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Select Briefing Europe East SELECT BRIEFING EUROPE EAST CSIS East Europe Project Volume 2 ¦ Number 17 ¦ May 6, 2005 Central European Update Czech Republic with members of the European caust memorial ceremony at the tive message to Ukrainian policy- The newly appointed prime minister, Parliament over the issue. The former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi makers and society, going beyond Jiri Paroubek, has asked for a con- government will debate the consti- death camp. Some 20,000 people the original goal of privileged part- fidence vote for his government to tution this month and discuss how marched at the ceremony, known nership.” be held on 13 May. A deal has been to ratify it. as the March of the Living, which ¯ ¯ ¯ reached within the ruling coalition to commemorates the victims of the Eliminating compulsory medical Poland allow the Social Democrats to Holocaust during World War II. examinations will be an important Polish President Aleksander Sharon flew to Poland with 20 planned change in the law, which choose who will fill the post of dep- Kwasniewski has decided to attend uty foreign minister, thus gaining the Holocaust survivors who emigrated sets regulations for foreign citizens the 9 May celebrations in Moscow, to Israel, and with another 20 of wishing to obtain a visa to Hun- support of all 70 Social Democrat after the Sejm Committee on For- MPs in the upcoming confidence their grandchildren who are serving gary. The amendment is expected eign Affairs rejected a draft resolu- in the Israeli army. Following the to decrease the processing time for vote. tion calling on the president not to ¯ ¯ ¯ ceremony, Sharon held talks with visa applications. travel to Russia for the anniversary. Polish Prime Minister Marek The Czech National Bank has cut The issue of the Polish president’s Slovakia interest rates to their lowest level Belka. visit to Moscow has caused much ¯ ¯ ¯ One year after joining the EU, ever, with the repo rate down by a controversy with regard to histori- Slovakia termed its membership quarter percentage point to 1.75 The Agency for the Reconstruction cal interpretations of the event and and Modernization of Agriculture “very successful.” Slovak President percent. Analysts expect that the its implications for Polish-Russian Ivan Gasparovic emphasized that cuts will curb any further strengthen- reports that one year after EU ac- relations. The presence of other cession, 85 percent of Polish farm- the world views very positively the ing of the crown and spark economic leaders, including Belarusian Presi- reforms undertaken in his country. growth by bringing down the cost of ers have received subsidies dent Alyaksandr Lukashenka has amounting to about 1.78 billion Asked about future challenges credits and mortgages. also fueled the public debate. facing the EU, Foreign Minister ¯ ¯ ¯ euros. The funds come from the ¯ ¯ ¯ Eduard Kukan emphasized the On 4 May, Czech Foreign Minister 659.9 million Europe allocated in Prime Minister Marek Belka an- the EU budget for the purpose, as necessity to integrate Turkey and Cyril Svoboda and Czech European nounced plans to resign from his Croatia, as well as supporting Commissioner Vladimir Spidla well as additional funds from the post on 6 May 2005 after parlia- Polish budget and from the EU Ukraine to become a candidate for spoke in the Senate during a confer- ment voted down his proposal to membership. ence marking the one-year anniver- rural development program. dissolve the government and call ¯ ¯ ¯ sary of the country’s accession into for new elections. President Alek- Hungary Speaker of Parliament Pavol the EU. The two officials tried to sander Kwasniewski has already Speaking in front of the parliamen- Hrusovsky met members of the U. dispel fears about the European asserted that he will refuse the tary European Affairs committee S. Congress on his visit to Wash- constitution and its effect on the resignation to avoid a political on 3 May, Foreign Minister Ferenc ington last week. The purpose of sovereignty of member states. crisis ahead of the 16-17 May Somogyi stressed Hungary’s sup- his talks with the U.S. legislators, Svoboda asserted that the docu- meeting of the Council of Europe port for the integration of Ukraine including Senator Rick Santorum, ment’s ratification should be decided that will be hosted by Poland. into the European community. He an advocate of the visa waiver for in parliament, while Czech President ¯ ¯ ¯ stated that, “Ukraine’s ongoing Poland and Slovakia, was to stress Vaclav Klaus has been continuously On 5 May, Israeli Prime Minister radical democratic transformation Bratislava’s desire to simplify the pushing for a referendum. Klaus is Ariel Sharon arrived in southern and internal stability requires the processing of visas for Slovak one of the sharpest critics of the EU Poland, where he joined a