In the Media

The head of the Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, commented on the possible future of the European Union in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The war in Ukraine, which has caused the arrival of millions of refugees in the EU-27, has come at a time when the European Union is dealing with the reform of its migration policy. How has the experience of the refugee wave seeped into it? Our deputy director Christian Kvorning Lassen comments on this in the EURACTIV.cz podcast.

Commentary from our researcher Klára Votavová: The publication of the government's package for the recovery of public finances was preceded by several familiar claims about the exuberant Czech state and high taxes. After weeks of negotiations, Petr Fiala's government announced that it intends to save approximately 20 billion crowns on state operations and salaries for years 2024 and 2025. It is not yet clear who will be affected by the investigation and whether it will be in the form of layoffs or salary cuts for civil servants.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is currently leading the election over opposition candidate Kemal Kiliçdaroglu. But the voters will decide on the Turkish president in 14 days. Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office of the EUROPEUM Institute for European Politics, commented on the course of the elections for Český Rozhlas Plus.

Kateřina Davidová, who leads our climate research team, explains to TREND the possible risks of the new European standards. In the interview, she also adds the reasons why the EU insists on its green policy.

On the occasion of Europe Day, which takes place annually on 9 May, our Senior Research Fellow Vít Havelka outlined the importance of the European Union and recalled the challenges it has faced in recent times.

Events around Ukraine and Russia, and the new 11th sanctions submitted by the European Union. The EU has submitted these sanctions to its member states and our researcher Zuzana Stuchlíková comments on the situation.

According to the German Chancellor, Ukraine and Moldova belong to the European Union. According to Olaf Scholz, this is in the direct interest of the EU-27. Europe Day is celebrated on 9 May. On 9 May 1950, the then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman made a declaration that became the basis for peaceful cooperation between European countries. Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, commented on this topic, including Ukraine's accession to the European Union.

Our senior researcher Jana Juzová commented on the topic of Ukraine's accession to the European Union. Both President Petr Pavel and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský of the Pirate Party want to push for it. Did Ukraine get a real promise from the Czech side or a false hope? And how strong is the determination of the member states to accept Ukraine among them?

The Czech Republic presents itself as one of the leaders in aid to Ukraine, which is affected by Russian aggression, and in the second half of last year it held the Presidency of the EU Council, thus taking important decisions. Our editorial team went to Brussels - the centre of EU affairs - to find out whether this is indeed the case. How has the Czech reaction to the war affected the country's position in the EU-27 or its reputation in the eyes of its international partners? Žiga Faktor, head of the EUROPEUM Institute's Brussels office, commented on the following topics.

At least until next summer, Ukrainian grain will continue to flow duty-free to the European market. The agreement reached by the EU with the member countries thus lifted the ban lasting several weeks. Despite the averted crisis, however, it became fully apparent how fragile the vision of Ukraine's future accession to the Union is and what challenges await it on this path. This is how Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office, begins his commentary for Voxpot.

In the European Union, terms such as critical minerals, competitiveness and strategic autonomy have been bandied about more and more often recently. The Czech Republic is only just coming into this discussion, but thanks to its vast lithium reserves, it may soon find itself in the spotlight, writes researcher Kateřina Davidová in a commentary.