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A new poll conducted by Herzmann and Data Collect suggests that if the elections to the European Parliament were held today, the Social Democrats, who head the current centre-left government, would finish third – behind fellow coalition partners ANO and centre-right opposition party TOP 09. Others who would see success include the Communists, newcomers Dawn, and the Civic Democrats. Herzmann and Data Collect conducted the poll between May 9 and 13, questioning more than 500 likely voters.

The current crisis in Ukraine represents a serious security risk for both the European Union and NATO, the Czech Defense Minister Martin Stopnický has said. Speaking at a meeting in Bratislava, he stressed it would be necessary to increase defense spending; he also made clear he strongly supported increased military cooperation by the Visegrad countries, backing a plan to form a joint combat unit of up to 4,000 soldiers by 2016. Earlier this week, the defense minister caused a major stir at home when he suggested NATO troops might be less than welcome on Czech soil, especially by those who still remembered the historic occupation of Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops. Mr Stropnický came under fire from the opposition as well as members of the government and was forced to backtrack. He put forward a declaration in the lower house emphasising the Czech Republic’s commitment to NATO and common defense.

Czech prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka has called a meeting of the State Security Council on May 20. The meeting will focus on the Czech Republic’s ability to cover its natural gas needs and help out near neighbours Slovakia and Hungary if Russian gas supplies are halted. Fears that Russian supplies to central and western Europe could be cut in June if Ukraine does not pay its debts for past deliveries were raised at a security conference in Bratislava by Slovak prime minister Robert Fico. Fico cited a warning letter from Russian president Vladimir Putin. Russia has said the warning applies to gas exports to Ukraine and not the rest of Europe.

The Supreme State Attorney’s Office in Prague on Thursday said it had pressed charges in a corruption case involving the purchase of armoured transporters for the Czech army from the Austrian arms company Steyr. Public service broadcaster Czech Television reported that the man charged with corruption is former Czech prime minister Mirek Topolánek’s infamous right hand man, Marek Dalík. Dalík has been investigated by police on suspicion that he demanded a payment of 500 million crowns to make sure that the lucrative order for 107 vehicles was won by the Austrian firm. The deal was eventually signed in 2009. Dalík served as Topolánek’s advisor between 2006 and 2009. The maximum sentence for corruption in such a case would be 10 years.