In the Media

The campaigns for the European Parliament elections are not only relevant to Czech politicians but also to those from other countries. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, spoke with Aktuálně.cz about the chances of the current President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. How did she perform in the previous electoral term? And what points should she focus on in her campaign?

If Ursula von der Leyen wants to sit at the head of the European Commission for a second term, she will likely have to prepare a less green program than five years ago. While no surprises are expected for her nomination, a power shift is anticipated in the European Parliament, which approves the new head of the Commission. Pre-election models predict a strengthening of parliamentary factions critical of the Union. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Euractiv.

The Green Deal for Europe is an ambitious strategy to ensure that Europe becomes the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Most of the parties running for the European Parliament want to change this strategy, despite the fact that the car companies are already anticipating the transition. EUROPEUM Institute researcher Kateřina Davidová commented on the topic in an article for iRozhlas.cz.

Education is one of the topics on the agenda ahead of the upcoming elections to the European Parliament. The Member States themselves should increase the amount of funding flowing into schools. For example, the recognition of university diplomas, could be worked on. Zuzana Krulichová, a researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, described the issue for the main evening broadcast of TV Nova.

Supporters of the new migration pact say the current situation is ineffective and only causes confusion. Critics of the new agreement, on the other hand, say the current status allows for greater flexibility in the processing of migration. But with whom do more voters agree? And do they believe in the security and protection brought by NATO membership? EUROPEUM Institute, in cooperation with the STEM agency, commissioned a survey, the results of which were presented to TN.cz by deputy director of EUROPEUM Viktor Daněk.

Farmers in the Czech Republic receive the fifth largest package of national subsidies in the European Union, behind Poland, Germany and Austria. Moreover, the whole system is set up in such a way that small farmers often do not receive subsidies at all. According to Viktor Daňek, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, the system cannot function fairly without a cap or a significant degression in payments.

Five candidates for the post of President of the European Commission faced each other in the Spitzenkandidaten debate. Two factions did not send a representative at all. Moreover, these are the very factions that could be significantly stronger in the European elections than in the previous period. Missing were representatives of the far-right Identity and Democracy group, of which the SPD is a member for the Czech Republic, as well as the European Conservatives and Reformists, on which the Czech ODS sits. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for ČT24 about whether they were significantly absent from the debate.

Czech Commissioner Věra Jourová has been Vice-President of the European Commission for the past five years, as well as Commissioner for Values and Transparency. EUROPEUM Institute has assessed her tenure and popularity in the Czech Republic in cooperation with STEM. The results of the survey were presented to TN.cz by EUROPEUM analyst Vít Havelka.

What are the trends in the campaigns for the European elections? What disinformation is circulating in the public space about the European Union? What are the reasons for the strong euroscepticism in the Czech Republic? Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director in the Institute EUROPEUM answered these and other questions in the Czech-Slovak podcast "Teď naozaj!".

The European Parliament has been mentioned a lot lately. However, this institution, which is far away from the Czechs, will undergo a transformation in the June elections. The EUROPEUM Institute has prepared a ranking of the influence of MEPs based on a survey of selected experts and stakeholders in European politics. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, describes the ranking in more detail.

Five candidates for the post of European Commission chief clashed in a Europe-wide debate on Thursday. Two factions did not field a candidate. The system of spitzenkandidaten, i.e. the leading candidates of each group for the post of president of the European executive, was created as an effort by MEPs to increase transparency in the filling of the highest posts in the European Union, which clearly includes the president of the Commission. Who will be the one who will form the majority after the elections and does the current head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, have a significant opponent among the other spitzenkandidaten? Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, analysed the debate for RTVS.

With less than two weeks to go until the European Parliament elections, voters can choose their representatives with the help of a Europe-wide debate of candidates for the post of the future President or President of the European Commission. Five candidates, including the current head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who is seeking her second mandate this year, met in the debate on Thursday. Topics discussed included defence and security, the environment and the importance of democracy. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, spoke to TN.cz about the importance of the debate for Czech voters and the outcomes of the individual candidates.