The transfer of data across the Atlantic has been halted by the EU Court of Justice because of US surveillance laws on non-residents. Washington and Brussels have therefore been negotiating for months how not to restrict a vital part of the digital economy because of it. According to Martin Husovec, this is a geopolitical dispute about the nature of the rule of law: 'If we accept that privacy is a universal right, the American position will change,' he says.

The red line, according to them, is mainly Ukraine. In a discussion on EURACTIV Slovakia, they agreed that the regime in Moscow is stuck and there is no room for fundamental change. However, the dialogue between Brussels and Moscow must be fair: "Every time we show a friendly face to Russia at European level, something happens," says Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď.

According to PETER BÁTOR, with the new US administration, the Alliance's interest in cooperation with the EU has increased. In his view, the pandemic has highlighted the role of the armed forces in assisting not only domestic authorities but also allies. Russia is no longer a strategic partner for NATO, and we are also looking at China differently, which is why the upcoming summit and the Alliance's new strategy will come with big changes, says Slovakia's ambassador to NATO.

The European Public Prosecutor's Office, which officially launches on 1 June, is tasked with protecting the EU budget. Not only to prosecute the perpetrators but also to try to get the funds back. "We will not be isolated, we will accept suggestions from basically anyone," says JURAJ NOVOCKÝ, the European prosecutor in Slovakia.

The European Commission negotiates with Washington a new form of data transfer agreement. American companies have a problem, and the United States has not ruled out reconsidering the measures of domestic access to personal data. The pressure in society is great, say experts who are negotiating the new agreement.