Europeum

Euractiv: Podcast: thanks to the presidency and support of Ukraine, the Czech Republic has incredibly strengthened its reputation in Brussels, says analyst

May 09, 2023

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.

Policy Paper | 2022 Czech Presidency: A Surprising Success

April 17, 2023

The second-ever Czech presidency of the EU Council took place in the second half of 2022, a period in which the EU was under considerable pressure following the Russian invasion in Ukraine. What many predicted would be another regular presidency, became half a year of crisis management. Writes Vít Havelka in his Policy Paper called: 2022 Czech Presidency: A Surprising Success.

National Convention on the EU | Recommendation: Evaluation of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU

March 10, 2023

Our associate research fellow Zuzana Kasáková and our senior research fellow Vít Havelka prepared a recommendation resulting from the round table discussion of the National Convention on the EU held on February 24, 2023 on the topic "Evaluation of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU". The issued recommendations for the Czech Republic include, for example, the use of the positive result of the Czech presidency, its improved image, and contacts for formulating and promoting the long-term priorities of the Czech Republic in the European Union. Another recommendation is that the Czech Republic should ensure adequate security, both personnel and professional, for the awarding of public contracts for the future Czech presidency.

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National Convention on the EU | Background material: Evaluation of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU

February 20, 2023

Our research associate Zuzana Kasáková and our senior researcher Vít Havelka prepared background material for the Round Table of the National Convention on the EU on the topic Evaluation of the Czech Presidency. Three main questions are put to the Round Table: How successful has the Czech Reublic been in implementing its Presidency priorities? How successful was the Czech Republik in carrying out its presidency in terms of organisation? Has the Czech Republic been successful in promoting its membership in the European Union?

VOXPOT: The EU, with Sweden at the helm, is heading into uncharted waters. Green Europe and migration solutions on the horizon

January 17, 2023

At the turn of the year, Sweden took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from the Czech Republic and will be responsible for leading the Union for the next six months. Although the Swedes have a reputation for being solid and liberal-minded partners, there are concerns about the great unknown because of the composition of their current government. For the first time in history, it is supported by the far-right Sweden Democrats. Our Senior Research Fellow Vít Havelka wrote this article for VOXPOT.

INVITATION: Café Evropa online: What has the Czech Presidency brought for the future - how can the Czech Republic build on the previous six months at the head o

January 16, 2023

We would like to invite you to an online debate as part of the Café Evropa series, this time on the topic "What has the Czech Presidency brought to the future - how can the Czech Republic build on the previous six months at the head of the EU Council?" The debate will take place on Thursday 19 January at 17:30 online on our Facebook page.

Analysis: Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union: Enlargement as a strategic decision

January 02, 2023

Our senior researcher Jana Juzová has written an analysis in which she describes the fact that EU enlargement policy and the EU's south-eastern and eastern neighborhood represent some of the most important areas of Czech foreign and European policy in the last two decades.

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ČT24: The Swedish Presidency is expected to thematically follow the Czech Presidency

January 04, 2023

Sweden took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the third time on 1 January 2022. Our researcher Klára Votavová commented for ČT24 on what is expected from the Swedish Presidency, how Sweden wants to help Ukraine, and she also summarised the Czech Presidency.

ČTK: Czechia has consistently fulfilled its role as presiding country, Brussels experts say

January 02, 2023

Lots of good work, successful, excellent. These are also the terms used by analysts working in Brussels to assess the end of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In interviews with ČTK, a trio of experts, including the head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, praised the way the Czech Republic has approached directing the debates between the member states.

EU MONITOR | Saturday Energy Talks of the Czech EU Council Presidency: What’s Next?

December 23, 2022

Helena Truchlá, Director of Czech Interests in the EU, and Michal Hrubý, our Research Fellow, wrote the EU monitor "Saturday Energy Talks of the Czech EU Council Presidency: what's next?", in which she discusses the current energy crisis during the Czech Presidency.

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