Political analyst on Merkel victory: continuity in Germany is good news for the Czech Republic

Czech Prime Minister Jiří Rusnok on Monday joined European and world leaders in congratulating German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her party’s third successive election victory. The election result spells continuity both for Germany and the EU, and commentators in the Czech Republic see it as a highly positive development. Jakub Janda, deputy director of the European Values think tank, gave Radio Prague his take on CDU’s election victory.

Angela Merkel, photo: CTK

“It will affect European policy predominantly, and the Czech Republic as well, naturally. European policy will go even further towards integration. Since Angela Merkel won 42 percent of the vote she will probably assemble a grand coalition with the Social Democrats and it seems highly likely that they will push for Eurobonds and more fiscal transfers inside the European Union and this will also positively affect the Czech Republic, since 85 percent of the country’s exports go to EU countries, so this should be highly beneficial. The next German government will probably also push for a third bailout for Greece. Angela Merkel denied that before the elections, but when you listen to what the Social Democrats are saying you can tell that a third bailout for Greece is going to come and I think it will come pretty soon. This will not directly influence the Czech Republic since it is not a member of the Eurozone, but it will affect the whole European situation which the Czech Republic is interconnected with.”

In other words continuity in Germany and the EU is good news for the Czech Republic?

“I really do believe so, because the economic stability of Germany is vital to this country. 60 percent of Czech exports go to Germany and we really need Germany to stay strong and stable. And with the next government – presumably a grand coalition – we will have a stable partner, the country’s most important partner in the EU.”

Temelín nuclear power plant, photo: Filip Jandourek

There are few outstanding issues between the two neighbor states, but nuclear power now seems to be one of them…

“It will be an issue, definitely, since the Greens got almost 9 percent of the vote and they will be strong in the German Bundestag. And when you know that Chancellor Merkel has asked the German industry to unplug from nuclear energy by 2020 you can expect that she will continue in this trend and she will push for this agenda on the European level as well, because right now she has nothing to lose, she does not have to be afraid of the next elections, so she has a clean table and will work for the Green agenda on the European table. I am not really sure if she will ask the Czech Republic- or, put it this way, she will definitely not ask the Czech Republic to go Green and scrap nuclear energy but she will put the agenda on the European table and the Czech Republic and for example France or Finland will be on the opposite side of the table and they will have to push for nuclear energy at some point.”