Europeum

Café Evropa | 20 years without borders: what have two decades of open Europe given us?

May 01, 2024

We invite you to a public recording of the Café Evropa podcast. Come and discuss twenty years of open Europe with representatives of the generation that has lived most of its life there, as well as those who remember the past regime and the waiting at the borders. What do you remember?

Café Evropa: České Budějovice 20 years in EU

March 20, 2024

We invite you to the next debate of the Café Evropa series. Come and talk to us about what current european issues are resonating in České Budějovice and how you imagine Europe. Are you interested in nuclear energy, electromobility, euro, local projects supported by the EU, culture or any other european topics?

Report | Women in Digital Space (and AI): Looking into Central Europe: cases from Austria, Czechia, Poland and Slovakia

April 25, 2024

Our researcher Silke Maes in her latest report addresses issues of cyberviolence on women and examines whether women in the CEE benefit from digitalisation (and AI). The report looks into how women use and contribute to the digital space, examines opportunities and challenges and proposes recommendations for a more inclusive digital space.

Policy Paper | 20 years of cohesion policy as a "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts"?

April 29, 2024

It has been 20 years since the Czech Republic and 9 other Central, Southern and Eastern European countries joined the European Union. This was on the promise of increased prosperity and the so-called economic catching-up of the post-communist part of Europe. Cohesion policy was to play a key role here. Vít Havelka writes in his Policy Paper.

Policy paper | Current EU industrial policy undermines economic convergence between old and new EU countries

April 29, 2024

The post-communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic, joined the European Union at the height of globalisation and the dominance of the so-called Washington Consensus policies. However, the global economic crisis of 2008 showed shortly afterwards that these policies had their limits. Read more in Klára Votavová's Policy Pepeu.

Policy paper | Have we caught up with the West? - 20 years of convergence through the lens of wage levels

April 29, 2024

This year, the EU marks the anniversary of the biggest wave of enlargement in its history, when the Czech Republic joined the Union along with nine other Central and Eastern European countries. One of the main promises associated with enlargement was that the new Member States would catch up with Western Europe in terms of living standards. Read more in Silke Maes' policy paper.

CNN Prima News | The European Army and the position of the Defense Commissioner

April 26, 2024

The next European Commission should have a new Commissioner for Defense. There is speculation that this position could go to the Czech Republic. However, some European politicians, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, are calling directly for the creation of European army. But what are the pitfalls of the project? Vít Havelka, a research fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, talked about the usefulness and possibilities for CNN Prima News.

CNN Prima News | Two plenary session locations of the European Parliament

April 25, 2024

The MEPs discussed the difficulty of changing the seat of the European Parliament, which periodically moves from Belgium to France. Most agreed that they would welcome if this movement was canceled. However, France would probably veto such a change in the treaties. What are the arguments for and against moving the European Parliament periodically? Is there any way out of this problem, or will Strasbourg's role remain the same for decades to come? Martin Vokálek, Director of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, commented for CNN Prima News on the issue.

Policy Paper | Climate Change and Food Resilience in Africa and the Middle East

April 29, 2024

Russia's war in Ukraine has destabilised supply chains and strained food systems in Africa and the Middle East, highlighting their vulnerability and the need to increase their resilience. Writes Clément Steuer, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of International Relations Prague.

Policy Paper | Barriers and benefits of energy communities in the European Union

March 21, 2024

Energy communities are an effective means to decentralize and renew our energy systems with sustainable solutions as they are usually based on renewable energy. They have already started emerging in 1970´s, yet there has been a significant increase in their development only in recent years, also in terms of their introduction into the EU legislation. Especially in Western and Northern European countries the concept already enjoys vast popularity. On the other hand, in Central and Eastern European countries (further referred to as CEE) energy communities are only beginning to emerge. The policy brief (based on literature and interviews with various stakeholders ) examines the benefits energy communities may bring, and more importantly, the main obstacles remaining in their way for greater evolution in the CEE region – and especially Visegrad countries (V4). As these initiatives progress, sharing the best practices will ensure the success of the community energy in the energy transition. Writes Alžbeta Gavalcová.