Czech EU Presidency (Portal of Prague)

Only six days are left until Prague solemnly marks the Czech premiere in Europe, as the Czech Republic takes over the EU presidency. Officially, the takeover took place on the 1st of January, yet it will not be until January the 7th that the government meets the European Commission. There will also be a concert in the National Theatre to mark the occasion.

For the upcoming six months, several Czech towns including Prague will become a temporary home for hundreds of European officials and politicians. Seven significant events are awaiting the Czech capital, the first one being the meeting of committees chairpersons on Secure and Sustainable Energy For Europe, which will be held at the end of January.

With regard to the situation between Russia and Ukraine and their disputes regarding gas supply prices, this theme comes as highly topical. Despite the fact that the Czech Ministry of Trade and Industry quickly came up with a statement that “our gas reserves are sufficient and therefore there is no imminent crises” it is likely that suggestions will be voiced at the conference as to what possibilities there are for the Czech Republic and the whole of Europe in case they wanted to limit their reception of Russian gas.

However, at the very moment, the first hard nut to crack is the international conflict between Israel and Palestine. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is about to set off for his diplomatic mission to Israel to act as a sort of justice of peace, although every one is aware of the complexity of the problem and many doubt that a sensible solution to the problem could be found.

Hopefully, no other fundamental problems will arise, as the situation in which we have taken over the presidency resembles a ride on the roller coaster. If nothing else happens, the “only” other matter that the Czech EU presidency will have to face will be the elections to the European Parliaments.

During his New Year’s Day speech, president of the CR, Václav Klaus, called upon Czech politicians not to take our presidency as a mere formal matter. In a TV discussion, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek voiced the same opinion. Besides, taking account of recent events that we will have to face, it is clear that it will not be only formalities.