In 2013, the Chinese president introduced the New Silk Road project, also known as the Belt and Road Initiative. It was to connect China with countries in Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe and maritime regions with the purpose to coordinate policies and link infrastructure. However, the initiative, and especially China's role in it, raises many questions and doubts. What is its future? This is what our intern Šárka Váchalová discusses in her blog.
Show moreOur senior researcher Jana Juzová has written an analysis in which she describes the fact that EU enlargement policy and the EU's south-eastern and eastern neighborhood represent some of the most important areas of Czech foreign and European policy in the last two decades.
Show more PDFThe recent US midterm elections made headlines around the world. The main issues that voters were interested in were the state of democracy and the rule of law, abortion, the economy and education. Our intern Tomáš Moudrý addressed these topics in his blog. "The most expensive midterms in the US history are over. Republicans gained the House majority with 221 seats and the Democrats retained the Senate with 51 seats. Is this a surprising result? Partly yes, partly no. Firstly, polls and even Republicans were sure about a “Red wave“ that would sweep across the US. Instead, there was a tossup in both Chambers of the Congress. Secondly, the President’s party usually lose the midterms. One can argue that midterms from the incumbent President’s party perspective traditionally have just one major goal – to mitigate losses by the closest possible margin. The Democrats seem to have found a way to deal with this fate, despite Biden's low approval rating."
Show more PDFWhen will the Czech Republic be ready to adopt the euro, as it committed to when it joined the EU. Why do we not have the euro yet and what will be the impact of its adoption? Our intern Šárka Váchalová covered this topic in her blog.
Show more PDFOur research fellow Danielle Piatkiewicz has written a policy paper on "Evaluating Transatlantic Relations in Times of Conflict", in which she discusses issues such as transatlantic security, the new European security architecture, and NATO's renewed purpose. She concludes with further steps on how the transatlantic community can work together in times of conflict.
Show more PDFOur researcher Michal Hrubý wrote a report from a conference titled E-mobility: An OPPORTUNITY for Central-Eastern Europe, where the challenges and opportunities of e-mobility transition in the region were discussed.
Show more PDFA Policy Brief on the appropriate response of Central European countries to China's expansion in the EU neighbourhood was produced during a study visit to the Brussels office of the Think Visegrad platform. The author of the paper, Jakub Jakóbowski, focuses on the possibilities of engaging Central Europe in the EU's global connectivity agenda, implemented under the Global Gateway initiative. He highlights links with the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership as an indispensable element of Central European connectivity.
Show moreA team from the Brussels Office has written a report on the Eastern Partnership Summit, which took place on 14 December. The report focuses on relations between the European Union and the Eastern Partnership.
Show moreThe head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, wrote a report on the panel discussion that took place in a hybrid form in Brussels. During the panel, speakers discussed the latest developments in the NATO Strategic Concept and European defence autonomy debate. In addition, they focused on how Central and Eastern Europe, in particular countries of the Visegrad group, affect the process.
Show moreIn the most recent Eastern Monitor Jovana Vančevska focuses on the issues connected to the Brdo Declaration, the progress concerning the "enlargement process" and EU's commitment to it. Who are the frontrunners of the "enlargement process"? And which countries are stagnant? The author gives us more information about this issue in her paper, as well as its' possible outcomes.
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