New Czech Prime Minister makes good impression on fellow EU leaders

Jiri Paroubek's trip to the EU summit is his first official visit to Brussels as Czech Prime Minister and it appears that he has made quite a good impression on his fellow EU leaders. Pavla Horakova has been watching Mr Paroubek closely, ever since he arrived in Brussels on Thursday:

Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, photo: CTK

"Well, indeed, this is the Prime Minister's first trip to the European capital in his current post. Just before the start of the summit on Thursday, he used the opportunity to introduce himself to the top representatives of both EU institutions and NATO here in Brussels. On Thursday Mr Paroubek met the Secretary General of NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer to "reassure him of the transatlantic orientation of the Czech Republic and the continuity of its policies in the alliance". He also invited Mr Scheffer to come to Prague and the visit, according to Mr Paroubek, might take place later this year. Mr Paroubek also met European Commission Chief Jose Manuel Barroso and the atmosphere at the meeting, as far as I could tell, was very cordial. Mr Paroubek invited Mr Barroso to visit the Czech Republic too."

Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, photo: CTK

But these were not the only meetings with foreign top officials since Prime Minister Paroubek's government gained confidence in the lower house last month...

"In his current post Mr Paroubek has met German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and also the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and the Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean Claude Juncker. This, I believe, confirms the Mr Paroubek's greater interest in foreign policy. He actually pointed out himself that after his next week's trip to China and Japan, he will have met more foreign leaders in his six weeks in office than his predecessor Stanislav Gross during the nine months in office. Mr Gross was often criticized for his lack of interest in foreign matters, poor knowledge of languages and for being too immersed in domestic issues.

"Prime Minister Paroubek also told the media that he had received a letter recently from the former Czech president Vaclav Havel, expressing support for Mr Paroubek's policies and attitudes, and endorsing his initiatives, especially in the field of human rights, worldwide."