EU

As part of a study visit to the Brussels office of the Think Visegrad platform, a publication by Tamáš Boros was created, which focuses on the issue of poverty in the Visegrad countries. The document outlines the current situation in the region, as despite robust economic growth in the V4 countries, unemployment is still much higher than in Western Europe.

We would like to invite you to a debate titled "2021 Progress Reports on the Western Balkans: Is the EU enlargement lost?" The online debate will take place on the 21st of December at 10:00.

The 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.

We invite you to the last debate in the EU± series, this time on what 2021 will bring for the European Union. The debate will take place online on Monday 20 December 2021 at 18:00.

Our intern Peter Václavík wrote a report on enhancing the relationship between the EU and Japan, which were discussed in the debate EU – Japan Strategic dialogue: climate change cooperation as a pathway to the future.

Łukasz Ogrodnik's publication entitled "The Czechia's EU Policy in the Context of the Upcoming European Council Presidency" was published as part of a study stay in the Brussels office of the Think Visegrad platform. It describes priorities of the upcoming Presidency in relation to the Czech European policy, and most probable challenges.

Our researcher Danielle Piatkiewicz has written an article for NEW EUROPE in which she discusses the future of the idea of a European Defence Force.

Our researcher Vít Havelka has written an Update entitled Czech perception of the EU’s COVID-19 response, in which he develops last year’s preliminary findings with regard to how the Czech society perceived the EU’s reaction to COVID-19 pandemic.

Our researcher Vít Havelka has written an Update entitled Czech Perception of the EU Climate Policy, in which he discusses the Green Deal and brings readers up to date on the latest findings and issues that could arise in the future.

We would like to invite you to a debate entitled "Eastern Partnership Summit 2021 as a new chapter of the EU-EaP relations: Time for diversification?" The online debate will take place on December 14 at 17:30.

What can the upcoming French Presidency of the Council of the European Union mean for the Czech Republic, especially given that it will be immediately followed by the Czech Presidency? Can it be assumed that France and the V4 countries will converge on energy issues and move away from, for example, Germany, which is striving for nuclear-free and carbon-free energy? Does nuclear energy have the potential to become green energy for the French? How do France and the V4 countries need or not need Nord Stream 2? These and other questions were answered by analyst Kateřina Davidová on Czech Radio.

Although the EU is aware of the enormous benefits of AI in the daily lives of European citizens, its current low level of regulation could cause significant problems in the future. That is why, as part of its efforts to strengthen trustworthy AI, the European Commission approved the long-awaited Regulation on an European approach to AI in April 2021. We invite you to another Café Evropa debate, this time on the topic of artificial intelligence. The debate will take place on December 9 at 17:30 online on our Facebook page.