Insight Central Europe News
Bitter disappointment in Croatia over EU postponement
Croatia has expressed bitter disappointment at the European Union's decision to postpone membership talks. Other Central European countries, including Austria, Hungary and Slovenia had expressed support for Croatia in pushing for entry talks to begin, but the majority of EU foreign ministers said that Croatia had failed to do enough to arrest the war crimes suspect, Ante Gotovina.
Uncertainty in Poland over election date
Uncertainty continues over the date for Poland's general election. The Prime Minister Marek Belka has said that he wants to resign on May 5th, even though President Aleksander Kwasniewski has said he will not accept any resignation until two weeks later, when a Council of Europe summit ends in Warsaw. Mr Belka said that this would push back the date for Poland's election too far, and would unnecessarily prolong the current crippling political deadlock in the country. Both the president and prime minister agree that the election should be brought forward from its October deadline.
Austria's far right in turmoil
Turmoil continues in Austria's far-right Freedom Party, the smaller party in the ruling coalition, which has seen its support collapse in opinion polls. The controversial former party leader, Joerg Haider said that he was prepared to return to the helm of the party, but a former Freedom Party adviser, Lothar Hoebelt said that Mr Haider himself was responsible for the party's ills. One party MEP is facing expulsion over comments criticising the current party leadership.
Czech National Library acquires medieval manuscript
The Czech National Library has outbid all competitors and purchased a 14th-century Latin translation of the "Chronicle of Dalimil" - the oldest Czech language chronicle in verse that tells the story of the first Czech Kings. The library bought the 24-page illuminated fragment for 300,000 euros in a Paris auction room on Thursday. The library's director said the 14th-century manuscript was the most valuable work about Bohemia to go on the market in the last 80 years. For the last 150 years it had belonged to a French family, who had not realised its importance.
People-smuggling gang rounded up in Slovenia
Slovenian police are reported to have succeeded in breaking a gang smuggling illegal immigrants from Croatia through Slovenia into Italy. A local television station said that the gang had charged would-be migrants up to 500 euros for taking groups across the border. Police statistics show that the number of people caught trying to cross into Italy or Austria rose by over 12 percent last year.
US offers deal over property of Hungarian Jews pillaged at the end of WWII
The United States has agreed to pay over 25 million dollars to settle lawsuits in connection with the so-called "Hungarian Gold Train". This was a train carrying the confiscated belongings of 800,000 Hungarian Jews, that were pillaged and sold after falling into American hands just before the end of World War II. The US has promised to create a settlement fund, most of which will support welfare programmes for Hungarian Holocaust survivors.
