The prime minister met with senior officials from the European Commission and NATO

On Friday June 9 2017, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka met with the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Rose Gottemoeller. The main topics addressed during the working lunch, which took place against the backdrop of the Defence and Security Conference Prague, DESCOP, included cooperation between NATO and the EU, the security of the Union and border protection.

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka stressed that the Czech Republic supported the strengthening of European cooperation in security and defence, as well as its long-term priority to increase cooperation between the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union. An important step in this direction was the Joint Declaration during the NATO summit in Warsaw in July 2016. Mutual cooperation is crucial, particularly in terms of maintaining stability in neighbouring regions. The other area where this cooperation is fundamental is in addressing hybrid threats.

Another topic of the joint meeting in the Kramář Villa was the NATO summit held on May 25 2017 in Brussels. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said that he considered the holding of this meeting to be an important step in terms of the future functioning of NATO. The Alliance continues to be an essential pillar of the common Euro-Atlantic defence architecture and the CR is prepared to continue to meet its obligations. The next goal is to achieve a defence budget of 1.4% of GDP by 2020 and Czech soldiers will continue to participate in foreign operations led by the EU and NATO.

On the issue of the Security Union, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka spoke with the European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker and the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Rose Gottemoeller, about steps taken in the fight against terrorism, including its promotion and funding. They agreed that it was crucial to step up the exchange of information between the different security agencies of the Member States.

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka again repeated that the Czech Republic regards the defence of the external borders as a basis and a prerequisite for the security of EU citizens. A positive step in this direction was the establishment of a Border and Coast Guard, an activity in which the CR is participating. Further steps should include the introduction of a European information system for travel authorisation, an entry/exit system and the reform of the Schengen information system. The EU should also focus on improving the efficiency of return procedures.

Today, in addition to the European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker and Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Rose Gottemoeller, Bohuslav Sobotka also met with the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian and French Minister of Defence, Sylvie Goulard.