EU

Our researcher Jana Juzová spoke on Český Rozhlas Plus about Ukraine's application to the European Union, which was submitted last week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted the application, which was subsequently supported by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the entire eastern wing of the Union. Is Ukraine's starting position problematic? How likely is it that candidate status will be granted? And which members are traditionally against the enlargement of the Union?

Our researcher Jana Juzová commented for Euractiv on how Serbia's ambiguous position is affecting its EU accession process. Serbia is one of the few European countries, that has refused to join the anti-Russian sanctions, even though it has supported Ukraine's territorial integrity and promised to help refugees. The role taken by this Western Balkan country is not surprising, as it has been teetering between the EU and Russia for the last decade. In the accession process, according to our researcher, Serbia's current position towards Russia is not the biggest problem, as Serbia also faces other shortcomings for EU integration.

We invite you to the first debate of the Café Evropa series of this year, this time on the topic: "Poland versus the EU - where is the Polish government heading?". The debate will take place on February 1st at 5:30 pm online on our Facebook page. What steps is the EU taking in relation to Poland and should it take tougher action? Wouldn't such a step interfere too much with national competences? What tools can the EU use against Poland and what role does the Polish National Recovery Plan play in this situation? How real is Polexit - Poland's withdrawal from the EU?

Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office of the Institute for European Policy EUROPEUM, commented on the new role that the Czech Republic is gaining in the European Union in 2022. The Czech Republic will become the presiding country for the second time in history.

Our researcher Vít Havelka, in his article "New Sources of the EU Budget", which was created under the Think Visegrad in Brussels project, writes about the new own resources of the EU budget, which are currently being discussed at the European level. The text specifically discusses why the reform of own resources is necessary and what are the positions of the various EU institutions and member states on these proposals. It concludes with a reflection on the Czech position, including an outlook on how it might evolve depending on the course of the negotiations.

We would like to invite you to the fourth debate from the EU-Pacific talks series titled "Japan – V4 relations – more central but still European" The debate will take place online on the 11th of January and will be broadcasted on our Facebook page.

Our Researcher Vít Havelka commented for Lidovky.cz the Czech Presidency and the Czech summit. In the interview, he answers questions about the summit and plans for the Czech Presidency.

Our researcher Zuzana Stuchlíková commented for Euractiv.cz on the upcoming French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. According to her, the French presidency will be more visible, unlike the Czech presidency, which is likely to choose the tactic of a "maintenance presidency".

Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office of the Institute for European Policy EUROPEUM, spoke with Czech Radio about the new role that the Czech Republic is gaining in the European Union in 2022. Czechia is holding this post for the second time in history, as well as in the first case it is in a trio with Sweden and France.

The priorities of the French Presidency include the economic recovery of the Union after the pandemic, the climate agenda, European defence, relations with African countries and the Western Balkans. Our research fellow Vít Havelka also commented on the topic.

Our research fellow Vít Havelka wrote an analysis for iDnes.cz summarising the challenges of the Czech EU Presidency for the Czech government.

Talking Europe(um) is a podcast which comments on current issues in the European Union. List of episodes, as well as information about where you can listen to the podcast, is in the article.