Page 50 - bne magazine July 2022_20220704

50 I Central Europe bne July 2022
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala: "Russia's aggression has also undermined the fundamental pillars of our economy – energy security, supply chains – at a time when we have literally started to breathe again after COVID-19."
Ukraine set to dominate Czech EU presidency
bne IntelliNews
The Czech government has presented the five key priorities for its rotating presidency of
the EU, which begins on July 1: the resolution of the refugee crisis and the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine; energy security; the strengthening of the EU's defence capacities, both in the military and cyber security area; the strategic resilience of the European economy; and the resilience
of democratic institutions.
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine
has shaken many of our certainties, weakened and exposed the weaknesses of the security architecture in Europe, to which we will have to take a new approach and, above all, develop actively, not just as observers relying on others," said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala.
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The Czech presidency will by launched by a joint meeting of the government and the European Commission in the town of Litomysl. The opening ceremony will take place on July 8 in Prague with
a concert at the Rudolfinum Hall. The motto of the Czech presidency is "Europe as a task: rethink, rebuild, repower".
Fiala said he considers the motto apt and said Czechia is committed to the European task. "A common Europe, its building,
its creation, its good shape that serves the development of individual national societies, is our common task," he said. In his view, the Russian aggression in Ukraine in particular has shown that security, freedom and democracy are fragile values that must be defended against aggressors. "Democracy is a daily task, the fight for freedom is a daily task," he stressed.
In the context of EU enlargement and the conflict in Ukraine, Minister for European Affairs Mikulas Bek, who
will be responsible for the presidency, said Czechia will focus on discussion about changing unanimous approval to qualified majority voting in some areas of EU foreign policy. Without this change, progress on enlargement or anti-Russian sanctions cannot be effectively made due to the opposition of some countries, such as Hungary. However, "nobody wants to abandon unanimity altogether," the minister stressed.
"We must make every effort to focus
on Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and help Ukraine on its path to the European Union," said Fiala. "But Russia's aggression has also undermined the fundamental pillars of our economy