Prague
In 2004, the Central European and Baltic countries joined the European Union as new members. The Prague office seeks to strengthen liberal forces, both political and intellectual, in the region. Our project office particularly supports the 4liberty.eu network, which serves as a centre of competence and a platform for dialogue.
News
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Attacks against mainstream media dominate Slovak information space, military aid to Ukraine is still a prevalent topic
The war in Ukraine is still a popular topic among disinformation actors in Slovak information space. The main narratives include alleged widespread corruption in Western countries and calling for “peace” from supporters of Russia. The decision of the Slovak government to donate MiG-29 fighter jets to the Ukrainian armed forces has also been a prevalent topic of many dubious actors.
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From Poland with Love - February
The first anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine dominated the news from Poland in February. The news of the month was clearly the visit of the US President to Poland. Meantime in Belarus, a Polish journalist who reported on the protests against Lukashenko in 2021 was imprisoned. And on a more positive note, Warsaw was named European Best Destination 2023.
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From Poland with Love - January
Poland continues its internal fight for money from the European Recovery Fund in 2023, and so far things are not looking very good.The Poles have again asked Western partners for more support for Ukraine, most recently in the form of delivery of modern German Leopard 2 tanks. In contrast, Germany's reluctance to do so has drawn criticism from the Polish side. And surprising news from the society, only 32% of Polish women say they are planning to have children.
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Hearts and Minds
The Mathias Corvinus Collegium is a Hungarian organization providing scholarships for studying abroad, organizing events with international speakers and offering interesting study programmes to its students. However, below the surface, it is yet another tool of Orbán's regime, which connects domestic and international actors, who promote the ideology of illiberalism.
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Outlook for Hungary 2023
How it is possible that the populist autocrat Orbán won the 2022 parliamentary election despite the economy crisis, the severity of which can be linked with his rule in the preceding ruling period? Which similiarities exist between his rule and communism? How did the EU respond to the rule-of-law backsliding in Hungary? And what are the prospects of Hungary for the year 2023? Eszter Nova tries to answer these questions in her publication "Outlook for Hungary 2023".
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Dirty election campaign with a good ending?
After ten years, the Czech Republic will have a new president: Retired General Petr Pavel clearly won the run-off election against former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. His victory is good news for the country's pro-Western development. After years of dividing society under outgoing President Miloš Zeman, who was known for his love of Russia and China, the new president will have his hands full in bringing together the currently highly polarised society and charting a new course.
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The Czech Republic is looking for a president
Since 2012, the Czech president has been directly elected by citizens in two rounds of voting. Czechs enjoy this right to vote and the last presidential election in 2018 saw the highest turnout in a national election in 20 years. Thus, the presidential election has become a great show that people discuss for months and years ahead, arousing great emotions. The bookmakers are sure about the winner of the election, the polls are groping in the dark and a third of the voters are still undecided. So what can we expect in the first and second rounds of the presidential election?
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From Poland with Love - November
The news from Poland in November was dominated by the tragic fall of two missiles near the Ukrainian border in Poland. A similar upset in society was created by the words of Jarosław Kaczyński , who spreads anti-feminist and homophobic conspiracies. Criticism from the government side has not faded even towards the Germans, when the Polish government was unwilling to accept German help in the anti-missile defence of the Polish skies.
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The European Parliament is under attack for declaring Russia a terrorist state, pro-Russian actors are exploiting the missile incident in Ukraine
In the last two weeks, the disinformation scene in Slovakia has been dominated by conspiracy theories about the missile explosion in Poland. Disinformers accuse top Slovak representatives of warmongering. Additionally, pro-Russian actors widely condemned a resolution of the European Parliament, which declares Russia to be a state sponsor of terrorism. In their view, they are provoking Russia and thus deepening the conflict.
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[CONFERENCE] Media consumption patterns and media landscapes in illiberal regimes
On November 30th, 2022, the 21 Research Centre and Projekt: Polska with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation organizes an online conference in order to present the research results about rural media landscape in Hungary and Poland. The conference will be held in English.
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PUBLICATION: Implementing Judgments in the Field of Asylum and Migration on Odd Days
A new research paper published by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee brings attention to the worrying practices of non-implementation of judgments in the field of asylum and migration in Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia and the implications on the rule of law.
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Slovak far-right politicians are spreading false narratives about refugees, the West is being blamed for the ongoing energy crisis
Recently, a large number of disinformation about refugees crossing Slovak borders emerged, especially from the far-right wing. Another widely spread topic was the sanctions against Russia which are being tied directly to the ongoing energy crisis and energy costs in Slovakia. According to disinformation actors, the West is to blame - for everything.
