The reform of national parks succeeded by only one vote, reminds Environment Minister Ján Budaj. Things that should have been adopted a long time ago are passing only fragilely in Slovakia. But all it takes is for a handful of people to start meeting in a café to bring about change, he thinks.

The transition to a circular economy is supported by the current situation with prices of building materials and inflation. People are turning more to sustainable solutions, which can also be more cost-effective, says MEP Michal Wiezik.

Sometimes civic activists have more expertise than ministries, other times they are lay people who can point to a problem in their neighbourhood. Green initiatives would not move without them, but activism hardly penetrates communities that are dealing with existential problems.

Today's circumstances will change the conclusions of the Conference on the Future of Europe. We can already see a change in rhetoric, European deterrence has become European defence, says Slovak Prime Minister EDUARD HEGER in an interview.

The Czech Republic will hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2022. On 9 May, the Conference on the Future of Europe, which is to draw up a roadmap for EU reforms based on citizens' demands, ends. What were the conclusions of the conference in the Czech Republic and how do Czech experts see their country's role in implementing the ambitious demands?