Europeum

e15 | Slovak government toughens up after attack on Fico. Violent acts may increase, experts warn

May 20, 2024

Democracy and the rule of law in Slovakia are in even greater danger after last week's assassination of Prime Minister Robert Fico than before. According to the local media, there are fears that government politicians, led by Fico's interim deputy Robert Kaliňák, will try to take advantage of the current situation to introduce repressive measures against the opposition and the liberal media, which could also affect local business. Project manager of EUROPEUM Institute Kristína Chlebáková comments on the situation for e15.

Timpul Prezent | European borders, EU enlargement and growing polarization in Slovakia

May 19, 2024

What are the borders of Europe and how do they coincide with the borders of the European Union? What are the prospects for EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans and the former Soviet states? These questions are addressed by Jana Juzová, senior researcher at EUROPEUM Institute for the Timpul Prezent podcast. She also discussed the consequences of the recent attack on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and highlighted the growing polarization of Slovak society and the potential threat to media independence.

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.

168 hodin | Czech and Slovak relations at freezing point

March 25, 2024

Due to the pro-Russian positions of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the Czech cabinet suspended the intergovernmental consultations. Does this turn the former brothers into enemies? Nonetheless, this is not the first time that relations between these two nations, that used to share a common state once, have frozen. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the topic in an investigative piece for 168 hodin broadcast by Czech Television.

RTVS | The European Commission recommends initiating accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina

March 12, 2024

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the European Commission will recommend initiation of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina. In recent months, reform efforts have been evident, the Bosnian government has reached agreements even with the separatist entity of Republika Srpska on key reforms. However, the conditions have not yet been fully met, and many other reforms, such as electoral system reform, are still pending. Researcher from EUROPEUM Institute, Jana Juzová, discussed it for Slovakian RTVS.

MF DNES | Cooldown in relations between the Czech Republic and Slovakia

March 11, 2024

The Czech government has suspended intergovernmental consultations with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's cabinet over differing views on the war conflict in Ukraine. Our project manager Kristína Chlebáková commented on the move for MF DNES.

BLOG | Slovakia’s Foreign Policy after the 2023 parliamentary elections

December 18, 2023

On September 30th, the long-awaited parliamentary elections held place in Slovakia drawing particularly strong global attention due to their perceived impact on the nation's democratic trajectory and their significance for the unity of the European Union. As a result, Robert Fico, leader of the opposition Smer-SD party, and a former Prime minister in three governments, emerged victorious once again, while his populist, aggressive, and anti-West rhetoric sparked further concerns among the EU leaders. Writes Simona Štibraná.

Op-Ed | The grain dispute is the first sign that Ukraine's EU accession will not be easy. What obstacles await on this path?

May 02, 2023

The Ukrainian grain situation is making waves in Europe. Deputy Director and Head of the Brussels Office Ziga Faktor wrote an Op-Ed about the impact of the situation on the country's EU accession and how some member states are reacting.

Právo | Tusk's death sentence over the V4

October 27, 2023

The alliance between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland is weakening more and more and the possibility of a Donald Tusk's government in Poland will certainly not help the V4 to come together again. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM, commented on this topic for the newspaper Právo.

DELO: A social democrat according to Orbán and Putin's wishes

October 02, 2023

What could Robert Fico's return to the head of Slovakian government mean for the European Union? Žiga Faktor, director of our office in Brussels, commented on the topic on Saturday for the Slovenian newspaper DELO.