251. The European Dimension of the Czech Foreign Policy: The Ambivalent Position of the Reluctant European
- Author:
- Jan Kovář and Zdeněk Sychra
- Publication Date:
- 12-2017
- Content Type:
- Book
- Institution:
- Institute of International Relations Prague
- Abstract:
- In 2017, the Czech European policy faced a number of challenges related to the great events of previous years (the migration crisis, Brexit, security policy, Eurozone reform) as well as the ongoing reflection process of the EU. Above all, the Czech approach was a typical example of reactive behaviour, and characteristic of responding to external stimuli coming from EU. There were also partial topics about which proactive assertions were made by the Czech Republic. The polarisation between the individual actors of foreign policy was low, though with some exceptions pertaining to the President of the Republic. In contrast, as regards politicisation, the European agenda was an example of a highly politicised area, which was crucially reflected also in domestic policy. The coherence of the Czech European policy can be referred to as problematic, as the Czech Republic was not able to make a substantial move in its main conceptual priorities, but only in partial areas. Finally, the predominantly critical tone of the Czech discussion on the EU had contributed to the Czech Republic’s very low trust in the Union’s policy, posing a threat to the fulfilment of the key goals of the Czech foreign policy.
- Topic:
- Foreign Policy, Politics, Regional Cooperation, and Geopolitics
- Political Geography:
- Europe, Czech Republic, and European Union