CEE allies are key to building the capabilities-based, European Pillar NATO needs to enact genuine burden shifting and secure the alliance’s future. Dr Benjamin Tallis shows how Czechia can build on recent progress in defense procurement and increase its influence by prioritising the six elements Euro-NATO needs: core national war-fighting capabilities, logistics, military mobility, strategic enablers, air defence and long-range strategic strike.
Show moreRussia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has shattered the post-Cold War international order built upon East-West interdependence and cooperation. The European Union (EU) - which had tried to pursue a strategic relationship with Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 - must now adapt to the geopolitical reality of Russian neo-revisionism. Hugo Blewett-Mundy, an Associate Research Fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, identifies four areas where the EU's policy towards Russia could evolve to confront this emerging security situation in Europe.
Show moreThe European elections are about a month away. Czechs will vote for 21 of the 720 MEPs. This will be the first election since Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic or the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Turnout is expected to be higher than in the last elections five years ago, with right-wing and Eurosceptic parties strengthening. Žiga Faktor, deputy director and head of EUROPEUM Institute's Brussels office, described the possible reasons for daily broadcast of Czech TV.
Show moreThe European Commission has proposed how to make use of frozen Russian assets in Europe after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Up to ninety percent of the assets would be used to buy weapons for Ukraine under the so-called European Peace Facility. The remaining 10% would be transferred to the EU budget and used for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. The proposal still needs to be unanimously approved by EU foreign ministers. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on what this proposal will mean for Ukraine and the European Union for Czech Radio Radiožurnál.
Show moreThe new European Defence Industrial Strategy primarily responds to the Ukrainian need for ammunition supplies due to Russian invasion. It includes measures such as support for collective procurement of defense systems, focus on the involvement of European firms in public tenders, support for national budgets in transitioning to new weapon systems, and the development of stronger ties with Ukraine and NATO. Zuzana Krulichová, a researcher specializing in European defense policy at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the funding of the new strategy for Euractiv.
Show moreAs expected, Ursula von der Leyen has confirmed her interest in continuing as President of the European Commission. Since her arrival, she has faced crises such as Brexit, the global pandemic, the battle over vaccines and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The announcement of her candidacy was analysed by Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM institute, in Deník Právo.
Show moreWe invite you to a public recording of the Café Evropa podcast: two years since the invasion: what's next for Ukraine? The recording will take place on Wednesday, 21 February 2024 at 17:30 at Langhans - Kavárna a Centrum Člověka v tísni, Vodičkova 37, Prague.
Show moreNilsu Eledağ has written a blog about Türkiye's role in determining Sweden's NATO membership and concerns about terrorism and anti-Islamist movements. Türkiye took a slight turn in foreign policy and now plays a closer game with NATO allies. There could be two reasons behind why Türkiye chose to shift towards the West. Find out more in Eledağs blog.
Show moreWe would like to invite you to a debate entitled "The European Union, the Geopolitics of Enlargement and the European Political Community ", which will take place on Monday 12 June at the French Institute in Prague at 17:30.
Show moreThe head of the Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, commented on the possible future of the European Union in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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