Klaus presides over first EU summit

What had been described by some as “a nightmare scenario” for the European Union came true on Monday when the eurosceptic president Vaclav Klaus formally took charge of the Czech EU presidency – for a day at least. For the first time, Mr Klaus presided over a high-level EU meeting, chairing the European Union’s summit with Japan in Prague. However even when it came to global warming – a famous bugbear of Mr Klaus – the president maintained a diplomatic silence.

Václav Klaus (left) and Jose Manuel Barroso, photo: CTK

There was much trepidation over the prospect of Mr Klaus in charge of the EU presidency, due to his robust views on the European Union. He’s publicly met leading eurosceptics such as Declan Ganley, although he describes himself as a ‘eurorealist’ rather than a ‘eurosceptic’.

Certainly his February speech to the European Parliament sent shivers down many a euro spine; Mr Klaus caused a mass walkout when he accused the Parliament of suffering from a democratic deficit, a deficit that would only increase under the EU’s Lisbon treaty.

In the end, however, he confounded his critics, acting as the perfect host in Prague. He even took on the role of interpreter: when Jose Manuel Barroso complained there was no English translation coming into his headphones, President Klaus repeated everything in English.

Taró Aso and Václav Klaus, photo: CTK

Even when it came to global warming – a priority for Japan – Mr Klaus was restrained, saying the debate he chaired in Prague on Monday was so general he had no motivation to become involved in it. However he did repeat his view that global warming didn’t exist, so clearly he hasn’t done a complete about-face.

Mr Klaus’s role in the remaining two months of the Czech EU presidency is unclear. Originally he was down to preside over a handful of meetings, chief among them a planned EU-Russia summit. However come Friday, when the Topolanek government is formally replaced by a caretaker cabinet of technocrats, Mr Klaus’s political role in Europe will of course increase, as there is nothing or no-one to fill the vacuum created by the departure of Mr Topolanek or his deputy for EU affairs Alexandr Vondra.

That apparently has the EU worried, especially when it comes to the crucial summit due in June, which was to be dominated by how to complete ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. Mr Klaus vehemently opposes that treaty, and there are rumours of plans afoot to shift the summit into the Swedish EU presidency that begins on July 1st.