Hospodářské noviny | Síkela is supposed to look after the ambitious but criticized Global Gateway project for the EU. What awaits him?

The new composition of the European Commission and the distribution of portfolios caused puzzlement in Prague. The head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, entrusted Jozef Síkela with the agenda of International Partnership and Global Gateway – a name that, apart from a handful of insiders in the Czech Republic, few people have heard of, instead of the long-talked about energy sector or international trade. EUROPEUM Institute analyst Zuzana Krulichová commented for Hospodářské noviny.

The government sees this as the strongest Czech portfolio ever, while the opposition talks of disappointment and a future invisible Commissioner. Even without passing judgement one way or the other, it is clear that Jozef Síkela will face quite a challenge in Brussels. By entrusting him with oversight of Global Gateway, Síkela has been put in charge of a project where reality has so far fallen far short of ambition.

Read Zuzana Krulichová's full commentary here.

Zuzana Krulichová
Research Fellow

Zuzana Krulichová is a research fellow in the Global Europe programme at EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy and PhD student at the Department of European Studies, Charles University. She holds an MA in International Relations from Leiden University and an undergraduate degree in Area Studies from Charles University. Generally, she is interested in EU foreign policy and the role of member states in its development, relations between the EU and Indo-Pacific, and global infrastructure projects, such as the BRI or Global Gateway and non-coercive influence in IR. Before starting the PhD programme, she worked for People in Need.