What EU Policy to Expect from the incumbent Czech Government?
The latest edition of our EU Monitor series and its author Vít Havelka proposes the possible form of Andrej Babis' Czech EU Policy.
22. October 2018
- On the 27th of August 2018, Czech PM Andrej Babiš held a speech on the occasion of the traditional annual coordination meeting of the Czech Ambassadors at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The purpose of the consultation was to discuss Czech foreign and European policy at the highest level, and to coordinate further steps.
- The following paper aims to summarize and comment on the content of the PM ́s speech, as well as explain Babiš ́s intentions in the broader context of the foreign and European policy of the incumbent government as defined in its manifesto.
In his speech, PM Babiš rejected the Commission ́s proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework. His main objection revolves around the total size of the budget. Mr. Babiš criticizes the fact that the Commission proposed an increase of the MFF by around 23% in current terms, although the UK, which comprises 15% of the EU ́s population is leaving the Union.
The Czech Prime Minister has been a strong proponent of a reform of the European Union, stating repeatedly that the EU has to change in order to regain the trust of its citizens. According to Mr. Babiš, the EU has given up on its original purpose - the creation of a prosperous and safe continent, which in his mind significantly harms the project’s reputation.
Personnel change in the public administration, a fickle Prime Minister changing his views according to the latest opinion polls and a rather Eurosceptic population will make the Czech Republic a difficult partner to negotiate with. It is very unlikely that Czechs would come up with any new and bright idea that would help the EU to address challenges such as migration and asylum policy.
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