blog

In December 2023, the Hungarian Parliament passed a law establishing the Office for the Protection of the Sovereign, a state agency that now has unlimited access to personal data to search for and prosecute alleged foreign agents among the Hungarian population. Our researcher Henry Barrett, a Fulbright-Schuman Grantee, writes about this topic in his blog.

The EU didn't manage to communicate well regarding the Hamas attack on Israel. This blog delves into the shortcomings of the EU's response, shedding light on the complexities and challenges faced in handling the aftermath of this sensitive geopolitical situation. Written by Adam Horry.

Even in the most developed countries in the world of today, there is still inequality between men and women, especially in the top public positions. One way of tackling this problem is gender quotas, which the European Union has now taken up in a business context. You can read about the adopted directive and the EU's overall strategy to address the under-representation of women in our intern Natálie Hendlingerová's new blog.

Up to two million children may currently have difficulties in having their parentage recognised within the EU. This is due to different laws in different Member States, which often severely restrict children's rights. The European Commission's proposal, supported by a vote in Parliament, aims to harmonise these different approaches and thus create a more child-friendly situation. Read more in our intern Veronika Vráblíková's new blog.

Coal has been an important part of the Czech economy for decades. As a fossil fuel, however, it is a significant producer of greenhouse gases, especially CO2. Our Research Fellow Jonathan Lyons and Senior Research Fellow Kateřina Davidová write in their blog about the benefits of decarbonisation and switching to wind energy.

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.

As the final phase of negotiations between the European Parliament and the Member States on the EU Platform Work Directive approaches, the fate of millions of workers hangs in the balance. Time is running out to protect Czech and EU workers from the Turbo Shvarc system. Read the full article by Silke Maes Junior Research Fellow at EUROPEUM Institute.

Food waste causes the production of greenhouse gases, wastes water and makes inefficient use of fertile land. In addition to its negative environmental impacts, it is also a social problem. Food is wasted despite the fact that some people are starving. The EU is trying to halve the amount of food waste by 2030 compared to 2015, but current developments suggest that this target will not be achieved. Writes Patricia Vanicka in her blog.

The Czech state administration is facing mistrust because of problems with civil servants and delays in social benefits. Researcher Klára Votavová examines how the administration deals with the distribution of the Fair Transition Fund, which is intended to help coal regions transition to a new economy. The CZK 42 billion goes to the Moravian-Silesian, Karlovy Vary and Ústí Regions.

A number of industries, including textiles, are now facing an increasing emphasis on sustainability. It is characterised mainly by one-off trends, which are linked to the frantic pace of the entire textile industry. The EU's Circular Textiles Strategy can be seen as a hope to address the situation. You can find out more about it in the blog written by our intern Nelly Achverdjanová.

Read the full blog by Kristína Kráľovská, in which she writes about what the Czech Republic can learn from Poland's shift in solar energy

Zsanett Gréta Papp, our research assistant, writes in her blog "The US is investing more in Arctic deterrence", Given the rapid climate changes that are inherently altering the Arctic landscape and its prospects, the political tensions that existed in the region before the collapse of the USSR are not far off. This blog is the second in a series of blogs on the Arctic.