Europeum

Commentary | how to think about unanimity in the EU

October 31, 2023

With the opening of accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova, the debate in the European Union on the transition from unanimity to qualified majority voting in some areas has been reignited. Although this is not a new debate, it is worth looking at the current situation, describing the problems caused by unanimity and proposing concrete solutions. For more, see Vit Havelka's commentary.

REPORT | What future for QMV in Foreign and Security Policy?

October 11, 2023

The debate focused on the possible move to qualified majority voting in the EU's Foreign and Security Policy. The participants in the debate discussed the possible negative and positive aspects of the decision. The debate covered topics such as the fear of over-voting as a possible aspect of division within the Union or the ineffectiveness of the current consensus approach.

Seznam zprávy | Will Ukraine join the EU in 2030? A consolation for Kyiv and a signal for Moscow

October 05, 2023

Talks on Ukraine's integration into the European Union are about to begin, and despite the proclamations, the date of entry cannot be set in advance. Žiga Faktor, head of the Brussels office of the EUROPEUM Institute, emphasized that the latest proclamations on Ukraine's EU membership reflect a shift in the approach of member countries to EU enlargement.

Český rozhlas Radiožurnál: New migration politics of European Union

July 01, 2023

In matters of migration and internal affairs, voting in the EU is made by a qualified majority. However, representatives of Hungary and Poland are in favor of a unanimous decision. For Radiožurnál, our senior researcher Vít Havelka commented on the issues of the new EU migration policy.

POLICY PAPER | QMV in CFSP: Impending necessity or resurfacing utopia?

February 14, 2023

Miroslava Pisklová writes about a discussion on potential broadening of the qualified majority voting (QMV) system to more of the remaining policy areas in the Council of the EU in which it is not yet used, namely the EU´s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) that has recently gained momentum. This publication aims to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of introduction of the QMV in CFSP of the EU with a focus on the potential impact on smaller member states.

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.

BLOG: The stakes of the upcoming French elections

April 07, 2022

Rose Hartwig-Peillon writes in her blog about the upcoming French elections. How does the war in Ukraine affect the French presidential election, is Macron already the clear winner of the election or is it not a certainty? Is there a lack of a proper national debate in France?

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MINILATERAL COOPERATION IN THE EU: Internal Cohesion, Group Dynamics, and Voting Behaviour of Selected State Blocks

November 18, 2021

Our research fellow Vít Havelka contributed to the publication "MINILATERAL COOPERATION IN THE EU: Internal Cohesion, Group Dynamics, and Voting Behaviour of Selected State Blocks", published by the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He is the author of a chapter on the Visegrad Group.

EURACTIV: Babis’ defeat will weaken the link between Prague and Budapest

October 13, 2021

Our director Zdeněk Beránek spoke about the relations between Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and his Hungarian counterpart Victor Orbán. Both are harsh critics of the EU institutions. However, the defeat of Babiš in recent parliamentary elections could hurt relations between the capitals.

Seznam Zprávy: The end of the myth of the "bad" EU. It rarely happens that the Czech Republic is outvoted

October 07, 2021

Our research fellow Vít Havelka commented for Seznam Zprávy on the results of a study on voting in the Council of the EU, which focused on cooperation in voting by individual member states within various groupings such as the Visegrad Four, Benelux and others.