Czech minister for European affairs: Undermining EU unity only helps Putin

Efforts to undermine EU unity play into the hands of Vladimir Putin, Czechia’s new minister for European Affairs, Martin Dvořák, said in an interview for Czech Radio. Minister Dvořák said on taking office that one of his key goals would be to boost support for the EU on the domestic scene and dispel myths that Brussels is excessively authoritative and is robbing us of our traditional values. Dvořák expressed the view that Czech Euroscepticism stems from the influence of former president Václav Klaus and a general feeling of frustration with everything around us. The mismanagement of European funds also plays a role, he said.

According to a May poll, conducted by NMS Market Research, 49 percent of Czechs currently support EU membership, 38 percent see it as more or less problematic.