ICE - Institute for Central Europe

ICE - Institute for Central Europe
Think-tank, focused on central Europe and beyond, dealing with major challenges of tomorrow:

How do Europeans view migration today compared to ten years ago? 🌍Our new analysis looks at how public opinion on migrat...
09/03/2026

How do Europeans view migration today compared to ten years ago? 🌍

Our new analysis looks at how public opinion on migration has evolved across France, Germany and the Visegrad countries between 2014 and 2024.

Using Eurobarometer data, the study shows:

📊 Migration can become highly salient even where migrant numbers are low
📊 Public attitudes remain deeply divided between Western and Central Europe
📊 Major events – like the 2015 migration crisis and the war in Ukraine – shape public perceptions

Understanding how migration is perceived across Europe is key to understanding the politics behind migration policy today.

🔗 Read the full analysis: https://iceoz.eu/how-have-european-attitudes-toward-migration-evolved-over-the-past-decade-2/



The ACRONYM project received funding from the Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101079420.

04/03/2026

🎥 Reflections from Bratislava 🇪🇺

During his mobility at ICE, François shared insights on collaboration, comparative research, and the value of working together across countries within the ACRONYM project.



The ACRONYM project received funding from the Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101079420.

Facts are only the tip of the iceberg 🧊Above the water:📊 Data📑 Reports📈 StatisticsBelow the surface:Emotions. Identity. ...
26/02/2026

Facts are only the tip of the iceberg 🧊

Above the water:

📊 Data
📑 Reports
📈 Statistics

Below the surface:

Emotions. Identity. Trust. Social norms. Fear. Belonging.

We live in an age of unprecedented access to information. And yet, awareness does not automatically lead to action.

Why❓

Because humans are not purely rational decision-makers.

Our new article explores the deeper forces that shape public engagement with climate change and democratic challenges: psychological resistance, identity-based reasoning, social belonging, trust in institutions, and structural barriers that limit people’s sense of agency.

💡Facts matter. But facts alone cannot overcome fear, polarization, or fatalism.

If we want meaningful climate action and stronger democracies, we must understand how people think, feel, and connect. We must address what lies beneath the surface – not just repeat the data.

🌍 Read the full article here:
https://iceoz.eu/why-facts-are-not-enough/


24/02/2026

🌍 How are Europe’s leaders responding to climate migration?

In this video from our ACRONYM Educational Video Series, Dina Ionesco (UN Refugee Agency) discusses how Europe is addressing the challenge of climate-induced mobility and why continued progress requires not only policy responses, but also empathy and a broader understanding of our shared humanity.

As climate change reshapes patterns of movement, the conversation is not only about governance, but about solidarity and responsibility.

“We need to continue developing our empathy and our understanding of our shared humanity. Empathy must go in both directions — toward those who receive and toward those who arrive. Migrants need empathy just as much as the communities that welcome them.”

🎬 Check out our YouTube channel “acronymproject“ for more (link in bio) 🔔

📌 Last summer, we recorded a series of short conversations with experts and scholars covering key questions on migration, asylum, and refugee issues. Each video offers insights, context, and reflections to deepen understanding and spark dialogue 💬✨




The ACRONYM project received funding from the Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101079420.

Migration is one of the most debated and divisive issues in Europe 🗣️ How can debates move from polarisation toward coop...
17/02/2026

Migration is one of the most debated and divisive issues in Europe 🗣️ How can debates move from polarisation toward cooperation? 🧐

Our new policy paper from the ACRONYM project explores how migration debates are shaped across Europe – not just by numbers, but by stories, identity, faith and perceptions of fairness.

Drawing on a decade of Eurobarometer data, focus groups in five countries, a survey among priests in Slovakia and policy dialogues in Bratislava and Paris, the paper highlights several key findings:

🔎 Migration is interpreted through different moral lenses across Europe.

🧠 Public fears often reflect “imagined migration,” not lived experience.

💬 Solidarity exists, but it is selective.

🤝🏻 Trust is central to whether policies are accepted or resisted.

👥 Facts alone won’t depolarise migration debates – what matters is who helps societies interpret migration.

🙏🏼 Religious and community actors can play a significant role in shaping how policies are understood.

📄 The full policy paper is now available: https://iceoz.eu/new-policy-paper-making-cooperation-possible-narratives-trust-and-moral-frameworks-in-europes-asylum-and-migration-debate/



The ACRONYM project received funding from the Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101079420.

16/02/2026

🗺️ What is radical cartography?

In this video from our ACRONYM Educational Video Series, Lucie Bacon (Migrinter) introduces the idea of reimagining maps — not just as tools of borders and control, but as ways to represent migrant routes and lived experiences.

“Conventional cartography says nothing about migrants’ experiences… If we want to understand migration and the men, women and children behind it, we need to give readers access to their experience — to establish closeness and discover migration not as confrontation, but as something that can be understood.”

🎬 Check out our YouTube channel “acronymproject“ for more (link in bio) 🔔

📌 Last summer, we recorded a series of short conversations with experts and scholars covering key questions on migration, asylum, and refugee issues. Each video offers insights, context, and reflections to deepen understanding and spark dialogue 💬✨




The ACRONYM project received funding from the Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101079420.

