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In mid-November, a two-day Transatlantic Policy Forum conference was held in Prague, organized by the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy with the support of the US Embassy in Prague. Experts at the conference discussed key topics such as the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, transatlantic relations and the impact of the outcome of the US presidential election on relations with the EU. Ian Brzezinski, an American expert on international relations and military affairs, and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO in the George W. Bush administration, accepted the invitation to attend the conference and commented for Seznam Zprávy.

The European Parliament has just finished the hearing of the candidates for European Commissioner, but we do not know the results yet. So how did they do and what happens next? For Slovakian STVR commented Žiga Faktor, Deputy Director and Head of EUROPEUM's Brussels office.

At the end of November, the European Parliament will vote on the composition of the new Commission under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen. Today, Kaja Kallas, the candidate for the post of High Representative for Foreign Policy, presented herself to MEPs at an official hearing. The former Estonian Prime Minister pledged her strong support for Ukraine. At the same time, the question remains how to ensure that China does not cooperate militarily with Russia. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Horizont ČT24.

European leaders are forgetting their criticism of Donald Trump and trying to look positively at the future of transatlantic cooperation. But negotiations with the new US president will be tough, as even Trump's supporter, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, admits. For ČRo Plus commented Viktor Danek, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute.

In the shadow of the US elections, candidates for European Commissioners, including former Czech minister Jozef Síkela, addressed MEPs in Brussels last week. He is to be in charge of the Commission's international cooperation agenda, so during the three-hour grilling he had to answer questions about investment in Asia or Africa, or the controversial EU-Rwanda mineral deal. How did he impress with his performance? Žiga Faktor, deputy director and head of the EUROPEUM Institute's Brussels office, commented for the 5:59 Seznam Zprávy podcast.

Although Europe's attention in recent years has been completely absorbed by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, many countries, including the Czech Republic, are increasingly interested in diversifying their business opportunities beyond the transatlantic space. We therefore asked experts from the fields of diplomacy, research and business about the potential pitfalls of EU-ASEAN cooperation, security challenges and the success of Czech diplomacy in the Far East. Zuzana Krulichová, researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, answered for the Institute of International Relations.

Organisers of this year's climate change conference, which starts today in Baku, Azerbaijan, under the acronym COP 29, have not shown much optimism. The stance of the world's second-largest polluter, the United States, on climate protection is uncertain after last week's presidential election. The Americans withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement during Donald Trump's first presidency and it is expected that they could withdraw from it again during his second presidency. In addition, world leaders still can't agree on financing a green transition in developing countries, which is expected to be a major focus of this year's climate change conference. Rebeka Hengalová, researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for ČRo Plus.

The new European Commission is getting clearer. Most of the candidates for European Commissioners have had their hearings in the European Parliament and almost all of them passed without any major hesitation, according to unofficial information. It is said that Donald Trump's victory in the US elections will speed up the creation process of the new Commission. Martin Vokálek, executive director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for TN Nova.

Confident on economic issues, more hesitant on "softer" ones. Jozef Síkela passed the hearing in the European Parliament, and successfully. They grilled him on a range of topics, from the situation in Africa to ensuring transparency in the use of European funds in development projects. Filip Křenek, project coordinator and analyst at EUROPEUM Institute commented for Euractiv.cz.

The election of the new US president will also have an impact on events in the world, especially in the European Union. What is the message for the European Union from Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election? Žiga Faktor, deputy director and head of EUROPEUM Institute's Brussels office, commented for ČT24.

The Czech candidate for EU Commissioner Jozef Síkela succeeded in the so-called grilling before MEPs, which every nominated member of the EU executive must pass. He has won the support of a two-thirds majority of DEVE to become Commissioner for International Partnerships. The former trade and industry minister wants to strengthen partnerships with Africa and Latin America and intends to tackle the drivers of illegal migration. Viktor Daněk, deputy director at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for ČT24.

MEPs often complain that the media do not give their work the attention it deserves. Yet now, when they are 'grilling' the various candidates for European Commissioner and have the opportunity to reject some of them, they have timed these hearings to clash with the election of the US President. Žiga Faktor, deputy director and head of the EUROPEUM Institute's Brussels office, commented for Hospodářské noviny.