Instabiel Tsjechisch Voorzitterschap bereidt zich voor op EU-VS conferentie (en) - Hoofdinhoud
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - US President Barack Obama i's European peregrination will see him stop in Prague this weekend to talk with EU leaders on Afghanistan and climate change. But the visit comes at an embarrassing time for the Czech EU presidency.
The US leader will on Sunday (5 April) morning show off his rhetorical gift in a speech on foreign policy in a public square next to Prague Castle, with weathermen predicting warm sunshine.
The White House is keen to repair relations with Russia. But audiences in eastern Europe may be disappointed if he does not talk up Prague's 1989 Velvet Revolution - a series of strikes that helped end Soviet power in the region.
The speech could overshadow the EU-US summit itself, a two hour lunch with the 27 EU leaders in a modern conference hall later in the day, which is to focus on police training in Afghanistan, preparations for the Copenhagen climate congress in December and economic stimulus plans.
The largely ceremonial event will not produce a joint declaration. But it will give EU leaders a chance to raise non-military trans-Atlantic issues after the G20 i and Nato summits earlier this week.
"There is limited time and a lot of leaders in one room," Czech Europe minister Alexandr Vondra said on Thursday. "We have engaged ourselves in a difficult process to structure the meeting into an orchestra, so we don't just have a tour de table."
The Czechs earlier this year fought to host the prestigious meeting in their capital instead of Brussels. But as things stand, it will spotlight Czech embarrassment over the collapse of its government in a no confidence vote last week.
The US summit is likely to be Czech premier Mirek Topolanek i's EU swan song, amid ongoing talks on who will form a new caretaker cabinet to steer the republic until snap elections later this year.
Most of the 1,650 or so Czech officials who work on the EU presidency are set to stay in place for the next three months. But Mr Vondra said he does not know who will be in the EU chair for the long list of high-level meetings left on the agenda.
The Czechs have tabled a special Eastern Partnership summit, a Southern Corridor energy summit, an EU jobs mini-summit, an EU-Russia summit and an EU-China summit in May, on top of the regular EU summit in June and 17 EU minister-level meetings.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus i will speak for the EU at the EU-Russia summit in a decision made before the government fell. The mess in Prague could see him step in for the delicate Eastern Partnership and Southern Corridor events as well.
The two meetings will see the EU seek closer links with Russia-sensitive countries such as Belarus, Georgia and Turkmenistan. Mr Klaus holds potentially divisive views on eastern strategy, having in the past called for Russia to join the EU and backed its invasion of Georgia.
"[The EU-Russia summit] is a meeting where certainly president Klaus will act on behalf of the European Council. I don't have any doubts about his ability to do this," Mr Vondra said. "We are a responsible player on the European scene."
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The Czech presidency in a mid-mandate review this week pointed to its achievements in helping end the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis in January, get humanitarian aid into Gaza and forge an EU decision to spend €5 billion on energy and internet projects.
"Foreign visitors, journalists, and politicians rate the organisation of all of the events of the Czech presidency as being very good," the review text said.
But the presidency has also been marked by gaffes, such as an early statement by Mr Topolanek's spokesman that Israel invaded Gaza in self-defence and the premier's own words that US stimulus plans are a "road to hell."
A Czech-sponsored artwork depicting Bulgaria as a toilet caused a diplomatic row. Mr Topolanek's tactical delays on ratifying the Lisbon treaty and the recent no confidence fiasco will not be quickly forgotten either.
Mr Vondra winked at the problems using a figure skating-based image. "The technical performance marks were very good or excellent. But as for the artistic marks, I would rather not comment," he said.
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