Short vita
Toni Skorić works as Desk Officer for European Dialogue at the Europe Desk of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom in Potsdam. Before that he served as a Project Manager for Central Europe and the Baltic States in the Prague office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom. In addition, he gained work experience as an Expert Associate at the Department for International Affairs in the Croatian Parliament, an intern in the German Bundestag and as a trainee in the Directorate General for Translation of the European Parliament in Luxembourg. He studied German and Czech Language and Literature for Translators at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Zagreb. He also holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Open University of Catalonia. He speaks Croatian, English, German and Czech.
Contributions
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Turmoil in European Parliament – Orbán Forestalls the Expulsion from EPP Group
Shortly after the European People’s Party (EPP) Group in the European Parliament approved an amendment to its Rules of Procedure that paved the way for Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party to be suspended from its ranks, the Hungarian Prime Minister announced that his party’s MEPs will leave the Group of the Christian Democrats. How does this decision affect Fidesz, the EPP, and the Hungarian opposition? Which party family in Europe could Orbán now join?
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Liberal Opposition Leader Kallas to become Estonia’s first Female Prime Minister
Estonia’s Prime Minister Jüri Ratas has resigned over a corruption investigation in his party. He paved the way for the opposition Reform Party to form a new governing coalition that excludes the right-wing populist allies of the previous government.
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Veto on EU Financial Package: EU Core Values Deserve Clear Message
Last Monday, Hungary and Poland blocked the EU’s historic financial package of 1.82 trillion euros. The right-wing nationalist governments of the two countries want to prevent the rule of law compliance conditionality in the distribution of EU funds. Meanwhile, the recently declared “State of Danger” in Hungary is being used by the government to amend the constitution again under the pretext of the Corona pandemic and to govern by decree. The new draft laws restrict the rights of LGBTI persons, undermine the transparency of expenditure of state funds and reduce the influence of opposition parties in the next parliamentary elections.
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Pragmatism or Sign of Weakness? – Visegrad Countries React Cautiously to the Refugee Pact
Refugee policy has gained momentum. In the run-up to the EU summit, the EU Commission wants to accommodate the representatives of the Central European countries of the Visegrad Group (V4): “Flexible solidarity” is the motto. A compulsory quota and distribution system of refugees among all EU countries will not be implemented. For too long the V4 had opposed the proposal favoured by Germany.
