Central Europe Review: politics, society and culture in Central and Eastern Europe
This week's articles are listed below

The Issue (#5):
Euro-fatalism

Andrew Stroehlein

THEME:

The EU:
Promised land or
bad neighbour?

A Step Backwards
for Estonia?

Managing
Macedonia's
Future in Europe

Romania's Only Way Ahead

A Green El Dorado?


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REGULAR COLUMNISTS:

Mel Huang:
A Hot Summer in Riga

Catherine Lovatt: Romania
and the EU

Sam Vaknin:
NATO's Assault on
the Environment in
the Balkans

Tomas Pecina:
Czechs and NATO

Vaclav Pinkava:
Contrariwise

Gusztav Kosztolanyi:
Corruption in
Hungary


SEARCH
Central Europe
Review.


NEWS:

Baltic States
Czech Republic
Poland
Romania


Readers' Choice:
The most popular article last week

Hungarian IT
Past and Present


BOOKS:

Book Review:
A Testimony of Failure: Martin Fendrych's
Jako ptak na drate

The CER
Book Shop


MUSIC:

Willis of Oz

The CER
Music Shop


ON DISPLAY:

Central European
Culture in the UK


KINOEYE:

Gyorgy Szomjas's
Gengszterfilm

Djordje Milosavljevic's
Tockovi


PARTNER SITE:

Transitions Online


NEXT WEEK:

Television
in Central Europe


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Vol 1, No 5, 26 July 1999

Click to jump to the various sections of CER.

The European Union and the Environment E U R O P E   A N D   T H E   E N V I R O N M E N T:
A Green El Dorado?

The European Union is often perceived as a green El Dorado next to its "dirty" neighbours to the east. If nothing else, it seems membership in the EU will at least mean a cleaner and healthier environment on the other side of the former Iron Curtain. But will it?

Andreas Beckmann


Crime and police corruption in Hungary C O R R U P T I O N   I N   H U N G A R Y:
Blind Justice

The rule of law may very well prevail in Hungary on paper, but in practice a quite different picture emerges - one of arbitrary arrest, incompetence and indifference. We are not confronted here with a few rotten apples spoiling the contents of the barrel but with a system which tolerates corruption, where bribery is an accepted oiling of the machinery and where an appropriate ethos of professional pride is entirely lacking.

Gusztav Kosztolanyi

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The European Union: Promised land or bad neighbour? Theme of the Week
The European Union:
Promised land or bad neighbour?

AIMING FOR THE EU:
A Step Backwards for Estonia?
Mel Huang
Experts have pointed out that Estonia would actually have to de-liberalize its economy to fit into the complex European Union. This raises the question: why is EU membership important for Estonia at all?
AIMING FOR THE EU:
Managing Macedonia's Future
Sam Vaknin
The nature of Macedonia's relationship with the EU will not change if the EU does not honour its promises and obligations. Macedonia is currently constrained to a very limited set of diplomatic and economic choices.
AIMING FOR THE EU:
Romania's Only Way Ahead
Catherine Lovatt
Romania is caught between pleasant-sounding political guarantees abroad and the reality of economic chaos at home. Fast-track entry into the EU may seem a distant dream, and even entry would bring serious difficulties. But it is really the only way forward.
AIMING FOR THE EU:
A Green El Dorado?
Andreas Beckmann
The European Union is often perceived as a green El Dorado next to its "dirty" neighbours to the east. If nothing else, it seems, membership in the EU will at least mean a cleaner and healthier environment on the other side of the former Iron Curtain. But will it?

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CER's Regular Columns:

A WESTERNER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE:
Arranged Marriage with Aborted Honeymoon?
Tomas Pecina
A look at why the Czech Republic is considered to be the weakest link in NATO and how the Czech press and the major political parties manipulated the public's opinion of NATO and its intervention in Kosovo.
BALKAN ENCOUNTER:
The Dark Clouds of NATO
Sam Vaknin
The Assessment of Environmental Impact of Military Activities During the Yugoslavia Conflict - Preliminary Findings makes disturbing reading. It is, in fact, forty pages of horror.
CSARDAS:
Blind Justice
Gusztav Kosztolanyi
The rule of law may very well prevail on Hungary on paper, but in practice a quite different picture emerges - one of arbitrary arrest, incompetence and indifference.
AMBER COAST:
A Hot Summer in Riga
Mel Huang
As well as the temperature hitting 30C on most days, the summer has been extremely hot in Riga for other reasons, namely politics.
KALEIDOSCOPE:
Contrariwise
Vaclav Pinkava
English books are bound with the writing on the spine such that you have to turn your head to the right to read along the bookshelf. Here, in Central Europe, it is contrariwise. Read into that what you will.
MIORITA:
Romania's Only Way Ahead
Catherine Lovatt
Fast-track entry into the EU may seem a distant dream, and even entry would bring serious difficulties. But it is really the only way forward.

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Kinoeye: Film in Central and Eastern EuropeK   i   n   o   e   y   e

This week, Kinoeye resumes coverage of the 34th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic with reviews of two films and their two different attitudes to violence. Click on either article to find more information of previous Kinoeye coverage of films which were shown at Karlovy Vary.

KARLOVY VARY:
The Mindless Violence of the Anaesthetised: Gyorgy Szomjas's Gengszterfilm
Andrew J Horton
A cool and dispassionate look at a hum-drum life of robbery and mindless violence in post-totalitarian Hungary.
KARLOVY VARY:
It Was a Dark and Stormy Night:
Djordje Milosavljevic's Tockovi

Andrew J Horton
The world premiere of a violent Yugolslav thriller which has been dubbed "Tarantino-esque".

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Books and Literature

Like a bird on a wire / Like a drunk in a midnight choir / I have tried in my way to be free B O O K   R E V I E W:
A Testimony of Failure:
Martin Fendrych's Jako ptak na drate

Written by a former deputy minister, Jako ptak na drate (Like a Bird on a Wire) speaks volumes not only about Czech politics but also about today's Czech culture and society.

Reviewed by Jan Culik

 

S U P P L E M E N T:
The CER Book Shop:
Books about Central and Eastern Europe

Have a look at CER's list of books on the region - all available from Amazon.com. The list is divided into five subject headings: cinema, literature, politics, history and economics.

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M   u   s   i   c

Willis Conover J A Z Z:
Willis of Oz
James Lester
Among the programs offered abroad by the radio station The Voice of America (VOA), one of the longest-running and most surprisingly successful has been Music, USA, a jazz program hosted by Willis Conover.

Music in Central and Eastern Europe S U P P L E M E N T:
The CER Music Shop

In co-operation with Amazon.com, Central Europe Review offers you this on-line shopping supplement.

 


O n   D i s p l a y

E V E N T S:
Coming Up in the UK

Details of selected Central and East European cultural events in the UK over the next few weeks.

Andrew J Horton


Last Week's News in Central Europe:

The Baltic States    Mel Huang

The Czech Republic    Kazi Stastna

Germany    RP Online

Poland    Donosy-English and Joanna Rohozinska

Romania    Catherine and David Lovatt

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