Vondra: Czechs to focus on solving financial crisis during EU presidency

Deputy PM for Europe Alexandr Vondra has said that the Czech government has adapted its plans for the country’s EU presidency in light of the current global financial crisis. The Czechs take over from the French at the helm of the EU on January 1 next year. Mr Vondra told reporters on Monday that the country’s EU motto would remain the same – ‘Europe without Borders’ - but that the presidency’s focus would shift away from EU enlargement and towards resolving the financial crisis. Mr Vondra told journalists that the Czechs had to be ‘ready for anything’, and suggested that during the Czech presidency, the regulation of banks and other financial institutions would be discussed.