Take Romania. The European Commission this week issued a scathing 22-page report in which it found that Prime Minister Victor Ponta had undermined the rule of law and basic democratic principles in that country. Reports of widespread corruption and malfeasance have plagued the highest levels of the Romanian government for the last five years — as long as it has been a member of the E.U.
But Brussels’ tolerance may be running thin. The report said that Mr. Ponta’s recent actions, including judicial tampering and even the removal of the president, have “called into question the government’s commitment to respect the rule of law and independent judicial review.” Mr. Ponta has appealed his case, but today the European Commission said that it will review the Romanian government’s commitment to protecting democratic institutions before the end of this year. As Reuters reported:
Things aren’t much better next door in Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with the backing of the rightist Fidesz party, decided to replace the Constitution instead of simply trampling it. In June, Transparency International said Hungary was suffering a dangerous takeover of the state by private interests. The Economist this week warned of Hungary’s “slide towards autocracy.”
It’s not just political. While some Eastern European countries, like the Czech Republic and Slovakia, have fared well economically, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria have not, as this chart shows.
As if the European Union, 27-headed hydra that it is, didn’t have enough to worry about already. Greece looks set to implode, potentially setting off a cascade of events that could easily pull the rest of the continent into chaos. The Guardian suggested that the euro zone had “crossed the Rubicon” and was “headed toward collapse.”
Spain this week imposed its latest round of austerity measures. Recession and unemployment, 11.5 percent as of this writing, reign everywhere else. But the democratic threat from Europe’s edges is gaining attention, too. Ulrike Guerot, from the World Politics Review, wondered whether Eastern Europe’s “democratic erosion” was threatening the rest of the E.U.
In an IHT Global Opinion article on Tuesday, Andrej Dynko, a Belarussian newspaper editor, suggested that his country was “Europe’s last dictatorship.” Citing the arrest of one of his colleagues, Andrzej Poczobut — who reported on the state execution of two men convicted of a subway bombing and was indicted on libel charges for his efforts — Mr. Dynko says Belarus is a holdover from the very worst days of Soviet tyranny.
“While they sit in prison, [President Alexander] Lukashenko has steadily turned Belarus into something akin to a prison colony. The possibility of ending up in prison is a constant risk for millions, and a check on even their most mundane daily routines,” Mr. Dynko wrote.
There are bright spots, of course. Poland continues its enviable years-long economic ascension, as my colleague Nick Kulish reports today. Recently, it has started drilling into shale deposits it believes hold something on the order of 768 billion cubic meters of natural gas — enough to reinforce its economic rise. It also doesn’t hurt that plenty of American companies are getting in on Poland’s underground explorations, in what one U.S investor called “a land grab.”
And in an odd twist, Ukraine recently garnered the attention of researchers at Goldman Sachs, who issued a report predicting that it will be the only emerging-market country among the 10 best-performing countries at this summer’s London Olympics. Why?
The author of the report, “The Olympics and Economics 2012,” states: “Ultimately, it appears that gold does go where growth and the overall growth environment are best.” The report quotes Tim Hollingsworth, the chief executive of the British Paralympic Association, as saying: “When you create a world class environment you are far more likely to create world class athletes.”
That’s good news for Ukraine’s athletes, of course. But once the Olympics are over, their success (if they do succeed) will be small comfort to anyone wondering how Europe is going to handle its fraying political edges, especially when its financial core seems to be as unstable as ever.
But Brussels’ tolerance may be running thin. The report said that Mr. Ponta’s recent actions, including judicial tampering and even the removal of the president, have “called into question the government’s commitment to respect the rule of law and independent judicial review.” Mr. Ponta has appealed his case, but today the European Commission said that it will review the Romanian government’s commitment to protecting democratic institutions before the end of this year. As Reuters reported:
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Prime Minister Victor Ponta has pledged to address European concerns over democratic failures but he wanted a report on his progress in the coming months.
“Events in Romania have shaken our trust,” Barroso told reporters, while presenting an annual assessment of the country’s efforts to reform its justice system. Thierry Charlier/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesPrime Minister Victor Ponta of Romania during a meeting with journalists last week in Brussels.
Things aren’t much better next door in Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with the backing of the rightist Fidesz party, decided to replace the Constitution instead of simply trampling it. In June, Transparency International said Hungary was suffering a dangerous takeover of the state by private interests. The Economist this week warned of Hungary’s “slide towards autocracy.”As if the European Union, 27-headed hydra that it is, didn’t have enough to worry about already. Greece looks set to implode, potentially setting off a cascade of events that could easily pull the rest of the continent into chaos. The Guardian suggested that the euro zone had “crossed the Rubicon” and was “headed toward collapse.”
Spain this week imposed its latest round of austerity measures. Recession and unemployment, 11.5 percent as of this writing, reign everywhere else. But the democratic threat from Europe’s edges is gaining attention, too. Ulrike Guerot, from the World Politics Review, wondered whether Eastern Europe’s “democratic erosion” was threatening the rest of the E.U.
In an IHT Global Opinion article on Tuesday, Andrej Dynko, a Belarussian newspaper editor, suggested that his country was “Europe’s last dictatorship.” Citing the arrest of one of his colleagues, Andrzej Poczobut — who reported on the state execution of two men convicted of a subway bombing and was indicted on libel charges for his efforts — Mr. Dynko says Belarus is a holdover from the very worst days of Soviet tyranny.
“While they sit in prison, [President Alexander] Lukashenko has steadily turned Belarus into something akin to a prison colony. The possibility of ending up in prison is a constant risk for millions, and a check on even their most mundane daily routines,” Mr. Dynko wrote.
There are bright spots, of course. Poland continues its enviable years-long economic ascension, as my colleague Nick Kulish reports today. Recently, it has started drilling into shale deposits it believes hold something on the order of 768 billion cubic meters of natural gas — enough to reinforce its economic rise. It also doesn’t hurt that plenty of American companies are getting in on Poland’s underground explorations, in what one U.S investor called “a land grab.”
And in an odd twist, Ukraine recently garnered the attention of researchers at Goldman Sachs, who issued a report predicting that it will be the only emerging-market country among the 10 best-performing countries at this summer’s London Olympics. Why?
The author of the report, “The Olympics and Economics 2012,” states: “Ultimately, it appears that gold does go where growth and the overall growth environment are best.” The report quotes Tim Hollingsworth, the chief executive of the British Paralympic Association, as saying: “When you create a world class environment you are far more likely to create world class athletes.”
That’s good news for Ukraine’s athletes, of course. But once the Olympics are over, their success (if they do succeed) will be small comfort to anyone wondering how Europe is going to handle its fraying political edges, especially when its financial core seems to be as unstable as ever.
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