Photo : Denes Erdos/Euronews
25 January 2025, Saturday | NIAS Europe Daily Brief #1046
SLOVAKIA
Prime Minister warns opposition and protestors over efforts to collapse the government through protests
On 23 January, thousands of Slovaks demonstrated for the fourth anti-government protest against Prime Minister Robert Fico. They accused him of growing close relations with Russia, which were stirred by Fico's recent trip to Moscow and meeting Russia's President Vladimir Putin. In the rally, Marián Kulich, managing director of the Peace for Ukraine organization said: "Slovakia belongs to Europe. We want to be in Europe as for values. We are not rising to Russia, nor do we want to have any co-operation with Russia. This is our stand and we have to put it across politely and responsibly." Fico's earlier remarks on Slovakia considering the EU and NATO alignment, fuelled tensions. These scenarios combined with his Russia-friendly stance spread outrage throughout society. The protests took place across 28 districts with more than double from previous week. In a speech at the parliament, Fico said accused the opposition, protest organisers to be working with the foreign actors to collapse the government. He mentioned a secret report from Slovakia's intelligence agency (SIS) to convey that opposition was planning to seize government buildings, obstruct traffic, go on a national strike, and instigate violent conflicts with police.
BELARUS
RSF raises concern over Lukashenko's crackdown on media and journalists
On 24 January, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) filed an official complaint against Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko before the International Criminal Court (ICC), accusing him of crimes against humanity. The complaint was lodged barely two days before the election, which is expected to give Lukashenko another 31 years in power. RSF also said that the period following the rigged presidential election of August 2020, the ballpark during which Lukashenko's heavy crackdown on dissent began, opened five years of ongoing persecution of journalists and media professionals, leading to at least 397 reporters being persecuted, several of them multiple times. Head of RSF's Eastern Europe desk, Jeanne Cavalier said: "For five years, the Belarusian regime has systematically persecuted independent voices, starting with journalists...to overcome this blatant impunity, RSF holds Lukashenko and the three ex-presidents accountable to the world court. He added: We urge the ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan to investigate and prosecute all those responsible." The RSF also pointed out that up until now, at least 43 journalists remain imprisoned, including Marina Zolatava, the former editor-in-chief of the Tut.by the news site, which was shut down in 2021 and was formerly considered the most popular independent media outlet in Belarus. While, the state media reported that Lukashenko had released 15 prisoners who were convicted of extremist activities and seven of drug trafficking. ("Belarus: RSF files ICC complaint against Lukashenko," Deutsche Welle, 24 January 2025)
GREECE
Conservative party member in tough place to win the presidential elections
On 25 January, the first round of presidential elections is due to take place in Greece. However, the outcome looks to favour of Konstantinos Tasoulas, a member of the conservative New Democracy party and a former speaker of parliament. Tasoulas is expected to require four rounds to garner the necessary support of members of parliament to win, as his right-wing conservative stance lacks the bipartisan consensus needed for a two-thirds majority (200 out of 300 votes) in the initial rounds. However, Tasoulas is unlikely to reach even the 180 votes threshold in the third round threshold set by Parliament since the fall of the Greek junta in 1974. This is due to the 2019 amendment to the laws governing presidential elections, which requires him a majority of 151 votes. Only the far-right Spartans party could support him. Tasoulas faces a challenge in the Greek presidential race as multiple opposing candidates tackle for this position.
FRANCE
Issues arrest warrant to Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad
On 23 January, French judges reportedly issued a fresh arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad, the ex-Syrian leader. They cited complicity in war crimes committed in the barrel bomb attack on civilians in 2017 that killed a French-Syrian. According to the report in Euronews, the Paris Tribunal special war crime unit issued the arrest mandate this week connected with the death of Salah Abou Nabout caused by the bombing of his home in 2017. The attack confirmed the involvement of al-Assad. The investigation into Nabout's death began in 2018 when French judges issued arrest warrants for six senior Syrian army officers suspected of carrying out orders from al-Assad and concealing their involvement in war crimes linked to the bombing. Omar Abou Nabout, the son of Nabout said: "This case is the culmination of a long fight for justice that my family and I believed in from the very beginning." Two arrest warrants have been issued against al-Assad so far by different French judges. The first was on a chemical attack lodged in November 2023.
