Archive: European Union | European Union European Union
EU foreign ministers meet informally in south Bohemia
Foreign ministers from the European Union’s 27 member states are meeting
informally in the south Bohemian town of Hluboká this Friday. As well as
discussing the EU’s external relations, foreign ministers may also be
drawn into discussing the Czech Republic’s domestic crisis, following the
collapse of Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek’s cabinet. Jan Richter is in
Hluboká and joins me now on the phone.
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Yushchenko in Prague: Eastern Partnership no substitute for EU membership
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko began a two-day official
visit to the Czech Republic. At a joint briefing with his Czech
counterpart, Václav Klaus, at Prague Castle on Tuesday afternoon, Mr
Yushchenko called for increased ties between Kiev and the EU, and insisted
that this January’s gas crisis was not of his own doing.
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Should an EU body be created to deal with Europe’s Communist and Nazi past?
The Czech EU Presidency last week launched a bid to make a mark on history
by creating a Europe-wide platform for the study and recognition of the
crimes committed by former Communist regimes. The move has sparked a debate
within the Czech Republic and abroad over whether such a step aimed at
unlocking the problematic past is desirable.
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Czech specialties prove popular in European Parliament canteen
Marks of the Czech Republic’s EU presidency can be found all over
Brussels, from David Černý’s controversial sculpture ‘Entropa’
hanging in the council’s Justus Lipsius building, right down to the food
on offer in the European Parliament’s canteen. On Thursday, parliament
employees were treated to the first in a series of special Czech dishes
–
I went along to wish them a bon apetit, or should that be
dobrou chut’? More
EU leaders pledge billions for economic revival
On Friday leaders from around the continent met for the second day of the
European Union’s Spring Summit, chaired by Czech Prime Minister Mirek
Topolánek. The Czech EU presidency went into the summit with an ambitious
agenda, including the financial crisis, energy security and an Eastern
Partnership project that aims to forge closer ties with a number of former
Soviet republics.
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EU leaders gather in Brussels for summit chaired by Czech PM Topolánek
Leaders of the European Union are set to begin a two-day meeting in
Brussels aimed at agreeing a strategy for tackling the global economic
crisis. The meeting’s being chaired by Czech prime minister Mirek
Topolánek in his capacity as president of the European Council, and the
Czech Republic is under a lot of pressure to provide leadership at a time
when the EU is suffering from falling production and rising unemployment. More
Farmers protest about EU agriculture subsidies in Prague
It wasn’t so much crying as sloganeering over spilt milk in Prague on
Thursday, as thousands of farmers gathered to protest about the way the EU
distributes farming subsidies. Farmers came from as far away as Lithuania
to splatter milk and cereal over the pavements of Prague, angered by the
low prices these goods fetched, and the way the European Union financed
their production. The Czech agricultural minister responded, however, that
there was nothing he could do.
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EU ministers reach deal on lower VAT rate on certain goods & services
After years of wrangling on the issue, EU finance ministers on Tuesday
agreed on a deal partly unifying VAT rates, allowing individual countries
to reduce value-added sales tax on some goods and services. The move comes
against the backdrop of the continuing economic crisis, which has left many
businesses struggling. Soon they could be somewhat better situated to
weather the downturn.
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The Prague festival offering passers-by a taste of Europe
The Committee of the Regions of Europe is meeting in Prague this Friday for
what is the largest-scale event of the Czech Republic’s EU presidency. To
accompany the conference, a festival promoting the food and drink of
various European regions is taking place on Prague’s Wenceslas Square.
‘Ochutnejte Evropu’ offers passers-by tasters of French wine, Belgian
beer and a musical programme as well. Rosie Johnston was at the opening:
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One third of way through, how is Czech presidency of EU going?
We are now one third of the way through the Czech Republic’s six-month
rotating presidency of the EU. Between the Israeli bombardment of Gaza and
the gas supply dispute between Russia and Ukraine, the presidency got off
to a dramatic start, while the global financial crisis remains the major
issue of the day. But how has Prague actually been handling the presidency
so far? That’s a question I put to Petr Drulák of the Institute for
International Relations.
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