by fnfeurope

A Government that Stays 

The Law and Justice Party won the elections in Poland. The opposition is in crisis.

Most observers had expected it: The national-conservative government of the party Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice, or PiS for short) has been clearly confirmed in office. According to the latest projections, PiS’s share of the vote rose from 37.6 per cent in 2015 to 44.57 per cent. It owes this not only to its extremely rude but very skilful election campaign strategy, but above all to the weakness of the opposition. Continue reading →

by fnfeurope

[Update] Team Lineup in Brussels – Ursula von der Leyen Presents New Commission 

“Nothing is decided until everything is decided”, is a common motto in European Brussels. The new Commission is already casting its shadows, even if the handover of the Commission baton will not officially take place until the end of October. That is how long the old EU Commission under Jean-Claude Juncker will remain in office. Nevertheless, the new team is already in the starting blocks, led by the designated Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Will she be able to keep her promise of parity and who was nominated by Europe’s Liberals? Continue reading →

by fnfeurope

Call for Papers: “Europe: Liberalism vs. Authoritarianism”

 

 

Download the pdf version here.

 

Authoritarian inspired public policies and legislation stand in contradiction to values and norms adhering to strong rule of law institutions, protected individual rights and freedoms, and limited government. However, sympathies and support for the authoritarianism among both public figures and public across Europe are spreading and growing. The next issue of The Visio Journal shall explore the question of whether liberalism is able to stand its ground against the backdrop of increasingly present authoritarianism in Europe. Continue reading →

by fnfeurope

Shadow Economy: Are the Stop Signs In Place? 

 

Even in times of rapid economic growth many EU states struggle in their fight with illicit trade and undeclared labour. The risk of growth of the shadow economy may begin to rise as economic forecasts worsen.

What drives illicit trade and the undeclared labour market? What causes come to play the most in the illegal excise goods market: is it taxes and regulation, public justification of the shadow economy, or flawed detection and penalties? Finally, are governments using the right strategies to counteract illicit economic activity?

New empirical research from the Lithuanian Free Market Institute provides unique evidence of the actual drivers of the shadow economy from a comprehensive cross-country perspective.

The event will discuss key arguments that should underlie EU decision making if we are to see any breakthrough in minimizing the staggering and disturbing differences in levels of illicit trade and labour among member states. Continue reading →

by fnfeurope

Zuzana Čaputová Abroad: Winning Hearts, Showing Elbows and Setting Fashion Trends 

Čaputová and German President Steinmeier – Twitter: Zuzana Čaputová, 21.08.19

Mrs. Čaputová goes on eight business trips during the first summer of her presidency. One of them is taking place in Germany just now. So what can Berlin expect? Well, judging from her previous visits, it is hard to tell, but it will definitively be worth paying attention to. Continue reading →