MEPs have urged the European Commission to investigate Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš for possible conflicts of interest involving EU funds, after being persuaded by the Czech branch of Transparency International and the Czech Pirate Party.
The EU is finally heading the way we are proposing in terms of migration policy, the Visegrád Group countries say. But two Czech MEPs point out that the V4’s contribution to the change may be limited and other factors should be considered as well.
When it comes to migration and refugees, the Visegrad 4 governments speak with one voice: the EU should abandon any idea of a compulsory mechanism for refugee relocation. EURACTIV's network reports.
From mobility services to recycling applications, the sharing economy holds many promises. Whether to regulate it at European level remains a disputed question, however.
The energy performance contract model can turn energy efficiency renovation of buildings into a truly popular policy objective among politicians in Central and Eastern Europe because it can be done without any use of public money and has no impact on public debt, says Ivan Lesay.
European copyright law is stuck somewhere around 2000, in the era of satellite and cable broadcasting, not the internet age. That is why a copyright reform is needed, says Pavel Svoboda, the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs.
As Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic start phasing out coal, campaigners argue that all actors – including small entrepreneurs, communities and civil society – must be part of the process.
The 32% renewable energy target agreed by EU negotiators last week is still “much lower” than what would be needed to reach the Paris goals on climate change, argue experts at the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Germany.
Despite progress in recent years, local circular economy efforts in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia are still plagued by inefficient management, cheap landfilling and problematic reporting. EURACTIV's network reports.
The European Commission’s proposal to cap agricultural payments and provide more support for small farms has divided farmers in the Czech Republic. But there are other issues they should focus on, such as the ageing rural population and the challenges of modern technologies. EURACTIV.cz reports.
Profit is not the only reason to start a business. There are enterprises in Europe whose aim is to help other people, usually the less fortunate ones, with their career.
Czech firms in the southwest are facing labour shortages as residents living close to the border are increasingly commuting to Germany for work. The main incentives are salaries, three times higher than the Czech average, and child benefits, the so-called kindergeld....
The Czech Republic is one of the most industrialised EU states and its big companies do not fear digitalisation. However, SMEs are afraid of job losses and have asked for help with the costly transformation.
Viktor Orban's landslide victory last weekend is not good news for the EU. But it may also turn out to be a mixed blessing for the Visegrad group of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic is the fourth most open country for foreign investments in the world. But it has no control mechanism to prevent risky foreign investment, and economic and political influence from the East is growing rapidly, EURACTIV.cz reports.
Britain, the former sick man of Europe, has seen its economy grow strongly in the EU. It is making a major mistake by leaving the bloc and the customs union and does not even realise what serious challenges it will face in the future, says former Irish minister Dara Murphy.
China has used the international economic crisis to elbow its way towards a dominant position on the global market. Its New Silk Road is seen as an attempt to create a massive, multi-national zone of economic and political influence, including in Central Europe. EURACTIV Poland/Czech Republic/Slovakia and Political Capital report.
Conflicts, poverty and drought have forced hundreds of thousands of Africans to leave their homes. Czechs are among the Europeans who go there to give them a helping hand, which can take the form of seed potatoes, textbooks or even simple advice on how to nurture their children appropriately.
The euro has been fought against by everyone in the Czech Republic who doesn’t like the idea of deeper European integration. However, as centre-right MEP Luděk Niedermayer points out, myths and false arguments often dogs the debate about the common currency.
Czechs choose their new president next week (26-27 January) and the increasingly heated election campaign, pitting the incumbent pro-Russian Miloš Zeman against pro-European academic Jiří Drahoš, has focused on the issue of migration.
The Polish government is still relying on Hungary’s Viktor Orbán to cover their backs. But this particular alliance may not last forever. EURACTIV Czech Republic takes a look at the story ahead of what could be a defining year for how the EU treats its problem kids.
The Czech Republic insists that it will not accept any refugees under the EU relocation system, despite a legal case brought by the European Commission.
The newly appointed Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is heading to his first EU summit next week, planning to defend his country’s stand on migration and refugee quotas and promote a more ambitious reformist agenda. Babiš, 63, the country’s second-wealthiest...
