Czech ministers get EU presidency training

Most Czech ministers are well prepared for the country’s upcoming EU presidency both in terms of language skills and general know-how, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek said at a press conference on Friday following two days of media training at the hands of media specialists and former EU commissioners in Prague. The prime minister added however that given the size of the EU in the present day and the problems surrounding the Lisbon Treaty he did not expect the Czech presidency to be easy. The opinion that the Czech Republic will take over the EU presidency at a difficult time was echoed by European Commission Secretary General Catherine Day who informed the ministers in detail about the functioning of the European Commission, focusing on what she said was “practical advice”.