, when in fact he alone was
the author.

The gigantic sculpture is now on show at Prague’s Dox gallery of modern
art. At its opening ceremony on 11 June, Černý said that while he did poke fun at
aspects of Europe, he was in no way against the EU.
The sculpture was taken down early, which Černý said was “In reaction to the bringing
down of the previous government, which was my previous government. … I just decided that
I don’t want to have anything in common with the government that is there now. They
include a couple of old communists and I didn’t want to have anything to do with them.”
French PM links low turnout at EU elections to 'unacceptable'
Czech EU presidency
The French prime minister François Fillon has criticised the Czech EU presidency and
linked its period in charge to the low turnout at the June European Parliament elections.
Addressing the French Parliament, Fillon said that, under the Czech presidency, the
European Union had returned to its classic approach of slowly finding the least bad
consensus. This Europe of 'small steps and compromises' was 'wholly unacceptable', he
said. In his speech, Fillon said that European citizens did not agree with this approach
and had voiced their protest by failing to turn out at the weekend elections. On 10 June
Mirek Topolánek, the former head of the Czech EU presidency when he was prime minister,
brushed aside Fillon's criticism. Quoted by the Czech newspaper Pravo, he dismissed
François Fillon's criticisms as small-minded.
Social Democrats would win general elections if held now
A poll conducted by the Median agency and released on 10 June suggested that the Social
Democrats would win a general election if it were held at this point. Almost 36% of
respondents said that they would vote for the Social Democrats led by Jiri Paroubek, while
the former majority party the Civic Democrats would win only 28% of the vote. The Median
poll found that the Communist Party and the Christian Democrats would also cross the 5%
threshold necessary to gain seats in parliament.
The opinions seen in the Median poll were not reflected in the weekend's elections to the
European Parliament. The Social Democrats finished second with 22.4%, well behind the
Civic Democrats with 31.5%. Only just over one in four Czechs voted in the European
elections, the same proportion as in the previous elections five years earlier. But in
2004 the Social Democrats got less than 9% of the votes cast.
See the European Parliament election results for
all central and south-east European countries.
Five of 13 Christian Democrat MPs quit party
Five MPs have left the Christian Democrats, which had been the fourth biggest grouping in
the Czech lower house, and a coalition paetner of the previous Civic Democrat government.
Miroslav Kalousek, Jan Husák, Ladislav Šustr, Vlasta Parkanová and Pavel Severa all
said on 9 June that they were leaving the party. There are now only eight MPs left in the
Christian Democrat group in parliament, which is headed by the party's new leader Cyril
Svoboda.
Miroslav Kalousek, who was finance minister in the previous government, had been planning
to form a new centre-right party named TOP 09 to contest the general elections in October.
It was also reported that a number of Christian Democrat senators were considering leaving
the party.
Green Party leader resigns after poor showing in European elections
Martin Bursík has resigned as leader of the Greens in the wake of a poor showing for the
party in elections to the European Parliament at the weekend. The Green Party received
just 2% of the vote, falling well short of the 5% threshold needed to win any seats.
Speaking after a five-hour meeting of the Greens' leadership, Bursík said he was taking
personal responsibility for the party's electoral failure. Deputy head Ondrej Liška has
been named acting chairman and will lead the Greens into the October elections. At the
last general election the Green party secured six seats in parliament.
The Green Party has for some time been beset by internal divisions which resulted in three
different Green parties fielding candidates, all of which did badly in the European
elections.
On 8 June, as the European election results were announced, Martin Bursík told the party
leadership the time had come for him to go. “The party leader has the main share of
responsibility for the party’s results. I was part of the campaign and am ready to bear
responsibility for our poor showing. I’m not running away from politics or from my
responsibility, but the time has come for me to step aside and give someone else the
opportunity to lead the party into the general election.”
Cabinet seeks vote of confidence on 7 June
It was announced on 26 May that the Chamber of Deputies would hold a vote of confidence in
Jan Fischer's caretaker cabinet on 7 June. According to the Czech Constitution, the
interim prime minister's cabinet has 30 days to secure a vote of confidence after being
appointed. Sunday 7 June is the last day that Jan Fischer's cabinet could constitutionally
hold the vote. The same day, the speaker of the lower house Miloslav Vlček said that he
was opposed to the idea of holding the vote before the European elections on 5-6 June, as
a vote of confidence in the new cabinet could be misused in the election campaign. Vlček
added that he believed there would be 'no obstruction' to Jan Fischer's cabinet surviving
the vote.
