战略与国际研究中心-Select-Briefing-Vol-4,-No-37_2页_245kb

报告摘要

Immigration Regulation: On 31 October, the Czech parliament passed a law to tighten regulations for non-EU citizens seeking permanent residence. The law was proposed by the interior ministry due to concerns over questionable marriages and employment arrangements. It must still be approved by the Senate and signed by President Václav Klaus.
Government Priorities: On 29 October, Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek outlined five priorities for the next year, including public finance, state administration, safety, science, and education.
Military Training: The Czech parliament approved a proposal to allow soldiers from Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Morocco, and Tunisia to participate in training courses organized by the British Military Advisory and Training Team (BMATT) in Vyskov. Czech military intelligence expressed concerns, but the defense committee chairman stated there are no security risks.

Coalition Government: The Civic Platform (PO) and the Polish Peasant Party (PSL) are finalizing coalition talks. PSL will head three ministries: economy, agriculture, and environmental preservation or labor. Waldemar Pawlak is likely to become the new Minister of Economy.
Missile Defense Shield: The Silesian University in Katowice hosted a U.S. diplomat discussing the proposed missile defense shield in Europe. The U.S. plans to place ten ground-based missile interceptors in Poland, which is expected to enhance East European security and strengthen Polish-American relations.
Prosecutor Resignations: On 29 October, the chief prosecutor, Elzbieta Janicka, resigned after ten prosecutors from the Regional Prosecutor's Office protested against political pressure and interference in legal cases. The resignation also targeted her supervisor, Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro.

Transnational Highway: Hungary, Serbia, and Romania are planning a new highway to connect the three countries. The route will start in Smederevo, Serbia, and Timisoara, Romania, and cross Hungary's Great Plains before extending to Slovakia and Poland.
Global Competitiveness: Hungary dropped six places in the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report, ranking 47th. Estonia ranked the highest among post-communist countries at 27.
Renewable Energy Investment: Spain's Iberdrola Renewables acquired four wind farms in Hungary with an aggregate capacity of 108MW, increasing its total wind energy projects in the country to 254MW. The company sees Hungary as an attractive market.

Visit to South Korea: On 30 October, a Slovak delegation led by Prime Minister Robert Fico began a five-day visit to South Korea. The visit focused on economic and business cooperation, with plans to enhance cultural and scientific ties in the context of the expected Korea-EU free trade agreement.

Presidential Elections: The first round of Slovenia's presidential elections saw center-right candidate Lojze Peterle and left-leaning candidate Danilo Turk as the top contenders. Runoff elections are scheduled for 11 November.
EU Unity on Kosovo: Slovenia reaffirmed its commitment to EU unity on the issue of Kosovo's independence, with plans to take over the EU presidency in January 2008. The U.S.-Russia-EU troika is mediating between Serbian and Kosovar governments.
Schengen Accession: Slovenia, along with eight other 2004 EU accession states, will join the Schengen zone on 21 December, eliminating internal borders. The addition of Cyprus will be delayed by one year.

Lukoil Operations: Lukoil announced that its subsidiary Lukoil Baltija will manage its operations in the Baltic region. The move is part of a plan to expand its filling station network in northern, central, and eastern Europe.
NATO Exercise Participation: Lithuanian units from the motorized infantry brigade Gelezinis Vilkas participated in a NATO exercise in Germany, under the control of the Danish division, to improve interoperability.

Bilateral Relations with Russia: Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov in Moscow, discussing steps to normalize relations and cooperation on environmental, disaster response, and search and rescue operations.
Nordic Power Plant Proposal: Fortum Ternest expressed interest in building a combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Kuressaare, Estonia's largest island, and intends to acquire or lease the local thermal power provider.

Government Instability: Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis faces growing pressure after the resignation of the welfare minister, marking the fourth minister to step down in recent weeks. The government must survive a second reading of the 2008 budget in parliament.
U.S. Support: During a visit to Washington, Kalvitis met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, thanking her for U.S. support in the Latvian-Russian border treaty.
Joint Nuclear Power Station: The presidents of the three Baltic countries pledged to build a new joint nuclear power station, with plans to include Poland in the project.

Defense Cooperation: Bulgarian Defense Minister Veselin Bliznakov signed a memorandum of understanding with Bosnia-Hercegovina's defense minister, marking the first defense cooperation document between the two countries. The pact is seen as a positive step for EU and NATO integration.
Local Elections: The Bulgarian Socialist Party and GERB emerged as the top two parties in local elections, each with 25% voter support. GERB's candidate for Sofia mayor, Boyko Borissov, won a second term with a landslide.
Armenia Relations: Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov met with Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, discussing bilateral relations and cooperation, including support for Armenia's Euro-Atlantic integration.

EU Accession Progress: The European Commission's upcoming progress report criticizes the Western Balkans for corruption and ethnic tensions, but is most positive about Croatia. Despite this, the report criticizes Croatia's treatment of ethnic Serbs.
Parliamentary Elections: Polls predict a close race between the ruling HDZ and opposition SDP in the upcoming parliamentary elections on 25 November. Both parties are expected to gain around 30% of the votes, requiring alliances with smaller parties to form a government.

Joint Economic Committee: Romania and Hungary met on 30 October to discuss infrastructure and cross-border cooperation. Bilateral trade is expected to double to EUR 5 billion due to Romania's EU accession.
EU Relations: Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu met with German Bundestag Chairman Norbert Lammert, discussing Romania's efforts to secure EU structural and cohesion funds and the free movement of labor.

Publisher: CSIS New European Democracies Project
Focus: Monitoring developments in East, Central, and Southeast Europe
Scope: News from current and future EU member states
Team: Janusz Bugajski (Director), Ilona Teleki (Deputy Director and Fellow), Milena Staneva (Research Associate and Editor), and Research Interns Besian Boçka, Peter Kovac, Akos Losz, Loren Puette, and Kim Schneider.

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