Czech foreign minister outlines EU presidency priorities amid “Russian war on international order”
During its presidency of the European Union, the Czech Republic will seek to advance the debate on halting oil imports from Russia, Czechia’s head of diplomacy Jan Lipavský said following a meeting of Central European foreign ministers on Tuesday. The European Union should also strive towards granting Ukraine candidate status as soon as possible, Mr Lipavský said, adding that Vladimir Putin’s war is a broader challenge to the international order.
It is less than a year since the previous prime minister of the Czech Republic, Andrej Babiš, was talking about saving on expenses for the Czech presidency of the European Union. But since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it looks like the country’s half-year stint at the chair of the European Council may be one of the most important international leadership roles for the Czech Republic since its founding less than 30 years ago.
At an informal meeting of the foreign ministers of Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia at Štiřín Chateau on Tuesday, the Czech Republic’s head of diplomacy Jan Lipavský said that the humanitarian and geopolitical consequences of the Russian invasion have set his country’s EU presidency priorities under review. Coordinating a common EU response to the war will be now be one of the key priorities for the Czech Republic, Mr Lipavský said, adding that the country will seek to further limit the EU’s dependence on Russian resources.
“This is a crucial time to act with unity and resolve. During our EU presidency, I would like to advance the discussions on cutting oil imports from Russia, since Russia’s incomes from the EU must be minimised.”
At the same time, the Czech Republic’s foreign minister stressed the need to extend the bloc’s support for Ukraine.
“The post-war perspectives for Ukraine are important. Ukraine needs to get a clear path as well as encouragement towards EU membership as soon as possible. Granting it candidate status is a political decision that we should not be afraid to take. We also need to begin intensive preparations for supplying funding to the country and when the war is over the funds must kick in immediately. Our plan is to organise an international donor’s conference during our EU presidency.”
Energy security, EU defence capacity and tackling the Ukrainian refugee crisis will all be on the list of Czechia’s EU presidency priorities, Mr Lipavský announced, while also highlighting the importance of media freedom, fighting disinformation and hybrid threats in general.
“Geographically, we want to focus on the transatlantic partnership, Eastern Europe and of course the Western Balkans. The Indo-Pacific region is very much connected to what is happening in Ukraine, since Russian war on the international order. It is not just a local war. [We should] also not forget about Africa, especially the situation in the Sahel.”
While Russia’s war on Ukraine has added a broad range of targets to the Czech presidency plans, many are also based around the long-term goals of the Czech diplomatic effort within the EU. The country has been a long-term proponent of EU expansion into the Western Balkans. Meanwhile, the Eastern Partnership programme, the EU’s chief democracy and civil society boosting initiative in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, was set up in Prague during the Czech Republic’s previous EU presidency in 2009.
