Like the President of the European Commission, most of the political groups in the European Parliament gave their support to the programme of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council on Wednesday, 6 July.
The Czech Prime Minister, Petr Fiala, presented his country’s five main priorities for the Presidency in front of an overcrowded Chamber.
“The themes and priorities we want to address have been developed over many months, but 24 February 2022 literally turned most of the plans we had upside down. Our priorities reflect this new situation”, the Prime Minister acknowledged. The main task in the coming months, he said, would be to find a “consensual and strong agreement on measures to mitigate the negative effects of the current crises on our citizens”.
For example, Prague intends to focus first on managing the crisis of Ukrainian refugees - who make up 3.5% of the population in the Czech Republic - and the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war.
“We will focus on a firm and united stance towards Russia as well as maximum assistance to Member States in providing military support to Ukraine or in dealing with the consequences of the wave of migration”, explained Mr Fiala, who also pledged to help the country in its path to European integration and in preparing for its post-war reconstruction.
While welcoming the Czech Republic’s approach to Ukraine, it is necessary “at the same time to solve the lack of energy resources for businesses and households, to unblock Ukrainian ports, to ensure Europe’s competitiveness while energy prices are rising, as is inflation”, stressed Dita Charanzová (Renew Europe, Czech Republic). Similarly, for Iratxe Garcia Perez (S&D, Spain), there is a need for self protection against external threats, but also against internal ones, such as injustice, inequality and poverty. “The social impact (of the war) must be taken into account”, she said.
Mr Fiala sought to be reassuring, pledging to put the citizen at the centre of the Czech Presidency’s priorities. Pointing to high inflation and rising energy prices, a threat of rising unemployment and the possibility of a fall in GDP in some countries, he explained that it was important not to forget the citizens, for whom this will have a profound social impact. “We will systematically address these issues during our presidency”, he promised.
In connection with the Russian war in Ukraine, but also with the social aspect, the Presidency wants to work on the EU’s energy independence, a subject widely raised by MEPs during the debate. “Affordable energy, reasonable prices and energy security also have a social dimension”, explained the Prime Minister in response to Ms Garcia Perez’s concerns that the programme did not sufficiently address the social dimension. She welcomed, however, the Prime Minister’s commitment to hold a social summit, following on from last year’s Porto summit.
The Czech Presidency wants to work on energy security, the accelerated implementation of REPowerEU and the diversification of resources. According to the Prime Minister, “each Member State must be able to choose the energy mix that best suits its situation and that allows it to achieve its climate objectives”. “We have to have enough energy resources for citizens and industries; we have to choose our energy mix, we have to mobilise the available resources in the short and also the medium term”, warned Veronika Vrecionová (ECR, Czech Republic).
Mr Fiala also said he was ready to work on coordinating gas stocks for the coming winter and promoting voluntary joint purchases, following the model that proved successful during the Covid-19 crisis. In the debate, Manfred Weber (EPP, Germany) called for a cap on gas prices. “As long as we wait to set a price for gas, we will leave Russia the possibility of blackmailing us over gas”, said Marco Zanni (ID, Italy).
Beyond energy dependence, the Czech Presidency believes that the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the weaknesses in the European economy and the excessive dependence on certain countries. It is making the strategic resilience of the European economy a priority.
“Europe must be an industrial and technological leader. The key to this is a well-functioning internal market without unnecessary administrative barriers, which will strengthen the competitiveness of European companies”, summarised Mr Fiala, pointing to shorter supply chains, the deepening of free trade and the digitisation and automation of European industry.
Moreover, “food security is also part of the strategic resilience of the European economy”, according to Prague, which believes that the EU must respond to the consequences of the war in Ukraine in this area.
Furthermore, according to the Czech Presidency of the EU Council, there is a need to strengthen European defence capabilities, cyberspace security and Europe’s resilience to hybrid external threats, including disinformation.
Finally, the Czech Presidency wants to strengthen the resilience of democratic institutions to external and internal threats. “Europe’s long-term prosperity and stability are based on functioning democratic mechanisms”, Mr Fiala said.
While several MEPs called for a new convention - such as Manfred Weber, who wants “European citizens to be taken seriously in decision-making”, or Jordi Solé (Greens/EFA, Spain) - Mr Fiala recalled that this was not a quick process and needed to be well prepared, but that it was possible to make some changes without a convention. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)