Networking

the Future of Europe the Future of Europe the Future of Europe

Europeum Institute for European Policy, Prague

Deputy Director: Martin Vokálek
E-mail: mvokalek[at]europeum.org
Communications Manager: Alexandr Lagazzi
E-mail: alagazzi[at]europeum.org

 

EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy is a non-profit, non-partisan and independent think-tank focussing on European integration and cohesion. EUROPEUM was founded in 1998 with the goal of supporting the Czech Republic’s efforts to become a fully-fledged member of the EU, and has established itself as a respected think-tank in the Czech Republic and across Europe. Two years in a row it has been ranked as the 2nd best think-tank in CEE and therefore the best in the Czech Republic. EUROPEUM fulfils its motto “Czech vision for Europe, European vision for the Czechs” through research, educational activities, publications, conferences and seminars. It also intensively cooperates with Czech and European institutions and partners, and formulates concrete recommendations aiming to ameliorate the functioning of the EU and its policies. Since becoming the first Central European think-tank to open its Brussels office in 2016, EUROPEUM is now fully operational in the heart of the European Union, where it follows the debates on EU policies and politics from close and contributes to them by strengthening the voice of the Czech Republic and other central and east European countries. Moreover, it organizes, in association with the Institute of International Relations, the most high profile conference on EU issues in the Czech Republic – the Prague European Summit. As it aims to find common answer to the key questions in the economic, social, foreign-political and institutional areas, it triggers a strategic and open debate on the future of the EU among high-level political representatives, government officials, business representatives, academicians and journalists from the Czech Republic, EU and V4 countries. EUROPEUM also regularly hosts more than 100 events on EU related topic, such as these in a series of Café Evropa debates targeting the general public by offering debates in Czech language. Additionally, it organizes events in the regions, reaching the general public also in major Czech cities. Most of these events are still happening online due to COVID-19 restrictions. As EUROPEUM has also concentrated on a long-term basis on educating the youth about the EU, it fulfils such goal by organizing two major projects: the European Summer School, which has been focusing for more than 15 years on EU issues and is being attended by university students from all over the world; and EuropaSecura, in which around 1000-1500 high school students, divided into teams from the whole country, compete every year on topics of EU and NATO security.

Institute of International Relations, Prague

Senior Researcher: Jan Kovář
E-mail: kovar[at]iir.cz

Who we are

The Institute of International Relations Prague (IIR) is an independent public research institution which conducts excellent academic research in the larger field of international relations, which includes European studies, security studies, area studies and other related disciplines. IIR has been the leading academic institution for the study of international relations in the Czech Republic since 1957 and it is also an active member of several international research networks. In its IR research, it sets national benchmarks for the quality of scientific research in International Relations. As an independent institution originally founded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IIR also provides policy analysis and recommendations. It serves as a hub for academics, policy makers and the general public. It stimulates the expert, intellectual and public debates on the Czech foreign policy, European affairs and global issues. The IIR also publishes a number of academic journals and books, and it offers a joint PhD programme in International Relations and European Studies.

The Institute of International Relations follows three basic goals

• to conduct internationally recognized, excellent research in the field of international studies
• to influence the formation and the conduct of foreign policy of the Czech Republic
• to increase awareness of issues of international relations both among professionals and among the public

The IIR thus forms a link between the academic world, the public and international political practice.

Main activities of the Institute of International Relations comprise of:

• Basic and applied research of international relations, often in the framework of Czech, as well as international, projects (on average six international and eleven Czech projects a year).
• Publication activities in the form of proceedings, periodicals, treatises, articles in scholarly literature, and in policy papers.
• Organization of scholarly events – conferences, seminars, roundtable discussions and presentations (twenty per year).
• Cooperation with many governmental organizations and NGOs such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Czech Academy of Science, University of Economics in Prague, Charles University, Trans European Policy Studies Association, European Consortium for Political Research, etc.
• IIR public library services – the library archives contain some 70.000 (especially foreign) publications, including 400 periodicals.
• Educational activities, such as student internships and a Ph.D. studies programme which the IIR organizes in co-operation with the Metropolitan University Prague (MUP).