EU

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

Ferenc Németh, a researcher on the politics, security and integration of the Western Balkans, has written a policy paper under the project Think Visegrad in Brussels. In it he examines Serbia's foreign policy towards the European Union after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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.

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.

Electric cars that do not emit dangerous emissions should slowly replace cars with combustion engines. An environmentally friendly replacement. But what about the production of their batteries? According to the EU, the entire life cycle of these batteries should be environmentally friendly, from production to use to disposal. What measures will be introduced, how will the sale of batteries be regulated and how will this affect their price? Our research fellow Michal Hrubý comments on the topic.

As part of the internships provided by our Brussels office to Czech researchers, Tereza Stašáková wrote a policy paper on rising electricity prices and developments in the EU. It analyses the reasons for rising prices and how EU Member States have reacted to the situation. And whether the solution is to restructure the electricity market.

In her EU Monitor, Zsanett Gréta Papp discusses the current energy situation in the EU Member States. Where to look for a replacement for gas from Russia? And how will this decision affect the EU's green policy agenda?

The war in Ukraine and the subsequent economic crisis caused by Europe's dependence on Russian fossil fuels showed Europeans the danger of keeping too tight economic ties to autocratic regimes. However, while Europe is shedding its dependence on Russia, another economic reliance is gaining strenght, namely that of Germany on China. In her blog, our intern Kristina Kropáčková explores the broader context of this phenomenon and its implications for EU cohesion.

In her blog, our intern Leonor Tavares focuses on the new European media freedom act. Independent media as a means of freedom of expression is under threat in some EU member states and is being used for political propaganda or is being shut down altogether. The new law should ensure that public service media provide a plurality of information in an impartial manner, while regulating their funding and the acquisition and protection of journalistic sources.

Michal Hrubý, our research fellow, commented in the evening news of TV Nova on the current energy crisis and what measures Switzerland is preparing.

Our researcher Michal Hrubý wrote an article on ESG and natural gas for the magazine EkonTech.cz. He comments on the current development of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), including the role of taxonomy and natural gas as a basic commodity for industry and households.

In her blog, our intern Barbora Volkova discusses the new Franco-German proposal regarding the Kosovo-Serbia disputes. She analyses what this initiative entails and what relevance it may have for the accession negotiations within the European Union.