Is the Czech right becoming more Euro-sceptic?

The Civic Democrats, the right wing opposition party widely tipped to win the next parliamentary elections, have officially adopted a policy rejecting the planned European Constitution outright. This puts the party in line with the most firmly Euro-sceptic forces in the EU, such as the British Conservatives. Although the Civic Democrat's honorary chairman, President Vaclav Klaus, has never hidden his strongly Euro-sceptic views, this is the first time that the whole party leadership has come down behind him. But at the same time polls suggest that Civic Democrat voters are much less Euro-sceptic then the party itself. Martin Mikule phoned Ivo Slosarcik from the Prague Institute for European Policy, and asked him whether he saw a paradox in the party's stand.

Is the Czech right becoming more Euro-sceptic?

Photo: European Commission

"Yes, it's a kind of paradox between the relatively Euro-optimist electorate of the Civic Democratic Party and the rather Euro-sceptic point of view of the political elite in this party. However, I have to say that it's relative Euro-scepticism. Political elites in the Civic Democratic Party are generally pro European integration but they object to several aspects including European Constitution. However, even within this elite there are ideological splits and we can not simply understand the whole party as a single homogeneous group with one view of the European constitution."

How about President Vaclav Klaus - the honorary chairman of the Civic Democrats? He is not only Euro-sceptical; he is directly rejecting the European Constitution. Do you think his opinions are different from the general opinion of the Civic Democrats?

Secondly, of course, Klaus can influence the public opinion of the Czech Republic in general. I think we can expect rather strong words in the pre-referendum campaign - if there will be any referendum.

Thirdly, the president has relatively strong formal power. He can refer the question of the ratification process to the Constitutional Court and ask the Constitutional Court to evaluate the constitutionality of the whole process."

Would you be able to estimate when the referendum could take place in the Czech Republic, and what the possible result could be?

"It's hard to estimate. It's likely to be in the second half of 2005 or early 2006. Regarding its result, I think that majority of the people in the Czech Republic will support the ratification of the constitution with the exception of a situation when some other big European country refuses the constitution before the Czech Republic."