Visegrad Insight Podcast

Adam Jasser interviews Wojciech Przybylski about the release of a new report, How European Democracies Are to Survive a New Trump Age , which outlines four possible foresight-driven scenarios for EU strategic policy. These scenarios stem from developments in the democratic security, economic and security arenas, as well as the state of transatlantic relations. Click the link below to learn more an...

Albin Sybera discusses with Faris Kočan - assistant professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ljubljana and author of the forthcoming book "Identity, Ontological Security and Europeanisation in Republika Srpska" - the recent EU enlargement report. The report attempts to balance the strategic need to integrate the Western Balkans (WB) and the reforms WB countries ne...

In today's podcast, Deputy Editor Adam Jasser interviews Dr Jakub Šrol of the Slovak Academy of Science about the results of a major survey on attitudes to democracy in Visegrad Four countries and Germany, which seem to have chimed well with the latest election results in Poland and Slovakia.

In today's podcast, Visegrad Insight Editors Wojciech Przybylski and Adam Jasser zoom in on the likelihood that the EU report due this week will allow for the start of Ukraine's accession negotiations, which would be a huge political coup for Kyiv as it struggles to keep its war effort on track. https://europeandemocracyhub.epd.eu/the-end-of-polands-illiberal-experiment/

In his pursuit of being the eternal EU rebel and Donald Trump's chief European acolyte, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán demonstrates glaring inconsistency by refusing to acknowledge Ukraine's right to defend itself against Russia and advocating a ceasefire while univocally supporting Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Editor-in-Chief  Wojciech Przybylski  analyses with the journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner how the outgoing government in Poland used unfair election tactics in the recent campaign and how these elections will be studied by pro-democratic forces wishing to turn back illiberal forces in Central and Eastern Europe.

Editors Galan Dall  and  Albin Sybera  discuss the controversial developments unfolding in Bratislava's next government in light of Viktor Orban's meeting with Vladimir Putin and the recent Polish elections.

Poland's victorious opposition may wait several weeks before it can form the government due to stalling by the outgoing government and its ally, President Andrzej Duda. Duda and the constitutional tribunal packed with political appointees will make it hard to pass legislation, Jakub Jaraczewski , a leading constitutional scholar, tells Visegrad Insight.

The large turnout shows the high level of engagement by Polish women, who, despite the rise in child benefit by the ruling Law and Justice, are afraid of getting pregnant because of cases where medical care is denied,  Amanda Coakley , award-winning journalist and Europe's Futures fellow at the IWM in Vienna, tells Visegrad Insight.

In today's episode, Deputy Editor Adam Jasser interviews Krzysztof Izdebski , a Visegrad Insight Fellow and policy officer at Batory Foundation, about the results of Poland's historic general election marked by the high turnout and mobilisation of young voters.

In this week's podcast, Visegrad Insight editors Wojciech Przybylski and Adam Jasser discuss the potential impact of the Polish parliamentary election next Sunday on the EU's ability to move forward with  its ambitious strategic agenda, including enlargement.

In today's podcast, Visegrad Insight editors Wojciech Przybylski and Adam Jasser discuss the outcome of the Slovak election, which may bring firebrand pro-Russia ex-Prime Minister Fico to power, as well as the potential impact of the huge weekend rally of Polish opposition supporters on the country's parliamentary vote on 15 October. Our guest this week, Richard Giragosian of the Regional...

In this week's episode,  Wojciech Przybylski  and  Adam Jasser  discuss the impact the Slovak and Polish elections could have on Ukraine's EU path as tensions between Warsaw and Kyiv escalate. This week's guest is Beata Balogová ,  an award-winning Slovak journalist , who gave her take on what the possible return of ex-PM Rober Fico may mean for Slovakia. Click here for information on...

