In the Media

The outgoing President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen prepares for her State of the Union speech. Žiga Faktor, Director of the EUROPEUM Institute's Brussels office, assessed her tenure and achievements for Czech Television.

Žiga Faktor, director of the EUROPEUM Institute's Brussels office, commented for Czech Radio Plus on a proposal for a radical reform of the functioning of the European Union, which would have to be approved by all member states. Among the changes mentioned would be, for example, the renaming of the European Commission.

Charles Michel, President of the European Council, has sparked a debate on the future enlargement of the EU until 2030. That is why our senior researcher Jana Juzová commented on the topic in the radio.

Czech president Petr Pavel welcomed the President of North Macedonia, Steve Pendarovski, at Prague Castle. According to the Castle, the invitation to the Czech Republic is intended to express the support for the country's move towards the European Union. For Český Rozhlas Plus, the head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, commented on the current events in North Macedonia.

Klára Votavová, our research fellow, was interviewed by Slovak RTVS about the future of the European Union and Germany.

Our Senior Research Fellow Kateřina Davidová commented positively on the controversial Ministry of the Environment's "Fix your grandmother's house" programme in an article in Hospodářské noviny focusing on the perception of green policy in Europe.

The head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, spoke to EURACTIV.cz about the departure of Dutchman Frans Timmermans from the European Commission. The influential vice-president of the European Commission was lured by the prospect of the prime minister's chair in the Netherlands, and his boss, Ursula von der Leyen, has to manage without him. But her difficulties do not end there, a year before the European elections.

The EU countries have decided that the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines will end by 2035 at the latest. Although this is a highly controversial move in the Czech Republic, it is unlikely to be of much significance in the context of the global new car market. The new Euro 7 emissions standard will be the same. Our Senior Research Fellow Vít Havelka commented on this topic.

On new European legislation passed by the European Parliament in a close vote to protect climate and species diversity. Protection is no longer enough. Europe's nature is facing a renewal. What do critics of the nature recovery plan fear? And how could it help protect the climate? Our senior researcher Kateřina Davidová comments on this in a new Respekt podcast.

In matters of migration and internal affairs, voting in the EU is made by a qualified majority. However, representatives of Hungary and Poland are in favor of a unanimous decision. For Radiožurnál, our senior researcher Vít Havelka commented on the issues of the new EU migration policy.

Our Senior Research Fellow Kateřina Davidová published an article focusing on climate policy in the journal Forum for Social Policy. The text focuses on developments in energy and climate policy over the past year, defined by the Russian war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and rising inflation. The periodical is published by the Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs (RILSA).

Klára Votavová, our researcher, has written a commentary on the current government pension reform. According to Votavová, it is alarming that the reform does not take into account climate change and the impact of technology on the labour market.