Europeum

Hospodářské noviny: Breakthrough: Macedonians and Albanians start talks on EU accession, Fiala flies to Brussels for a U-turn

July 19, 2022

The leaders of Northern Macedonia and Albania will open their countries' accession talks to the European Union in Brussels on Tuesday, something for which Northern Macedonia has been waiting for over 17 years and Albania for eight. The head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, commented on this fact for Hospodářské noviny. Žiga Faktor also comments on the agreement between Northern Macedonia and Bulgaria. In his view, the EU may have set a precedent by allowing bilateral historical and cultural disputes to become part of the accession process.

Aktuálně.cz: Macedonians and Albanians start negotiations on EU accession. Fiala flies to Brussels for this

July 19, 2022

The leaders of Northern Macedonia and Albania will open their countries' accession talks to the European Union in Brussels on Tuesday, something for which Northern Macedonia has been waiting for over 17 years and Albania for eight. The head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, commented on this fact for Aktuálně.cz. Faktor also commented on the agreement between North Macedonia and Bulgaria, which opened the way for North Macedonia to join the EU. Faktor believes that the EU may have set a precedent by allowing bilateral historical and cultural disputes to become part of the accession process.

ČRo Plus: Serbs don't want to join the EU. According to ordinary people, it would be collusion with other corrupt countries

July 14, 2022

What attitude Serbian citizens have towards EU membership, why they have a "rational attitude" towards it and what their historical ties to Russia are, is the topic of our associate research fellow Marko Stojić's commentary for Czech Radio Plus.

LA LIBRE: Reputedly Eurosceptic, the Czech Republic is trimming its European suit

July 01, 2022

Our research fellow Žiga Faktor commented for the Belgian daily La Libre on the topic of Czech Euroscepticism. The positive attitude of Václav Havel (the so-called great European) towards Europe was also reflected in the incoming Czech presidency, specifically in the motto "Europe as a task". The motto is inspired by his speech in Cácy in 1996. Despite a positive attitude in the past, according to the latest data from STEM, only 33 % of Czechs have a positive view of the Czech Republic's EU membership.

Seznamzpravy.cz: Comment: Ukraine in the EU? The biggest risk is empty promises

June 17, 2022

Our Research Fellow Jana Juzova commented on Ukraine's EU integration. Ukraine's economic level and lack of progress in democratic reforms, among other factors, complicate the EU's enlargement to include Ukraine. Accession would affect the flow of money redistributed from European funds, and Ukraine's membership would also have an impact on the EU Council's voting deliberations and the number of MEP seats.

Hospodářské noviny: Remembering Havel: Government approves slogan and priorities for EU Presidency. What are they for?

June 16, 2022

Our senior research fellow, Vít Havelka, wrote OUTLOOK: 2022 Czech EU Council Presidency, which is mentioned in the article of Hospodářské noviny on the Czech EU Council Presidency.

Visegrad Insight: Slovenia’s New Government Rejects ‘Orbán’s Visegrad’

June 14, 2022

The head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, commented for Visegrad Insight. Žiga Faktor points out that the centre-left opposition parties united in an informal coalition known as the "Constitutional Arch Coalition" have not coordinated as closely as the opposition parties in the Czech Republic, which have formed two coalition blocs, the centre-right SPOLU and the centrist PirStan.

Deník N: Experts assess the motto of the Czech Presidency

June 14, 2022

Our researchers Kateřina Davidová and Zuzana Stuchlíková assessed for Deník N the motto of the Czech Presidency, which will be "Europe as a task: reform, renew, strengthen". According to both researchers, this is a good choice. The speech by Václav Havel, to which the motto refers, is still relevant today.

Hospodářské noviny: No, Brussels has not banned any cars. But the Czech government still needs to finally say a clear yes to electromobility

June 13, 2022

New cars sold in the EU after 2035 are to have zero tailpipe emissions. It is the electric cars only that meet the zero-emission criterion. The shift to electric vehicles will be what will help the Czech Republic maintain a stable position in the automotive value chain in the long term. Our research fellow Michal Hrubý wrote an article for Hospodářské noviny about the future of electromobility and the automotive industry in the Czech Republic.

BLOG: The Sixth Sanctions Package & the Visegrad Group’s Reliance on Putin’s Gas

June 10, 2022

Jakub Ferenčík wrote a blog on the current topic: The Sixth Sanctions Package & the Visegrad Group’s Reliance on Putin’s Gas. Russia's aggression in Ukraine has necessitated another package of sanctions, this time in the energy sector. Due to the lack of alternatives for gas supplies, the Visegrad Four countries had a problem with the implementation of the latest sanctions package. In the end, the EU found a consensus and introduced exemptions for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

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