European Commission

The European Commission faced a vote of no confidence after President Ursula von der Leyen refused to disclose text messages exchanged with the Pfizer CEO during the pandemic. The motion to dismiss the Commission, initiated mainly by right-wing MEPs, ultimately failed. However, it highlighted the Commission's weaker support on the right wing of the European Parliament. Analyst Filip Křenek from the EUROPEUM Institute commented on the situation for TV Nova.

The vote of no confidence in the European Commission was commented on for CNN Prima News by Martin Vokálek, Executive Director and Head of the Brussels Office of the EUROPEUM Institute.

Návrh na odvolání v Evropském parlamentu neuspěl ani ve frakci, která jej předložila. K situaci se pro RTVS vyjádřil Viktor Daněk, výkonný zástupce ředitele a vedoucí pražské kanceláře Institutu EUROPEUM.

The vote of no confidence in the European Commission was commented on for CNN Prima News by Martin Vokálek, Executive Director and Head of the Brussels Office of the EUROPEUM Institute.

Viktor Daňek, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the no-confidence vote in the European Commission for the daily Právo.

The vote of no confidence in Ursula von der Leyen and her European Commission was commented on for ČT Studio 6 by Filip Křenek, an analyst at the Institute for European Policy EUROPEUM.

The European Commission has extended the list of air carriers banned from operating in EU countries. The new list includes all airlines certified in Tanzania and Suriname due to serious and systemic deficiencies in aviation oversight there. Although the measure does not directly affect the Czech Republic, it may affect some Czech passengers, with the risk of cancelled or rerouted flights. Filip Křenek, an analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Ekonomický deník.

The 18th sanctions package is on the table. The European Commission aims to increase pressure on Russia so that Moscow comes to the negotiating table and agrees to a ceasefire. The Commission plans to target both the Russian shadow fleet and Russian banks. Viktor Daněk, director of the Prague office of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for STVR.

The European Commission has expanded the list of airlines banned from operating in European Union countries. It has newly added all airlines certified in Tanzania and Suriname due to serious and systemic deficiencies in aviation oversight in those countries. Although the measure does not directly affect the Czech Republic, it may impact some Czech travelers—there is a risk of canceled or rerouted flights. Filip Křenek, an analyst from the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the situation for Ekonomický deník.

On 2 June, a debate on the future of green and digital Europe was held at the University of Economics in Prague. The guest speaker was Katarina Ivanković-Knežević, Director for Social Rights and Inclusion at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The debate was moderated by Jarolím Antal, Director of the Centre for European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations.

The European Union could strike one of the biggest trade deals in the world - with India. Indeed, because of a potential trade war and deteriorating relations with the United States, the EU is looking to expand its reach into other global markets. This agreement was first mentioned in 2008. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, discussed the topic.

The next steps in the Dukovany case were commented on for Studio ČT24 by Filip Křenek, an analyst at the Institute for European Policy EUROPEUM.