Topics | Heinrich Böll Stiftung | Prague Office - Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary

Democracy

In many countries around the world people are protesting against injustice, abuse of power, dire living conditions, and they are campaigning for higher standards. In the process new forms of citizens’ participation in political and administrative processes are evolving. We support all attempts to achieve greater democratisation and participation.

Demonstration at the Fidesz Headquarters, 2018.

The National Core Curriculum and the Education for Democracy

Study

In cooperation with Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Prague, our partners at the Hungarian think-tank Political Capital published a new study on the current state of Hungarian Far-Right. This is the third part of English summary.

Narratives of the Trianon trauma

Study

Ecology

Ecology and sustainable development are central areas for securing the future of humanity – areas which should by no means be treated as a political football. It is to the credit of the green movement within and outside parliaments that ecology has become one of the main arenas of politics. There is hardly another subject which, within the last 30 years, has been thus transformed from the concern of a few scientists, activists into a topic of world conferences.

Europe needs a Real Green Deal!

Commentary

On 1 July, Germany takes over the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The coronavirus and economic crises are still raging, but the climate crisis cannot afford any delay. For this reason, the German government must fight for a Real Green Deal for Europe that combines economy and ecology and sets the course for a socio-ecological market economy.

By Dr. Ellen Ueberschär

Slovakia 2020: Search for Parliamentary Winner(s)

Slovak 2020 General Elections: Analyses of Parliament Scenario(s)

Article

Slovak political landscape is exceptionally fragmented ahead of February 29 general elections. One of the last opinion polls published before the election polls moratorium foresees eight parties to be represented in the parliament. However, conceivable scenarios include 6 to 12 parties possibly entering the parliament. This pre-election analysis was published by EuroPolicy in cooperation with the Prague office of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.

By Zuzana Gabrižová

International Politics

After the end of the cold war foreign and security policies have been subject to rapid change. Traditional security policies such as deterrence and containment have been replaced by risk prevention, crisis intervention, and preemptive policy measures. Increasingly questions of foreign, security, and developmental policy have become intertwined. Our aim is to contribute to debates on current foreign and security policy issues and policies.

Germany’s EU Council presidency paves the way for closer European cooperation - and draws Czechia into it

Analysis

When Germany took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union from Croatia, the rest of the EU Member States welcomed it with a kind of relief. After the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, Europe found itself on the brink of a deep economic crisis. The EU capacities were occupied with other burning issues: post-COVID economic recovery, negotiations of the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the climate crisis, the ongoing Brexit negotiations, and the need for a new pact on migration. Germany’s takeover was seen as good luck during a European misfortune, as the country well known for its negotiation skills and experienced diplomats is also the EU’s economic powerhouse.

By Vendula Karásková

Joe Biden and Climate: Cause for Cautious Optimism

Analysis

The victory of the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, in the American presidential elections is the most important development in global climate policies since the Paris climate agreement was drafted in late 2015. Who steers the US climate agenda and how matters a great deal to the rest of the world, and not just because the US is currently the planet’s second-largest polluter in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.

By Matěj Jungwirth