June 5, 2008
Honouring the Czechs
With apologies to France, whose eagerly awaited European Union presidency has not yet even started, it is tempting to cast one’s eyes forward and wonder what will happen when the Czech Republic begins its six-month spell in the driving seat next January.
The question is preoccupying more people in Brussels than you might think - starting with José Manuel Barroso. The European Commission president went to Prague last month and gave a rather curious speech in which he urged the Czechs to use their presidency “as an opportunity to engage with Europe”. You can’t imagine him needing to say something like that in Dublin, Rome or Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, which holds the EU presidency at the moment.
The problem is that the Czechs earned a reputation, soon after they and seven other countries joined the EU in 2004, as one of the most awkward and Eurosceptical of the new member-states.
Personally, I think it’s unfair. Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform think-tank makes the excellent point that Poland under the Kaczynski twins, and the Greek Cypriots under ex-president Tassos Papadopoulos, were much more prickly. I would add that the Czechs’ experiences as a small nation first in the Habsburg Empire, then at the hands of the Nazis after the British and French betrayal at Munich, and finally under Soviet domination, go a long way to explaining the Czech outlook on the world.
Still, there’s no doubt the Czechs have sometimes rubbed up their EU partners the wrong way. They have persistently brought up human rights violations in Cuba in a way that has exasperated those in Spain who feel Madrid knows best how to handle its former colony.
In President Vaclav Klaus, who openly opposed the EU’s constitutional treaty and who warns of the threats to national sovereignty posed by EU integration, the Czechs have a head of state who is as canny as the Good Soldier Svejk and as politically incorrect as a Brit.
So the worry in Brussels has been that, come next January, the Czechs’ alleged Euroscepticism would find expression in their leadership of the EU. They would, in short, spoil the party for everyone else.
Some of this concern is still around. The Czechs will be the first to hold the EU presidency in the new era launched by the Lisbon treaty, assuming it’s fully ratified by the end of December. They will therefore run the first “diminished presidency”, because from January the EU will have a semi-permanent president to chair summits and represent the EU abroad - you know, the job Tony Blair won’t get.
How to satisfy countries that will hold the rotating EU presidency, but won’t bask in the usual spotlight for six months, is extremely sensitive. It is bothering Sweden, which will assume the EU presidency in July 2009, as much as the Czechs.
But the good news is that the Czech government is already giving serious attention to its presidency. The bureaucratic machinery is in place and the policymakers are developing some interesting ideas. For example, the Czechs have suggested holding a summit of European energy consumers and suppliers to discuss energy security.
More broadly, the Czechs say the three core issues of their presidency will be “Competitiveness, the Four Freedoms [freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital] and a Liberal Trade Policy”.
Not bad for a bunch of Eurosceptics, eh?
Tony Barber is correct to point out that it is the tragic history of the Czechs, that causes their being cautious about yet another outside ruler, ie. the great big EU, over their country. I recall visiting then Czechslovakia in 1988, when it was under Soviet domination. There was such pain among the Czechs, even among the supposedly loyal guides who showed us around. They hated their occupiers and their fake sentiments of fraternity.
The Czechs embody a central question of EU governance. How can national pride, culture and tradition, be preserved and respected, as the rules come down from Brussels? Personally, I think that over all, EU policies can work, if they are executed with great sensitivity from the centrl goverenment.
Posted by: Jerome L. Wilson | June 5th, 2008 at 3:10 pm | Report this commentThe Czechs are not a “bunch”:they think like the absolute majority of Europeans.Any survey shows it.And please,be serious.You put Italy,Member Founder of the EU,in company with Ireland and Slovenia:with all the respect with those Countries,Italy has the same population and economic dimensions of France(Black economy included).Wednesday June 11 George Bush will visit Italy as first country in his trip to Europe.I dare to say it’s something you cannot underrate.
Posted by: STEFANO DE SANTIS | June 5th, 2008 at 4:11 pm | Report this commentMr. Barber, there is some truth in your rather kind comments on the potential problems connected with the Czech presidency of the EU. Unfortunately, in a journalistic shortcut you are mistaking the current government for the country as a whole, i.e. “the Czechs”. This devalues your article. The Czechs are not “a bunch of Eurosceptics” as in the past the Brits were neither a bunch of Thacherists nor a bunch of Blairists, and the Americans don´t deserve to be called Bushists. Life is a little bit more complicated in every country …
Posted by: Milan Kubr | June 6th, 2008 at 4:43 pm | Report this commentJerome Wiilson points out Czech experience (being ruled by Habsburgs, nazi occupation, Soviet domination) as a justified caution in dealing with limits on souveidnity, now in EU context.
As a Czech who has been involved in Prague Spring (68) in revolting student government, then having the iopportunity to learn about Western democratic system (refugee from communism firts to Austria than the US) and involved in post 1989 developments I believe that these “historical experiences”, while widely used, especially by opportunist politicians in our country (above them later) are increasingly irrelevant, starting with mind set of increasing majority of Czech population.
Czech feels and know that opportunities for them are in EU, its integration. Sadly - although by far not uniquely for the Czech Republic - there are politicians and political parties and forces which - more or less in their one way or another self-serving and shorter-term interests - arouse fears using the above quited “historical experiences” and now often vulgar version of “liberal” ideology to scare the public. For Czech communist Brussels is a “new Munich”, just wraped in acceptable language. IMPORTANTLY, it has been SIGNIFICANT to observe, for many years now, how KSCM (Czech communist party) and Mr. Vaclav Klaus, chief ideologue of Czech “liberal and conservative” school share common objectives strting with sabotaging and obstructionalism concerning any aspect of EU integration.
