V4

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, media coverage of the country has increased significantly. Interpreting and commenting on events, putting them in the news and shaping the debate about Ukraine's future prospects in relation to European integration has thus become an important part of the responsibility of most mainstream media. However, as the war drags on, the V4 citizens' awareness of the conflict has diverged. At different times, some topics have been given more emphasis than others, making the quality of coverage often incomplete or unconvincing. Some countries emphasise the autonomy of reporting, which in turn allows for broad and in-depth coverage, while there are regimes that narrow the information and use the topic of war to produce stories for domestic purposes. In the final report on the EUROPEUM Institute project, Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister and others write.

The Czech Republic is in danger of following the Hungarian path in accepting disinformation, especially about the war in Ukraine. While Czech citizens mostly perceive Russia as the clear aggressor, research warns against changing the narrative. The upcoming elections and the possibility of Andrej Babiš's return to power could influence the direction of Czech politics and perceptions of international issues. Oszkár Roginer-Hofmeister, project coordinator at EUROPEUM Institute, commented for Euractiv.cz

This two-part online workshop series focused on NATO’s Open-Door policy and the potential for future eastern enlargement, offering a deep dive into the alliance’s evolving dynamics. Over eight engaging sessions, experts, students, and practitioners discussed Ukraine’s prospects for NATO membership, challenges posed by democratic reforms, border disputes, and regional perspectives within the alliance. The workshops also explored NATO’s role in space and cyber operations, its response to geopolitical challenges, and the impact of member states’ internal dynamics on enlargement. Specifically focusing on the views from the V4.

The debate summarises the outcomes of the research conducted in all four V4 countries. Focusing on V4 mainstream media, the four country studies combine both sides of news production and consumption by analysing the narratives about the future of Ukraine vis-à-vis EU accession, but also how news audiences in these four countries reflect on the most frequent topics regarding the image of Ukraine in the EU.

Robert Fico has been Slovakia's Prime Minister again for a little over a year. As premier, he pursues autocratic ambitions and maintains close contacts with Russia. Is the country on the same path as Hungary? Project manager Kristína Chlebáková from the EUROPEUM Institute commented for the Hannoversche Allgemeine.

Differences on key issues between the leaders of the Visegrad Four countries are now being widely discussed in the context of the ongoing summit in Prague. How the relations between the countries will develop, whether we are heading towards the disintegration of the V4 or whether this is an eternal partnership of reason, was analysed by Žiga Faktor, Deputy Director and Head of the Brussels Office, for the RTVS podcast Z prvej ruky.

Viktor Daněk, our Deputy Director, commented on the current government situation in Poland in a report for TV Nova.

On Wednesday, 22 November, the presidents of the V4 countries met at Prague Castle. Our researcher Klára Votavová answered questions about the future of the V4 forum.

The alliance between the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland is weakening more and more and the possibility of a Donald Tusk's government in Poland will certainly not help the V4 to come together again. Viktor Daněk, deputy director of EUROPEUM, commented on this topic for the newspaper Právo.

A new policy paper, produced with the support of the Visegrad Fund project, analyses the views of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary on the further enlargement of the European Union. With the granting of candidate status to Moldova and Ukraine and the recognition of Georgia as a potential candidate in June 2022, the issue of reforming the EU accession process is becoming absolutely crucial and, in the context of the war in Ukraine, a divisive issue for the V4 countries. The authors of the publication are Jana Juzová, Ferenc Németh, Tomáš Strážay and Marta Szpala.

The project assesses the production, distribution and consumption of news on Ukraine’s future vis-a-vis European integration by the V4 mainstream media. The aim is to designate both dominant and marginalized narratives, while also analyzing their impact via focus groups. The findings will be presented to stakeholders in order to improve reporting and increase the audiences’ access to information.

The project focuses on strengthening civil society organizations in Serbia towards more successful advocacy and enhanced participation in policymaking within the area of green transformation with a particular focus on coal phase-out.