Slovak leaders wrestle with Brussels – and each other Twenty-one years after joining the European Union — on 1 May 2004 — Slovakia finds itself at a crossroads While membership has brought economic growth billions in investment and a sense of security in uncertain times national leaders and political parties remain deeply divided on how the country should shape its future in Europe peaceful coexistence and respect for human dignity,” Radim Dvořák acting head of the European Commission’s Representation in Slovakia He added that the EU has helped deliver stability and prosperity but warned that unity and cooperation should not be taken for granted Slovakia has received more than €38 billion in EU funding ranging from schools and hospitals to roads Slovakia’s gross national income has grown by an average of 7 percent annually with GDP per capita rising from 59 percent of the EU average in 2004 to 71 percent by 2022 President Peter Pellegrini struck a more sombre tone “We are witnessing global changes at a pace unseen for decades and the rules of the past are being rewritten,” he said Yet Pellegrini also criticised the bloc’s shortcomings including “excessive bureaucracy” and bold but impractical initiatives he called the EU “our civilisational anchor and security space” urging Slovaks to embrace their place at the table while advocating for reforms According to a Eurobarometer survey conducted in December 53 per cent of Slovaks said they trust the European Union while two-thirds described themselves as feeling connected to it The debate over Slovakia’s role in the EU is The ruling Smer party took a sharper stance calling for a return to sovereign cooperation between member states and rejecting what it sees as centralised decision-making and unrealistic green policies It warned that scrapping the national veto could marginalise smaller countries turning them into “mere statisticians” in the European project though through commercial contracts rather than donations from its own armed forces MEP Martin Hojsík said the EU must become a true global power ready for enlargement towards Ukraine and the Western Balkans including reducing the use of vetoes in foreign policy “We need an EU ready to defend itself and protect democracy,” Hojsík told TASR warning that Slovakia risks being sidelined in common defence plans has warned that the country’s place in the European Union is no longer guaranteed as leading political figures continue to question its value He argued that the nation should act as a strong and constructive partner in Brussels — a role he believes it is failing to fulfil Slovakia finds itself in perhaps its weakest position yet,” Šimečka said Our only ally is Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán we are seen as problem members of the EU.” Prime Minister Fico rarely travels to meet European partners firmly rejected any notion of leaving the EU “The EU is our living space,” party leader and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok told TASR leaving is a red line.” He stressed that while Slovakia should not be subservient it must remain a constructive and responsible member Slovakia has seen protests under the banner “Slovakia is Europe” sparked by remarks in January from Deputy Speaker of Parliament Tibor Gašpar (Smer) who suggested the country might one day leave the European Union EU membership remains vital despite its flaws and Europe stands for human dignity and freedom,” he told TASR though he lamented Slovakia’s lack of leadership on key EU issues saying those advocating departure are harming the country Štefan Osuský fought tooth and nail for every square metre of Czechoslovakia You can read this exclusive content thanks to the FALATH & PARTNERS law firm which assists American people with Slovak roots in obtaining Slovak citizenship and reconnecting them with the land of their ancestors This article was compiled from following sources: The Dejiny Podcast, Musil, M: Štefan Osuský – priekopník Spoločnosti národov a zjednotenej Európy The United Nations Museum Geneva holds only a few portraits of figures who made an impact on the organisation's predecessor Among them is Slovak Štefan Osuský one of the most prominent diplomats of the fledgling Czechoslovakia His path to this exalted position was a long and unlikely one while Osuský was studying at the Lutheran Lyceum in Bratislava the school was visited by Count Albert Apponyi who as minister of education was later responsible for a series of laws intended to "Magyarise" the non-Hungarian populations of the Hungarian Kingdom (of which Slovakia was at that time a part) After the class Apponyi asked him where he came from to which Osuský replied Brezová (now Brezová pod Bradlom) a town that was known for its strong Slovak feelings that didn't stop Apponyi from saying that hopefully the young man would become a good Magyar (i.e He asked the school – and later all others in the Austro-Hungarian Empire – to dismiss Osuský A year later Osuský emigrated to Chicago where a strong Czech-Slovak community was present Osuský met Apponyi once again during discussions about the Treaty of Trianon which would establish Hungary's post-WWI borders this time around it was the former who had the upper hand Osuský was still interested in what was happening in his homeland he participated in expatriate organisations including the Slovak League and started publishing "Slovenské Noviny" (Slovak Newspaper) but was lucky enough to have a knack for learning foreign languages a five-point programme of Slovak and Czech cooperation which reaffirmed the commitment of both nations to fight for self-determination; at the time Osuský was a strong proponent of a Czech-Slovak statehood and believed that Slovaks themselves could thrive as part of a bigger state He was then sent back to Europe to ensure acceptance of the agreement and to establish ties with members of Czechoslovak foreign resistance but he was quickly sent to Paris where the Czech National Council an umbrella organisation promoting the creation of Czechoslovakia Osuský was adamant that the Czech National Council be renamed the Czech-Slovak National