Ukraine

Our Research Fellow Jana Juzova commented on Ukraine's EU integration. Ukraine's economic level and lack of progress in democratic reforms, among other factors, complicate the EU's enlargement to include Ukraine. Accession would affect the flow of money redistributed from European funds, and Ukraine's membership would also have an impact on the EU Council's voting deliberations and the number of MEP seats.

The head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, commented for Czech Television on Ukraine's accession negotiations to the EU, whether it meets the requirements and how the other countries seeking accession are doing.

The head of our Brussels office, Žiga Faktor, commented for ČRo Plus on the Czech Republic's position as the presiding country in Ukraine's EU accession talks. In his commentary, he mentioned what is the decisive factor for the length of the accession talks and whether it is possible to change these procedures during the state of war.

Jakub Ferenčík wrote the EU Monitor on "The EU's stance on Ukraine's EU membership", where he discusses Ukraine's potential membership in the EU. Ferenčík also discusses the process of transitioning to EU membership and compares it to a similar process faced by some other countries, notably Serbia. In his work, the author discusses some of the factors of the transition process, from subscribing to EU values such as "human dignity, freedom and equality" to creating an area of "prosperity and neighbourhood".

The EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, the Balkans Policy Advisory Group (BiEPAG) and the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB) invite you to a public conference on the Balkans and its politics at the event entitled: Consequences of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine for the Western Balkans: Challenges and Opportunities for the Czech Presidency. The debate will take place on 11 May 2022 at 18:30 at Impact Hub K10, Koperníkova 10, Prague 2 - Vinohrady, 120 00.

Our research fellow Michal Hrubý wrote an article for the news portal E15.cz about electromobility in the shadow of war. The article details to what extent the conflict in Ukraine has affected the energy market, what issues we need to focus on in the coming months and what should be the key to achieving so-called raw material security.

We invite you to a debate within the Café Evropa series, this time on the topic "Ukrainian women with children fleeing war - how can we help?". The debate will take place on 28 March at 17:30. You will be able to follow the debate online on our Facebook page.

Žiga Faktor, a research fellow from our Institute and the head of our Brussels office, together with Irena Jenčová from the Euractiv portal, spoke in a Radio Slovakia discussion about sanctions against Russia, the unacceptable demands of the Kremlin, and the search for a way for Europe to replace Russian gas and oil. Will economic pressure force Moscow to come to the negotiating table and declare a ceasefire in Ukraine? Would not greater diplomatic engagement by the United States or China help?

Christian Kvorning Lassen, Deputy Director and Head of Research at our Institute, together with other experts, spoke to the online news server E15.cz and described possible scenarios of how the war in Ukraine could end. The article thus describes five possible scenarios - both the more optimistic ones for Ukraine and the less favourable ones.

The European Union's enlargement policy experienced a shock at the end of February when Russia-attacked Ukraine applied for EU membership. In the following days, Georgia and Moldova - other Eastern European countries with European aspirations and under imminent threat from Moscow - did the same without hesitation. Ukraine's application in particular was met with a very positive reaction from the EU. Our researcher Jana Juzová writes for INFO.cz.

Our researcher Jana Juzová spoke on Český Rozhlas Plus about Ukraine's application to the European Union, which was submitted last week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted the application, which was subsequently supported by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the entire eastern wing of the Union. Is Ukraine's starting position problematic? How likely is it that candidate status will be granted? And which members are traditionally against the enlargement of the Union?

Our researcher Jana Juzová commented for Euractiv on how Serbia's ambiguous position is affecting its EU accession process. Serbia is one of the few European countries, that has refused to join the anti-Russian sanctions, even though it has supported Ukraine's territorial integrity and promised to help refugees. The role taken by this Western Balkan country is not surprising, as it has been teetering between the EU and Russia for the last decade. In the accession process, according to our researcher, Serbia's current position towards Russia is not the biggest problem, as Serbia also faces other shortcomings for EU integration.