In the Media

Commission President von der Leyen will announce the distribution of the portfolios for the European Commissioners soon. According to speculations, Jozef Síkela could get Energy portfolio, the trade area is also in play. But it could still change. Deputy Director at EUROPEUM Institute Viktor Daněk commented for Seznam Zprávy.

Ursula von der Leyen will present the new EU Commissioners list on Wednesday 18 September. The President of the European Commission may come with a new portfolio that has not been there before. Until then it is not sure what portfolio will Jozef Síkela get. Whether it would be the wanted trade discussed Žiga Faktor, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute and head of the Brussels office, live on ČT24.

The position of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, remains strong. The fact that the Member States ignored her request to propose two candidates for the post of new European Commissioner: a man and a woman, does not change this. The guest on podcast Bruselské chebíčky on Czech Radio was the deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute and head of the Brussels office Žiga Faktor.

The prospect of EU enlargement by the end of the mandate of the future European Commission looks more optimistic than at any time in the last decade. And barring the full membership of one new state, it is realistic to expect that at least one country will have concluded membership negotiations by the end of this decade and is just waiting for an acceptance date. Jana Juzová, a senior research fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Radio Slobodna Evropa.

The introduction of the new EU Emissions Trading System could significantly increase transport costs, which would affect low-income households the most. However, transport poverty is not just a question of spendings, but also of accessibility and quality of transport. Rebeka Hengalová, a researcher at the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for iDnes.cz.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen presents the composition of the new EU executive to the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament on Wednesday 11 September. This will include the portfolio presented and the work agenda assigned to each commissioner. According to Slovakian TASR, it is already certain that the European Commission will not be gender balanced as it was in 2019-2024. Žiga Faktor, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute and head of the Brussels office, commented for Teraz.sk.

It looked like a real victory by the Czech EU negotiators. At least the German Die Welt presented it almost as a fait accompli that the influential post of EU Energy Commissioner was to be taken by the Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela. For Blesk daily commented Deputy Director and head of Brussels office of EUROPEUM Institute Žiga Faktor.

Several controversial names have also emerged among the candidates for the new European Commissioners. The final shape of the European institution will probably not be known for several months. For Slovakian STVR commented Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already decided on key positions in her new team. The energy portfolio should go to Czech Industry and Trade Minister Jozef Sikela, the Die Welt website reported citing its sources. Prime Minister Petr Fiala will not comment on the information, a government spokeswoman said. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for ČT24.

Transport costs may become more expensive under the new emissions trading scheme, which will hit low-income households hardest. But the so-called transport poverty need not only be financial. It is also about infrastructure accessibility and physical usability. Rebeka Hengalová, researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Ekolist.cz.

A household is at risk of transport poverty if it either spends a large proportion of its budget on transport needs, cannot meet all its transport needs, or has no cheaper alternatives to private or public transport. According to a study by the analytical institute STEM, on average three percent of households in the Czech Republic are at risk of this situation. Rebeka Hengalová, a researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, comments for Hospodářské noviny.

Emissions from road transport currently account for 29 per cent of all EU emissions, according to the latest Transport&Environment study. The problem is also that, unlike other sectors, emissions from transport have not been falling; on the contrary, they have been rising since 1990 and are at least beginning to stabilise. In the Czech Republic, transport emissions have increased by 62 per cent since 1990. Rebeka Hengalová, researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Dopravní noviny.