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.
Show moreThe 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.
Show moreThis 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.
Show moreRussia'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.
Show moreEnergy 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.
Show moreIn the global competition for technological dominance, this policy brief sets out six principles for the next Commission on how to play the digital power game with limited resources. Despite the size of its market, the EU lacks common fiscal capacity, capital markets and labour market dynamics. Writes Silke Maes, Research Fellow at EUROPEUM Institute.
Show moreThere is no time to wait in retraining the employees of car manufacturers if we do not want our car industry to fossilize and disappear. Writes Rebeka Hengalová, research fellow at EUROPEUM Institute.
Show moreThe EU's proactive stance, introduced in the Critical Raw Material Strategy and later Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), drives the EU approach to secure the supply of European/domestic critical raw materials for EV battery production. The Cinovec project has a large economic potential as it enhances the ability to secure domestic and regional supply of lithium, which is otherwise very geographically concentrated outside of Europe. Europe relies on a handful of countries, particularly China, for the import of lithium for the production of EV batteries.
Show moreCan Ukraine take lessons from the Czech approach to the recovery plan? Alina Boiko focuses on the Czech implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which could help the Ukrainian authorities improve their ability to implement new policies.
Show moreThe Sahel faces interconnected challenges like poverty, food insecurity, conflicts, terrorism, and climate change. Recent military coups indicate ongoing political instability. Europe, concerned for over a decade, recognizes potential threats to its security, leading the European Union to actively address the region's issues through a comprehensive approach. Writes Hanga Horváth-Sántha, Research Fellow at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs (HIIA).
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