Press Advisories

8. 12. 201421:18

Prime Minister Sobotka signed an agreement with the French Prime Minister, Valls, to deepen cooperation between the two countries

During a two-day visit to the Czech Republic, the French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, met with the Czech Prime Minister, Bohuslav Sobotka on Monday 8 December 2014. The two leaders mainly addressed the mutual relations existing between the two countries. They also signed important agreements on future cooperation.

The main topics of the meeting were again the area of trade and investment, as well as energy and current international issues. Prime Minister Sobotka reminded the audience that it has been 16 years since the country was visited by a French prime minister.

In addition to Prime Minister Sobotka, the meeting was also attended by Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mládek and State Secretary for European Affairs, Tomáš Prouza.

The occasion was also used to sign the Action Plan for the Franco-Czech strategic partnership for 2014–2018, which aims to deepen cooperation in the area of the economy, energy and also education and culture. Both prime ministers also signed the agreement between the French and Czech Republics on cooperation in research and the use of outer space for peaceful purposes.

The Minister of Education, Marcel Chládek, then signed the Franco-Czech Declaration on the mutual recognition of diplomas and studies together with the French State Secretary for European Affairs, Harlem Désir. Another document was the Cooperation Agreement between the French Agency for and management of radioactive waste, ANDRA and the Czech government agency, Radioactive Waste Repository Authority, SÚRAO, which was concluded by the signatures of Jiří Slovák, Director of SÚRAO, and Pierre-Marie Abadie, Managing Director of ANDRA.

Prime Minister Valls confirmed that, as for the Czech Republic, nuclear energy is a priority for France and that it hopes to continue its cooperation with the Czech Republic in this field. According to him, relations between the two countries are very warm.

On Tuesday 9 December, both prime ministers shared a breakfast reminiscent of that enjoyed by the former President of the French Republic, François Mitterrand with Václav Havel and other representatives of the Czech dissidents on 9 December 1988. The meeting in the French embassy was also attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lubomír Zaorálek, Minister for Human Rights, Jiří Dienstbier and former Senate Chairman, Petr Pithart and former First Lady, Dagmar Havlová. The two prime ministers then addressed the Franco-Czech Economic Forum at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.