The Czech EU Presidency: Green Impulses and Visions for Europe

In January 2009 the Czech Republic will assume the Presidency of the Council of the EU. This will provide the Czech Republic with a unique opportunity to influence the agenda of the EU for six months.

The Czech Republic, one of the youngest member states of the EU, a country which has not yet ratified the Lisbon Treaty and whose president is a well known eurosceptic, will take over the EU Presidency at a time when the EU has to address such major issues as the consequences of the financial crisis and the aftermath of the Russian-Georgian conflict.

The Czech Green Party, as a government coalition partner, stresses the need to strengthen and deepen European Union integration in order to meet the global challenges of the future. Among other topics, not less salient for the EU, the agenda of the Czech EU Presidency will feature climate change, the future of the Lisbon Treaty, transatlantic relations under the new US administration, and the future of EU foreign, security and enlargement policy.

What are the priorities of the Czech Green Party in the field of EU foreign, security and enlargement policy? What should the future of the Eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy look like? What should an EU strategy for the Western Balkans focus on? What are the obstacles of intensified NATO-EU relations and can they be overcome? Which role does the missile defense shield play in this context?