Czech Republic takes over EU Presidency from France

The Czech Republic has assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union from France. The presidency has commenced with a meeting in Litomyšl between the government of Petr Fiala and the European Commission where they are discussing their plans for the upcoming six months. The country will head the EU until the end of the year.

As the head of the council, the Czech government will oversee and partly influence the agenda of ministerial and other meetings. The government has stated that its main political priorities for the presidency include managing the refugee crisis and the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, energy security, strengthening defense capabilities and cyber security, the strategic resilience of the European economy, and the resilience of democratic institutions. However, the agenda of the presidency will also largely be influenced by long-term EU priorities.

This is the second time that Czechia has headed the EU Council, with the first time being in the first half of 2009.