Minister for European Affairs: Czechia’s EU priorities are defence and competitiveness

Czechia's main priorities for the next five years in the European Union will be defence and competitiveness, the Minister for European Affairs, Martin Dvořák, said at a student symposium at the Prague European School on Thursday.

Mr. Dvořák said that EU assistance to Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression has shown that Europe lacks adequate defence industry production capacity.

The conference is one of the many events marking the 20th anniversary of the Czech Republic's accession to the EU on May 1, 2004. One of the highlights of the celebrations will be an international conference at Prague Castle on April 30, with speeches by President Petr Pavel and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.