100 posts
Is there a Czech Berlusconi in the wings?
A recent report I read suggested that the travails of Public Affairs (VV) party had put voters in the Czech Republic off new political parties: VV, which burst from nowhere onto the political scene in the 2010 elections as an establishment, anti-corr...
The Lion sleeps tonight? Former Czech PM’s new party launches
I share a bias with many political scientists working on political parties: I tend to over-rate new parties with political organisation and some real grassroots presence and under-rate those which are top-down vehicles created for individual poli...
EU Czechs and balances
I’m sitting listening to Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. I look up occasionally at the map on the wall and wonder what projection it is. Europe seems big and fat compared to the more politically correct/geographically accurate cartograp...
S&P’s Czech Upgrade Deserved, but No Surprise
The Czech Republic’s “government of fiscal responsibility”, as Prime Minister Petr Necas dubbed it upon election victory last year, has finally received the international stamp of approval it’s been seeking, an upgrade of the country’s long...
Italy and Czech Republic back Gaddafi despite bloodbath
The EU is struggling to speak with one voice following a massive loss of life in Libya over the weekend and the regime's vow to fight protesters to the "to the last bullet. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has spoken of her "extr...
Czechs Worry Over Government Debt
The frugal Czech public worries if its government is frugal enough, a public opinion poll shows.
Sleaze no, austerity maybe
Czech voters flinched at the government's austerity programme but kept up the pressure on dodgy local politicians...
On TOP in Prague
The Czech elections are good news for new parties and bad for old ones...
Czech local elections: Another flicker on the seismograph?
Did you miss them? How could you? Perhaps you were distracted doing something this weekend? The Czech local elections - spiced up by brace of Senate contests, which will (mostly) conclude with run-off elections next week - have been and gone. Admitte...
Prague Mayoral Front Runner Promises More Transparency
Municipal elections in Prague will likely change the political landscape in the city, bringing a mayor who promises to improve the municipality's tarnished image and increase transparency.
Support for the Euro collapses amongst Czechs
Thems doughty Czech types seem to be getting less and less impressed with the EU and its works.The survey, conducted in September by the Stem polling agency, found that 70 per cent of 1,228 respondents oppose the switch, the Czech news agency CTK rep...
Czech history lessons?
Lack of time and lack of expertise means I don't take more than a passing interest in academic history, but I note with interest the apparent outrage caused by a paper presented by French historian Muriel Blaive at a recent symposium held in London t...
Czech politics: The urge to merge?
The ink's hardly dry on the Czech coalition agreement and the Civic Democrats (ODS) haven't even yet been routed in the local elections - although we still haven't the foggiest who their candidate for mayor of Prague is - and already ODS MEP Hynek Fa...
Czech and Poland Decoupling From Region, or Vice Versa
Assets in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary have long been lumped into one basket by investors. But with Hungary on its own adventure and Slovakia firmly entrenched in the euro zone, Polish and Czech markets are decoupling.
Czech Far Right Has-Bean
Sládek as Bean After a long period of exam season induced hibernation - if that's the right word in the summer - I've completed a conference paper for a workshop on populism The Czech Republicans 1990-1998: Rise and Fall of Populist Radical Rig...
Irish YES and hopes from Czech
Constant endeavour of inducing Irish voters and ongoing economic turmoil ultimately ended up with so much desired referendum results… Irish citizens casted their votes for YES! Even in a time of particularly unpopular government. Moreover, explici...
Prague.
Just back from Prague, where I spent a gorgeous weekend with the love-of-my-life. I won’t give a travelogue, as there are those capable of being far more comprehensive than me, but a few observations. Stayed in the Park Inn (www.prague.parkinn.
Czech parliament: Public Affairs and Communists do best on women and youth
And how new are those new Czech parties? In terms of youth and greater representation of women - both useful tools in the content-free populist's political toolbox, but also genuinely important in terms of democratic quality - a quick glance at the n...
Czech Republic: What the elections mean
So, what does the Czech 'earthquake election' mean for Czech and Central European politics? As with the famous Ho-Chi Minh quote on the French Revolution, it is basically too early to tell - and probably will be for about another 10 or 20 years, but,...
