In the Media

Two recent controversies – Pfizergate and Piepergate – have thrown a wrench into Ursula von der Leyen’s re-election bid for the European Commission presidency. What impacts will they have and who will benefit form them? Žiga Faktor, head of EUROPEUM´s Institute Brussels office, comments in an article for The Parliament Magazine.

Czech MEPs debated the EU migration pact for over three hours. What came out of the session of the Chamber of Deputies on the migration pact? How do the government and the opposition feel about it? And what are the main issues that the Czech opposition have a problem with it? Deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute Viktor Daněk, commented for TN.cz

The European Union has approved a migration pact, and from 2026 individual states will either accept their share of refugees or pay to opt out of this obligation. However, since the Czech Republic has already accepted a large number of refugees since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, it should temporarily be exempt from this obligation. However, as noted by Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the Institute for European Policy EUROPEUM, this is not an exemption explicitly granted to Czechia. Exemptions are determined based on the number of people granted asylum or similar protection in a given country.

At the extraordinary summit of European Council in Brussels, the original economic debates quickly turned to serious geopolitical issues, such as the extension of sanctions against Iran and the strengthening of Ukrainian air defenses. However, as pointed out by Vít Havelka for Slovakian TA3, an analyst at the EUROPEUM Institute, there is no fundamental shift in the EU's approach to countries such as Russia, Israel or Iran.

The European Union economically lags behind the United States of America and China. The recent meeting in Brussels reflected concerns about a slowdown in the EU economy, which entered 2024 with lower-than-expected growth. EUROPEUM Institute analyst Vít Havelka commented on this situation for ČRo Plus.

The European Parliament recently approved the Migration Pact, which, among other things, deals with the relocation of asylum seekers. Minister of the Interior Vít Rakušan claims Czechia will have an exemption from solidarity due to the number of Ukrainian refugees it accepted. The Migration Pact will take effect in two years, and its strengths and weaknesses were analysed by Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of the EUROPEUM Institute.

The Migration Pact consists of ten legislative proposals that passed the European Parliament last week. They still have to be voted on in the Council of Ministers. Failure to comply with these regulations could lead to lawsuits and heavy fines. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the Migration Pact for Novinky.cz.

During the recent summit, politicians came to discuss key issues regarding the situation in Ukraine, the Middle East, relations with Turkey, and the competitiveness of the European Union against the United States and China. Executive Director of the EUROPEUM Institute, Martin Vokálek, provided commentary for TN.cz. According to him, it is crucial for Czech politicians and diplomats to be actively engaged in these discussions.

At Brussels, on April 17th and 18th, an extraordinary summit of European Union took place. Originally it was intended to focus on enhancing the bloc's competitiveness, but the agenda of the meeting shifted towards discussing military support for Ukraine, and the situation in the Middle East. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the Institute of European Policy EUROPEUM provided analysis on the topic for a daily episode of Dvacet minut Radiožurnálu.

The extraordinary summit in Brussels is focusing on competitiveness and the EU's strategic agenda, including the strengthening of the single market, Turkey-EU relations, Ukraine and Israel. Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office and deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on this for Slovak RTVS.

European Parliament's moving from Brussels to plenary sessions in Strasbourg carry symbolic significance, but the logistics costs up to 3 billion CZK annually. Implementing a change would require amending the fundamental treaties of the European Union, which would need approval from all member states. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on this topic for Radio Impuls.

Myths and disinformation about allegedly bad European officials and their bans spread in the Czech Republic even before joining the EU and persist to this day. What is the origin of these disinformation, and what are the most common myths? Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office and deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, addressed these questions in a comment for Newsroom ČT24.