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From Poland with Love – October
Our October newsletter is full of very diverse and interesting news from Poland. The Poles continue to fight to get their money from the European recovery fund, but problems with the rule of law persist, and last month a number of unpleasant reports came to light. In the energy sector, Poland has once again taken a major, even historic step, when it finally decided to build its first nuclear power plant. And a new Polish ambassador is finally sitting in Berlin.
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Pro-Russian actors are turning attention away from Russia's aggression in Ukraine, COVID-19 vaccination reappears among the topics
Recently, pro-Russian actors have made a visible effort to discredit NATO and were slowly diverting attention from Russian aggression in Ukraine and lead it back to COVID-19, in order to discredit the EU as well. The aim is to undermine the credibility of the whole West.
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Conference: Trilateral Dialogue: Germany, Czech Republic, Poland
Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland are three countries with great potential for energy cooperation. Now more than ever. However, the direction of the European Union and its objectives must also be taken into account when setting the goals. It is a long and complicated path, but it is necessary to continue to open up the topic and discuss it not only at the political level, but also with the public.
Social Media
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Montag hat das ungarische Parlament den NATO-Beitritt Finnlands ratifiziert, acht Monate nach dessen Entscheidung. Zusammen mit der Türkei waren Ungarn und Schweden die letzten Mohikaner, die noch keine Entscheidung getroffen hatten. Es gibt Vermutungen, dass Ungarn die Entscheidung wegen der eingefrorenen EU-Subventionen verzögert hat. Orbán nutzt seine Machtposition aus und erpresst die EU, um seine Ziele innerhalb der EU zu erreichen. Eine weitere Möglichkeit ist seine prorussische Einstellung, die Ungarns Beziehungen zu Putin schützen soll. Artikel von Daniela Matoušová Mehr dazu: https://www.freiheit.org/de/mitteleuropa-und-baltische-staaten/ungarische-verschiebungspolitik #ungarn #nato #eu #sicherheit
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👉 Want to innovate your non-profit communications now? Curious to get inspired and empowered first-hand by thought leaders, specialized in non-profit marketing? Care to join a professional network of liberal mission-driven marketers in Europe? If yes, then do apply for the Liberal Communicators Network -Non-Profit Academy by 4 April. 💡 The Academy empowers liberal communicators to adapt cutting-edge communication strategies, innovation, and marketing trends for the specific context of the mission-driven sector. Do not miss the chance to learn from thought leaders and world-class trainers such as: ✔️ Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, @ogilvyuk ; TED Global Speaker with millions of views; Best-Selling Author of “Alchemy” ✔️ Kivi Leroux Miller (USA), CEO of Nonprofit Marketing Guide @ @npmktgd , Award-winning Author of “Content Marketing for Nonprofits” ✔️ Farra Trompeter (USA), Co-Director, Member-Owner, Big Duck The LCN Academy ‘Make a Good Message Better’ offers: ✔️ a series of webinars and online workshops in non-profit brand management, communications strategy, digital and content marketing, behavioural science, advertising, and more ✔️ 11 online sessions from 2 May- 15 June 2023 ✔️ Membership in a professional community- Liberal Communicators Network 🔜 Get more info and apply by 4 April. Link in bio & 👉 bit.ly/3JBLlYI 👏 The Academy is organised by @eurliberalforum , in cooperation with Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom for East and Southeast Europe. LCN is an umbrella cooperation programme among the abovementioned organizations and our partners from @lymec and @projekt_polska . #ELFEvent #fnfesee #liberalcommunicatorsnetwork #lcn2023 #nonprofitcommunications #nonprofitmarketing #npcomms #communications #communicationskills #friedrichnaumannfoundation #friedrichnaumannstiftung #missiondriven #training #communicationskillstraining #nonprofitsofinstagram #contentmarketing #communicationsplan #communicationsplanning
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"The EU should not forget about Turkey in the global defence of liberal values." In a post about her experience working in Istanbul as part of the FNF "One Foundation" program, Greta Kiss from Brussels discusses the impact of the recent earthquake on Turkey and its upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. Despite the challenges faced by Turkish civil society and liberal actors, progress is being made. Read the full article: https://www.freiheit.org/east-and-southeast-europe/fnf-connects-one-month-istanbul Friedrich Naumann Foundation - Turkey #turkey #elections #democracy #civilsociety
