European Comission

The European Commission's preliminary proposal for new rules on stoves and boilers has provoked a strong reaction from their manufacturers and Czech politicians. The domestic debate is exceptional in this respect. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of the EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Deník N.

The European Commission has presented a competitiveness compass to tackle expensive energy, dependence on fossil fuel imports and the growing influence of China. Its guiding principle is less bureaucracy, more innovation. "The objectives are going in the right direction, the problem is that paper can take a lot. And Europe is good at painting grand strategies," recalls Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM institute and former correspondent for Czech Radio in Brussels.

The European Union plans to significantly increase recycling in the automotive industry through a new End-of-Life Vehicle Regulation. Although the Czech Republic supports the circular economy in general, representatives of the automotive industry and the Ministry of Industry and Trade warn of potential negative impacts. Analyst of EUROPEUM Institute Filip Křenek commented for Euractiv.cz.

According to some commentaries, a new majority is emerging in the European Parliament outside the traditional block of the populists and socialists. Martin Vokálek, the executive director of EUROPEUM Institute, spoke to Rádio Prostor about the changes in the Parliament and also about what the new European Commission will look like.

What the new European Commission will look like is still unclear, it looks like it does not hold the agreement of the factions. While all the candidates for European Commissioners have passed the grillings, the situation surrounding the negotiations of the executive vice-presidents of the European Commission has become complicated. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM Institute, discusses the issue in a new episode of the podcast Europe for Czechs.