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Current AffairsCzech government prepares for bad times
Standard & Poor's fuelled fears of a crippling economic crisis in
Europe on Monday, issuing a dire warning of an unprecedented mass downgrade
of eurozone countries’ credit ratings if EU leaders fail to deliver a
fast and efficient solution to the region's debt crisis. Although France
and Germany promptly threw their weight behind a reform plan which would
reinforce governance within the alliance, scepticism remains high and even
non-eurozone members such as the Czech Republic are bracing for the worst. More
Current AffairsSlovak bailout rejections and Czech opt-outs – a view from Brussels
Central European politicking took centre stage in EU news on Tuesday, as
the Slovak Parliament voted against expanding the EU bailout fund and took
their government down with it. Meanwhile, the EU approved the ratification
of the Czech opt-out to its Charter of Fundamental Rights, which was
demanded by President Václav Klaus in 2009 as he steadfastly postponed his
signing of the Lisbon Treaty. To many of Wednesday’s political pundits it
seems the Czechs and Slovaks are making an art out of hijacking major EU
votes to drive through their domestic agendas. Our reporter Christian
Falvey asked Czech Social Democrat and Vice President of the European
Parliament Libor Rouček what kind of impression these events have left in
Brussels. More
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