Jiří Pehe on the doubts about the Czech EU presidency

The fears that the Czech Republic, which is due to take over the rotating EU Council presidency on January 1, may not be suited to the task are justified, writes journalist and politician Jiří Pehe in the left-wing daily Právo. "President Václav Klaus may claim that the EU presidency is unimportant because the political leadership of the EU lies firmly in the hands of the big states, but the truth is that the president is expected to assume a leading role. The size of a country need not be the main criteria here. ... Unfortunately the Czech Republic cannot lead the Union because it can't even manage itself. The unstable government coalition and the opposition are incapable of conducting a common dialogue to define a national position on the EU, the largest ruling party (the ODS) is divided and the Czech president is at war with the prime minister. The zig-zag path of the ODS regarding the Treaty of Lisbon is torturous. All it talks about are 'Czech interests' - a European perspective is entirely lacking. The Czechs are members of the EU but they don't behave like Europeans. ... And it's unclear how a country whose president has declared a battle to the death on the Union can effectively lead the EU. Several European politicians are already seeking ways to sidestep the head of state because they don't want to be lectured to by Klaus or let him ridicule them."

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