EU

Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized in London that a peace plan to end the war must be created exclusively under the condition of unity between the European Union, the United States, and Ukraine. At the same time, he announced that a joint peace proposal would be finalized by Tuesday and then handed over to the US, while reiterating that Ukraine is not willing to make territorial concessions. This article was commented on by Martin Vokálek, Executive Director and Head of the Brussels Office of the EUROPEUM Institute.

Since the 2015 migration crisis, the Visegrád Four (V4) countries – Poland, Hungary, Czechia, and Slovakia – have adopted strongly securitised migration narratives focused on control, sovereignty, and national identity. Although the region faces only minimal migratory pressure, migration remains a key political issue, often invoked during elections and EU-level negotiations. Yet this narrative of exceptional threat contrasts with the V4’s growing dependence on legal labour migration from third countries, driven by shrinking working-age populations, structural labour shortages, and low wages in key sectors. This paper examines these contradictions and governance gaps, focusing on the tension between securitised political discourse and economic reality.

On October 1st, the Brussels Office of the EUROPEUM Institute, representing the Visegrad Platform, opened the month with an expert roundtable discussion titled “Prospects for the EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans: A Missed Opportunity or a Strategic Turning Point?” The event explored the achievements, shortcomings, and future outlook of the EU enlargement process in the Western Balkans, while promoting an open dialogue among leading experts and policymakers in the field.

Andrej Babiš is preparing to return to the helm of the Czech government — and with him comes a prominent and unpredictable player in European politics. His ambitions to reshape the EU, promises to withdraw from the migration pact or the emissions trading system, and his emphasis on personal ties between heads of state once again raise the question of whether he will align himself with leaders like Robert Fico and Viktor Orbán, or whether he will ultimately, and perhaps surprisingly, follow the more moderate course of his predecessor, Petr Fiala. For the Seznam Zprávy news podcast 5:59, Viktor Daněk, Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Prague Office at the EUROPEUM Institute, spoke on the topic.

Andrej Babiš is seeking to attend the December European Council summit in Brussels, which would mark his symbolic return to the European political stage. The summit represents an important personal and political test of how European leaders will receive him after his comeback. The article was commented by Martin Vokálek, Executive Director and Head of the Brussels Office of the EUROPEUM Institute.

The new ETS2 emissions trading system will gradually increase the cost of fossil fuels for households and transport. While no immediate price shock is expected, higher long-term costs and a transition to cleaner energy sources will be unavoidable. European funds will play a key role in helping households prepare for this change. The podcast was commented on by Viktor Daněk, Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Prague Office of the EUROPEUM Institute.

Join us on 1 December for a debate from the series “What’s New in the European Parliament?”, where this time we will focus on the EU’s 2040 climate targets.

Platform work in the V4 and Western Balkans is rapidly expanding but remains weakly regulated, creating risks for workers and social systems. Authored by Silke Maes, a research fellow at the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, and financed by Stiftung Mercator, this final report calls for region-specific reforms to strengthen legal frameworks, enforcement, worker protection, and data collection, supported by broader cooperation at national and EU levels.

We warmly invite you to Monday’s programme of the Enlargement Forum conference, featuring a series of discussions on the lessons of past EU enlargements, the role of women in accession processes, and the importance of reconciliation in European integration.

For the first time in a long while, the European People’s Party supported a key vote with the help of the Patriots, once again disrupting the traditional cordon sanitaire toward populists and the far right. Yet according to expert Viktor Daněk, the isolation is not over — socialists and liberals want to continue cooperating with the EPP, though they describe their relationship as a “toxic marriage.” The commentary for ČT24 was provided by Viktor Daněk, Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Prague Office of the EUROPEUM Institute.

EU countries have agreed on a proposal aimed at curbing the spread of online material depicting child sexual abuse, despite the Czech Republic voting against it. The proposal allows companies to voluntarily break encrypted communication in order to prevent the dissemination of harmful content. The final wording will still need to be negotiated with the European Parliament. The issue was commented on for ČT24 by Viktor Daněk, Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Prague Office of the EUROPEUM Institute.

The European Commission has launched an infringement procedure against Slovakia over its recent constitutional amendment, arguing it undermines the principles of EU legal primacy and uniform application of EU law. The dispute may last years and is politically sensitive, with the Slovak government presenting it as a defense of national identity, while the EU stresses compliance with member-state obligations. This article was commented on by Martin Vokálek, Executive Director and Head of the Brussels Office of the EUROPEUM Institute.