President: country should be part of EU ‘hard’ core

In related news, President Miloš Zeman said on Wednesday that he would like the Czech Republic to be part of what he termed the EU ‘hard’ core or mainstream. The president outlined that, in his view, the EU needed joint foreign, defence and fiscal policies, as well as a harmonization of the tax system. His position differs from the more reserved stance taken by the country’s government led by Prime Minister Petr Nečas, although the country’s foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, the chairman of TOP 09, is 'pro-Europe'. On Wednesday, the prime minister indicated that the government's foreign policy would not change because of the ceremonial flag-hoisting.