Tuesday, January 14, 2025
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Polaris of Enlightenment

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/europe/pfizer-sues-hungary-over-non-payment-for-vaccines/

Europe

Pfizer sues Hungary over non-payment for vaccines

Published 8 December 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Pfizer's headquarters in New York City.
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Pfizer takes legal action against Hungary for non-payment of three million doses of covid vaccine. This follows a similar lawsuit against Poland.

In November, it was revealed that the pharmaceutical giant was suing Poland for 60 million doses of covid vaccine that the country had not yet paid for, as previously reported on The Nordic Times. The lawsuit comes after the European Commission signed a deal with Pfizer for 1.8 billion doses of covid vaccine in 2021, which was the largest vaccine deal the EU has ever made.

In April 2022, Poland opted to suspend deliveries of covid vaccines under a force majeure clause in the contract, citing, among other things, the financial strain caused by the influx of refugees from the war in Ukraine.

In January, Pfizer also filed a lawsuit against Hungary, Politico reports. The lawsuit seeks payment for three million doses of the covid vaccine that the country has not yet paid to the pharmaceutical company. The total amount involved is approximately 60 million euros.

Hungary announced in November 2022 that it would not pay for the vaccine doses, partly because of the economic strain caused by the war in Ukraine. A first hearing in the case was held in March, where a judge rejected Pfizer’s request for an expedited decision. The case has not proceeded since then.

In the Polish case, a brief first hearing was held last week where both parties decided to postpone the case until January 30.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/europe/eu-official-we-can-invalidate-the-election-in-germany-if-necessary/

Europe

EU official: We can invalidate the election in Germany – “if necessary”

Totalitarianism

Published today 12:57
– By Editorial Staff
Thierry Breton flags that Brussels could annul the German elections - “if necessary”.
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Former EU commissioner Thierry Breton explains that the EU could annul the upcoming elections in Germany in case of suspicion of foreign influence.

– We did it in Romania and, if necessary, we will have to do it in Germany as well, he said.

The statement was made in an interview on the French news program Apolline Matin, focusing on Elon Musk’s platform X (formerly Twitter) and its potential role in the German elections.

Breton, former Commissioner for the Internal Market from 2019 to 2024, referred to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a law established in 2022 and whose purpose is nominally stated as protecting democracy by regulating digital platforms, fighting disinformation and preventing foreign influence on elections. He stressed that it was his staff who wrote the law, and that the EU is now “equipped” to apply it if necessary.

The law was recently used as a basis to investigate TikTok in the context of Romania’s presidential election, which was annulled following allegations of foreign interference. In recent days, large-scale demonstrations have broken out in Bucharest, with thousands of people protesting against the EU’s actions.

Germany’s elections, to be held next month, have already sparked discussions about the AfD’s success and Elon Musk’s open support for the party via X.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/large-protests-after-annulled-presidential-election-romanians-have-chosen-their-president/

Europe

Large protests after annulled presidential election: “Romanians have chosen their president”

Published today 11:54
– By Editorial Staff
Photos from the protests in Bucharest.
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In recent days, large-scale demonstrations have taken place in the Romanian capital Bucharest and other major cities.

The protests, which gathered more than 100,000 participants in Bucharest, target the incumbent President Klaus Iohannis and the current government, which the demonstrators consider illegitimate.

The demonstrations began after Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election, in which Călin Georgescu won with 22.95% of the vote. A second round was to have been held on December 8, 2024 between Georgescu and reformist leader Elena Lasconi, but this was stopped by the court’s decision.

– We are more than a 100,000 Bucharest. Iohannis has to leave, shouted one of the protesters, adding: This usurper of a president, who has elected an illegitimate government, has to leave urgently!

Protesters demand that Călin Georgescu, who won the first round of the presidential elections, be recognized as the legitimate leader of the country.

– Romanians have chosen their president. We have to resume urgently round two of the elections and let the people decide who must lead Romania!

The court’s decision was motivated by suspicions of foreign influence, particularly via social media, which allegedly benefited Georgescu’s campaign. This has been met with strong condemnation from both Georgescu and Lasconi, who say the decision is a threat to democracy.

