Vondra: EU presidency programme ready at end of year

The Czech Republic will have a programme of events for its six-month presidency of the European Union ready by the end of this year, the deputy prime minister for European affairs, Alexandr Vondra, told the lower house’s European affairs committee on Thursday. The Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolánek, will present the schedule to the European Parliament for approval in the second week of January, Mr Vondra said. The Czech Republic will assume the presidency of the EU for the first time in the country’s history on January 1.

On Thursday the leader of the opposition Social Democrats, Jiří Paroubek, said his party would co-operate with the government on some matters during the EU presidency to ensure that it runs smoothly. Mr Paroubek said the presidency should not be a show of one party, government or individual, but was a matter for the whole of the Czech Republic, including its regions and citizens.