Republique Tcheque: une presidence a reculons

In: Politique internationale: pi, Heft 122

Abstract

The Czech presidency of the European Union has kicked off in an atmosphere of mutual mistrust between Brussels & Prague. It is true that the outsized personality & thunderous declarations of President Vaclav Klaus, known for his hostility to European institutions & his abhorrence of ecologists, do not really help matters. Although the Czech Constitution accords him few powers, he is nonetheless the master of the situation. He has reigned over the Czech political scene for nearly twenty years and, despite the economic crisis, does not disown his ultra-free-market beliefs. His prime minister Mirek Topolanek, with whom he has had stormy relations although they belong to the same party, has a hard time making his voice heard. Paradoxically, the Czech Republic is, along with Ireland who voted against it, the last of the twenty-seven members who haven't ratified the Lisbon treaty. A sign of reluctance that doesn't put the country in a solid position to take the reins of the EU. Adapted from the source document.