Articles Archive

Ursula von der Leyen has retained her position as President of the European Commission. She received a total of 401 votes, significantly exceeding the required majority of 361 votes. The result was not as close as expected. What ultimately helped her achieve victory? And how difficult was it for her to negotiate support? Deputy Director and Head of the Brussels Office of EUROPEUM Institute, Žiga Faktor, commented for ČT24.

Thursday's vote will determine whether the current head will continue to lead the European Commission. However, it will also be pivotal for Italian Prime Minister Meloni. She must either join the majority or risk ending up on the sidelines. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, provided a comment on her goals for Seznam Zprávy.

CEE allies are key to building the capabilities-based, European Pillar NATO needs to enact genuine burden shifting and secure the alliance’s future. Dr Benjamin Tallis shows how Czechia can build on recent progress in defense procurement and increase its influence by prioritising the six elements Euro-NATO needs: core national war-fighting capabilities, logistics, military mobility, strategic enablers, air defence and long-range strategic strike.

Hungary may hold the EU presidency until the end of the year, but member state politicians plan to ignore meetings the country holds. This is in response to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's secret visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as an unscheduled call for a ceasefire issued to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Vít Havelka, a research fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the boycott for Hospodářské noviny.

The United Kingdom is preparing for a major summit of the European Political Community (EPC). After the Czech Republic, Moldova, and Spain, Britain is only the fourth hosting country. Among other topics, the states will discuss Ukraine and illegal migration. On a bilateral level, the Czech Republic will sign a security agreement with Ukraine. Jana Juzová, a researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the summit for Euractiv.cz.

Members of the European Parliament continue to assign themselves to various committees, familiarize with the agendas assigned to them, and have already started working. At the constituent meeting, the first discussion was on a new legislative proposal concerning Ukraine, during which MEPs expressed continued support for the country. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Slovakian STVR.

MEPs from the Patriots for Europe, including representatives of the ANO movement, face isolation in the European Parliament. They are unlikely to secure key positions, significantly limiting their influence on the legislative process. Other political groups are attempting to isolate far-right parties through a so-called cordon sanitaire, a measure already felt by Klára Dostálová, who was not elected Vice-President of the EP. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the situation for Novinky.cz.

The first session of the European Parliament after the elections is beginning. MEPs will elect the presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission. How does the plenary session proceed? And what will be crucial during it? Žiga Faktor, deputy director and head of the Brussels office at EUROPEUM Institute, responds for Slovak STVR.

The Czech Republic has 21 MEPs in the European Parliament. The ANO movement has the most representatives, followed by the Spolu coalition. In the European Parliament, there were seven groups before this year's elections, but now there will be one more. The European People's Party remains the strongest, followed by the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, and the Patriots for Europe. The new distribution of MEPs explained on ČT24 Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute.

Roberta Metsola, a member of the European People's Party, has once again been elected President of the European Parliament. She was elected at the first session of the new European Parliament, with an overwhelming majority of MEPs voting in her favor. For Slovak STVR comments Filip Křenek, an analyst at EUROPEUM Institute.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has shattered the post-Cold War international order built upon East-West interdependence and cooperation. The European Union (EU) - which had tried to pursue a strategic relationship with Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 - must now adapt to the geopolitical reality of Russian neo-revisionism. Hugo Blewett-Mundy, an Associate Research Fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, identifies four areas where the EU's policy towards Russia could evolve to confront this emerging security situation in Europe.

The European Commission has announced that, in light of developments since the beginning of the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union, it plans to boycott informal ministerial meetings and send only senior officials instead of commissioners. Viktor Orbán has come under criticism for his recent trip to Russia, which he described as a peace mission aimed at ending the war in Ukraine and which he did not consult with the leaders of other EU states. This move comments Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute for Czech Radio.