European Policies

In the Czech Republic, the European Policies Coordination Department carries out the basic coordination of European policy. The purpose of its activities is to cooperate with ministries and other authorities which are materially involved in individual policies, with the Czech Republic's Permanent Representation to the EU and with corresponding EU bodies. Another task the European Policies Coordination Department fulfils is to provide a means of inter-ministerial cooperation, to provide compromise in the case of policies which fall under multiple authorities, connecting individual policies on a central level and providing a viewpoint above individual ministries. Last but not least, the European Policies Coordination Department ensures the activity of the Committee for the EU on a governmental and working level.

We understand European policy to be areas which are regulated or coordinated by bodies of the European Union through various types of binding and non-binding actions (regulations, directives, recommendations, framework decisions, etc.).

The basis for the agenda of individual European policies are the founding treaties, the Treaty Establishing the European Economic Community and the Treaty on European Union. On an EU level, policy is handled mainly by the corresponding Directorate General within the European Commission and individual sector Councils within the Council of the EU and its working bodies.

We can segment European policy according to various criteria, such as by content, by alterations of policy in the founding treaties or by institutional criteria. The basic segmentation of European policy can be carried out on the basis of the structures of sector Councils, on which the ministers responsible for individual negotiated areas on the level of the Member States: 

  • Economic and Financial Affairs
  • Competitiveness
  • Agriculture and Fisheries
  • Telecommunications
  • Transportation and Energy
  • Social Affairs
  • Employment, Health and Consumer Affairs
  • General Affairs and External Relations
  • Environment
  • Education, Youth and Culture
  • Justice and Internal Affairs

The aforementioned areas can of course be further divided into a great number of subcategories.