The previous day the caretaker government had finalised its policy programme. The
statement of priorities would pave the way for Prime Minister Jan Fischer to ask the lower
house for a confidence vote. The government is virtually assured of winning the vote given
that the two main political parties played the major role in its creation.
Survey puts main parties neck and neck for European Parliament elections
A survey ahead of June's European Parliament elections has put the two main Czech
political parties roughly equal in voter support. The survey by the Palacky University in
Olomouc showed the right-wing Civic Democrats and left-wing Social Democrats each with 29%
of intended support. The Communists came third with 15% and the Christian Democrats had
5.5%. The Greens appeared unlikely to pass the 5% threshold needed to win any MEP seats.
Around 40% of Czechs interviewed said they intended to take part in the vote on 5 and 6
June.
A different survey by the CVVM agency had put the Civic Democrats ahead with 36.5% and the
Social Democrats behind with 28%.
National Party to sue for European Parliament election to be invalidated
The extreme right National Party intends to request that elections to the European
Parliament be invalidated. This followed the banning of their election commercials from
Czech TV and Radio. The party stated on 24 May that following the elections it would take
its complaint to court and to the relevant institutions of the EU. Czech TV did in fact
broadcast an ad by the neo-Nazi party last week, which contained words offering a
"final solution to the gypsy question" – an expression used by the Nazis
during World War 2 in reference to the extermination of Jews, Roma and others.
Secretary-General of Council of Europe outraged
Christian Democrats still undecided on leader one week before national
convention
The final meetings of the regional chapters of the Christian and Democratic Union at the
weekend of 23/24 May failed to result in any clear support for a party leader. The party's
current head, Jiří Čunek, was endorsed by secret ballot only in his home region of Zlín.
Other candidates in the running for the leadership of the country's fourth party have
included former foreign minister Cyril Svoboda, MP Michaela Sojdrová and Euro MP Jan
Brezina. The Christian Democratic Party has been suffering from in-fighting between those
favouring the current party chairman and members who have taken sides with former chairman
Miroslav Kalousek. But he had stated earlier in the week that he would have no further
involvement in the party. Kalousek is expected to announce a new conservative party soon
after the Christian Democrat party's national convention.
Violent storms disrupt transport
Clean-up work was being carried out over the weekend following severe
lightening and hail storms in the Czech Republic on Friday 22 May. Trees were knocked
down, Czech Railways had to close 17 lines in some parts of the country as, and scores of
households in the east of the country still had no electricity by Sunday. Fire brigades
were called out 400 times between midnight on the Friday and noon the next day, to deal
with problems caused by heavy rain and strong winds. |
Secretary-General of Council of Europe outraged at National Party TV
ad
The Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, expressed outrage on 22 May
over a TV ad by the Czech neo-Nazi National Party, offering a "final solution to the
Gypsy question". Under the law on political parties, the ad was broadcast this week
by public broadcaster Czech TV ahead of elections to the European Parliament. But the
station's director has said it will not air again. Czech TV also filed a lawsuit against
the extreme right-wing party. Secretary-General Davis said he shared the concern of a
large number of TV viewers in the Czech Republic and believed that the use of the words
'final solution' transgressed the framework for freedom of speech. The expression was used
by the Nazis in the extermination of millions of Jews, Roma, handicapped and others during
World War 2.
Fence around site for controversial radar base removed
The Czech military started on 21 May removing the 3-kilometre barbed wire fence around the
site in Brdy, south-west of Prague that had been proposed for a U.S. radar base. Defence
Minister Martin Bartak, appointed two weeks ago, ordered the fence be removed on the
grounds that it was no longer serving any purpose and the future of the planned radar base
was uncertain. The fence was put up in June 2008 after Greenpeace activists blocked the
site for six weeks in protest against the base. A few Greenpeace activists turned up to
celebrate its removal.
It emerged this week that the current interim government would not be sending the issue of
the proposed radar base to the lower house of parliament. It would leave the matter in the
hands of the administration after the next general election. The Senate had previously
approved Czech-US treaties allowing for the placing of a radar base in central Bohemia,
but former prime minister Mirek Topolánek withdrew the matter from the agenda of the
Chamber of Deputies due to lack of support. It is not clear whether the United States
still plans to go ahead with the construction of the anti-missile shield project proposed
by the previous Bush administration.
Majority see Jan Fischer as a good prime minister
An opinion poll for the newspaper Pravo carried out in mid May by the STEM agency
suggested that 55% of Czechs regard Jan Fischer as a good prime minister. Just over a
quarter of respondents took the opposite view. Meanwhile, three quarters of those polled
said they believed Jan Fischer's cabinet would win a confidence vote. His caretaker
government, which was appointed on 8 May, had 30 days to win approval by the lower house.
