Mixed Czech feelings on the French-German axis in Europe

It couldn't have been better timed. Just when all eyes are on France and Germany, the Czech Foreign Ministry on Wednesday hosted a discussion on the two countries' role in the new Europe. The current Czech government comes close to the Franco-German pro-federalist view of European integration, but over Iraq Prague has sided itself with the United States and Britain. During the discussion the Social Democrat MP Libor Roucek, who is also vice-chair of the Czech parliament's European Integration Committee, firmly criticized France and Germany's recent reluctance to offer military support to Turkey, and in an interview with Radio Prague's David Vaughan he explained why.

"We have a system of collective security, that's NATO, and the system is based on the principle of 'all for one and one for all'. So if one state gets, for whatever reason, into trouble, or feels it is getting into trouble, it should have the right to consult the others, and the others should reply in such a way that they will offer him or her help."

There have been two major developments recently in the European Union. One is the newly developing French-German axis. The second is the clear division of Europe over Iraq. Does the Czech Republic need to do some serious rethinking about its relations with the European Union?

"I don't think that we need to do some rethinking. As far as our defence and security policy is concerned, we are a member of NATO, and NATO completely and satisfactorily fulfils our task. As far as the EU is concerned we are not joining the EU of 6 or the axis of France and Germany, but we are joining an EU which will have 25 members. Of course, this EU of 25 members has to have such structures that can function. That's why we are for the concept of the step-by-step creation of a European federation of states."

But France and Germany are currently very much trying to put themselves into the driving seat of Europe. The Czech government seems to have a slightly different view that is far more - shall we say - transatlantic.

"Of course, there's got to be somebody who will be in the driving seat, but I think in a Europe of 25 we all have to be in the driving seat."

And finally, President Chirac made comments about the candidate countries to the European Union that caused a great deal of offence here in the Czech Republic, suggesting that the country had been infantile in supporting the British and American stance on Iraq. What does the Czech government feel about these remarks?

"We all hope that it's not the beginning of the French official policy, because if that was the case, it would be a disaster for everybody. It would be a disaster for building Europe. It would be a disaster for the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and of course it would be a disaster for France itself, because if this were the official French position, then I think France would lose the whole of Central and Eastern Europe for the foreseeable future, for the next twenty years."