On Monday 27 November 2023, the Centre for Informed Society organised a discussion for parliamentary assistants focusing on current German politics. The guests were Zuzana Lizcová, Head of the Department of German and Austrian Studies at the Charles University and Šárka Strahalová from the Department of Central European Countries of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and chair of the Alumni Association of the International Parliamentary Scholarship.
The discussion held in the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic focused on a number of topics that move Czech-German relations as well as German politics. The opening remarks of both speakers were devoted to bilateral relations between the Czech Republic and Germany and to internal German politics. During the following discussion we also discussed the rise of the AfD and the (un)satisfaction of Germans with the performance of the current government. We also touched upon the work of assistants in the Bundestag and the differences in the way the Chamber of Deputies and the Bundestag meet. Both Zuzana Lizcová and Šárka Strahalová started by emphasizing how intense Czech-German relations are at present, and an interesting trend is the deepening cooperation between individual Czech and German regions, which is also economically significant.
The discussion was also a preparation for the study trip to Berlin that awaits the selected parliamentary assistants in early December.
The programme for parliamentary assistants is supported by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and Pale Fire Capital.
Michael Murad