Parallel protests in Serbia

Meanwhile, demonstrations have taken place in Serbia, where discontent over the government’s handling of a collapsed train station in Novi Sad has led to widespread protests. Some protesters have shown symbolic solidarity with their Romanian neighbors by waving Romanian flags and tearing up EU flags, underlining a regional frustration with political abuse of power.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/landslide-victory-for-eurosceptic-president-in-croatia/

Europe

Landslide victory for Eurosceptic president in Croatia

Published today 7:59
– By Editorial Staff
Zoran Milanović re-elected for another term as President of Croatia.
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Zoran Milanović has secured another term as President of Croatia after winning the election with an overwhelming majority. His re-election marks a continued Eurosceptic stance and a clear unwillingness to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Milanović, who often criticizes EU policies and Western support for Kiev, received a whopping 74.6% of the vote in the election, with his conservative opponent Dragan Primorac receiving only 25.3% support.

The victory reinforces Milanović’s position as one of the most outspoken and controversial leaders in the EU.

– It’s a plebiscite message from the Croatian people to all those who ought to hear it, and I ask that they listen, said Milanović in his victory speech.

During his first term, Milanović refused to allow Croatian participation in NATO’s training program for Ukrainian soldiers. He has also repeatedly criticized Western economic and military aid to Ukraine.

In his victory speech, he stressed that he intends to be “an equal participant in matters of foreign policy… In matters of defense and security, I will serve as the Commander-in-Chief – not as an equal, but as the highest-ranking authority – because that is what the Constitution stipulates“.

Tensions between President and Prime Minister

Tensions between Milanović and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković now risk deepening. Plenković, who leads the pro-EU conservative HDZ party, has not yet congratulated the president on his victory. Milanović, for his part, has announced talks with the government to discuss the country’s political direction.

The president’s role in Croatia is mainly ceremonial, but the office’s influence in defense and foreign policy gives him a central voice on issues related to the country’s relationship with the EU and NATO.

Milanović’s positions, which often reflect a somewhat broader trend of Euroscepticism in the region, can thus be said to place Croatia in the same camp as countries like Hungary and Slovakia.

He has repeatedly argued that Croatia should not be drawn into a “geopolitical game” that he believes mainly benefits great powers like the United States.

In a broader context, Milanović’s policies raise questions about the future of the EU and its common stance towards Ukraine. His re-election highlights a growing division within the Union, with several member states expressing dissatisfaction with continued support for Kiev.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/french-nationalist-leader-jean-marie-le-pen-is-dead/

Europe

French nationalist leader Jean-Marie Le Pen is dead

Published 7 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Jean-Marie Le Pen during a May Day speech in France in 2012.
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Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder and former leader of the French nationalist party National Front (later National Rally), has died at the age of 96. His family confirmed this to the AFP news agency.

During his leadership of the National Front, which he founded in 1972, Le Pen established the party as a major force in French politics and challenged the established powers. He stood up for the protection of French culture, identity and borders, and raised issues close to the people, such as the impact of immigration.

Le Pen was also known for his outspokenness and for daring to address controversial topics, which made him both loved by many and hated by some. After a long career as party leader, he handed over the post to his daughter Marine Le Pen in 2011.

But their relationship deteriorated sharply when Jean-Marie criticized Marine’s leadership of the National Front, leading to his expulsion from the party in 2015. “This is a great betrayal,” he said at the time. The party then changed its name to the National Rally under Marine Le Pen’s leadership.

Despite their personal conflicts, Jean-Marie continued to be a significant figure in French political debate.

Daring statement on the holocaust

Le Pen stood up on several topics that were politically highly challenging. Perhaps the most famous of his controversial statements was when, on September 13, 1987, during the RTL-Le Monde grand jury, he downplayed the importance of the gas chambers.

“I’m not saying that the gas chambers did not exist,” he said. “I myself have never seen one. I have not studied the issue specifically. But I think it is a detail in the history of the Second World War.”

For his statement, Mr. Le Pen was vilified in the mainstream media and stripped of his parliamentary immunity.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com