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Euro Watch: Czechs unnerve EU media



By Markéta Hulpachová
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
December 17th, 2008 issue

Prague’s ailing tourism industry is in for a treat next year.

According to a recent announcement that toned down the ubiquitous complaints of local hoteliers and restaurateurs, City Hall expects more than 30,000 guests to visit the capital for myriad events accompanying the EU presidency.
The current plans sound like hospitality industry Eden: Delegations from the world over will fill the city’s glut of luxury hotel rooms to attend events such as summits between European regional towns and MEP meetings with representatives from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.
City Hall has also promised to stage an array of grandiose cultural happenings to supplement the official events. A two-day street party is planned during the European regional towns summit, and a Prague Celebrations festival will mark the end of the Czech presidency in June. The city has also earmarked 10 million Kč ($503,270) for a modern-art project that plans to illuminate various parts of the city with elaborate light installations.
Despite the excitement at home, the rest of Europe eyes the imminent presidency warily. Disconcerted by the intractable Euroskepticism of President Václav Klaus and the apparent helplessness of Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, many European observers are expressing reservations about the Czechs’ effectiveness as the EU’s new leaders.
A Dec. 13 front-page article in Parisian daily Le Figaro voices concern over the the presidency’s unpredictability and suggests that Topolánek lacks the experience to direct the intricate diplomatic game between the EU’s kingpins.
In a recent issue of Libération, a French left-wing newspaper, political columnist Alain Duhamel writes of an ominous “Czech threat” at the EU helm. “Great men can exist in small countries too,” he writes. “Unfortunately, this is not the case for the Czech governing team.”
Duhamel observes that, unlike Klaus, Topolánek “does not feel like becoming a grave-digger for European hopes,” but lacks the experience and authority to implement the groundbreaking measures necessary to cope with such daunting issues as the global financial crisis. Instead, “vigorous leaders without scruples” such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy or UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown will seize the reins, Duhamel concludes.
Meanwhile, other French media are quickly discovering Klaus’ potential as a caricature. A rubber Klaus effigy has become a frequent guest on a satirical talk show produced by French TV channel Canal Plus, reminiscent of the days when a younger, gawkier Klaus puppet made regular appearances on local post-1989 TV shows.
In Canal Plus’ latest jibe, a rubber Sarkozy stubbornly refers to Klaus as a Bulgarian, showering him with a torrent of inaccurate and ironic remarks to which Klaus has little time to react.
However, the real Klaus continues to have ample opportunity for pontification, despite the Czech government’s subtle efforts to keep the president out of the limelight.
At a recent holiday breakfast hosted by local publisher Euro Business, Klaus mockingly referred to a previous speech by Deputy Prime Minister for EU Affairs Alexandr Vondra, the mastermind behind the controversial Czech presidency slogan “We’ll make things sweeter for Europe,” which also roughly translates as “We’ll give Europe a taste of its own medicine.”
“I don’t intend to follow up on [Vondra’s] performance, because we definitely won’t make anything sweeter for Europe,” Klaus said. “This slogan is far too self-confident. … Surely, something like that cannot be our ambition.”

Markéta Hulpachová can be reached at mhulpachova@praguepost.com


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