Swedish and Finnish NATO Ratification, Hungarian Discussions Hint at Further Delays

Estonia to hold parliamentary elections on Sunday, 5 March. Hungarian parliament will vote on Finland’s and Sweden’s accession to NATO this week. Russian offensive expected, and Poland and Sweden announced Leopard tanks deliveries to Ukraine.

This week on Visegrad Insight:

• Marta Musidłowska looks into the EU’s perpetual problem of youth engagement.
• Marco Németh analyses why Slovakia’s support for Western values is falling behind the rest of the EU.
• Victoria  Kolchyna looks into how the trilateral French-German-Polish relations can steer the EU’s foreign and security policies.
• Brian Patrick Bolger gives an insightful reading of Jan Patocka on war and history.

EU/REGIONAL

• On the occasion of one year since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU pledged to adopt the tenth sanctions package against the Kremlin and not to rest in its efforts until Ukraine prevails, its territorial integrity is restored, Ukraine is rebuilt and justice is done.
• The Forever Pollution Project – 18 respected European media outlets published a months-long-researched investigation showing how the European continent is polluted by “forever chemicals” PFAS, which are extremely difficult and expensive to decontaminate from the environment.
• EU Competitiveness Council will be held on 2 March and is expected to adopt legislative measures on long-distance financial services contracts and short-term rental services. The Green Deal industry plan and the net zero act is also expected to be discussed.
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is to visit the US on 3 March. It will be Scholz’s first visit to the US since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine battles with increased number of attacks after marking one year of resistance to Russian full-scale invasion

UKRAINE