In the Media

Negotiations on the EU leadership positions will continue next week. On Thursday, leaders and presidents are due to make their final decision at a summit in Brussels. Vladimír Bartovic, President of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on whether Ursula von der Leyen will defend her post as President of the European Commission.

The ANO political movement will withdraw from the liberal Renew Europe faction in the European Parliament, as it says it cannot promote the programme it went into the European elections with. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on this.

The average temperature in the Czech Republic has increased by 2.2 degrees Celsius since the 1960s. As a result of climate change, the country is suffering more frequent weather extremes: torrential rain, drought and heat. Heat waves are particularly severe in heat islands that form in cities. Prague wants to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, add greenery and water features. Will it be enough? Katarina Svitková, an Associate Research Fellow at EUROPEUM Institute gives examples to WHAT news on how Barcelona is adapting to the heat.

Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Hospodářské noviny's newsletter Directors of Europe on the future of the Green Deal after the recent European Parliament elections.

After the European Parliament elections, government leaders of the EU member states must agree on the leadership of the European institutions. The agreement must be finalized by the end of the month. Vladimír Bartovic, President of EUROPEUM Institute, answered questions about the negotiations.

After the European Parliament elections, the elected national political parties have to split into different factions. This process is ongoing, with question marks surrounding the ANO party. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for TV Nova.

The results of the European elections are favorable for Ukraine; the center-right European People's Party (EPP) won the most seats, thereby strengthening the position of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, a strong supporter of Ukraine. On the other hand, while some groups to the right of the EPP also had successes, their support for Ukraine is mixed. Žiga Faktor, Deputy Director and Head of the Brussels Office of EUROPEUM Institute, commented the situation for The Parliament magazine.

The Mayor's party, who have the right to nominate a European Commissioner under the Czech coalition agreement, have announced that they will nominate both Danuše Nerudová and Jozef Sikela for the position of the next Czech European Commissioner. The government is due to decide on a candidate by the end of August. Can the Czech Republic get a highly sought-after economic portfolio? What are the advantages for the country if it gets it? And how difficult is the process of questioning candidates in the European Parliament, the so-called grilling? Klára Votavová, researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, answered these and other questions in an interview for Czech Radio.

After the European elections, institutions in Brussels are facing personnel changes. Who is likely to assume the most important positions, namely the the head of the European Council, the European Commission, and the European Parliament? Vít Havelka, senior researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on this in the main evening broadcast on TV Nova.

On Monday 17 June, the leaders of the European Union Member States headed to Brussels for their first joint meeting after the European Parliament elections. They discussed the distribution of key posts at the head of the EU institutions - the President of the European Commission, the European Council and the European Parliament. Filip Křenek, project coordinator and analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the likely distribution of forces for ČRo Plus.

On Monday, June 17, an informal meeting of the 27 member states of the European Union took place. Their leaders discussed the nominations of members for the new European Commission. Ursula von der Leyen will also have to compete for her position as President of the European Commission again. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, discussed her chances on the Slovak television RTVS.

Filip Turek, originally an outsider, pulled the Přísaha and Motorists coalition into third place and gained more than ten percent of the vote. He bet on a ban on internal combustion engines and social networks. How realistic are his election promises? Who did he take votes from and who helped him? Filip Křenek, Project Coordinator and Analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the topic for Czech Television's investigative programme 168 hodin.