ICE - Institute for Central Europe

Home
Slovakia
Bratislava
ICE - Institute for Central Europe

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

20/08/2026

🇮🇹 Taking a little trip back to Rome – and to MIMEC 2026, where the ACRONYM team presented new research on religion, migration and polarisation in Europe.

🎙️ François Gemenne, Anneliese Depoux and Katarína Cséfalvayová joined the panel “Faith, Deservingness & Polarization”, bringing together three interconnected perspectives on Catholic attitudes towards migration, generational differences, and the role of the Catholic Church in public debate.

🧩 At the heart of our research is an intriguing paradox: Catholic organisations are among the actors actively supporting migrants and refugees across Europe. Yet when migration enters public debate, these experiences of solidarity are far less visible than narratives of fear, threat and polarisation.

🔎 So why does solidarity on the ground struggle to become a visible public counter-narrative?

Our findings draw on an original survey of 300 clergy members in Slovakia, a nationally representative survey of the Slovak population, and focus groups conducted in France, Italy, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

📸 And since we’re taking a trip back to Rome, a few moments beyond the conference room too – because research mobility occasionally comes with rather photogenic surroundings. 🇮🇹

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.

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.

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.

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

|

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

Address

Bratislava
81106

Website

http://www.icesk.eu/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when ICE - Institute for Central Europe posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your organization to be the top-listed Non Profit Organization in Bratislava?