Articles Archive

The European Union economically lags behind the United States of America and China. The recent meeting in Brussels reflected concerns about a slowdown in the EU economy, which entered 2024 with lower-than-expected growth. EUROPEUM Institute analyst Vít Havelka commented on this situation for ČRo Plus.

The European Parliament recently approved the Migration Pact, which, among other things, deals with the relocation of asylum seekers. Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan claims Czechia will have an exemption from solidarity due to the number of Ukrainian refugees it accepted. The Migration Pact will take effect in two years, and its strengths and weaknesses were analysed by Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of the EUROPEUM Institute.

The Migration Pact consists of ten legislative proposals that passed the European Parliament last week. They still have to be voted on in the Council of Ministers. Failure to comply with these regulations could lead to lawsuits and heavy fines. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the Migration Pact for Novinky.cz.

During the recent summit, politicians came to discuss key issues regarding the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East, relations with Turkey, and the competitiveness of the European Union against the United States and China. Executive Director of the EUROPEUM Institute, Martin Vokálek, provided commentary for TN.cz. According to him, it is crucial for Czech politicians and diplomats to be actively engaged in these discussions.

At Brussels, on April 17th and 18th, an extraordinary summit of European Union took place. Originally it was intended to focus on enhancing the bloc's competitiveness, but the agenda of the meeting shifted towards discussing military support for Ukraine, and the situation in the Middle East. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the Institute of European Policy EUROPEUM provided analysis on the topic for a daily episode of Dvacet minut Radiožurnálu.

The extraordinary summit in Brussels is focusing on competitiveness and the EU's strategic agenda, including the strengthening of the single market, Turkey-EU relations, Ukraine and Israel. Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office and deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on this for Slovak RTVS.

European Parliament's moving from Brussels to plenary sessions in Strasbourg carry symbolic significance, but the logistics costs up to 3 billion CZK annually. Implementing a change would require amending the fundamental treaties of the European Union, which would need approval from all member states. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on this topic for Radio Impuls.

Myths and disinformation about allegedly bad European officials and their bans spread in the Czech Republic even before joining the EU and persist to this day. What is the origin of these disinformation, and what are the most common myths? Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office and deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, addressed these questions in a comment for Newsroom ČT24.

Farmers' protests have reminded that the measures of the Green Deal for Europe may not be politically viable for Europeans. To make climate policies politically viable, the EU should therefore focus on its commitment not to leave anyone behind in the green transition. Klára Votavová, a researcher at EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, discusses the current development of the Green Deal for Europe and its social policy aspects in an expert publication for the Social Policy Forum.

The Czech car industry is lagging behind the rest of Europe and the world. It may not be able to pick what to produce, but it has the opportunity to strengthen its competitiveness and resilience. However, it needs trained and educated employees, which are hard to find on the local labour market. So are we going to train the automotive workforce, strengthen the position of our strategic sector and promote a just transformation? Or are we going to continue to say that the transition to electric mobility does not concern us and that the Green Deal for Europe is to blame for increased unemployment? How to produce electric cars and remain competitive? Rebeka Hengalová, a researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, discusses this topic in her article for economic daily Hospodářské noviny.

The migration pact that European Parliament passed on Wednesday continues to stir emotions. Vít Havelka, senior research fellow at the EUROPEUM Institute, spoke to TN.cz about how migration is perceived in society and how politicians communicate it to the public.

The package consists of ten legislative proposals. Its support was by no means certain, with the fractions counting every vote. What demands does this comprehensive package place on the Member States? And does the package contain mandatory quotas, as the Czech opposition claims? Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, commented on the approval process of the new legislative package for ČT24.