In this week's episode,  Wojciech Przybylski  and  Adam Jasser  discuss why migration will remain a policy issue for the EU and more acutely Central Europe, specifically in Hungary and Poland where both governments that are nominally anti-migration have been running visa-for-cash programmes. This week's guest is  Marjorie Castle , a professor at the University of Utah, who explains the nee...

In this week's podcast, Deputy Managing Editor Adam Jasser and Agnieszka Homańska discuss the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor at the G20 meeting in New Dehli,  which seems to be a challenge to China's Belt and Road and its claim to lead the Global South. The podcast also gives an update on the election campaigns in Poland and Slovakia, as surveys indicate a very cl...

In this week’s podcast, Editor-in-Chief Wojciech Przybylski sits down with Volodymyr Omelyan , the Former Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, to discuss the future of Ukraine: the costs of rebuilding the country, meeting the challenge of instability and tackling corruption through transparency.

Weekly Outlook by Adam Jasser and Miles R. Maftean : European Council President Charles Michel’s recent statement at the Bled Strategic Forum has opened up a Pandora’s Box of questions. He stresses that the EU should be ready to accept new members by 2030, feeling the already complex discussion. From a mysterious outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that has killed seven people to alarm-induced train...

Weekly outlook by Adam Jasser and Miles R. Maftean: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unexpectedly visited Denmark and the Netherlands on Sunday, expressing gratitude for their decision to supply Ukraine with approximately 40 U.S.-manufactured F-16 fighter jets. Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan travelled to Hungary to converse with Orban about their strategic alliance. As th...

Weekly outlook by  Adam Jasser and Wojciech Przybylski:  The official Polish election campaign for the October 15 parliamentary vote is now in full swing. Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of the ruling Law and Justice party, has levelled accusations against the opposition, branding them as traitors. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Hungary on August 20 to discuss "security issu...

Weekly outlook by  Agnieszka Homanska and Wojciech Przybylski:  President Duda is constitutionally obliged to announce the start of Poland’s election campaign by Sunday, with voting expected between 15 October and 5 November. Unofficial campaigning has already begun in Poland, with the ruling government party using a number of tricks to boost their campaign budgets. Threats to NATO’s Eastern Flank...

Weekly outlook by  Galan Dall and Miles R. Maftean : The situation in Ukraine is escalating, with recent gains on the battlefield in the Western Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions and a significant strike on the Chonhar bridge. An upcoming peace summit set for early August in Jeddah. Developments involving the Wagner Group near the Polish and Lithuanian borders spark heightened tensions across the B...

Weekly outlook by  Miles R. Maftean and Adam Jasser : The extreme-right Spanish party, Vox, suffered a notable loss in the elections, leading to a hung parliament. Vox had the endorsement of right-wing leaders Viktor Orban from Hungary and Jarosław Kaczyński from Poland. Odesa’s Orthodox Cathedral was razed by Russian missiles, escalating the city’s bombardment. Kyiv threatens to halt all ships he...

In this week's podcast, Editor-in-Chief Wojciech Przybylski and Deputy Managing Editor Adam Jasser discuss the outcome of the NATO Summit in Vilnius and Ukraine's counteroffensive, as well as take a deep look into Polish politics ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for October. The most recent polling suggests a possibly hung parliament, which could result in Warsaw's inabil...

Weekly outlook by Galan Dall and Albin Sybera: Israeli-style security guarantees likely to be offered to Ukraine at the NATO Summit in Vilnius, as well as a "pathway" for Ukraine to join the alliance. President Zelenskyy's trip through Central Europe (CE) not only showcased Ukraine's adeptness in combating Russian disinformation narratives, but his speeches suggest an awareness o...

Weekly outlook by Galan Dall and Wojciech Przybylski : As Sweden hands over the EU presidency to Spain, the first stop for Prime Minister Sanchez is a visit to Ukraine. The deception and theatre of the Wagner group moving to Belarus continue, with an already tense situation on the border of Belarus with their forced migration actions into Latvia, Poland, and Lithuania. One week before the NATO sum...