President Pavel stresses need for strong and self-sufficient Europe

Czech President Petr Pavel opened a two-day conference titled “Europe as a task” in the Spanish Hall of Prague Castle on Monday, stressing the need for a strong and self-sufficient Europe. He said the EU must be strong externally and internally to defend and promote its interests. The president said he considers it necessary to strengthen the European defence industry, to integrate it more deeply, to increase investment into infrastructure and mobility, and to simplify the public procurement process. In addition to increased defense spending he stressed the need for an efficient use of the given resources and the will of Europeans to defend their way of life.

The two day conference covers a broad range of topics including European competitiveness, support for Ukraine, European security, the enlargement of the European Union and the future of global trade. The  program will continue on Tuesday at the Černín Palace, headquarters of the Czech Foreign Ministry.