News from Prague: Europe swings further to the right
The Czech elections have just confirmed a further swing to the right in Europe amid fragmentation with the rise of new right-wing parties. Since the start of the financial crisis in 2007, only two Conservative governments have been defeated by the le...
New votes out old (updated)
Czech voters are fed up with cronyism...
Czech election brings big political shake-up
Czech center-right parties are beginning talks on forming a coalition government, after their surprising success in the polls this weekend. They have promised severe budget cuts to trim the country's growing deficit. READ MORE...
Czech elections: How I got it wrong (again) - and why
The Czech election have happened and as soon as the exit polls came in, it was clear something pretty unusual had happened. When the results came in the Social Democrats 'had won', but both big parties' score were way down on what had been predicted...
Czech Elections: another mess
Yesterday and today, the Czech Republic elected a new lower house of parliament. Polls closed...
Czech elections: Mind my Wordle
So what are the Czech elections about? Well, as glance at the rash of orange billboards - and milder outbreak of blue ones - will tell you "It's the welfare state, stupid". And especially the health service, where the nominal charges introduced by th...
EMU convergence programme Czech Republic
On 26 April 2010 the Council examined the updated convergence programme of the Czech Republic, which covers the period 2009 to 2012: COUNCIL OPINION on the updated convergence programme of the Czech Republic, 2009-2012; published OJEU 28.5.2010 C 13...
Czech elections: More new old politics
The Czech elections are on the horizon and they promise to be interesting, if, as ever, deadlocked and inconclusive. They should perhaps tell catetaker Prime Minister Fischer and his government of technocrats not to packs their bags just yet.Over a...
Regional poll suggests Czech Christian Democrats face electoral oblivion
Lidovci příliš nezáří ani na jihu Moravy - ve své tradiční baště reports ČT24, the Czech CNN (as if). Translated this means that the Czech Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL) are - according to regional polling - down to a grim six percent ev...
Exit Topolánek followed by a geek?
So in the end, Czech Civic Democrat leader Miroslav Topolánek met the same fate as the hands of his more illustrious predecessor Václav Klaus - booted out by regions for electoral failure. Only this being Topolánek it more clumsy, disasterous and...
Czech politics: How to be a successful loser
Karel Schwarzenberg tells Slovakia's Sme that he doesn't plan on leading his TOP09 party to victory in the forthcoming Czech parliamentary elections SME.sk | Schwarzenberg: Nechceme vyhrať voľby.Which is frankly just as well, as with 10-15% per ce...
Conservatively speaking
The paper on Czech conservatism in Liblice has now appeared in a conference paper archive on the website of the Henrich Boell Foundation, who jointly sponsored the event with the Institute for Contemporary History in Prague. There are also some much...
Dr Novák Goes to Prague
As the last 2009 issue of the news magazine Respekt points out, one of the few political players who will be able look back on difficult, confusing and not very good year for Czech politics is caretaker Prime Minister, Jan Fischer. Chosen for his...
Educating future EU Council Presidencies ─ Czech example
Today and tomorrow the Trans European Policy Studies Association TEPSA and the Real Instituto Elcano arrange a conference on the Spanish EU Council presidency 2010, which starts the 18 month trio presidency Spain-Belgium-Hungary. See Spain: Presidenc...
Czech EU mysteries explained
Is the Czech Republic a constructive and contributing member of the European Union, or still lost in Europe after prolonged Soviet occupation and Communist rule?EU citizens have been mystified by Czech happenings in 2009. Czech president Vaclav Klaus...
Acknowledgement but action?
Although there are no official statistics on the number of Roma women who have undergone forced sterilisation in the Czech Republic, there seems to be an increasing recognition of the problem; that the government “expressed regret” yester...
Czechoslovakia and historical vinegar
CzechoslovakiaA chequered history Nov 19th 2009From The Economist print editionCzechoslovakia was born out of trickery and died in failure. Only up to a pointCzechoslovakia: The State That Failed. By Mary Heimann. Yale University Press; 406 pages; $4...
Darkness after twenty years
It is not about energy security, as you might guess after Brazilian black out and new Ukrainian negotiations on gas delivery. This is supposed to be about how we, Czechs in particular, and Central Europeans in general, feel twenty years after what on...