Council otherwise he would return to the US and tell Slovaks the council was not interested in working with them Osuský came to France not knowing any French; and Osuský's path then took him to Switzerland Utilising his knowledge of German and Hungarian he sought to combat Austro-Hungarian propaganda that sought to obfuscate the true situation of minorities in the empire This activism caught the attention of the US Embassy in Bern When Switzerland sought to expel Osuský the embassy stepped in and stopped it from doing so This connection eventually put Osuský in a position of great power – he was able to influence US President Woodrow Wilson's idea of postwar Europe and acquaint him with the position of the Slovaks and Czechs Osuský was able to warn Wilson's advisor George Herron who was holding talks with Austro-Hungarian emissaries in 1917 and 1918 that many promises of autonomy for nations within the empire had been made since 1848 he knew more about the circumstances in Europe than diplomats from the US After WWI ended and Czechoslovakia was created in late 1918 Osuský represented the country at important conferences during which he led the Czechoslovak delegation He proved crucial in delineating the country's borders in discussions about the Treaty of Trianon fighting tooth and nail for every square metre including the status of the mouth of the River Váh which flows entirely through Slovakia before emptying into the Danube as well as the biggest river island in Europe the man who had inadvertently set him on his diplomatic path some years earlier it was Osuský who had the upper hand Osuský became the Czechoslovak delegate to the emerging League of Nations; his 16-year stint in the Control Commission set a record and he also worked with the Reparations Commission representing several nations in addition to Czechoslovakia he was engaged in settling the Chaco War between Bolivia and Paraguay in 1932-35 Osuský served as Czechoslovakia's ambassador to France from 1921 all the way until 1940 His work greatly contributed to the development of relations between both countries; for example he played a fundamental role in drafting and concluding a treaty of alliance and friendship between the two After the breakup of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 Osuský refused to relinquish the Paris embassy and kept it functioning He also took a leading role in ensuring the continuity of Czechoslovakia after the country's breakup he helped organise the Czechoslovak resistance abroad Osuský was a victim of his own success; his activity in the League of Nations as well as his diplomatic successes would often put him at odds with Czech statesman Edvard Beneš who at the time led the Czechoslovak government in exile and who later removed Osuský from all his positions The two men had differing opinions when it came to restructuring of the republic after the war as well as the organisation of the resistance Osuský subsequently withdrew from active involvement in public affairs when the Communist Party took power in Czechoslovakia in a putsch he became active in the Council of Free Czechoslovakia he never returned to his homeland and died in the USA in 1973 Osuský was a proponent of a pan-European federation "Until the nations understand that their interests go beyond their national borders until they decide to organise themselves in Europe no new institution can remove the evil from which this old continent suffers.. just as it is the great homeland for those I turn to." Osuský was posthumously awarded the Czechoslovak Order of T and Slovakia's Order of the White Double Cross His legacy endures in the form of the Štefan Osuský Summer School of Diplomacy organised by the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry A helping hand in the heart of Europe thanks to the Slovakia travel guide with more than 1,000 photos and hundred of tourist spots Detailed travel guide to the Tatras introduces you to the whole region around the Tatra mountains Lost in Bratislava? Impossible with our City Guide As the immigration debate hit another low last week I received the news that my favorite immigrant died: my father-in-law I don't want to politicize Paul's story too much the man wasn't a talking point; he was a hero one of the things about today's immigration debate that breaks my heart is how both sides have lost the plot There are legitimate policy arguments on all sides but the story of immigration is getting slaughtered in the crossfire in the then-Czechoslovakian (today just Slovakian) village of Brezova pod Bradlom He saw things then he didn't like to talk about he was expelled for questioning Communist doctrine in class he swam the Danube by moonlight to escape the Communists where they sent him to Germany to finish high school Colorado State University offered him a scholarship he signed on as a hand on a United Nations refugee ship he was tasked with preventing panicking passengers from rushing to the top deck for air He was tied to the railing and given a billy club to beat the passengers back — for their own good he changed his name to Paul and met his saintly wife He soon transferred to the University of Chicago where he worked as a milkman while pursuing a joint bachelor's-master's degree under Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman When he heard about a teaching job at the University of Alaska Fairbanks he and a pregnant Donna packed their three young children in a car and drove north and west So he returned to his vocation as a milkman he scrimped and borrowed enough money to open a small grocery store of his own in Fairbanks Fairbanks' first shopping mall and a wholesale food business that supplied native villages and the Russian far east alike He also had nine children and invested his time Opinions will differ about the takeaway of Paul's story one of the most important things is not that he got rich It's that the United States gave him a shot to carve out the life that he wanted — and he remained grateful for the opportunity his whole life and a scholar and friend (who passed away not long ago) often told the story of his family's