Consensus still far away, one year into the European Union

It has been now one year since the Czech Republic joined the European Union. Radio Prague's Fahima Khail talks to Vaclav Havel and other politicians to assess where the Czech Republic stands in the EU today.

The Czech Republic has been through massive political and economic changes since the fall of communism 15 years ago. Having been isolated behind the Iron Curtain for forty years, it became a full member of NATO in 1999. And on May the first 2004, the Czech Republic was one of 10 nations to join the European Union.

The former dissident playwright Vaclav Havel ruled the country - and previously Czechoslovakia - for thirteen years. His contribution towards the country joining the union is unquestionable. I asked him what he felt joining the EU meant for the Czech Republic one year on.

"I think that joining NATO and the EU was a great success, certainly not just for me, but for a lot of people. We didn't just have to overcome opposition or mistrust eu/evropain the Czech Republic towards these organizations, but we also had to persuade the organizations themselves that they should admit us. At that time, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, it wasn't at all certain that the structures and organization of the rich and increasingly united western countries would want to embrace the states which had been behind the Iron Curtain. I don't know how much this development was thanks to myself or others, or how much it is acknowledged and appreciated, but in my memory it is something of utmost importance. It does not only concern our country, but the whole new world order - the fact that the fall of the Iron Curtain was taken seriously."

Joining the EU did not bring dramatic changes overnight, and views differ widely as to the benefits of EU membership. But one thing is clear: the huge optimism of the early 1990s has been succeeded by a growing sense of realism, or even skepticism. Here are the views of a few people I spoke to in the streets of Prague:

"I think, it will at least take 20 years, until we reach the standard of western European countries."

"If you have a job, there is a good chance of improving your living standard."

"Working as a civil servant, I can say, that since last year the administration has definitely expanded, partly too much."

Jan Kasl, head of the strongly pro-EU integrationist European Democrats, thinks that Czechs are gradually beginning to become more European in their way of thinking:

"Very slowly things are coming - I would call them European standards - I would call them the European point of view on the solution of domestic problems. The accession on the first of May gave the Czech Republic the chance to integrate itself in Europe and show that it is at least as good as any other country. Not everybody is aware of this fact. I can start with the president. Our president Mr. Klaus is always vilifying the EU. I would say that Klaus is destroying the image of the country and propagating the wrong image of Czechs."

President Klaus is the Czech Republic's most vociferous Euroskeptic, and his views are shared by the party he founded, the right of centre Civic Democrats, who are widely tipped to become the next party of government. They are openly opposed to introducing a European constitution. The party's foreign policy spokesman and member of the European Parliament, Jan Zahradil, feels that the Czech Republic has benefited little from EU membership so far.

Jan Zahradil

"I do not think that much has changed in the life of ordinary citizens. Perhaps the Czech Republic has, or at least I hope it has established a certain position within the European Union. It became a part of the single market. On the other hand we see that the European Union itself still was not able to absorb fully this enlargement of ten new members; and we see that it brings new complications. So life is not easier after our accession to the European Union. We can see that some European countries, especially old member countries of the EU were facing and are still facing certain problems, stemming from their domestic political situation; some of them are trying to solve these problems on our account."

By contrast, European Democrat leader, Jan Kasl, argues that the EU has brought very concrete benefits.

"Our environment is polluted, so the EU is helping to build waste water plants. Our roads are damaged after many years under the communist regime, and so the EU is helping with linking the Czech Republic into the European structure. Take Prague for example. It is being given very good and cheap loans from the European Investment Bank, or direct funding through the 'structure funding project', helping its infrastructure, helping it invest. And as for human resources, the EU is focusing on development in human resources. The EU is helping us cope with the problems of social exclusion. But for the Czech economy which is small and isolated, open to every influence from abroad, as you can imagine, we are highly dependent upon the exchange of goods."

Seeing these results, Jan Kasl is very optimistic for the future of the Czech Republic. But the Civic Democrats' Jan Zahradil argues that far from guaranteeing free trade and economic growth, the EU is in danger of stagnating if it fails to wake up to new global competition.

"I think that the Czech Republic is a midsize or maybe a small size country. But definitely it is a country which belongs to the group of poorer members. So our main task is to create such conditions that would enhance our economic growth and that would strengthen our preconditions for achieving stability, security and prosperity. But Europe has to recognize that despite the fact, this is still one of the wealthiest parts of the world. Other parts of the world are also catching up and catching up quickly. And I think, if Europe does not recognize that and if Europe does not introduce appropriate measures and changes, and if Europe does not react appropriately, then the European Union and my country as well, as a part of the European Union, could face really serious problems within the foreseeable future, within some twenty or thirty years."

So a cold shower there from Jan Zahradil. But is this Euroskepticism really well-founded? Former President Vaclav Havel thinks not.

"I think this Euroskepticism, especially the kind we see in the Czech Republic, has its own very peculiar social and historical explanation. In this country we have a weird tradition of - paradoxically - combining a tendency toward collaborationism on the one hand with noisy patriotism on the other. And I see in this Czech Euroskepticism with its emphasis on national sovereignty and on how our nation state is under threat, a kind of unconscious expression of that very peculiar Czech tradition. It's a tradition that I reject and want to fight against, as I have done all my life."

So there we have some very diverse Czech political perspectives on where the country stands, one year into EU membership. It is still far from clear whether the Euroskeptics or the Europhiles will win over public opinion, and much depends on developments throughout Europe between now and when the Czech referendum on the EU constitution is held - whenever that may be.