Czech govt falls in middle of EU Presidency

[hossam]

The success or lack thereof of the EU affects my future plans considerably.

plans for European conquest?

 

[Sharwood]

Santa wants the EU to fail? Now that's interesting.

 

[Sharwood]

plans for European conquest?

The fewer chunks the world is split into, the less work I have to do to conquer it all.

 

[Winner]

Santa wants the EU to fail? Now that's interesting.

He wants to de-Maastrichtize it. Not that it matters, he's crazy.

 

[Winner]

UPDATE:

Topolánek submited his resignation today. He'll continue as Prime Minister until the President appoints a new one. Conditions he gave are probably impossible to satisfy, there is no way how to get a majority in the chamber of deputies without a grand coalition, which seems impossible now.

Also, the Senate postponed vote about the Lisbon treaty today.

 

[Godwynn]

Wouldn't the Lisbon Treaty replace this rotating presidency?

 

[Mirc]

Yes it would, if it was accepted.

 

[really]

Wouldn't the Lisbon Treaty replace this rotating presidency?

It should have already happened according to the plans...

 

[really]

Analysts said the collapse of the government would take the shine off a visit in which Mr. Topolanek, a young telegenic prime minister [What?! - Winner], was meant to greet Mr. Obama, a young telegenic president, and show that the United States and the E.U. were united to save the global economy.

He is telegenic compared to our Taoiseach (prime minister)

 

[Winner]

Wouldn't the Lisbon Treaty replace this rotating presidency?

Yes it would, if it was accepted.

And this situation reveals how sorely needed it is. EU needs a strong and dedicated leadership. Even if the member countries try hard, their governments still have a country to run back home, so they can never fully devote their time to the EU.

A real EU (council) President would have only one job - to lead the EU, and the treaty would give him means to be much more than just a figurehead.

He is telegenic compared to our Taoiseach (prime minister)

Topolánek has a sort of... Wallachian temper and a "man of the people" behaviour. Which is why he often uses strong phrases that are misinterpreted by the press and used out of context.

He's also very tall, which looks kinda funny when he's meeting the Polish president...

 

[Winner]

UPDATE:

Good news for Lisbon treaty supporters. PM met with Senators from his party and urged them to vote for the treaty, the vote is scheduled for April. Apparently, PM made some sort of a deal with the leader of the opposition - some analysts believe they want to contain president Klaus, who opposes the ratification. If the treaty passes, Topolánek will have his sweet revenge for Klaus' betrayal.

 

[Gabryel Karolin]

So, what have you accomplished in your term as president? I haven't heard anything at all. Obviously the economic crisis eclipse most everything, but still. What was Czechias agenda and how did it go?

 

[Winner]

So, what have you accomplished in your term as president? I haven't heard anything at all. Obviously the economic crisis eclipse most everything, but still. What was Czechias agenda and how did it go?

So far so good, IMO.

- No major screwup,
- gas crisis solved,
- our plans to increase EU energy security are now universally accepted,
- first EU summit was successful, EU rejected protectionism and reached agreement
- we brought Obama to Prague to talk with the EU,
- EU seems to support our position on bailouts and hyperspending,
- EU Eastern Partnership plans were accepted.

Wow, when I look at the list, I must say we were surprisingly successful

EDIT: an acticle from European Voice:

How the Czech presidency has performed up to now

The shadows cast by Sarkozy and domestic politics should not eclipse recognition of the Czechs' successes.

The vote of no confidence in the Czech government on Tuesday (24 March) means that the EU presidency will now be held by a caretaker government that cannot lead but only administer.

This is the latest stage in a presidency that has already passed through several periods of evolution. There were no positive expectations when the presidency began in January, in part because the country is small and new to the EU. That period swiftly gave way to a period of excessive expectations. Well, the days of Nicolas Sarkozy as the EU's head are over and the Czechs are not to blame for the situation in Ireland, the financial crisis or the economic recession.

The Czechs could perhaps be faulted for not addressing all the EU's challenges simultaneously – economic, political, environmental and demographic among others. But that is too much to demand from a small country and the rotating nature of the presidency makes a co-ordinated approach very difficult.

To date, the Czech presidency has done a good job on at least two levels. First, its bureaucracy has been prepared and capable enough to run hundreds of meetings. Second, it has pursued all three of its priorities – the economy, energy security and external relations – actively.

The recent EU summit reached agreement on a range of economic issues. On energy security, the Czechs contributed to resolving the Russian-Ukrainian gas conflict and have now secured European commitments to the Nabucco pipeline. On external relations, the results have been modest, but securing an agreement (and a budget) to launch the eastern partnership is a major step forward.

The presidency has failed in two areas: political leadership and the Lisbon treaty. President Václav Klaus created confusion by hijacking the popular political message. The Czechs are Eurosceptic, popular logic runs, hence Eurosceptics run Europe and that is bad as we need more of Europe in these difficult times.

That was bad for Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, but Klaus's prominence in part reflected his government's fragility. The difficulties created by this domestic political instability were compounded by some senior officials' evident inexperience of EU affairs.

The second failure has been the presidency's approach to the Lisbon treaty. This is not just at home. It is the job of the presidency to negotiate with the Irish government a specific agreement on the “necessary legal instruments” that EU leaders agreed upon in December. The Czechs have moved at a snail's pace on this issue.

Primarily, though, during its first three months this supposedly Eurosceptic presidency managed to put itself at the centre of debate as the ultimate defender of the core European value: the single market.

For this paradox, Topolánek can thank Sarkozy for his remarks on delocalisation. Now, though, the legacy of this presidency depends fully on the remaining three months.