escape from Hungary after the failed 1958 uprising "We are going to America," Peter's father told him We were born Americans but in the wrong place." Today the conversation about immigration is so toxic in part because we poisonously disagree about what it means to be an American Thanks to the identity politics of the left and the right immigrants are increasingly cast either as imported victims ready-made to join the Coalition of the Oppressed or invading "takers," "rapists" and even "animals." Of course there's a kernel of truth to both sides' awful shouting points on immigrants but they crowd out the greater truth: Most immigrants even those who are in the country illegally nor are they eager to be props for the latest campus debate about intersectionality they are human beings desperate to make the most of the American dream as they see it That's the immigration story in America: people leaving — or fleeing — the places of their birth for the freedom to try their best "Suicide of the West," is now available wherever books are sold To mark the 103rd anniversary of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik's tragic death Deputy Defence Minister Majer paid his respects to the memory of Gen Štefánik during a commemoration on Štefánik Embankment in Bratislava today (4 May 2022) Among those who also took a moment to pay tribute to this prominent figure of contemporary Slovak history were Parliamentary Speaker Boris Kollár and Serbian Chargé d’Affaires Marije Barlovič Deputy Defence Minister Majer said: “General Milan Rastislav Štefánik is credited with playing a major part in building the national identity of Czechs and Slovaks Through his active engagement as a tireless advocate for the cause of Czechoslovakia abroad he made a significant contribution to establishing their common Never ever will the deathless legacy of Štefánikʼs sacrificial love of his country heroism and patriotism fall into oblivion.” is viewed as one of the most prominent personalities of contemporary Slovak history The man of many talents has gone down in European history as an astronomer an organiser of the Czechoslovak Legion in France he boarded a Caproni Ca.33 biplane at Udine-Campoformido airfield to return home to Czechoslovakia his airplane crashed near Ivanka pri Dunaji is at Gen Štefánik's Tomb on Bradlo Hill in Brezová pod Bradlom INDIANA National Guard Commander Courtney P Carr visits Slovakia for the first time since being appointed as the new commander of the armed force in June 2015 His visit coincides with Slovak Shield 2015 by far the largest international military exercise undertaken by the Slovak Armed Forces which should feature more than 600 pieces of military equipment and almost 4,000 soldiers including 119 members of the Indiana National Guard “The presence of the National Guard of Indiana in our exercises whether it’s Slovak Shield or last year’s Ground Pepper exercise provides an excellent opportunity for our armed forces,” said Defence Minister Martin Glváč “We can test our ability to respond to threats in cooperation with our allies and demonstrate how we interact with each other I appreciate the fact that our relations are very active and friendly.” Glváč hopes that the cooperation will intensify in regard to new Black Hawk helicopters The ministry plans to establish a training facility for helicopter pilots which will not only be used by the Slovak Air Force “I’m sure that the new Black Hawk helicopters will further increase the already excellent cooperation between the Slovak Armed Forces and our National Guard,” said Carr During their visit to Slovakia the US delegation will also participate in celebrations of the Day of the Armed Forces in Brezová pod Bradlom (Trenčín Region) Slovak Armed Forces have been cooperating with the Indiana National Guard since 1994 via the National Guard State Partnership Program The Small Carpathians are hiding several diamonds in the rough The Trnavská stovka long trail avoids Záruby this 100 km long trail goes nowhere near Trnava It is one of the oldest organised long trails in Slovakia keen hikers start from Bratislava on a pilgrimage through the Small Carpathians to Brezová pod Bradlom the final place of rest of the great son of the Slovak nation and ultimate hero - General Milan Rastislav Štefánik Most of the trail follows the red marked hiking path the Štefániková magistrála It is 100 km with a change of elevation of 3,309 m The Small Carpathians cycling road mirrors the Small Carpathians It starts in Nové Mesto nad Váhom The KarpatyRun is the biggest trail race in Bratislava the marked hiking paths will lead you through the Hlboča gorge passing the only waterfall in the Small Carpathians and the only accessible cave in the Small Carpathians and thought the Čertov žľab gorge to the summit the marked hiking path to Záruby mountain starts on the banks of Buková water reservoir which in spring changes into a white carpet of snowdrops with green borders of wild garlic varies into a steep hike ending in front of the gate to the highest castle of the Small Carpathians and huddled on the cliffs of the western limestone ridge of the Small Carpathians only silently proclaims its famous history The castle was built in the 13th century as one of the border castles protecting the main trade route from Budín through the pass to the Bohemia known as a "Bohemian trade route" under the castle a jealous widow used to live She was very malefic and hated everyone who had more than she Once she found herself near Ostrý kameň castle and discovered a room full of gold leads from the castle to Záruby mountain While it maybe the highest mountain of the Small Carpathians it is nonetheless overshadowed by the fame of its glorious sisters Vysoká and Vápenná mountains The Small Carpathians are not as high or majestic as the High Tatras They are a paradise for rolling cyclists and rambling hikers When you run six times to Záruby mountain from the Čertov žľab gorge you will reach the height of Mount Everest It is called the Small Carpathians Everest When we ran the KarpatyRun for the first time The Small Carpathians are always full of joy