The Czech right: culture, folk roots and a bit of fusion
Public engagement is flavour of the month just now, so when asked out of the ether to contribute something about Czech politics to the launch issue of cultural-political monthly intended to fill the gap left by the winding up of the long-established...
Chasing Brussels #6
Episode 6 of everyone's favourite EU politics podcast (I think that's specific enough to be true)is out now.This week we discuss the lengths to which the EU went to get Klaus' signature on the dotted line. What does this tell us about the EU's politi...
Klaus signs, Lisbon Treaty fully ratified
Source: EurActive Czech President Václav Klaus again surprised friends and foes alike by signing his country’s Lisbon Treaty ratification today (3 November) at 15.00 CET, just hours after the Czech Constitutional Court had given the text its g...
Klaus Has Signed the Treaty of Lisbon!
Czech President Vaclav Klaus has signed the ratification documents for the Treaty of Lisbon after the decision of the Czech Constitutional Court. The Treaty of Lisbon can enter into force on December, 1st or January, 1st.
Czech president swallows bitter pill
There was no fanfare, no announcement beforehand. The euro-sceptic Czech president just went ahead and signed a treaty he dislikes intensely. Some had hoped he would hold out longer but his options had gone. He had won a concession...
Czech Constitutional Court Approves Ratification of Treaty of Lisbon
The Czech Constitutional Court has ruled that that the Treaty of Lisbon, and ratification of it, does not contravene the Czech constitutional order. The Court says that it does not consider it possible, in view of the role that it plays in the consti...
A deal with the Czechs
So, a deal was struck with the Czech Republic to get the Lisbon treaty through. An opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights, along Polish and British lines, was added to the treaty, and that was enough to satisfy the Czech president, Vaclav Kl...
EU Lisbon Treaty cleared by Czech Court
“Lisbon Treaty in line with Czech Constitution – court”, reports Czech Happenings (3 November 2009). The Czech Constitutional Court in Brno has issued a press release as well as the core sentences of its judgment in English. (More is promised...
Ok from court in Brno
I just received the message that the constitutional court in Brno have dismissed the complaint by the 17 senators regarding the Lissbon Treaty. That is very good news and thereby there are no legal or constitutional obstacles for President Klaus to s...
Phew, it was Klaus
After taking a pleasant bike ride in a Belgian village, watching the surprisingly cloudless sky and the colourful autumn sunset, I set my mind on a very related topic. Climate change and the upcoming Copenhagen summit would be a perfect match, I admi...
Klaus relents on Lisbon - but how far?
Today's Times reports that Václav Klaus has relented - or is about to relent - and will sign the Lisbon Treaty in the coming weeks if some Irish-style deal to assuage his concerns about possible legal challenges to the 1945-6 Beneš Decrees expelli...
Czech Republic and Lisbon: The wisdom of crowds?
Anyone in any doubt about the mobilising power of the Lisbon Treaty as an issue in the Czech Republic should check out the size of the crowds in the recent demonstrations (for and against President Klaus) outside Prague Castle.
Pandora’s box?
President Klaus seems to be looking for an exit strategy. Apparently he has explained in a radio interview that his famous “footnote” can also be added to the next Treaty that will have to be ratified by all member states, for instance in...
EU Charter and Beneš Decrees
Statewatch has published an analysis by Professor Steve Peers: “The Beneš Decrees and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights” (12 October 2009; 14 pages)Peers’ analysis addresses four issues:1) What is the scope of the EU Charter of Fundamental...
Klaus Will Sign?
Die Welt says that Czech President Vaclav Klaus has abandoned his fight against the Treaty of Lisbon. The newspaper cites an interview in Lidove Noviny, but fails to specify any timing. It is very difficult to assess this information.
Anyone Notice? EU Treaty Already Assures Czech Sovereignty
As the fuss continues about whether or not Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president, will sign the European Union’s Lisbon treaty, I’d like to draw everyone’s attention to a detail that appears to have been generally overlooked. It con...
With Vaclav Klaus only seeing is believing
Vaclav Klaus’ “heroic” stand against the EU Treaty of Lisbon was draining away his support faster than you can say General Custer. What were his options? Yesterday, 17 October 2009, Czech Happenings published main points of the interview Czech...
