Press Advisories

19. 6. 200914:47

Czech Presidency rounds off European Council with success

On 18 and 19 June the European Council presided by Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer was held.

Chaired by the Czech Presidency, the European Council gave the green light to the guarantees for Ireland so that a new Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty can take place. The Council also agreed on the new European Commission leader; it found consensus on conclusions concerning climate change and reached political agreement on the new European framework for financial supervision.

The Czech Presidency brokered the wording of Irish guarantees that are acceptable for Ireland as well as for the other Member States – this is a major success and good news for the whole of Europe.

It is a clarifying text that does not amend the Lisbon Treaty. The guarantees will not lead to a re-opening of the process of ratification. The guarantees address tax issues, the neutrality of Ireland and social affairs. However, they relate not only to Ireland - for instance in the tax area, they will be relevant for other Member States as well.

It is a legally binding decision of the heads of state and government fully in compliance with the Lisbon Treaty. It will enable Ireland to set a date for the referendum and, in case of a positive result, lead to a timely adoption of the Treaty. This represents an important step toward increasing the efficiency of an enlarged EU as well as institutional stability.

The meeting clearly confirmed the concern about EU institutional stability and the wish to have a highly competent President and Commission.

The statesmen also agreed that the measures to fight the economic crisis which the EU has already adopted have turned out to be effective and help minimise the impact of the crisis and should contribute to creating stability.

"The Czech Presidency came to this summit to support the stability of the European Union and I am pleased that in this respect has brought success in the three key areas: institutional issues, finance and economy, and climate protection”, said Jan Fischer.

In light of the extremely complex programme of the European Council, the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister and the Minister for European Affairs went on a tour of European countries, the “tour des capitales”, where they discussed the preparations of the European Council with their counterparts.

Selection from the schedule of the Prime Minister

On Monday 8 June the Prime Minister visited Brussels where he met with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

On Tuesday 9 June the Prime Minister met with President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso during an official breakfast, and in the afternoon he visited Germany where he met with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

On Wednesday 10 June in Sweden Jan Fischer met his counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt.

On Friday 12 June the Prime Minister visited France. Nicolas Sarkozy met with him in Paris.

On Monday 15 June Prime Minister Jan Fischer met with Gordon Brown in London.

The preparations of the European Council in June and a successful conclusion of the Czech Presidency have been among the main priorities of Prime Minister Fischer since he assumed his office.

“I assure you that my main concern is to conclude the Czech Presidency duly and without turbulence, and to continue the effective and successful leadership of Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek smoothly,” stated PM Fischer in his speech delivered at the Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the European Union (COSAC).