Holo- EU to send an unambiguous posi- citizens. constitution and recently clashed Baltic States Update Lithuania 2008. The force will be comprised of about Mechanism (ERM II), which represents a step Lithuania’s State Property Fund reported on 2 1,000-1,500 troops and will be ready for deploy- towards entering the Eurozone. Latvia must May that the government has received 77.2 ment within a 6,000 kilometer radius from the lower its current inflation rate of 6 percent to the million litas ($28.9 million) from the privatiza- EU within 10 days. Estonian officials also an- ERM II required 2.1 percent and consistently tion of state and municipal assets for the first nounced that the country would increase its meet all other criteria in order to be eligible to four months of 2005. This figure represents a troop contributions to the NATO-led mission adopt the euro by early 2007. sharp decrease from last year, when the state Afghanistan. The total number will be raised ¯ ¯ ¯ received 259.8 million litas ($97.4 million) over from 18 to 100. The announcement comes after The city of Riga is taking stringent security the same period of time. a decision by NATO officials in February to measures for the upcoming visit by U.S. Presi- dent George W. Bush. The city center will be Estonia double the area of Afghanistan under NATO command. closed and the parliament has approved legisla- Estonia is to contribute up to 45 troops to the tion allowing suspect airplanes to be shot down. Nordic Battle group, part of the EU’s rapid Latvia Bush will meet with the leaders of the three reaction forces. The battle group, which will On 29 April Latvia, along with Cyprus and Baltic states after arriving in Riga on 6 May include soldiers from Finland, Norway, and Malta, entered into the European Exchange Rate before traveling to Moscow on 9 May. Sweden, is set to be operational by 1 January Eastern Europe Project · Center for Strategic and International Studies 1800 K Street, NW · Washington, DC 20006 · Tel: (202) 887-0200 · Fax: (202) 775-3199 · http://www.csis.org/ee Page 2 Select Briefing Europe East Southeast European Update Croatia Bulgaria Bulgaria to amend its intellectual pers for more time. Ungureanu Vesna Pusic, chairwoman of the Bulgarian President Georgi Pur- property legislation to curb wide- said Romania is using all possi- Croatian People’s Party, has re- vanov met with his Turkish coun- spread piracy and counterfeiting ble channels to find out more vealed that former Prime Minis- terpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer on 3 in the country. Bulgaria has been information about the three Ro- ter Ivica Racan did not arrest May in Ankara. Sezer praised dropped from the USTR watch manians’ condition and where- General Ante Gotovina in 2001 Bulgaria’s contribution to peace list after adopting various meas- abouts. He also stressed that his due to fears of a coup. Pusic said and stability in the Balkans and ures to stop copyright violations, country will not succumb to the that the government received congratulated the country for sign- but the USTR 2004 annual report militants’ pressures and Bucha- “serious threats,” and was also ing the EU accession treaty on 25 urges Sofia to amend its criminal rest’s policy on Iraq would not concerned because of strong April. The two leaders expressed and criminal procedure codes in change. negative public opinion about satisfaction with the state of bilat- order to eliminate loop holes. ¯ ¯ ¯ cooperation with the Hague Tri- eral relations and expressed hope Romania On 5 May Foreign Minister Mihai bunal. Had it not been for the that the current annual trade vol- On 1 May, a Romanian military Razvan Ungureanu met with coup threat, she added, Gotovina ume of $ 1.8 billion would be delegation traveled to Kabul to officials from the U.S. State De- would have been arrested imme- increased to $2 billion soon. Sev- meet with the commander of the partment, Pentagon and National diately upon his indictment. eral new border crossings between NATO International Security Security Council to discuss the ¯ ¯ ¯ Bulgaria and Turkey will be open Assistance Force (ISAF), Lt. potential transfer to Romania and On 2 May Croatian government in order to facilitate travel and Gen. Ethem Erdagi. Erdagi Bulgaria of U.S. troops currently officials and representatives of trade. thanked the Romanians for their stationed in Germany. Secretary the World Bank signed an agree- ¯ ¯ ¯ contribution to ISAF and spoke of State Condoleezza Rice said ment providing 35 million euros On 5 May Bulgaria’s outgoing with the head of the delegation, after meeting with the Romanian for Croatia’s regional develop- parliament, whose mandate ex- General Sorin Ioan, about ongo- minister that discussions on the ment. The loan from the Interna- pires in two weeks, voted to with- issue would continue as part of ing operations.
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