It has been 20 years since the Czech Republic and 9 other Central, Southern and Eastern European countries joined the European Union. This was on the promise of increased prosperity and the so-called economic catching-up of the post-communist part of Europe. Cohesion policy was to play a key role here. Vít Havelka writes in his Policy Paper.

What were the trends in the views of the Czech population towards the European Union in 2023? Read the analysis by EUROPEUM Institute Senior Research Fellow Vít Havelka.

Our Senior Research Fellow Vít Havelka elaborated recommendations resulting from the roundtable discussion of the National Convention on the EU held on 31 March 2023 on the topic "Energy Market Review". Among the recommendations made for the Czech Republic are, for example, to define its energy concept well in the light of the regional context and European energy policy. Another recommendation is that the Czech Republic should continue to incentivise energy savings as a key part of its preparedness for next winter, in line with the extension of the Regulation on coordinated measures to reduce gas demand.

The second-ever Czech presidency of the EU Council took place in the second half of 2022, a period in which the EU was under considerable pressure following the Russian invasion in Ukraine. What many predicted would be another regular presidency, became half a year of crisis management. Writes Vít Havelka in his Policy Paper called: 2022 Czech Presidency: A Surprising Success.

Vít Havelka, Rebeka Hengalová, and Katarína Svitková prepared a background paper for the National Convention on the EU Round Table on the Review of the European Energy Market. How can the EC proposal for the revision of the European electricity market be assessed from the Czech Republic's perspective? How can the revision of the internal gas market rules be assessed in the context of the energy crisis? How should the EU prepare for the coming winter?

Our associate research fellow Zuzana Kasáková and our senior research fellow Vít Havelka prepared a recommendation resulting from the round table discussion of the National Convention on the EU held on February 24, 2023 on the topic "Evaluation of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU". The issued recommendations for the Czech Republic include, for example, the use of the positive result of the Czech presidency, its improved image, and contacts for formulating and promoting the long-term priorities of the Czech Republic in the European Union. Another recommendation is that the Czech Republic should ensure adequate security, both personnel and professional, for the awarding of public contracts for the future Czech presidency.

Our research associate Zuzana Kasáková and our senior researcher Vít Havelka prepared background material for the Round Table of the National Convention on the EU on the topic Evaluation of the Czech Presidency. Three main questions are put to the Round Table: How successful has the Czech Reublic been in implementing its Presidency priorities? How successful was the Czech Republik in carrying out its presidency in terms of organisation? Has the Czech Republic been successful in promoting its membership in the European Union?

Vít Havelka wrote a policy paper in which he discusses the energy crisis that hit the EU right after the COVID-19 pandemic.On 24 February, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequently triggered a series of events that resulted in an energy crisis in the EU.

Our senior research fellow Vít Havelka has written an OUTLOOK entitled "2022 Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU", where he analyses the future course of the Czech Presidency and the biggest challenges. In his paper, he focuses on two levels of the Presidency's work, namely the political and legislative agenda.

The latest National Convention on the EU took place on 25 February 2022. Here is a summary of the main points discussed at the Convention. The recommendations were prepared by Kristína Chlebáková, Zuzana Kasáková and Vít Havelka.

Our researchers Vít Havelka and Zuzana Kasáková, together with project manager Kristína Chlebáková, prepared a background paper on the territorial aspects of the internal market in the global competition. What are the current trends in international trade affecting the functioning of the EU internal market? What instruments should the European Union use in its trade policy and how to appropriately balance the priority emphasis on free trade with an emphasis on sustainability? What is the future of relations with European partners outside the European Economic Area?

Our researcher Vít Havelka, in his article "New Sources of the EU Budget", which was created under the Think Visegrad in Brussels project, writes about the new own resources of the EU budget, which are currently being discussed at the European level. The text specifically discusses why the reform of own resources is necessary and what are the positions of the various EU institutions and member states on these proposals. It concludes with a reflection on the Czech position, including an outlook on how it might evolve depending on the course of the negotiations.