Presentations for policymakers
As part of the RevivEU target groups, the consortium organisations organised a series of events for various policymakers accross the V4, with the aim to further disseminate the research and findings of the project.
Hungary
The Hungarian event for around 20 policymakers took place on the 20th of June 2024 at Miniatűr. Dániel Róna, the director of 21Research Center, disseminated our results and the outcome of the Hungarian elections. He explained the correlation between party preference and the attitude towards the EU in Hungary followed by the general level of trust in institutions in the country. After explaining the connection between the two, he shifted the conversation to the actual results of the European elections, and then to the Hungarian elections. To activate the decisionmakers he opened a discussion based on the dissemination.
All together participants found our research helpful when evaluating local political phenomenons and election results. Based on their feedback this discussion brought them closer to understanding their voters and their space for movement in the political environment.
Czechia
On 22nd of February 2024, our team implementing the RevivEU project presented project’s findings to a group of policy-makers during a closed roundtable in the Czech Parliament. The participants were introduced to our research output regarding EU climate policy, migration policy, rule of law and post-pandemic recovery. The presentation was followed by a thorough Q&A section, where researchers and policymakers discussed the implications of the project results on Czech EU policy formulation. Our input was also subsequently used as background information for the chairwoman of the Czech lower chamber during her meeting with V4 counterparts. Finally, the format also allowed our researcher to acquire additional feedback that could be utilized during future RevivEU events.
On the 9th of April 2024, our researchers organized a roundtable for policymakers, combined with an event for civil society representatives, where they introduced RevivEU project outputs vis-à-vis Rule of Law in the V4. The participants learned about the V4 discourse, public sentiments as well as concrete policy approaches the V4 countries took during MFF 2021-27 negotiations. After a short presentation, the civil society representatives and policymakers exchanged their views with our researchers. Given the timing of the event, ie. Just after the second round of the Slovak presidential election, and during massive changes in criminal laws in Slovakia by the Fico government, a lot of the questions and subsequent discussions were dedicated to the situation in Slovakia and debate on how the EU could avoid the Hungarian scenario. Altogether 17 policymakers participated in the events.
Slovakia
As part of the RevivEU project, a roundtable event was held in Bratislava on 27th of March, bringing togethermore than 20 young potential politicians from youth political organizations. The event, titled “Round Table for Young Policy Makers,” was hosted by BPI senior researcher Michal Vašečka. This roundtable facilitated a dynamic discussion among young policy makers from Slovakia and two participants from Czechia. The focus was on the main results of the RevivEU project’s public opinion polls and analyses.
Michal Vašečka presented key findings from the RevivEU project followed by a fruitful and engaging dialogue with young policy makers. Participants brought their own perspectives, enriching the conversation with diverse viewpoints. They showed a keen interest in the implications of migration and the rule of law, exploring these issues in depth. The discussion was highly interactive, with participants actively contributing their insights and questions. This exchange highlighted the importance of understanding public opinion and the complexities of policy making in Central Europe. The event provided a valuable platform for young leaders to debate and reflect on crucial societal issues.
Poland
The Polish roundtable was organized to summarize the election campaign and election results in V4 countries, on 27th of June 2024. During the presentation by dr. Milosz Hodun, coordinator of the RevivEU project in Poland, briefly presented key findings of all components of the project to 13 participants from 7 EU countries and several others from 5 non-EU countries. Later, the final results of the EP elections in V4 were commented. Links between key RevivEU topics, namely migration, rule of law, post-Covid policies and climate, were linked with campaign strategies in all four countries in CEE, and it was explained how they were influenced the final results in particular states.
Since it was a round table where people meet and talk in conditions of equality, Milosz Hodun took the role of a facilitator to facilitate free discussion among participants. The latter ones were representing various governmental and nongovernmental bodies from, in total, 7 EU and 5 non-EU countries. They came from both public administration (including advisors of the government of Poland, consultants of members of parliament in Germany, experts working in parliaments in Greece and Lithuania) and civil society (e.g. the Helsinki Foundation).
Participants were very interested in RevivEU and its outcomes. They showed interest in knowing more about the public consultations and policy analysis. They found such project very relevant, original and useful for their work.
The main discussion focused on Poland and how the new Polish government may change its attitudes in the area of the rule of law, migration and climate. Participants expressed high hopes in Polish leadership in the EU (also in the context of Polish Presidency starting in January 2025), especially after the symbolic victory of the coalition lead by Donald Tusk in EP elections. They also expressed their hope that the transition in Poland may inspire the change in Slovakia and Hungary (also in the context of the dynamic transformation of the party scene in Budapest). Nevertheless they also expressed concerned about the “right wing turn” of the entire European politics, which also includes the current Polish government. Some participants were worried about the continuation of the former government’s policies on migration and migrants by the Tusk administration.
Participants concluded with sorrow that recent reactions on the Green New Deal of parts of societies in many EU states resulted with diminished interests of decision makers in ambitious pro-climate and pro-environment agenda. According to participants the topic of sustainability lost its momentum and it will take a lot of time and effort to build back as Europe’s priority (politicians are currently afraid to do something about it). The event underscored the importance of examining election outcomes not just from an immediate standpoint but also considering long-term trends and impacts on democratic institutions. Participants left with a nuanced understanding of the current political climate in the EU and the factors influencing key topics of public debate in the V4 region.