EU Lisbon Treaty: Vaclav Klaus was losing support
On 17 October 2009 Czech Happenings reported a new SANEP poll, which indicated that President Vaclav Klaus was rapidly losing support for his rejection of the Treaty of Lisbon. Some 58 percent ─ up 14 percentage points from the beginning of October...
Unstoppable train?
Swedish Radio reports that according to an interview published today (17/10 2009) President Klaus says that the “Lisbon Treaty has gone to far to be stopped at this moment however much some of us would like it.” This is the link to the...
From Russia With Love: Vaclav Klaus the darling of Russia's media
KGB asset Klaus is in demand among his old friends from story fromPresseurop on Klaus's state visit to Russia last week. He also promised his pay masters that he will never sign the Lisbon Treaty on the visit.Time to impeach the old traitor to his Pr...
EU Lisbon Treaty: Czech polls stink
Czech Happenings reported on a SANEP poll, which said that 43 per cent of Czechs think that President Vaclav Klaus should immediately sign the EU’s Treaty of Lisbon, and 44 percent of people were convinced that postponing the signature harms the Cz...
Czech President Klaus’ Civic Democrat Party is a Member of ECR Tory Group
In 2009 prima donna President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic founded the Czech Civic Democratic Party (Obcanska demokraticka strana, abbreviated to ODS), which vies for the title of the most right-wing political party in the Czech Republic. The O...
EU Lisbon Treaty: Czech or European solution?
On this blog, we have expressed some doubts about the robustness of the Czech constitutional system, in plain crisis. In the European Voice, Adam Drda adds his observations on how president Vaclav Klaus is stoking up irrational fears and pulling the...
Czechs are not Klaus
Press release: Even I am not an official spokeperson of Czech nation, nor Czech government and of Czech president not at all, I would like to share with the rest of Europe following statements: 1) I am not Eurooptimist in sense that I would believe...
Vaclav and Goliath
Vaclav Klaus is in Moscow today, no doubt enjoying the Kremlin’s approbation for the fat middle finger he waved at Europe last week. As the Western media likes to point out, the Czech president is fond of likening the European Union to the So...
EU Lisbon Treaty: Clear summary of Czech problem
“Klaus keeps EU guessing on future of Lisbon Treaty – Prague is keeping the rest of the EU waiting”, is a clear EUobserver summary of an unclear situation, written by Honor Mahony. Recommended reading for all Czech and EU citizens, with matters...
EU Lisbon Treaty: Czech internal clarification
Following his meeting with Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer, EU Commission President José Manuel Barroso spoke of the need to “find a solution for the issues not yet clarified internally” in the Czech Republic. It is no exaggeration to call it a...
Will he won't he
Czech President Vaclav Klaus is causing a real storm over in Brussels with his refusal to sign the Lisbon Treaty. Having previously suggested that his signature would follow the outcome of the new constitutional court challenge filed by a group of Se...
Vaclav Klaus demands the imaginary and the impossible
EurActiv has some additional information about the latest condition by Czech President Vaclav Klaus to sign the ratification instrument for the EU Treaty of Lisbon, in “Klaus links EU treaty signature to WWII claims” (12 October 2009). According...
Klaus’s Sudeten German protest is last throw of dice on Lisbon
It was inevitable, I think, that Czech President Vaclav Klaus would take his last stand against the European Union’s Lisbon treaty on the Sudeten German issue. This has been one of the most highly charged themes of Czech politics since the...
Surprise, surprise
So President Klaus has set a condition for his signature of the Lisbon Treaty - he wants to get an opt-out for his country from the Charter of Fundamental Rights. There's no way this concession will be granted. Is this the final curtain for the Treat...
Klaus Demands New Declaration in Treaty of Lisbon
The Czech president Vaclav Klaus has demanded an opt-out for the Czech Republic from the Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union, similar to that obtained earlier by Britain and Poland, in order to sign the Treaty of Lisbon. This would re...
Klaus opting out
There is an element of farce creeping into the drama of the Czech Republic and the Lisbon Treaty. We now know what President Klaus's conditions are for signing the treaty - or rather I think we do. To start with,...
British voters: Václav Klaus needs you!
As in all the best action thrillers, it comes down to this: one man holds the fate of Europe in his hands. Unfortunately - or for those of a certain ideological disposition, fortunately - that man is not Arnie Schwarzenegger or Claude van Damme, but...
