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1 Temmuz 2022

THE CZECH REPUBLIC TOOK OVER THE PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU

The Czech Republic took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU from France for the second half of 2022 on 1 July. On 10 June 2018, the Prague administration adopted a government decision setting out the roadmap in preparation for its EU Presidency. The Czech Republic assumes the Presidency of the Council for the second time after its first-ever EU Presidency during the first half of 2009.

The Czech Republic will carry out this task under the 11th Presidency Trio which brings together France, Czech Republic and Sweden. Vladimir Putin’s intervention in Ukraine on 24 February not only brought security concerns to the top of the EU agenda, but also affected the priorities of the Prague administration for the EU Presidency, which will last till the end of 2022. In this case, the priorities of the Czech EU Presidency were announced on 15 June 2022 at the Hrzánsky Palace by the Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.

At the meeting, it was also announced that the motto of the Czech Presidency would be “Europe as a task: rethink, rebuild, repower”. Inspired by the speech titled “Europe as task” delivered by former Czech President Václav Havel at the Charlemagne Award ceremony on 15 May 1996, the motto emphasizes that the tasks ahead of Europe should be handled carefully and comprehensively. With its motto, priorities and logo design, Czech Republic has declared to the entire European public that it sees the EU Presidency as a “call of duty”.

The Main Priorities Set Out by the Czech Presidency

The priorities identified by the Czech EU Presidency are as follows:

- Management of the refugee crisis and Ukraine’s post-war recovery,

- Energy security,

- Strengthening Europe’s defense capabilities and cyberspce security,

- Strategic resilience of the European economy,

- Resilience of democratic institutions.

First of all, unsurprisingly, Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, which has been on the agenda of Europe since 24 February, will continue to be one of the hottest topics on the EU agenda during the Czech Presidency. This priority includes the continuation of the economic sanctions against Russia and the continuation of the military and political support given to Ukraine by the EU countries. In addition, it was announced that the situation of Ukrainian refugees who rushed into Eastern European countries as a result of the ongoing conflict will be among the issues to be addressed during the Czech Presidency.

Secondly, Russia’s intervention in Ukraine ignited the energy security debates within the EU. In particular, the efforts to impose sanctions on Russian oil and natural gas led to objections by various EU countries which are dependent on Russia. For this reason, the debate on energy security will continue to be one of the main issues during the Czech Presidency. It was stated in the declaration that the EU could not be vitally dependent on the countries that directly threaten its security and therefore had to end its dependence on Russian gas, oil, and coal. It was emphasized that the implementation of the REPowerEU Plan would be accelerated, and that energy sources should be diversified by investing in low-emission and renewable energy.

Third, it was announced that defence and cybersecurity would be strengthened. In this context, it has been noted that the implementation of the Strategic Compass, which constitutes the EU’s military strategy for 2030, would be supported. However, these capabilities will be realized through cooperating with non-European partners under the umbrella of NATO. It was stated that implementation efforts of EU Hybrid Toolbox would be accelerated, which is outlined in the Strategic Compass and considered as a tool to counter hybrid threats such as disinformation, foreign intervention, and cyber attacks.

Fourth, the economy will come to the fore especially in direct connection with the global inflation waves, rising energy prices and deterioration of supply chain. The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine have severely disrupted global supply chains and increased energy prices to record level. Therefore, tackling these economic problems would be among the priority topics of the Czech Presidency.

Last but not least, democratic values will be one of the main themes under the Czech EU Presidency. In this regard, the Prague administration has set some goals such as transparent financing of political parties, the independence of mass media and establishing an open dialogue with citizens in order to maintain and develop the democratic values and the rule of law in the EU. In the light of all these priorities, it should be pointed out that the main aim of the Czech Presidency is to contribute to the creation of conditions ensuring the security and prosperity of the EU.

For further information, the website of the Czech EU Presidency can be accessed from here and the social media account of the Czech EU Presidency is available here.