EU commissioners meet in Prague to officially mark start of Czech presidency

On Wednesday the Czech capital played host to the European Commission, headed by José Manuel Barroso, to officially mark the start of the Czech EU presidency. Originally, the meeting of EU officials was meant to have mostly cultural and festive overtones but the gas crisis, global economic woes, and the conflict in Gaza not surprisingly, all brought added urgency to the proceedings.

France's Secretary of State for European Affairs Bruno Le Maire hands over a symbolical EU baton to Alexandr Vondra, photo: CTK

European commissioners and senior Czech politicians were among the guests at a special gala event at Prague’s National Theatre on Wednesday to celebrate the start of the Czech presidency – but despite the celebrations (which included the symbolic handing over of the EU baton, and a performance by legendary Czech entertainer Jiří Suchý), the day was dominated by topics weighing heavily on the new presidency from Day 1: violence in the Gaza Strip, the global financial crisis and, last but not least, the flare up over natural gas between Russia and Ukraine which has strongly impacted parts of Europe.

In his meeting with the Czech prime minister, EU Commission head José Manuel Barroso spoke at length about the problem of energy following Russia’s turning off the taps, and officials are now pushing for international observers to be allowed to monitor the situation on the ground, to make sure, that supplies aren’t being siphoned off.

“We really hope that the Russians put the gas in the Ukrainian network and that Ukraine does not interfere with the flow to the European Union. We have received assurances both from Prime Minister Putin and Prime Minister Tymoshenko that both accept international monitors to verify, on the ground, that this is really working. And tomorrow in Brussels, we hope to have this confirmed… It is critically important that supply starts immediately.”

José Manuel Barroso with Václav Klaus, photo: CTK

Later in the day, Mr Barroso met with Czech President Václav Klaus, another high-profile meeting that was highly anticipated, not least because Mr Klaus is well-known as a strong EU critic, opposed to the Lisbon treaty which Mr Barroso has backed. Despite their differences, the meeting was more than cordial. Here is part of what Mr Barroso said:

“In fact, during today’s meeting I congratulated Mr Klaus because he was the one who signed the accession treaty and he reminded me that he did not only that, but that he was the one who proposed membership to the EU. After these years we can say that it has been a success for the Czech Republic. A clear majority of the Czech people support the European process and can see the benefits and standard of life that the EU has brought the Czech Republic.”

All eyes now are on the Czech Republic and how the country continues its presidency. Officials may have been allowed a brief respite to celebrate at the National Theatre on Wednesday, but there’s no question difficult tasks lie ahead. Even in the midst of celebration, those couldn’t have been far from anyone’s mind.