🎓 New educational resources from the ACRONYM project 🥳We’re pleased to share the ACRONYM Educational Package, a set of t...
12/02/2026

🎓 New educational resources from the ACRONYM project 🥳

We’re pleased to share the ACRONYM Educational Package, a set of teaching resources for upper secondary schools and universities working on migration, asylum, and integration.

📘 Five classroom activities
🎬 Educational videos on migration, asylum & narratives

Designed to be used either as a complete learning pathway or as stand-alone modules, the materials support courses in migration studies, political science, sociology, international relations, law, media studies, and related fields.

Use them together as a full learning pathway or adapt individual modules to your course.

👉🏻 Explore & download on our website: https://iceoz.eu/introducing-the-acronym-educational-package/




The ACRONYM project received funding from the Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101079420.

10/02/2026

📰 How do media language and journalists shape migration narratives?

In this video from our ACRONYM Educational Video Series, Charles Autheman reflects on the role of media language and journalistic practices in shaping how migration is understood and debated.

At a time when misinformation and disinformation dominate public conversations, the video highlights why balanced, fact-based reporting is essential for informed and reasoned public debate.

🎬 Check out our YouTube channel “acronymproject“ for more (link in bio) 🔔

📌 Last summer, we recorded a series of short conversations with experts and scholars covering key questions on migration, asylum, and refugee issues. Each video offers insights, context, and reflections to deepen understanding and spark dialogue 💬✨



The ACRONYM project received funding from the Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101079420.

26/01/2026

🎙️ Zahraničná politika sa zmenila. Viac, než sme čakali.

Návrat vojny do Európy, tvrdá reálpolitika a zneužívanie závislostí ukazujú, že svet už nefunguje podľa pravidiel, na ktoré sme boli zvyknutí.

„Za posledných 5–6 rokov sa svet zmenil viac než za celé tri desaťročia po roku 1989.“

Prečo sa to stalo?

“Pretože sme podcenili hybridnú vojnu, dezinformácie a dlhodobý tlak na naše spoločnosti.”

A návrat k „nudnej,“ stabilnej politike?

“Ľudia po nej túžia. Ale mier už nemôžeme brať ako samozrejmosť.”

🎥 Ukážka z podcastu Slovensko a svet očami diplomatov

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🎧 Celý diel nájdete na Apple Podcasts, Spotify a YouTube:
https://youtu.be/AQRfSVwtXK8?si=3VjYaQMFdU7MVNL9

15/01/2026

What does integration really mean, and what are some good integration policies around the world? 🌍

Başak Yavçan from the Migration Policy Group explores how integration shapes the lives of migrants and host communities, highlighting real-world examples of effective integration policies from around the globe.

“Integration is a two-way process, with responsibilities for both migrants and host communities.” Dr. Başak Yavçan

➡️ Check out our YouTube channel for more videos: https://youtube.com/?si=l8a9jBaVNRP84_RP

📌 Last summer, we recorded a series of short conversations with experts and scholars covering key questions on migration, asylum, and refugee issues. Each video offers insights, context, and reflections to deepen understanding and spark dialogue 💬✨




The ACRONYM project received funding from the Horizon Europe programme under Grant Agreement No. 101079420.

12/01/2026

🎙️Prečo vzniklo ICE?

Začiatok nového roka je prirodzeným momentom zamyslieť sa nad tým, akú hodnotu chceme prinášať do verejnej a politickej diskusie.

V podcaste Slovensko a svet očami diplomatov Katarína Cséfalvayová hovorí o potrebe prepájať výskum, expertízu a politické rozhodovanie — a o tom, prečo má stredná Európa konštruktívny hlas, ktorý by mal byť viac počuť.

🎥 V tomto video úryvku približujeme poslanie a víziu ICE 🙌🏼

Nachádzame sa totiž v prostredí, ktoré je neisté, rýchlo sa meniace a plné bezpečnostných, technologických aj spoločenských výziev. O to viac veríme, že konštruktívna, faktami podložená diskusia a spolupráca s univerzitami, expertmi a partnermi doma aj v zahraničí sú nevyhnutné.

🎧 Celú epizódu podcastu si môžete pozrieť alebo vypočuť na Apple Podcasts, Spotify a YouTube: https://youtu.be/AQRfSVwtXK8?si=3VjYaQMFdU7MVNL9

🎄Happy Holidays from the ACRONYM Project Team!🎅🏼 Wrap-up meeting 🙌🏻 a year-end working session at the .ice with our team...
22/12/2025

🎄Happy Holidays from the ACRONYM Project Team!🎅🏼

Wrap-up meeting 🙌🏻 a year-end working session at the .ice with our team members, including representatives of all three project partners 👉🏻 François Gemenne, Anneliese Depoux, and Katarína Cséfalvayová.

We reviewed key milestones, aligned on final research outputs, and mapped the last steps ahead as the project enters its final phase. The meeting also marked the conclusion of Anneliese’s long-term mobility with us, and we’re grateful for her engagement and contributions over the past months.

The day ended at the Christmas markets ✨ — a festive moment to celebrate collaboration, shared work, and the friendships built across borders over the past three years.

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