Europeum

EU MONITOR | THREE RESPONSES TO DISINFORMATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

February 16, 2023

Disinformation and foreign interference have been concerns in global politics for centuries, but social media algorithms have made the current threat more dire as they amplify content based on human frailties such as our obsession with negativity and outrage. Russian interference in the 2016 US federal election and other elections and referenda in at least twenty countries between November 2016 and April 2019, including the Brexit referendum, the French and German elections, and the Ukrainian power grid cyber-attacks, have highlighted the potential for foreign governments to alter the results of an election or undermine democracies using social media and other means. Writes Jakub Ferenčík in his last EU MONITOR.

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iDNES.cz: Germans want to cap energy even for big companies, it may harm Czech firms

November 18, 2022

The German government plans to finance so-called price brakes, which are similar to the Czech price caps for consumers. The fundamental difference of the price brake in Germany is that it will also apply to large industrial enterprises. Our researcher Michal Hrubý commented on the situation.

CRo Plus: Mission of Reconciliation. Why are relations between France and Germany strained?

October 27, 2022

The originally scheduled regular meeting between the governments of France and Germany was eventually postponed. Could this be a signal of some major differences in relations between the countries? What are the causes of the contradictions? Are they more personal or political? What impact could it have if Paris and Berlin fail to agree on their position on China? Our senior research fellow Vít Havelka commented on the situation between the countries in the programme Odpolední Plus for Czech Radio Plus.

BLOG: A failed foreign policy? Germany's reliance on Russian energy.

October 13, 2022

Jakub Ferenčík has written a blog on German dependence on Russian gas. In his post he discusses how the German government's initially positive intention to tie Russia to Europe through economic intergation for political stability has backfired and resulted in the opposite. It mentions the role of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who contributed significantly to Germany's dependence on Russian supplies, and the circumstances surrounding the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The second part analyses the legacy of former Chancellor Merkel and her failure to perceive Russian expansionist tendencies.

BLOG: A failed foreign policy? Germany's reliance on Russian energy.

October 13, 2022

Jakub Ferenčík napsal blog na téma německé závislosti na ruském plynu. V příspěvku rozebírá, že původně pozitivní záměr německé vlády, tedy skrze ekonomickou integraci připoutat Rusko k Evropě za účelem politické stability, se Evropě vymstil a vyústil v pravý opak. Zmiňuje roli bývalého kancléře Gerharda Schrödera, který výrazně přispěl k německé závislosti na dodávkách z Ruska, a okolnosti spojené s výstavbou plynovodu Nord Stream 2. V druhé části pak analyzuje odkaz bývalé kancléřky Merkelové a její selhání vnímat ruské expanzionistické tendence.

E15 | The Germans are preparing for a harsh winter. But the core will only be at the mercy of a temporary

August 18, 2022

Our research fellow Michal Hrubý commented for the news server E15.cz on the German government's preparations for energy shortages during the coming winter. He also comments on Germany's temporary return to nuclear power.

EU MONITOR: Recharging the Czech EU Presidency

June 30, 2022

Czechia will enter its second round of the EU Presidency on the 1st of July. Despite the ongoing major shift toward e-mobility across the EU, no strong commitments are coming from the Czech government. The widely accepted milestone of 2035 for phasing-out the sales of new non-zero-emission cars is still perceived by many local policy-makers as unrealistic. Michal Hrubý, a research fellow at the Institute for European Policy, writes in his EU Monitor.

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INVITATION: EU-Pacific Talks: U.S. - Japan relations - new leaders, new chance to restore the old relationship

February 15, 2022

We would like to invite you to the fifth debate from the EU-Pacific talks series titled "U.S. - Japan relations - new leaders, new chance to restore the old relationship". The debate will take place online on the 15th of February and will be broadcasted on our Facebook page.

World Politics Review: Germany’s New Government Could Spell Trouble for the Visegrad Four

January 11, 2022

The director of our Brussel's office, Žiga Faktor, gave a commentary to World Politics Review on their new article Germany's New Government Could Spell Trouble for the Visegrad Four. The New German Government had been getting positive reviews even before it took office in early December. But not everyone is pleased with the new coalition government, one of which is Viktor Orban.

iRozhlas: Scholz's cabinet is an experiment seeking a new beginning. It wants modernisation and a tougher approach towards Russia and China

December 09, 2021

Our researcher Kateřina Davidová is featured in an article by iRozhlas.cz, which focuses on what the new German government headed by Social Democrat Olaf Scholz promises to do when he replaces outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday after 16 years. What to expect from the new government in Berlin?