The Czech Republic took over the EU presidency from France on Friday (1 July), inheriting a fancy and explosive surroundings in Europe.
Over 5 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded throughout the EU, with 400,000 within the Czech Republic alone.
Covid-19 may rear its head come winter, and inflation appears to be like to stay excessive because the invasion of Ukraine has become a struggle of attrition.
Amid all these pressures, Prague goals to “steer by means of the troubled waters and make it a peaceful drive,” one senior EU diplomat instructed EUobserver, summarising the temper.
However missing France’s financial and political clout, Prague can also be trying to its bigger EU and Nato allies for assist.
October summit
The Czech presidency desires to make use of its agenda-setting privileges to push the larger powers to stay financially, economically and militarily invested in Ukraine.
For this, it plans to organise a casual summit on 6 and seven October.
The summit can also be meant to set off a broader dialogue on the EU’s relationship with surrounding non-EU international locations.
This can possible construct on French president Emmanuel Macron’s proposal for a “European Political Group.”
Non-EU members, akin to Moldova and Ukraine, would have the ability to take part in a semi-formal decision-making construction.
In keeping with an EU diplomat, Nato members, together with US president Joe Biden, in addition to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, might be among the many invitees.
Nevertheless, particulars are nonetheless unsure and might be solely offered in September.
When requested if the Czech presidency will restart the hassle to construct an EU military, a senior EU diplomat careworn that “the transatlantic relationship is vital for the Czech Republic” — a testomony to the nation’s Chilly Struggle previous.
Rule of legislation
The emphasis on transatlantic ties might be accompanied by an effort to strengthen home EU establishments and the rule of legislation amongst member states.
Though the incoming Czech presidency has made a lot of former Czech president Václav Havel’s 1996 ‘Europe is a activity’ speech, it’s nonetheless unclear how Prague intends to realize reform on this entrance, nonetheless.
As a part of the Visegrad Group, Prague has maintained shut ties with Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, inserting it close to the epicentres of the issue.
Poland and the EU have been embroiled in a conflict about judicial requirements in Poland for a number of years.
Fee vice-president Vera Jourova, herself Czech and the EU’s chief rule-of-law enforcer, has up to now additionally referred to as on EU members to take a stronger stance on Hungary’s flouting of democratic norms.
To date, it’s unclear what the Czech place might be.
Czech EU minister Mikuláš Bek has not too long ago performed down the significance of the group and described it as “extra a communication platform than a bunch of same-minded international locations.”
In keeping with the EU diplomat, Czech negotiators view disagreements with Hungary as “technical”, not “political.”
However it stays to be seen if this view will survive till the tip of the Czech presidency.
Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has damaged ranks with the EU on many key political points, together with the Russian oil ban and a world minimal tax.
This has induced a lot frustration amongst French diplomats who’ve stated Budapest had used its veto energy as a “bargaining chip” to realize different objectives.
Vitality
As a landlocked nation, one other Czech precedence within the coming months is to spice up the EU’s vitality independence.
And whereas the EU Fee has emphasised the necessity to velocity up the transition to renewable vitality sources, in accordance with an EU diplomat, the Czechs are more likely to push to safe extra “range” of abroad fuel suppliers.
This might imply multi-billion greenback investments in fuel pipelines connecting the Czech Republic to sea terminals, which in accordance with the EU diplomat, “might be essential.”
Through the French presidency, the Czech Republic allied with different European international locations to push for fuel as ‘inexperienced’ vitality supply.
