Articles Archive

The Schengen area of free movement of goods and persons will was extended to Romania and Bulgaria from Sunday 31 March. The two countries have been waiting seventeen years for this moment, since they joined the European Union. For now, only the maritime and air borders are removed, but land borders should follow in the next few months. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on both the economic benefits and possible risks of partial enlargement for the daily e15.

The information about an EU-wide ban on gas and coal boilers, that has been recently circulating on social media, is not true. The aim of the new European directive is not to ban them, but to promote the phasing out of these boilers in line with the 2050 carbon neutrality targets. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, described the nature of the directive to the iROZHLAS.cz project Ověřovna.

The anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the European Union are not having the desired effect. After two years, it is becoming clear that the sanctions are hitting the Russian economy, but are not preventing them from being circumvented, with Asian countries, led by China, playing a major role. Thus, the Union included several companies from China and Hong Kong in the February round of sanctions. Viktor Danek, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the possible consequences in a report for the main broadcast news TV Nova.

According to surveys a record turnout of Czech voters is expected in this year's elections to the European Parliament. Compared to the elections in 2014, it could be almost double the number, and so far about 33 percent participation is expected. Defense and security will be key topics, as well as war in Ukraine. Domestic issues of individual countries will play an important role as well. The executive director of the EUROPEUM Institute, Martin Vokálek, spoke to TV Nova about possible changes in the composition of the Parliament.

Slovakians voted in the first round of presidential elections. The fiercest battle was between two politicians - as was expected - former Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini and opposition candidate and former foreign minister Ivan Korčok. The latter won the first round by surprising five percent diference. Slovak experts see the elections as crucial to determine the future political path of the country. Project manager of EUROPEUM Institute Kristína Chlebáková commented on the issue for Lithuanian National Radio and Television LRT.

Due to the pro-Russian positions of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the Czech cabinet suspended the intergovernmental consultations. Does this turn the former brothers into enemies? Nonetheless, this is not the first time that relations between these two nations, that used to share a common state once, have frozen. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the topic in an investigative piece for 168 hodin broadcast by Czech Television.

The end of Charles Michel's mandate as president of the European Council this year comes at a time of seismic — and consequential — geopolitical shifts. Hugo Blewett-Mundy, a non-resident associate research fellow from the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, explains why he views the current Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as the best fit for the position soon to be vacant.

Another summit of the EU leaders' in Brussels has ended. What topics were discussed? Deputy director and head of the Brussels office of the EUROPEUM Institute Žiga Faktor described the conclusions for TN Live.

What topics will resonate at the EU Summit in Brussels? Žiga Faktor, deputy director and head of the Brussels office of the EUROPEUM Institute, spoke to Slovakian television TA3 about the expected course of the EU leaders' summit.

The first Nuclear Energy Summit was held in Belgium with over 40 countries in attendance. Their deputies discussed the future of nuclear energy, not only in Europe, but also worldwide. Žiga Faktor, head of EUROPEUM's Brussels office, commented on the conclusion of this event in Brussels for Czech Radio Plus.

What topics are the EU leaders discussing at the summit in Brussels? Will they be able to find unanimous agreement on the use of the frozen Russian assets? Will the requirements for farmers be amended? Vít Havelka, an analyst at the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on these topics for Slovak RTVS.

According to a new survey by the Ipsos agency for Euronews, ANO party has the highest support leading up to the June elections, followed by the SPOLU coalition, with Mayors and independents (STAN) holding third place. ANO party could potentially gain up to nine seats, while STAN also show increased support. On the other hand, the SPOLU coalition is not expected to achieve the anticipated level of support. The decision to participate in the elections as part of this coalition could benefit Christian and Democratic Union - Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-ČSL), but it may harm TOP 09. Deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute Viktor Daněk commented on the survey for iDnes.cz.