Nicholas Winton celebrates his 100th birthday
Sir Nicholas Winton – the British man who helped save 669 Czechoslovak Jewish children
from the Nazis in 1939 – received a telegram from the Queen on 19 May to mark his 100th
birthday. As well as the traditional reunion with those “Winton children” who settled
in Britain after the war, there were a number of events in the Czech Republic to mark his
centenary.
Nicholas Winton’s act of compassion and determination – he refuses to call it heroism
– shortly before the outbreak of war helped save hundreds of Jewish children from the
Nazis. Winton had visited Czechoslovakia by chance in late 1938 at the urging of a friend.
He was appalled at the conditions for refugee children, many of whom had fled into what
remained of the country after Germany annexed the Sudetenland. Nicholas Winton told Radio
Prague in a 2007 interview that he foresaw what was coming next as Hitler marched through
Europe.

Back in London, he organised a series of trains to bring Czechoslovak
refugee children – mostly Jewish - to safety, finding new homes for them in the UK. He
had saved 669 when war broke out in September 1939. He then just filed away all the
paperwork from the operation in his loft, and the story was forgotten until the 1980s.
Since then there have been films, documentaries, books, and a knighthood for the man
dubbed ‘the English Schindler’.
His birthday was also marked in the Czech Republic, with the opening of a garden on Prague’s
Petrín Hill dedicated to those who saved children during the war, and also by the 178
pupils of the Nicholas Winton Primary School in the South Bohemian town of Kunžak.
The biggest event, however, will be later in the year on 1 September, when a special train
will leave Prague’s main station, retracing the children’s journey across
Nazi-occupied Europe to London’s Liverpool Street station. The date is significant. Not
only is it the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of war, but it is also the day the last of
Winton’s trains was due to leave Prague, carrying its cargo of frightened children. But
it never left, and none of them are thought to have survived.
President and Senate at odds over Lisbon Treaty
President Václav Klaus and the Czech Senate were engaged in mid May in a war of words
over the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in the upper chamber of Parliament. Shortly
after the vote, President Klaus said the treaty's ratification was a failure by the
country's political elite to defend Czech interests. On 11 May Senate chairman Premysl
Sobotka hit back, reminding the President that the upper chamber was a sovereign
legislative body to which Klaus owed his re-election as head of state. Earlier, Senate
Deputy Chairwoman Alena Gajdusková voiced the opinion that impeachment proceedings could
be started against the President if he failed to respect Parliament's decision and now
sign the Lisbon Treaty. President Klaus has made it clear he would not be signing the
Lisbon treaty any time soon, and pronounced it to be "dead", on the grounds of
the Irish referendum.
Former deputy PM criticises French President
The French daily newspaper Le Monde reported on 9 May that the former Czech
deputy prime minister for European affairs, Alexandr Vondra, had criticised French
President Nicolas Sarkozy for having complicated the Czech EU presidency. Vondra, who
handed over responsibility for the EU agenda to his successor in the new government the
previous day, criticised the French head of state at the EU summit for Eastern Partnership
which was held in Prague on 7 May, which had been ignored by leaders of several EU
countries including France. The former Czech deputy PM also said that Sarkozy's
"imperial style" and unpredictable moods made things more difficult for the
collective presidency of the EU.
Sweden, the next country to hold the rotating EU Presidency, has been more ready to assist
the Czech Republic. Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeld told Swedish Radio on 8 May that his
country would take on greater responsibility during the remainder of the Czech presidency
of the EU. Reinfeld said his country, which is scheduled to take over in July, faced a
higher level of involvement because of the fall of the Czech government. It was better to
provide assistance to the new Czech government immediately in order to successfully
complete the period, particularly because in June the EU will hold an important summit to
deal with the situation in Ireland and also to elect the new head of the European
Commission.
"Government of experts" until October elections
Less than two weeks after the government was defeated in a
no-confidence vote, the opposition Social Democrats together with the three parties in the
outgoing coalition (Civic Democrats, Christian Democrats and Greens) have come to a joint
agreement. They announced on 5 April that the new interim prime minister to lead the
country until early elections would be Jan Fischer. The compromise had settled on a “government
of experts”. The 15 posts in his interim cabinet have been shared between the coalition
and the Social Democrats.
Jan Fischer has for some years been the head of the Czech Statistical
Office, the body that produces official data on everything from the economy to the
environment. The majority of Czechs have never heard of him. He is said to be a quiet man,
with good language skills. He should take over as prime minister by the second week in May
and lead the government until early elections to be held on 9 and 10 October. He became
head of the statistical office in 2003, is politically non-partisan, although he had been
a member of the Communist Party from 1980 to 1989.