SERBIA
Thousands protest against corruption and construction fault after roof collapse in a train station
On 24 January, thousands came to the streets in massive anti-government protests in Serbia's capital calling for a national strike. Students led the protests, saw the shutting down of stores, with teachers' unions extending their support. Protests were also held in the southern city of Niš, and smaller towns, including Jagodina, in response to President Aleksandar Vučić, who had been expected to show up at a counterdemonstration. These protests were triggered by a roof collapse at the Novi Sad train station in northern Serbia, which killed 15 people in November. The protestors have been accusing the government of corruption, nepotism, and shoddy construction, demanding a speedier and more transparent justice for the culprits behind this tragedy. The station underwent two refurbishments in the past few years and was part of a larger infrastructure project that had seen the participation of state-owned Chinese companies. Prosecutors have charged 13 people, including former Infrastructure Minister Goran Vesic, with the charges yet to be confirmed by a federal court. President Vučić and his supporters have further accused this group of student protesters of being under foreign influence, attributing to an attempt to topple their government. Pro-government forces have continued to rain attacks and contempt against the protesters. ("Serbia: Thousands protest over Novi Sad station collapse," Deutsche Welle, 24 January 2025)
THE UK
Storm Eowyn causes severe damage to infrastructure
On 24 January, Storm Eowyn hit Ireland and Northern Ireland leading to devastating winds that reached speeds exceeded 180 kilometers per hour. One was reported dead in Ireland, according to police reports.The extreme weather forced a halt to public transport, shut down schools, and closed roads. Several flights were cancelled at airports in Dublin, Belfast, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. There were "unprecedented" damage to infrastructure, with over 700,000 homes and businesses in Ireland and close to 100,000 in Northern Ireland without power. It is expected to take at least a week to restore power to some areas. Wind gusts of up to 183 km/h (or 114 mph) were recorded near Galway on Ireland's west coast by Met Éireann, Ireland's national meteorological office. This broke the earlier record in 1945 for a maximum of 182 km/h. The storm caused Met Éireann to issue a rare red warning covering the whole UK, stating, "danger to life," and warned that "extremely dangerous traveling conditions" existed with flooding along the coasts issued its own warnings. The government officials in Scotland and Ireland had lifted the red warning but continued to call on the public to remain careful. The UK Met Office issued warnings to Scotland and Northern Ireland, predicting storm damage to buildings, uprooted trees, and power outages. Northern Ireland's First Minister, Michelle O'Neill called the storm as a genuine threat to life and property and urged residents to stay home. Police in Northern Ireland termed the storm an "exceptional weather event" and stated that winds could potentially be the strongest experienced since 1998. Scientists suggest that the rapid intensification of Storm Eowyn could be linked to climate change. While it is difficult to point it on climate change in any specific storm, experts also stated that all storms formed in an atmosphere from warming due to carbon emissions of fossil fuel burning.
REGIONAL
Opinion in Deutsche Welle focuses on renewable energy as mitigation for climate change
On 24 January, Deutsche Welle reported on the current transformation on the global energy landscape. Due to this, the share of solar and wind power has increased four times from five per cent to 19 per cent today. This includes hydropower, biomass, and geothermal energy, renewable sources of 35 per cent comoposition of the world’s electricity. However, the largest share of global energy goes to heating and transportation, while the renewable energy share remains much lower. Renewables account for only 15 per cent of total global energy consumption which is only the slightest rise of two per cent since 2015. Whereas solar power dominates to be fast-growing in global energy production with no signs of slowing down. This growth is largely driven by significant cost reductions and the flexibility of solar installations, which can be deployed anywhere. China is observed to be a dominant player in solar energy production with a 10 per cent contribution to electricity and 86 per cent solar panel production across the world. It also accounts for 44 per cent of global solar module installations. The increase in solar energy production has made renewable more affordable leading to price reduction by one-fifth compared to 2010. Especially in the US and the EU, the electricity cost has become cheaper than those from fossil fuel plants. Similarly, wind power generation has also increased in 2024 accounting for 10 per cent of global electricity demand. The key contributors to the rise in wind energy production are China, the US, Germany, India, Spain, and Brazil. Such expansion of renewable energy sources has helped in reducing the world's dependence on fossil fuels and mitigating global warming however the current renewable energy mix is not enough to reach the goals set in the Paris Agreement as measures to remove carbon dioxide also needs to be taken alongside. ("How renewables boom could mitigate global climate change," Deutsche Welle, 24 January 2025)
The EU: Proposes financial support for farmers who might be affected by the Mercosur deal
On 23 January, Euronews reported on the farmers across the EU concern over the free trade agreement with the Latin America. The Mercosur bloc consists of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia, and the trade agreement is yet to be ratified which may cause severe disruption to the European markets that are particularly sensitive to industries such as beef and poultry. Hence, the EU has offered to make security arrangements in response to these worries partly to pacify countries, such as France and Poland, where political muscle is flexed by farmers. However, recent negotiations on these securities have left the agricultural sector baffled. In a hearing with the members of the European Parliament earlier, the EU trade commissioner drew "fund" to support farmers if the deal disturbed European agriculture. The uncertainty as to whether this support should be called a fund, or a reserve has introduced apprehension among farmers. "Fund," they argue, suggests some certainty of assisting in case of a problem, while a reserve could only be invoked when a crisis hits. Compounding the confusion, a Commission representative later flatly denied the existence of a compensation fund during a technical meeting with EU ambassadors it was called an "additional reserve." While the exact wording remains ambiguous, the spokesperson for the Commission reassured that the intention is to set up a net for the farmers and rural areas. For example, the EU's subsidy program consists of two major funds: First, the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF), with a EUR 291 billion allocation for income support schemes; next, a Rural Development Fund with an EU 95.5 billion budget. An annual agricultural reserve worth EUR 450 million already exists in the CAP and can be activated only in exceptional circumstances. The proposed Mercosur reserve could follow a similar model and supplement the existing reserves with the aforementioned agricultural reserve. (Gerardo Fortuna, "EU plans to shield farmers from free trade deal with South America," Euronews, 23 January 2024)