Czechs must accept EU austerity regulations

In the Czech Republic an open dispute has broken out between President Václav Klaus and Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg about whether the country should submit to tougher EU regulations. The liberal daily Mladá Fronta Dnes urges moderation, saying that the Czech Republic has no alternative: "Schwarzenberg has threatened to pull his party out of the government unless the Czech Republic goes along with the EU austerity rules. Klaus, on the other hand, is threatening not to sign the agreement. ... This exposes the fundamental differences in their stance towards Europe. ... Deputy Prime Minister Schwarzenberg is above all a European. For him the country separating from Europe would be a disaster. Klaus reads too much into the situation, fears a fiscal union followed by a federation, which he wants to prevent at all costs. ... If the regulations become binding for us only when we introduce the euro we don't risk anything by signing. ... And anyway, we don't really have an alternative."

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