Friday

29th Mar 2024

Czechs face tough time at helm of EU

With a weak government and a eurosceptic president, the Czech Republic will have to make a Herculean effort to ensure that its six-month stint at the EU's helm does not sink into incoherency and recriminations.

Its case is not helped by the fact that for the previous half year, the bloc has been run by France's Nicolas Sarkozy, a whirlwind politician who at times steered the EU through sheer force of personality.

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Mr Sarkozy has relinquished power only reluctantly to the Czechs, intimating that the EU would be better served under a large member state and him in particular.

A small member state in charge of the EU is often seen as positive, as they generally tend to concentrate on the job. But the thought of the ex-Communist Czech Republic - only four years a member of the bloc - running the EU has been making Brussels jittery.

This is mainly due to Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president and an open critic of the European Union. He regularly ruffles EU feathers, most recently by dining with Declan Ganley during a state visit to Ireland. Mr Ganley headed a successful campaign against the EU treaty that resulted in the country rejecting the charter in a referendum.

The Czech government is headed by conservative Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, a political enemy of Mr Klaus. Adding to Brussels' poor perception of Prague, Mr Topolanek's party is stalling on the ratification of the EU's new treaty by linking it to agreement on a separate issue.

The country is one of just three that have not ratified the treaty, with larger member states tending to see it as a slight that the presidency country has not approved the EU's newest rules.

Another concern hanging over the presidency is that the fact that the government could fall some time over the next six months, as Mr Topolanek hangs on to power by a thread.

But despite such doubts, the international agenda has meant that Prague has been catapulted into international affairs since day one of its presidency.

The on-going Israeli offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 500 Palestinians, was already in its fourth day when the Czech Republic took on speaking for the EU, while Russia is locked in a gas dispute with Ukraine, putting EU energy supplies at risk.

The Middle East conflict has been made more difficult for the Czechs to mediate because of the myriad EU officials and voices in the region, including President Sarkozy. And Prague already tripped up by issuing an EU statement in support of Israeli actions, before rapidly moving to change it.

Meanwhile, finding a common approach to Russia on any issue is traditionally difficult for the bloc. A small member state, already somewhat lacking in EU credibility, is unlikely to have the clout to forge a unified line. Muddying the waters still further is the US missile defence system planned for Czech soil, which is strongly opposed by Moscow.

In addition, the Czech Republic is heading the EU at a time of a global financial crisis and has the difficult task of implementing the €200 billion economic stimulus package agreed by EU leaders at the end of last year.

Recent comments mocking other governments for ramping up state spending in the face of the crisis has not endeared it to some EU capitals.

For its part, the Czech EU presidency has said its main priorities are the economy, energy and external relations.

It has sought both to downplay expectations about what any presidency can achieve while seeking to reassure other capitals that it is capable of the job.

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