European Union

Energy will indisputably be one of the leitmotifs of the Czech EU Presidency, but much will depend on how the government approaches the issue. It can either feverishly patch up existing “holes” or bring an ambitious plan for modernizing energy in the EU to the table.

In the months leading up to the start of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Czech and European media speculated on whether the Czech President and Prime Minister would overcome their mutual conflict and represent the country consistently. The first days of 2009 have shown that management of the Czech Presidency’s external communications is fully in the hands of the Prime Minister, but on matters requiring engagement in the domestic political debate, the Czech PM continues to lose for the time being. Ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the Czech Parliament is one of these matters.

No less than a week after presenting its ‘Communication on the Arctic Region’, the European Commission’s attempts at forging a coherent Arctic policy have already taken a knock back. On 25 November 2008, Greenland has voted in favour of further self-rule away from Denmark with 75% voting ‘yes’ in a vote that had a 72% turnout. This vote is of significant importance as the EU’s influence in the Arctic is in many ways contingent upon Denmark’s diminishing link to Greenland, one of the few Arctic coastal states encircling the North Pole together with Canada, Russia, Norway and the United States. Further independence for Greenland, so far the only country to have seceded from the EU, will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the European Union’s influence in the Arctic.

The preparation of the priorities for the EU Presidency is a very long-term process. It involves not just representatives of the government and ministries, but also experts through their participation in professional groups. If these priorities are to be the right ones, they must not only be well-designed, they must also respond to current events in the world and in the EU itself.

In January 2009 the Czech Republic assumed the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Presidency provides the Czech Republic with a unique opportunity to influence the agenda of the EU for six months. The task of the Czech Republic is to inspire and to moderate the debate among the 27 member states and to represent the EU externally

The conference organised by the Heinrich Böll Foundation and the Ministry of Environment provided good opportunity for exchange and debate among the climate diplomats, government officials, experts, business and NGOs representatives and interested public (over 160 participants). The main aim of the conference, the biggest of its kind in the new EU member states this year, was to assess where the EU, USA and other key players stay shortly before the Copenhagen Climate Conference (COP 15) this December. Far beyond that, three thematic workshops in the afternoon provided for an intensive expert discussions on the issues of the cost of the unabated Climate change, ways how to finance the measures against it and last but not least the economic opportunities stemming from the „green investments“ and mitigation measures.