Shared priorities of “liberal” Klaus (and his wing in ODS, Civic Democratic Party) and communist go way back, starting with Velvet Revolution. Few examples:
1) Instead of pushing ror return of stolen property (restitutions) to victim of communism, Klaus (althoug presenting himself as a :thatcherite” when he thinks it will be beneficial to him) was always, only like the communists, against.
2] Klaus and nomenklatura (which whom he shares privileged life under communism), therefore the KSCM, were for “Czech way” of privatisation of companies. That was, of course, a huge and expensive disaster, unlike direct foreign investment and strategic Western partners id didnt bring any know-how, no link to Western markets, etc. It only “took care” of nomenklatura’s families for generations ahead, brough on the economy infamous “tunneling out” of assets, hundreds of buillions of swindle loans to be paid by taxpayers. But again: “Liberal” Klaus and communists served their clientele well.
3) Intentionally SCARED by Klaus, his ODS and the communists that EU will let go away with the so-called Benes’ Decrees (post WWII orders which, among others, kicked out 3 million Germans, cvonfiscated hundred of villages, dozens of cities, hundreds of factories etc. they owned). It - predictably - worked on part of electorate and, therefore, Czech sent to European Parliament seemingly impobable set of MPs: Most of them ODS members followed by communists. For years now, lead by Klaus’ calculated tirrades against EU, ODS + KSCM, with EP MPs like communist “comrade astronaut” Remek are supposedly “protecting Czech national interests and honor”. Assistingf them in the EP are glaring opportunists using the a same scare demagoguery, Ms. Bobosikova and infamous Mr. Zelezny (who bought his EP MP’s immunity after eralising that his previous Czech Senate immunity might not be sufficient cover from numerous legal, mostly tax ecasion etc. proceedings). Notably, like Mr. Zelezny, who paid his own party and nomination to EP, world infamous “PIRATE FROM PRAGUE”, Viktor Kozeny, whom Mr. Klaus used to give as an example of enrepreneurs the country ought to have, who, from Bahama’s prison tried created his own shell political party and get the EP MP’s seat, thus immunity).
4) A supposed “thatcherite” Klaus and his henchmen at ODS, along with communists, isolated, yet vocal, fought against a law which returned Czech citizenship to refugees from Czechoslovak communism. Klaus and his “young guard” in Czech Parliament even outdid the communist with calculated demagoguery that “returning citizenship to exiles represents a mortal danger to the republic, equal to giving citizenship to Sudeten Germans.”
Fortunately, Klaus and his ODS and the KPCM, isolated, lost the battle. They also lost their opposition to allow citizen vote while abroad. Communists were justly worry, as 2002 and 2008 elections prooved: Abroad the KSCM got barely 2% (0 in the US, 7% in Russia), while at home they got unbelievable 18% and 13% respectively. Global economy and freedom to travel finds increasing numbers of Czech at election time abroad. Naturally, those are typically people with broader mind, their voice ought not to be silenced. Sadly, Klaus and his wing in ODS, along with communists are now the main obstacle for correspondence (or, like Estonia etc. internet) vote. To travel, at time 00s of km or miles to the nearest Czech consulate (first to register, then to vote) severely reduces number of citizens who can abroad excercise their fundamental right. But again, MAINLY due to Klaus, his ideology and demagogic manipulations and the KSCM, correspondence/internet vote has been so far blocked.
5) NO ONDER then, that communists never criticize Klaus althought they are - theoreticaly - the “ideological opposites”. On a contrary, using Brussels = Munich, refugee from communism = Sudeten Germans and numerous xenophobic appeals and manipulations that Klaus plays, KSCM openly or indirectly, always effectively, supports Klaus also in his presidential bids.
Klaus calculated play as global warming/climate change critic (a move away from his profefsional qualification of an economists as his reforms are viewed often as a fisaco) plays into xenophobic nmindset and communist suspicion of the West, now using environmental regulations to “harm economic interest” of the CR.
Klaus, the communist and opportunists naturaly have little love or appreciatuion for former disident Vaclav Havel and Charter 77. They remind them of their cowardice under the communism, now Havel’s cals for attention to some excesses of “free market”, for helping dissidents in Cuba, inconvenient Klaus and eager “getting rich” class.
Tragic in this sense, moving from a role of dissident, Charter 77 member, post 1989 close advisor to havel in Alexander Vondra, Czech cabinet minister for European Affairs. Now he too tries to repeat Klaus “EU-sceptic” line, in exchange to be a minister and vice-premier.
To close: Not everything is lost and Topolanek, as a PM and ODS boss (after Klaus) is less aggressive in anti-EU posturing. His signature under Lisabon is proof of that (although he is hedging that with an inquiry to the Czech Constitutional Court for a ruling if signing it is not unconstitutional).
Mr. Klaus, who has been (up to 20-times each year) abusing the office of the president by renting its prestige out to extremist outfits like Heaertland Institute, a PR arm of American oil and tobacco companies. His anti IPCC diatribes come handy to those interests. See Klaus interview w Glenn Beck (CNN) on YouTube to see what propaganda he has been lending the image of the office to.
Posted by: Zdenek "Sidney" Rosenblum | June 7th, 2008 at 1:47 am | Report this commentI think Czechs should have thought about that before applying for the EU membership hoping that EU were going to supply them huge amounts of fund, which EU did in the end. EU is on it’s way of becoming a country, like USA. I mean, think about it? Each EU member will act like a state. Right now it can be considered as a confederation but soon enough, it’ll change.
Posted by: William Willshire | June 8th, 2008 at 12:44 pm | Report this commentOne thing I don’t understand is, that, countries are happy when it comes using the funds that UK, France, Germany etc. create for new members or members-in-need-for-ever like Portugal or Greece; however when it’s time to act together to create a unified Europe, they just don’t want to “tag along”..