Speaking on 6 April in a radio interview, President Václav Klaus said that he was
'surprised' but 'happy in principle' with the choice of Jan Fischer as prime minister. The
President praised the various political parties who, he said, had overcome their
ideological differences to agree upon the new prime minister. He had known Jan Fischer for
more than 30 years and welcomed the latter's appointment.
Modern Czech translation of the Bible appears after 17
years of work
A new translation of the Bible into modern-day Czech was published at the beginning of
April. The New Testament part was actually first published a decade ago, but only now have
the translators completed the Old Testament.
Alexandr Flek, head of the team producing The Bible – a 21st Century Translation,
explained: “We belong to a generation of people who were not raised in the Christian
faith, and we are not very familiar with the language of the existing Bible translations,
which were quite archaic. The only available translations were the beautiful Bible
Kralická from 1613, which is very much like the King James Version in English –
beautiful, very lusty language, a very precise translation, but its language was of course
difficult to understand, as it was 400 years old. The only other alternative was the Czech
ecumenical translation which came into existence in the 1970s.”
The major concerns were accuracy and readability, and the ability to communicate. “So we
are of course building on the existing translations; we are especially inspired by the
Bible of Kralice which is beautiful in its literary approach.” At the same time the team
drew on the latest findings of Biblical studies, and the new publication has already
generated some very positive reviews “from a whole range of Czech churches and various
universities and seminaries, including Catholic and Protestant. And we also got some warm
responses from the Jewish Community in Prague as well.”
The 1970s band that was banned
In the 1970s the communist authorities tolerated popular music as long as
it was insipid, colourless and unoriginal – everything that the Czech psychedelic rock
band The Plastic People of the Universe most definitely was not. Their music was
inspired by Frank Zappa and The Velvet Underground, their lyrics anarchic, their behaviour
unconventional and their hair long. The Plastic People of the Universe are going strong to
this day, despite the death in 2001 of founder member, Milan “Mejla” Hlavsa.

In 1976 four members of the band were sentenced to prison terms for what
was described as “organised disturbance of the peace”, and in December of the same
year Czechoslovak Radio broadcast a documentary that painted the band in the darkest
possible colours and included extracts from their music recorded secretly at their
concerts. “That’s what true art, as interpreted by the Plastic People, sounds like –
noise, offensive language and pornography,” claimed the commentary in the programme. “They
are nothing but common-or-garden hooligans and swindlers, abusing the popularity of rock
music among young people.” The programme went on to quote from one of their songs –
taking at face value the anarchic lyrics by poet Egon Bondy - “Smash the pictures, burn
the books, drive bulldozers through the theatres, nothing of value should remain!
Eliminate culture!”
The action of the regime turned out to be counter-productive. The policy of locking people
up for the crime than playing loud music caused widespread outrage and acted as a catalyst
for the human rights manifesto Charter 77. Forced onto the defensive, the authorities
responded in January 1977 by launching their own “anti-Charter” from Prague’s
National Theatre. The event included an infamous speech by the communist actress Jirina
Švorcová, advocating that true art and culture should be positivist:
“That is why we hold in contempt all those – and even in our country a little group of
such recreants and traitors has emerged – who with insatiable pride, vain arrogance,
selfishness or for love of money … become a tool of the anti-humanist forces of
imperialism.”
Listen to examples of The Plastic People
of the Universe. |
Senators considering first ever emergency session for Lisbon
approval
The Senate, the upper house of parliament, may have to be convened for an emergency
session in order to force a vote on the Lisbon Treaty, Civic Democrat Senator Jiří Stříteský
said on 31 March. Such a session would be the first in the chamber's history. The Social
Democratic Party is moving to get Lisbon ratification on the Senate agenda through the
standard process. The party has insisted on an April Senate vote and has stated that it
has the necessary signatures of all SDP senators to be able to convene an emergency
session.
The Senate is dominated by the Civic Democrat party and the head of the Senate Premysl
Sobotka has stated his own view that convening an emergency session would be technically
impossible – it would be difficult in terms of timing and practicality.
Separately, Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg has moved to dispel fears that the
domestic political crisis will spill over into its EU presidency. In an interview on 30
March on a German internet site, he pointed out that institutions in Prague and Brussels
were continuing to function normally. Schwarzenberg went on to say that he hoped the Czech
Republic would ratify the Lisbon Treaty in the coming weeks, and that the problem lay with
delays in the Senate.
The Czech Republic is one of four EU member states that have yet to fully ratify the
Lisbon Treaty. The Czech Chamber of Deputies passed the treaty in February; Senate
approval is still required before the Treaty can be signed by the President and thus
become ratified.
