The aim of the project is to provide access to reliable information about the European Union and its enlargement process in the Armenian social media environment.

As there is a shifting trend towards a geopolitical framing of several EU-related policy areas, such as enlargement, agriculture and energy, a geopolitical turn in EU public diplomacy is an approach one must also contemplate in the highly competitive communication environment of today, writes Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister. He argues that to tackle the challenges from Russia, China, and more recently the US, the EU is making an effort to rebrand itself as a geopolitical actor. Find out more in Oszkár’s text below.

Is it possible, in an environment of growing Euroscepticism and media polarisation, to connect the European Union’s value-based language with a utilitarian understanding of its role? Drawing on two EU communication campaigns in Hungary conducted in 2024–2025, the text examines this tension and shows that the clash between the EU’s normative framing and the Hungarian government’s transactional, sovereignty-centred narrative is not merely a matter of messaging, but a structural feature of the domestic political and media landscape. The analysis suggests that isolated campaigns have only limited capacity to shift public attitudes in such a hostile and saturated information environment.

This policy paper explores how the image of the European Union is shaped on Armenian social media amid growing political uncertainty and shifting expectations. It analyses key online narratives and actors, as well as the tension between hopes invested in the EU and frustration over limited outcomes in a rapidly changing geopolitical environment.

This policy paper examines how Ukraine’s prospective EU accession has been turned into a tool of domestic political mobilisation in Hungary. It traces how Viktor Orbán and government communication frame Ukraine as a threat and embed the issue into a broader anti-Brussels narrative built on fears of war, loss of sovereignty, and “foreign values” in the run-up to the 2026 elections.

Hungary is heading toward what may be its most consequential election since the fall of communism. After fifteen years in power, Viktor Orbán faces his strongest challenger yet—Péter Magyar and the TISZA party, which now leads independent polls and appeals across regions and generations. The upcoming vote may reshape the country’s democratic trajectory and its relationship with the EU. The article was commented on by Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister, Head of the Global Europe Programme.

While the US decision to drastically cut funding to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is seen as a serious blow to transatlantic relations, it also represents an unprecedented opportunity for Europe. If the continent wants to protect access to objective and accessible information, it must take responsibility for building its own independent news institutions. At a time of growing disinformation and hybrid threats, the right to reliable news is becoming a matter of strategic importance. EUROPEUM Institute analyst Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister writes for New Eastern Europe.

Hungary is facing elections in a year's time and pre-election polls predict that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party could end up in opposition. "Orbán has the lowest support since 2010 and he realises it. With his actions against the opposition, LGBT and others, he is trying to keep the conservative core of his voters," said Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister, a Hungarian analyst at the EUROPEUM Institute, in an interview with iROZHLAS.cz.

The relevance of public discussions, progressive regulations and the development of skills to act and exist amid a digitally transitioning news media sector cannot be overstated. From the legislative and practical viewpoint of content manufacturing on one side, and access to reliable information on the other, challenges brought by the digital disruption in the news media sector are a burning issue for all stakeholders. This handbook provides an insight into the state-of-play in Western Balkans in relation to (in)compatibility with the EU values and media standards in an emerging, but still largely unregulated, news market. Writes Tamara Filipović, Lamija Kovačević and Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, media coverage of the country has increased significantly. Interpreting and commenting on events, putting them in the news and shaping the debate about Ukraine's future prospects in relation to European integration has thus become an important part of the responsibility of most mainstream media. However, as the war drags on, the V4 citizens' awareness of the conflict has diverged. At different times, some topics have been given more emphasis than others, making the quality of coverage often incomplete or unconvincing. Some countries emphasise the autonomy of reporting, which in turn allows for broad and in-depth coverage, while there are regimes that narrow the information and use the topic of war to produce stories for domestic purposes. In the final report on the EUROPEUM Institute project, Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister and others write.

The Czech Republic is in danger of following the Hungarian path in accepting disinformation, especially about the war in Ukraine. While Czech citizens mostly perceive Russia as the clear aggressor, research warns against changing the narrative. The upcoming elections and the possibility of Andrej Babiš's return to power could influence the direction of Czech politics and perceptions of international issues. Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister, project coordinator at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Euractiv.cz

Opposition activists and critics of the Serbian authorities have read with concern the draft revision of the Criminal Code prepared by the local Ministry of Justice. This proposes, among other things, to introduce new penalties for "Publication of material used for the investigation of the commission of criminal activities" and also stipulates that if a person accesses the material using information technology, he or she can be punished by imprisonment for up to one year. Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister, project manager of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the text for Radio Slobodna Evropa.