A poll for Czech Television shows that only 17 percent of Czechs are content with their political representation. Public discontent has intensified due to recent austerity measures intended to address the public deficit, with significant concerns over inflation, increasing living costs, energy price policies, and the government's poor communication. Klára Votavová, an Associate Research Fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, spoke to Czech Radio about the roots of this distrust and how Fiala's government plans to respond ahead of the 2025 parliamentary elections.
Show moreHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán took over the EU Council presidency less than a month ago, but he has already managed to provoke the EU institutions and most member states with his unauthorized "peace" mission to Russia and China. During this mission, he presented himself as a representative of the European Union, despite having no authority to do so. European politicians have responded to this situation with initial retaliatory measures. How will Viktor Orbán proceed? What strategies and tactics might the Hungarian Prime Minister use during his presidency? Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister, a research fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, commented on this for e15.
Show moreIn recent days, early parliamentary elections have been held in France, but there is no clear winner with a majority. Vít Havelka, Senior Research Fellow at EUROPEUM Institute, describes how the situation in France may develop further.
Show moreThe early parliamentary elections in France were surprisingly won by the united left, defeating the far-right party of Marine Le Pen. On the European level, she is now expected to join the newly formed Patriots for Europe party in the European Parliament. Martin Vokálek, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for CNN Prima News.
Show moreThe French elections were surprisingly won by the left. Its partner in forming a government may be the alliance of President Emmanuel Macron. And on European level Marine Le Pen will join a new political party in the European Parliament, Patriots for Europe, which Czech politician Andrej Babiš co-founded. Listen to the comments of Viktor Daňek, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute for CNN Prima News.
Show moreThe far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen wins the first round of the early parliamentary elections in France. The foreign media are talking about the end of the Macron era, but he is not giving up and has called on the French people to vote against the far right. Martin Vokálek, executive director of EUROPEUM Institute, comments for TV Nova on what is driving voters to the far right and what the situation is in France.
Show moreOn Czech Television, the leaders of all parliamentary parties clashed in a debate full of crucial topics ahead of the European elections. In the end, the discussion focused on key European issues, such as the portfolio of the Czech Republic in the European Commission. The debaters also presented their favorites for candidates to the European Commission. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Deník N.
Show moreWhat was the last parliamentary term like in the European Parliament? How did it manage two crises – the war in Ukraine and COVID-19? And how can the aid to Ukraine be assessed? Žiga Faktor, Deputy Director and Head of the Brussels Office of EUROPEUM Institute, answers these and other questions in an interview for Slovak television RTVS.
Show moreIf Ursula von der Leyen wants to sit at the head of the European Commission for a second term, she will likely have to prepare a less green program than five years ago. While no surprises are expected for her nomination, a power shift is anticipated in the European Parliament, which approves the new head of the Commission. Pre-election models predict a strengthening of parliamentary factions critical of the Union. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Euractiv.
Show moreWith less than two weeks to go until the European Parliament elections, voters can choose their representatives with the help of a Europe-wide debate of candidates for the post of the future President or President of the European Commission. Five candidates, including the current head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who is seeking her second mandate this year, met in the debate on Thursday. Topics discussed included defence and security, the environment and the importance of democracy. Martin Vokálek, Executive Director of EUROPEUM Institute, spoke to TN.cz about the importance of the debate for Czech voters and the outcomes of the individual candidates.
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