Representatives from France, Italy and Spain have won key positions in the new European Commission. Strong portfolios for politicians from Slovakia and Poland may come as a surprise. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Seznam Zprávy.
Show moreThe United Kingdom is preparing for a major summit of the European Political Community (EPC). After the Czech Republic, Moldova, and Spain, Britain is only the fourth hosting country. Among other topics, the states will discuss Ukraine and illegal migration. On a bilateral level, the Czech Republic will sign a security agreement with Ukraine. Jana Juzová, a researcher at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on the summit for Euractiv.cz.
Show moreSpain and Ireland are working closely together on a joint move towards the recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Recognition is expected to take place on 21 May. They see this move as an expression of support for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented on this issue for Czech Radio.
Show moreThe foreign ministries of Germany, France, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands have summoned Russian ambassadors over the death of opposition activist Alexei Navalnyj. Germany has proposed an approval of another sanctions package against Russia, while the last proposed package has not yet been approved. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, analysed how effective the sanctions are and whether Western countries should continue to push them.
Show moreNorth Korea is ending some of its foreign missions, not only in EU countries, such as Angola, Hong Kong, and Spain. Our research associate Tereza Novotná discusses the closure of North Korean embassies in an interview with German radio SRF.
Show moreThe representants of EU countries arrived in Brussels for the European Council Summit. Our analytist Vít Havelka has commented on the agenda of the meeting - that includes, among other things, the situation in the Middle East, continuous support of Ukraine, the EU's budget or the new migration and asylum pact - in an interview with RTVS.
Show moreOur new deputy director, Viktor Daněk, commented on the newly published draft of the EU migration reform which was approved during the foreign ministers' summit in Spain.
Show moreThe Czechs remember very well what it is like to preside over the EU Council without a stable government. The Spanish, however, have kind of counted on this scenario and their presidency is therefore not very ambitious. Nevertheless, they have to fulfill some important tasks. Read what Jana Juzová, Senior Research Fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, has to say.
Show moreAt a joint meeting of EU ministers, possible solutions to high gas prices were discussed. Our researcher Michal Hrubý commented on the meeting for Událostí, komentáře ČT24. He warned, for example, against capping prices of gas used for electricity production, which could lead to the exhaustion of gas reserves due to low prices. On the other hand, he positively assessed the planned joint European purchases of gas, which could significantly help the Czech economy.
Show moreIn an article for Reflex, Michal Hrubý, our researcher and energy expert, commented on the so-called Iberian Way, which is being followed by Portugal and Spain in the field of energy. By capping gas prices, both countries have managed to achieve that - in simple terms - an extremely high gas price does not affect the price of electricity. However, there are pitfalls to this, which our expert has just commented on.
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