Czech Republic unveils priorities for its EU Council presidency

Slashing dependency on Russian fossil fuels, elevating funds for Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and strengthening the disrupted provide chains will probably be high of the agenda when the Czech Republic takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council.

The programme was unveiled on Wednesday by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, underneath the motto “Europe as a activity: rethink, rebuild, repower.”

The slogan, impressed by the the late writer and statesman Václav Havel, is supposed to symbolise the brand new chapter in Europe’s historical past opened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We are able to say that the world won’t be the identical after Russia’s aggression,” Fiala mentioned, chatting with reporters on the Hrzánský Palace in Prague. “We wish to play an lively half and rewrite Europe’s future.”

The conflict has shaken the continent’s “certainties”, uncovered its “vulnerabilities” and “essentially” altered its safety structure, the prime minister mentioned, calling on the EU to sort out these challenges in an “lively means” moderately than as an observer counting on different nice powers.

“Along with our European leaders, we’ll attempt to be stronger collectively and use the energy to profit those that want it,” Fiala famous.

Each six months an EU member state is assigned to preside over the Council of the European Union, one of many bloc’s co-legislators.

The presiding state units the agenda of ministerial conferences, acts as a sincere dealer throughout negotiations and represents the place agreed by the 27 earlier than the European Fee and the European Parliament.

The Czech Republic takes over the presidency on 1 July, changing France.

“It is a check of maturity” for the nation, Fiala mentioned. “A check that won’t be straightforward in any case.”

Fiala mentioned the 5 overarching themes of the mandate would be the conflict in Ukraine, power safety, defence, financial resilience and democratic establishments.

The Czech Republic will concentrate on addressing the large migration wave prompted by the battle and Ukraine’s expensive reconstruction. The Kyiv Faculty of Economics estimates the injury inflicted by the Russian military might attain €600 billion, or much more if the invasion drags on.

The European Fee has floated some preliminary concepts to lift the big sum of money, together with particular allocations from the EU funds, contributions from member states and, notably, frequent EU debt. The talk continues to be in early levels and the Council has not but expressed its unified place.

The presidency will oversee the discussions on the following raft of sanctions in opposition to the Kremlin, which have been rife with tensions and inside squabbles throughout the French tenure.

The Czechs will even need to cope with Ukraine’s software to affix the EU, which must be unanimously endorsed by the 27 nations. If Ukraine is granted candidate standing, a prolonged and complicated accession course of will formally kick off.

Rethink, rebuild and repower

Carefully linked to the conflict, power safety will probably be one other high precedence for Prague.

The nation needs to push ahead REPower EU, the Fee’s formidable roadmap to wean the bloc off Russian fossil fuels, the Kremlin’s main supply of revenues.

The plan will value greater than €210 billion and be financed by way of the repurposed restoration fund. Many of the cash will probably be channelled into renewables and energy-efficiency measures, though practically €12 billion have been earmarked to diversify gasoline suppliers and revamp oil programs.

The Czech Republic was one of many few nations who demanded a tailor-made exemption to the EU-wide ban on importing Russian oil, arguing its hyperlinks to the Druzhba pipeline couldn’t get replaced within the quick time period. Following a strain marketing campaign led by Hungary, one other landlocked nation, leaders agreed to fully spare pipeline imports, making a loophole within the closing sanction.

In current weeks, Brussels has opened the door to voluntary joint purchases of gasoline, an choice the Czechs intend to additional discover.

The resilience of the EU’s financial system will even characteristic prominently on the agenda. Prague needs to advertise the bloc’s competitiveness in strategic sectors, akin to microchips, and strengthen meals provide chains, which are underneath risk by the continuing conflict.

Turning the web page from the French presidency, the Czech Republic is set to present a recent impetus to stalled commerce offers. Paris was notoriously reluctant to the touch these information, fearing home pushback, however Prague has made it clear that commerce relations with different like-minded nations, like New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Chile, must be strengthened by way of new commerce agreements to carry down limitations and taxes.

“The Czech Republic is an advocate of open enterprise,” mentioned Mikuláš Bek, minister for European affairs. “It is clear the lack of alternatives in Russia must be balanced by opening [new] alternatives in different components of the world.”

In terms of defence, the Czechs goal to spice up the EU’s capabilities to struggle cyber-attacks, disinformation and overseas interference, whereas supporting the implementation of the Strategic Compass, the bloc’s long-term technique that defines its overseas and safety coverage.

“Till now, the EU’s transition was round two axes: inexperienced and digital. That’s nonetheless relevant,” mentioned Bek. “However now we’ve a 3rd dimension: safety. And it is clear your entire debate has shifted to a extra sober tone.”

Lastly, the Czech presidency will centre on democratic values, like media pluralism, and the safety of the EU’s democratic establishments. Among the many pending duties would be the conditionality process that Brussels has launched in opposition to Hungary, which might result in a first-ever suspension of EU funds.

However the Czechs do not intend to be a decide, however moderately a facilitator of dialogue between the 27 member states. 

“The presiding nation will not be a composer of a selected piece that’s being performed,” mentioned Bek. “It’s extra of a conductor of the orchestra that is taking part in. We are able to maybe set the tempo and the tempo.”