Visegrad Insight Podcast

Our interview with a former director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on recent tensions around the US Agency for Global Media that oversees projects like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty around the world. Thomas Kent is a specialist in international reporting, Russian affairs and journalistic ethics. He joined Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in June 2016, after a career of more than 40 year...

With a few days left before the second round of the Polish presidential election, Andrzej Duda and Rafał Trzaskowskiego are trying to appeal to both undecided voters and supporters of different camps. With incredulous promises about additional social spending for mothers, an eco-charter and a row over adoption by same-sex couples, the final stretch is in full swing. With a vote that is too close t...

On  1 July, Poland took over from Czechia   the annual rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group (V4). The COVID-19  pandemic resulted in an exceptional couple of months for the Czech  presidency, even though there was a lot of work and initiative on the  V4's relationship with Germany as well as the Eastern Partnership policy  of the EU. Will the Polish presiden...

Four  days before the Polish presidential election, Andrzej Duda meets with  US President Trump in an attempt to shore up his electoral base.  Recently, Trump indicated his willingness to cut the presence of US  troops in Germany and move some of these soldiers to Poland. This  sparked debate in Germany about its security interests as well as the  country's relationsh...

Whether  it is the Visegrad Group (V4) or the Three Seas Initiative, there is no  absence of regional initiatives for consultation or cooperation within  the European framework. We discuss the most recent meeting of the V4  leaders, how they align on the European Recovery Fund, and also focus on  questions of energy security, innovation and cross-border  infrastructur...

With  a large number of organisations and a plethora of activities, civil  society appears to be thriving in Central Europe. At the same, shrinking  civic space and financial instability are threatening the independence  and future of the sector. Civil society needs to ready itself for a  bumpy ride in the next couple of years but has the agency and chance to  remake...

While  the recovery fund announced by the European Commission is only the  beginning of a lengthy political discussion, it has reinvigorated the  budgetary negotiations and encourages a reflection on the long-term  future of the EU. More on the subject:  https://visegradinsight.eu/tag/multi-annual-financial-framework/

In this episode we discuss the unity of regions of Europe and their  relative power in the EU. We also talk about disinformation spread  through public media and how to tackle that problem. Finally, we  explain the state of play in the EU budget negotiations including ideas  and positions of Czechia, Hungary,  Poland and Slovakia. https://visegradinsight.eu/...

Despite COVID19 PiS government did not cancel the vote but the election did not take place anyway. Ahead of a new electoral campaign, we explain  the political dynamics with a spotlight on Rafał Trzaskowski who is  joining the race