Europeum

COMMENTARY | Money or planet? Government Climate Policy | EU must emphasise social justice

February 21, 2023

When the European Parliament finally confirmed the ban on the sale of cars with internal combustion engines in the EU in 2035, it sparked a new round of a well-known debate in the Czech Republic. Is climate and environmental protection worth the threat to prosperity in countries with strong car industries like the Czech Republic? Klára Votavová discussed this topic.

EU MONITOR | THREE RESPONSES TO DISINFORMATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

February 16, 2023

Disinformation and foreign interference have been concerns in global politics for centuries, but social media algorithms have made the current threat more dire as they amplify content based on human frailties such as our obsession with negativity and outrage. Russian interference in the 2016 US federal election and other elections and referenda in at least twenty countries between November 2016 and April 2019, including the Brexit referendum, the French and German elections, and the Ukrainian power grid cyber-attacks, have highlighted the potential for foreign governments to alter the results of an election or undermine democracies using social media and other means. Writes Jakub Ferenčík in his last EU MONITOR.

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BLOG | European Media Freedom Act on the case of Slovenia: Has Slovenia overtaken the European Commission with its new law?

February 08, 2023

In September 2022, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a new media regulator - the European Media Freedom Act. Slovenia is one of the most struggling EU countries in terms of media freedom and independence. In the summer of 2020, the Janša government proposed a media-focused law that would increase the state's influence over Slovenia's national press agency and limit its funding of the public broadcaster RTV. Has Slovenia's new law put the European Commission ahead of the game? That is what our intern Klára Landová discusses in her blog.

SUMMARY OF EXPERIENCES WITH THE INVOLVEMENT OF CSOS IN V4 IN THE DECARBONISATION PROCESS

February 03, 2023

The project is focused on the examination of the role of non-governmental organizations in the process of decarbonization of coal regions in V4 countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia). The aim of the project is to describe the best and worst practices of the individual processes for Serbia, who awaits the transformation of its energy mix, largely based on coal. The examined V4 countries have had a slightly different share of coal in their energy mix, while the largest one being in Poland and the second largest one in the Czech Republic, followed by Hungary and Slovakia. There are many similarities and differences in their takes on decarbonisation, thus providing different range of experiences.

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ČTK: Petr Pavel's victory will improve the Czech Republic's position in the EU and NATO, but also relationship with the USA

January 30, 2023

The head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, commented for ČTK on Saturday's victory of Petr Pavel in the presidential elections on the relationship with the EU and NATO. He mentioned that Pavel's accession could bring about a unification of the foreign policy of the government and the Foreign Ministry. He also suggested that the newly elected president would have better relations with the United States

Policy Paper | Trust in the EU in times of crisis: Public perceptions in the Czech Republic in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic

January 25, 2023

How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected the Czechs' relationship with the European Union? This topic is addressed in a policy paper by visiting fellow Mare Ushkovska.

iROZHLAS: Suspension of the Erasmus programme for Hungary? "Punishment and isolation of students."

January 17, 2023

Hungarian students from 21 universities are at risk of not being able to participate in the Erasmus+ education programme. The European Commission has temporarily cut them off. "The students who stand to lose the most from Erasmus are not the children of upper-middle-class parents, but those from smaller towns and rural areas. They don't have the means to travel abroad," Hungarist Oszkár Roginer, Global EU project manager at the EUROPEUM Institute, criticised the decision to iROZHLAS.cz.

VOXPOT: The EU, with Sweden at the helm, is heading into uncharted waters. Green Europe and migration solutions on the horizon

January 17, 2023

At the turn of the year, Sweden took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from the Czech Republic and will be responsible for leading the Union for the next six months. Although the Swedes have a reputation for being solid and liberal-minded partners, there are concerns about the great unknown because of the composition of their current government. For the first time in history, it is supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats. Our Senior Research Fellow Vít Havelka wrote this article for VOXPOT.

INVITATION: Hospoda Evropa: Stop by for one! We'll talk about Europe as you see it.

December 20, 2022

We cordially invite you to an informal debate over a beer. We will talk about Europe as you see it. The debate will take place in person in Mrač. We pay for the first round!

ČT24: Energy ministers discuss gas prices

December 13, 2022

The negotiations in Brussels are led by Czech Minister Jozef Síkela. According to him, a plan is ready and he believes in an agreement. Government representatives will try to agree on a cap on gas prices. Our researcher Vít Havelka commented on this topic for ČT24.