Czech EU mysteries explained

Is the Czech Republic a constructive and contributing member of the European Union, or still lost in Europe after prolonged Soviet occupation and Communist rule?

EU citizens have been mystified by Czech happenings in 2009.

Czech president Vaclav Klaus long resisted signing the ratification of the EU Lisbon Treaty, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) joined the anti-integrationist European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament and the Czech presidency of the EU Council during the first half of 2009 left a mixed record, including the fall of the government.

A caretaker government is fairly steadily led by Jan Fischer is in charge until the general election in May 2010, but outside government party political fragmentation undermines the picture of a mature democracy.


EPIN


The European Policy Institutes Network (EPIN) has published a paper by Mats Braun: Understanding Klaus – The Story of Czech Eurorealism (EPIN Working Paper No. 26 / November 2009; 11 pages).


Vaclav Klaus and ODS

Braun notes that the Czech population is less “eurosceptic” than members of the political elite, especially within the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), and even the ODS voters are more positive to the EU than the party. The ideological “eurorealism” of the ODS, founded by Vaclav Klaus, is based on fears of domination of the European Union institutions by big countries, and it seeks refuge in Czech sovereignty. In addition to ODS reticence on the right, the Communist Party opposes the EU on the left.

The ratification process of the Lisbon Treaty in the Czech Republic was slow, and some ODS senators loyal to Vaclav Klaus put up stiff resistance during the parliamentary debate and later. Vaclav Klaus’ view of intergovernmental cooperation is far outside the mainstream in Europe and the Czech Republic, but he signed the ratification instrument in order to evade a constitutional complaint for failing to fulfil his constitutional duties.


Europeanisation – slowly

Braun sees an ongoing process of Europeanisation of the ODS and its leader, ex prime minister Mirek Topolanek through interaction within the European Union, but the party is still split. On the other hand, joining the ECR group in the European Parliament together with the UK Conservative Party and the Polish Law and Justice Party (PiS) may conserve “eurosceptic” attitudes.

Braun draws the conclusion that the hard core of Czech eurosceptics is becoming more and more isolated, although the ODS party discourse is sticky.

According to Braun, the ratification problems of the Lisbon Treaty can be seen as an attempt by an ever-shrinking part of the political elite who resist socialisation (into Europe) to make a final effort to make an imprint on Europe. He even describes them as a dying breed, although he does not expect the ODS to leave the ECR group within a foreseeable future.

Klaus’ opt-out from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights clearly exceeded the mandate of his office, but it remains to be seen if there will be a domestic debate on the legitimacy of this op-out in the Czech Republic.


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Braun’s clear and well written working paper sheds light on events which have mystified Europeans A.D. 2009.



I checked Czech Happenings on the recent ODS party congress, but failed to find any news in English about the EU relations of the party. Mirek Topolanek is in charge until the elections, but there seem to be undercurrents of opposition.



Ralf Grahn



P.S. Do you find EUSSR myths fascinating? Are we EU citizens worth a better European Union? Read some or all of the 481 Euroblogs aggregated on multilingual Bloggingportal.eu. On most of the blogs you can comment and discuss our common European future.

And the next EU Commissioner for multilingualism is …

When Bulgaria and Romania became members of the European Union on 1 January 2007 – well into the term of the first Barroso Commission – Meglena Kuneva from Bulgaria became Commissioner for consumer protection and the Romanian Leonard Orban was made the first Commissioner for multilingualism.

Consumer protection is potentially important for 500 million consumers in the European Union and the European Economic Area, but from an administrative point of view this field can only try to influence internal market legislation, not shape it. Supporting, supplementing and monitoring activities offer the Commissioner a modicum of visibility.

Through no fault of Orban, the Commission post for multilingualism became a byword for the “bloated” Commission the current Nice Treaty and the amending Lisbon Treaty wanted to trim in a union with 27 member states (and potentially more).

The word “multilingualism” does not appear in the existing treaties, although languages are important for the European Union and its citizens: treaty languages, official languages, working languages, translation, interpretation, publishing, cross-border communication, language teaching, language learning, business opportunities…

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According to merit

In the Czech Republic, President Vaclav Klaus has opposed the will of the Parliament by refusing to sign the ratification instrument of the Lisbon Treaty, and a supporting fringe of supporters among the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) – defeated in the democratic arena after a protracted circus - have promised to delay ratification by a new legal challenge against the amending treaty, once cleared by the Constitutional Court.

They do not expect to win their legal challenge, just to sabotage the ratification process.

The Czech situation is partly an internal constitutional mess, but it has implications for the rest of Europe.

The European Union is structurally about as robust as a house of cards – founded on multiple unanimity requirements. In order to function even tolerably, the EU needs a high degree of cooperation between the member states.

Destructive behaviour should not go unnoticed. Countries should be judged on their merits.

If the Czech constitutional system is unable to sort out the ratification issue without delay, the Czech Commissioner should be awarded the multilingualism portfolio 2009 (if there is going to be a Czech Commissioner).


Ralf Grahn


P.S. Even if the supporters of ex-leader Vaclav Klaus are a fringe group within the ODS, the Civic Democrats in the European Parliament as a whole have joined the new anti-European political group the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), together with the UK Conservative Party of David Cameron and William Hague and the Polish Law and Justice Party (PiS) of the Kaczynski twins.

European elections: New political group

Phobia is the common denominator: Europhobes join homophobes.

Small wonder that the UK Conservative Party and the Polish Law and Justice Party are going to form a political group in the European Parliament after the European elections. They will be joined by the Czech Civic Democrats (ODS), hovering between the Europhobia of President Vaclav Klaus and more pragmatic market oriented nationalism. They will probably attract some MEPs from nationalistic fringe parties in order to have representatives from at least seven EU member states.

The Group of the European People’s Party (EPP) will become a bit more coherent, but the main effect is that the new group rejects the European mainstream, including Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy and other national leaders, broadly supportive of British aims on the single market and world trade.

The other member states can hardly have missed the profound problems the Conservative European Election Manifesto, David Cameron and William Hague promise, if Britain stays on the inside of the European Union.

If UK government relationships with Europe have looked less than constructive until now, you ain’t seen nothing yet. We will just have to wait for the Conservative government to be voted in.

Demonstratively outside the European mainstream, Cameron will arrange his referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Then he will try to woo sympathy to renegotiate the UK’s relationship with other EU member states, firmly committed to the Lisbon Treaty, possibly in force at the time.

The Tories’ policies on Europe have all the makings of a strategic disaster spiced with tactical blunders.

Why should the other leaders of Europe go out of their way to help Cameron? Shouldn’t he reap what he has sown?

After all, the (other) member states need a functioning European Union.


Ralf Grahn