Articles Archive

Hungary is facing elections in a year's time and pre-election polls predict that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party could end up in opposition. "Orbán has the lowest support since 2010 and he realises it. With his actions against the opposition, LGBT and others, he is trying to keep the conservative core of his voters," said Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister, a Hungarian analyst at the EUROPEUM Institute, in an interview with iROZHLAS.cz.

The European Union refuses to make energy cheaper by abolishing emission allowances, even though Czech economists and businessmen believe this would bring the greatest relief. Instead, it is coming up with its own plan to lower electricity and gas prices. Filip Křenek, an analyst at the Europeum Institute, commented on the situation for iDnes.

France and the UK will send a team of experts to Ukraine to assess the needs of the military there. The announcement was made at a summit of the coalition of the willing in Paris, where representatives of thirty countries, including the Czech delegation led by Prime Minister Petr Fiala, met. What else did the summit bring? And what direction can the peace talks take in the coming weeks? Martin Vokálek, Director General of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the situation for Czech Radio Plus.

European carmakers have been investing in the US for decades and therefore consider the introduction of tariffs a low blow. Donald Trump's decision to impose 25% tariffs on cars made outside the US has also been criticised by the European car industry association ACEA. According to the manufacturers, the new measure will also indirectly affect the Czech company Skoda and its suppliers. How big a hit this will be depends on the specific list of products to which the duties will apply - which is not yet known. However, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reassures that the impact on the Czech Republic should be rather moderate. Filip Křenek, an analyst at the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the situation for CNN Prima News.

In our first ever interview, we met Jovana Jović Tadić, Project Manager at EUROPEUM Institute, who presented the JustGreen project.

At a time of a deteriorating security situation, voices calling for a reassessment of budgetary priorities are increasingly being heard. Should we invest more in defence instead of decarbonisation? Is it even possible to fund the Green Deal while maintaining effective defence capabilities? Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Czech Radio Plus.

Europe's unified approach has traditionally been complicated by Hungary, which openly rejects aid to Ukraine. Martin Vokálek, Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the common European defence.

As expected, the 26 EU leaders found a consensus on Ukraine. While the text did not bring any new commitments, it showed a "new standard" of strong statements without the consent of one hundred percent of the European Council members. EUROPEUM Institute analyst Zuzana Krulichová comments on the situation.

President Petr Pavel travelled to Moldova this week. During his state visit, he wants to address bilateral relations between the two countries as well as the current security situation in Europe and the world. Martin Vokálek, Director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the relations between the Czech Republic and Moldova.

In Brussels, representatives of the Member States discussed a myriad of issues. One of them is the continuation of further military aid to Ukraine. Twenty-six Member States supported the joint declaration on the continuation of aid, while Hungary opposed it. What weight does this declaration carry if it is not unanimous? Filip Křenek, an analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for STVR.

Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for TN Live on the summit in Brussels, which focuses on competitiveness, defence and European unity. He also discussed the current security situation on the international scene.

Article 7 has been triggered against Hungary for many years, but it is going nowhere. Unanimous agreement is needed from all EU Member States, except Hungary. I doubt that this will ever happen, says Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM.