The decline of the “new” Europe

The crisis in the Czech Republic increases the role of EU old-timers

A political fog has descended on two important events in the European Union calendar, hosted by the Czech Republic, which chairs it for the current half of the year. On April 5, the EU-US summit opens in Prague, in which the new American President Barack Obama will take part for the first time. On May 7, a summit on the EU’s new Eastern Partnership program will be held there. However, instead of preparing for these prestigious events, the Czech authorities have to look for a way out of the internal political crisis.

The vote of no confidence passed on Tuesday evening to the cabinet of Mirek Topolanek by the left opposition was extremely inopportune for both Prague and the European Union. The Czech Republic has not yet approved the key Lisbon Treaty for the EU. In the absence of Topolanek, who clearly supported this document, President Vaclav Klaus is unlikely to change for the better his attitude towards the treaty, which he has repeatedly criticized for “infringing on national sovereignty.”

The European Parliament expressed serious concern about the events in the Czech Republic. “In times of crisis, Europe needs strong leadership,” said the head of the leading faction of the European People’s Party, Joseph Dole. “A government that presides over the EU, but is not invested with trust, cannot be a leader.” However, the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, emphasized that Czech representatives in the EU are “making huge, huge efforts.” He denied suggestions that Prague would be deprived of the chairmanship. The European Commission recalled that precedents similar to the Czech one arose during the EU presidency of Denmark in 1993 and Italy in 1996, but this did not lead to a disruption in the work.

Brussels is also not inclined to dramatize the issue of Czech representation at summits. According to the Czech constitution, the opposition can allow Topolanek to remain in office until a new cabinet is appointed . Prague has already notified Brussels and Washington that if the opposition says “no,” then President Klaus will take over the functions of prime minister in foreign affairs.

The calmness of the EU leadership is due to the fact that events in the Czech Republic “are working towards European integration in an updated format,” believes Maxim Minaev, a leading expert at the Russian Center for Current Political Affairs. In a conversation with Vremya Novostey, he noted that “the center of gravity is again shifting to “old” Europe. This is due to both the economic crisis and a change in Washington’s policy: “Until now, Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and the Baltic states have strived in every possible way within the EU to emphasize their political independence coupled with an unconditional orientation towards the United States, even if sometimes to the detriment of European interests. But the crisis exposed their inability to independently solve the problems of economic development, and requests began pouring in for a “comprehensive aid package” for Eastern Europe.”

The echoes of the crisis in the form of the resignations of the governments of Latvia and Hungary have not yet given grounds to talk about serious political changes within the EU. But events in the Czech Republic, one of the most stable and prosperous countries in Eastern Europe, suggest that the period of arrogant behavior of the ambitious “new” Europe is coming to naught: the dependence of the EU newcomers on Brussels and the heavyweights of the “old” Europe - Paris and Berlin has become too obvious . Prague's attitude towards Washington's policies is also becoming increasingly critical. Resigned Prime Minister Topolanek unexpectedly called Barack Obama's anti-crisis program yesterday “the road to hell,” “undermining the stability of the global financial market.”

“The right-wingers in the Czech Republic, lobbying for the placement of an American missile defense system radar in the country, tied this issue to the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty,” explains the VN expert, “But after a change of command in the White House, it suddenly became clear that the Americans were hesitating, and the fate of the whole Missile defense is unclear.” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton directly made it clear to Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg at recent negotiations in Washington that it is now more important for the United States to reach an agreement with Moscow than to complete work in the Czech direction. VN’s interlocutor is sure that the Americans postponed the deployment of the radar in the Czech Republic “until the end of consultations with Moscow and Tehran on the Iranian nuclear program. During his visit to Prague, President Obama will tell the Czech leadership about this.”

Boris YUNANOV