European Union

Our analyst Zuzana Stuchlíková commented on the results of the summit in Brussels for TA3. In the first part of the summit, European leaders addressed not only the issue of support for Ukraine but also topics such as the European response to the American Inflation Reduction Act or the issue of the stability of European banks.

The transition to clean energy requires sufficient critical resources to enable this transformation. Consumption of these materials is expected to grow significantly in the future. How will the EU's decarbonisation efforts evolve in the future? This topic was discussed by our researcher Michal Hrubý in the Studio Leonardo programme of Český rozhlas Plus. According to Hrubý, the problem is not the lack of resources, but the time it takes to obtain the raw materials. In this context, he draws attention to a new legislative initiative of the European Commission, which aims to better coordinate the time of extraction of critical materials.

iROZHLAS has prepared an overview of the energy measures discussed by the European Union in the context of the energy crisis. The review shows that the EU's securing of the energy market is not in line with the actions taken by national states. This inconsistency was also commented on by our researcher Michal Hrubý, who pointed to the need to proceed to a comprehensive solution at the level of the European Commission.

At an emergency meeting of EU ministers called by the Czech Republic, ministers came up with proposals on how to tackle rising energy prices in the EU. The meeting was an important demonstration of European unity, says our senior research fellow Kateřina Davidová. At the same time, Davidová points to the overestimated and often demonised impact of Germany's nuclear exit on the energy situation.

Jana Juzová, our senior researcher, commented for ČT24 on Ukraine's accession process to the European Union. In the interview she mentioned the impact of Ukraine's accession to the EU structures, the role of the ongoing war in the accession talks and the long-term outlook not only for Ukraine but also for other member states.

Our research fellow Zuzana Stuchlíková has provided a commentary for EURACTIV on the EU debate on the future of Europe, in which EU citizens are participating. In the commentary, she outlines how crucial the recommendations that will reach the final stage will be and how, if at all, the European Council will implement citizens' proposals.

Our researcher, Kateřina Davidová, commented for Aktuálně.cz on the latest package of sanctions against Russia by the European Union. According to her, the biggest impact on the Russian economy would be the restriction or ban on the purchase of mineral resources from the largest European customers or even from the whole European union. The best alternative to these energies would be to switch to renewable energy sources, says Kateřina Davidová.

Our Associate Research Fellow Zuzana Stuchlíková spoke in the TA3 about the possible impact of Ukraine's accession to the European Union, what are the real chances of accession and what view other member states have on it.

Talking Europe(um) is a podcast which comments on current issues in the European Union. List of episodes, as well as information about where you can listen to the podcast, is in the article.

In his policy paper "New START Treaty – State, future and implications for the EU and V4", written in cooperation with the Think Visegrad think tank, Juraj Sýkora, a Junior Researcher at SFPA, analyses the current state of nuclear arms control, the New START Treaty, what it contains and who it concerns. The policy paper also analyses the prospects until 2026, when the extension of the Treaty expires.

Our researcher Kateřina Davidová contributed a chapter "The Middle Class as a Driver of Decarbonisation" to the Green Deal for Europe publication. The authors of this publication propose solutions that reflect Europe's economic and social reality and stress that the Green Deal debate must reflect the broader aspects of the whole issue.

In his brief, our Christian Kvorning Lassen outlines the image of the European Union's actions during the COVID-19 outbreak, which are often misinterpreted or forgotten by Member States, with a focus on the Czech Republic.