False solutions prevail over real ambition at COP26 Published: 16 December 2021 Analysis COP26 in Glasgow started with a plethora of declarations. But in the end it failed to deliver on the real and immediate action needed to avoid climate catastrophe, and to address the demand for justice and equity for those most impacted by climate harms. By Erika Lennon, Nikki Reisch and Sebastien Duyck
Growing protests against priority investments in Hungary Published: 29 December 2021 Commentary The Hungarian Government has classified more than 3000 investments as priority projects, which means that for these projects, both public participation and control by experts who are independent are practically non-existent. By András Lukács
A society between climate transformation and austerity policy Published: 1 November 2021 Article Environmental and climate policies are not in the spotlight of the winners of last weekend’s elections in Czechia. As right-wing coalitions are going to form a new government, rising energy prices and the starting climate transformation, combined with austerity policies, could cause social conflict and open the way for the renewal of progressive movements and parties. Socially sensitive modernisation should be one of the key points for their new agenda. By Anna Kárníková
Climate, justice and citizens’ participation Published: 1 November 2021 Summary Summary of the panel 'People's power vs Climate crisis' at the Budapest Forum on the 16th September 2021. The conference was co-organized by the Municipality of Budapest, Political Capital Institute and CEU Democracy Institute. Heinrich Böll Foundation was a strategic partner at the conference. The panel was moderated by Benedek Jávor, former MEP of The Greens/EFA, currently the Head of Representation of Budapest to Brussels. The keynote was delivered by Ellen Ueberschär, co-president of the Heinrich Böll Foundation. By Benedek Jávor
Plan for completion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant continues to pose a security threat Published: 14 June 2021 Analysis Czech Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček refused to exclude Russia’s Rosatom from the tender until it was revealed that operatives from Russian military intelligence, the GRU, were behind the 2014 explosions at munitions warehouses in Vrbětice. Even now, however, the Russian candidate is not out of play entirely. How is that possible, and what does it mean for Czech security? By František Marčík
Texas Power Grid Failure: Causes, Lessons Learned and Implications for EU Energy Market Transformation Published: 19 March 2021 Analysis In mid-February 2021, the US state of Texas, much like the rest of the country, was hit by a series of three severe winter storms. The resulting near-arctic weather conditions have laid bare the long-standing weaknesses and inefficiencies of the Texas energy system. By Matěj Jungwirth
Behind a Climate Smokescreen: Czech Support for Nuclear Energy Published: 7 February 2021 Analysis At first glance, it might seem that the Czech climate movement can put the flags out. A government bill on measures for the Czech Republic’s transition to a low-carbon energy industry has been submitted to the Chamber of Deputies and is being debated rapidly in extraordinary sessions. The title of the bill may evoke the anti-fossil law which was urged by Czech environmental organizations in the “Great Challenge” (“Velká výzva”) campaign for years. Nevertheless, as we learn in one of the bill’s introductory articles, the Definition of Terms, a low-carbon electricity generating plant for the purpose of this law means one with a nuclear reactor. The rapid reduction of risks related to global climate change is obviously not the real goal of this bill. By Karel Polanecký
Slovak 2020 General Elections: Analyses of Parliament Scenario(s) Published: 18 February 2020 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
The nuclear legacy nobody wants Published: 2 April 2019 Czech nuclear reactors have so far produced at least 4000 tons of highly radioactive waste. If the number of reactors grows, so will the amount of waste produced. The government has long declared itself in favor of developing nuclear energy even as it still does not know how to solve the nuclear waste problem. Martin Sedlák takes a look. By Martin Sedlák
When it comes to nature, Hungary’s conservatives won’t conserve Published: 29 March 2019 Environmental policy and the sustainable energy transition have never been top priorities of Hungary’s right-wing populist government, and 2018 was no different in this respect. That said, the progress made in different areas of policy varies, and some sectors performed better than others. What follows is not a detailed sectoral analysis, but rather an overview of last year’s important developments and trends. By Tamás Ibolya