EU Lisbon Treaty: Czech constitutional crisis
More than two years after the beginning of the negotiations on the EU Lisbon Treaty, President Vaclav Klaus has suddenly repudiated the Czech government and parliament, by demanding an exemption from the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Klaus’ 10...
Chasing Brussels #3
The third Chasing Brussels episode is out now, with the Irish Referendum as the topic. We also discuss Czech ratification, Tory attitudes to the EU and the Lisbon Treaty, and Tony Blair's possible canditature for the post of President of the European...
Czech OK to Lisbon 'in weeks'
Prague: If some Tories were hoping that the Eurosceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus would delay signing the Lisbon Treaty until they were in power next year, today was not encouraging. Czech Ministers were out to reassure Brussels that ratification...
Don't bet on Klaus caving in
The consensus out there (FT Blog, Daily Telegraph, the very interesting Seifert/Litobarski podcast, Centre for European Reform) seems to be that Czech president Václav Klaus will cave in to pressure from all quarters and complete his country's ratif...
Lisbon Treaty to be "fast-tracked" through Czech Court
The last shreds of hope are being blown away. According to reports today at a meeting in Brussels between Jan Fischer, the Czech PM, Barroso and Buzek, the new Prseident of teh European Parliament, Fisher told a press conference,""Everything is in pl...
Punish Czechs over Lisbon treaty? Remember the Haider affair…
With Czech President Vaclav Klaus the chief remaining obstacle to final ratification of the European Union’s Lisbon treaty, there has been a fair amount of loose talk about how the Czech Republic could - or should - be punished if Klaus refuse...
Is Europe Klaus Country? I Think Not.
When you fly into Prague on Czech Airlines, they start playing The Moldau, Bedrich Smetana’s bucolic ode to his country, from Má vlast (My Country), his set of 19th century symphonic poems. You can almost hear the river Vltava flowing. Now, I...
The Unreligious Czechs
Pope Benedict XVI’s three-day visit to the Czech Republic was capped off with an open-air mass in Stará Boleslav which coincided with St. Wenceslas Day. The symbolism was obvious; a mass on the name-day of the Czech patron saint, in the town wher...
Pressure on Klaus to Sign Ratification Papers
There is mounting pressure on the Czech President Vaclav Klaus to sign ratification papers for the Treaty of Lisbon. Klaus has argued that he cannot sign now due to the new pending appeal at the Czech Constitutional Court. Polish newspaper Rzeczpospo...
Lisbon Treaty: awaiting Santa Klaus
25 down, two to go. With the Irish referendum behind us, the focus is now on Poland and the Czech Republic. Polish President Lech Kaczy?ski will presumably honour his commitment to sign the ratification instrument if the Irish vote in favour. T...
The Czechs will probably ratify the Lisbon treaty this year
by Charles GrantAny prediction about the timing of the Czech Republic’s ratification of the Lisbon treaty must be heavily qualified; politics in Prague are so complex and opaque that many Czechs find it hard to understand what is going on. But havi...
Waiting for Klaus
So there we have it – apparent confirmation of UK Tory leader David Cameron’s intention to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. It emerged yesterday that Cameron in July sent a letter to Vaclav Klaus to support the Czech president’s defi...
Here we go again…
According to the BBC website a group of Czech parliamentarians, with a clear blessing from the President Klaus, is cooking a petition to the Constitutional Court. I am afraid this is not an internal domestic issue but a major setback to the Europea...
Czech hand-wringing over EU Lisbon Treaty
“Czech govt wants country to ratify Lisbon treaty by year’s end” reports Ceskenoviny.cz (23 September 2009).So would every other government in the EU member states, and so would 26 national parliaments, which have approved the Lisbon Treaty. So...
Vaclav Klaus forces EU Commission reduction?
Anders Selnes on the Swedish EU portal Europaportalen.se quotes EU Minister Cecilia Malmström saying that the regrettable refusal of Czech President Vaclav Klaus to sign the approved Lisbon Treaty may force the Swedish Council Presidency to present...
New EU Commission delayed?
The BBC tells us that a ”Czech move could delay EU treaty” (22 September 2009). At least 17 Czech Senators are going to submit a petition to the Czech Constitutional Court, which “guesses” that it will need three or four months to settle the...