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16,000 people have emigrated in 8 years
A study released in mid April by the agency Statistics Estonia reported that, over the
last eight years, approximately 16,000 people had been lost to the overall population due
to emigration. Early census data did not account for migration in population
tallies.
As of January 2008, the population was 1.34 million without emigration statistics and 1.32
with emigration accounted for.
The statistics bureau reported that the biggest changes were seen in the main cities
Tallinn, Tartu and Narva.
Controversial Soviet war hero dies while on trial
Arnold Meri, who died on 27 March at the age of 89, was buried in Tallinn on 2 April. He
was a Soviet war hero who, in his native Estonia, had been put on trial over his role in
Stalin-era deportations. During the judicial proceedings he admitted playing a part in the
deportation of 251 civilians in 1949, but denied the charge of genocide. In fact Estonia's
contention that genocide took place on that occasion is not widely accepted
internationally. The Estonian security police say that more than 40 of those deported from
the island of Hiiumaa in 1949 either died on the way to, or in, Siberian camps.
Meri was the last surviving Estonian to have been awarded the top USSR military decoration
in WW2, the Gold Star. He was a cousin of Estonia's first post-independence president, the
late Lennart Meri. Wounded in combat as a Soviet soldier early in the war, Arnold Meri
served as an official in Estonia after the country was re-annexed by the Red Army, which
drove out Nazi forces.
Russia has long been locked in a dispute with Estonia over the Soviet legacy.
Symbolically, within hours of Meri’s death Russia awarded him the Order of Honour
posthumously.
Since winning independence from the USSR in 1991, Estonia has been attempting to prosecute
those who helped in the deportation of more than 20,000 Estonians to Siberian camps. But
at the same time Estonia has been accused of failing to pursue suspected war criminals who
sided with the Nazis.
Facts about Estonia (Eesti)
Geography The country is 45,100 sq km (17,409 sq
miles) in area, including some 800 islands. The northernmost of the three Baltic
countries, Estonia borders the Baltic Sea to the north and the west, Russia to the east
and Latvia to the south. 36% of the land is forested, and there are over 1500 lakes.
Population 1.4 million, of which 65% are Estonian,
28% Russian, 2.5% Ukrainian, 1.5% Belarussian and 1% Finnish.
Capital Tallinn, population 400,000.
Language The official language is Estonian (quite
closely related to Finnish), and Russian is widely spoken (the home language of 32% of the
population, especially in north-eastern parts of the country).
Religions Lutheran and Russian Orthodox.
Government The Republic of Estonia is a
parliamentary democracy. Power is divided between the 101-seat single chamber parliament,
or Riigikogu, the cabinet and the non-executive presidency.
President: Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
Prime Minister: Andrus Ansip.
History Estonia was under Swedish rule from 1629,
and then was ceded to Russia in 1721. It first gained independence in 1918. It remained an
independent nation between the two World Wars, then in 1940, under the Molotov-Ribbentrop
pact, it was invaded by Russia and became part of the Soviet Union. Subsequently Estonia
was occupied by Germany 1941-44 during World War 2. After WW2, Estonia was subject to the
Soviet economy and politics, including collectivisation of farms, suppression of religion
and massive deportations. The rapidly expanding planned economy brought hundreds of
thousands of Soviet immigrants to Estonia, causing widespread fear among Estonians that
their national identity would eventually vanish. The Gorbachev reforms prompted an upsurge
in nationalism across the Baltic region in the late 1980s, and independence movements won
control in 1990 after the 'Singing Revolution'. Estonia declared a transitional period
leading to its declaration of full independence on 20August 1991.
Economy Estonia set out to turn itself into a
Western-style market economy at breakneck speed after regaining independence in 1991 and
was the first country in the former Soviet Union to introduce its own currency, the kroon
(=100 centts), in 1992.
It quickly became the most liberal Baltic economy in the often painful transformation to a
market-based system, and has enjoyed fast economic growth despite a global slump, GDP
expanding by 5.8% in 2002. Exports are now mostly forestry and agricultural products.
Estonian sea ports are important transit points for Russian oil bound for the west.
The weak economies of its main European trading partners slowed its year-on-year growth to
4.1% in second quarter 2003 and full-year growth is estimated at 4.5%.
A monetary policy of balanced budgets, moderate inflation and a simple currency board
fixing the kroon to the euro has convinced Estonian leaders that switching to the European
single currency will be largely a technical matter. The government wants to join the
European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM-2), the waiting room for the euro, in 2004 and
become part of euroland in late 2006 or early 2007. |
Link: Estonian government website
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