Press Advisories

28. 8. 201216:09

Prime Minister Petr Nečas stresses the role of Czech diplomacy

In a speech delivered at a meeting with the country's ambassadors on Tuesday, the prime minister emphasized the importance of Czech diplomatic missions, particularly in view of their support for Czech exporters, and mentioned the current situation in the European Union and cooperation within the Visegrad Group.

"I'm convinced that Czech diplomatic missions must play a fundamental role in providing support for exports," the premier stressed in his speech. According to Nečas, the government should help to improve the competitiveness of Czech firms in the international context, particularly in view of how strongly the Czech economy is export-oriented.

"We must strive to increase the diversification of Czech exports," noted the prime minister, emphasizing the importance of diplomatic support needed by Czech firms in entering foreign markets. Nečas outlined several ways in which the government can help, such as providing timely information on business opportunities and market conditions, eliminating administrative barriers, and even assisting businesses with their first steps in new territories. "Besides the correct identification of priority countries, the key prerequisite for success is defining the actual measures taken to support exporters," the prime minister said.

Prime Minister: Europe won't be able to avoid multi-speed integration

According to the Czech premier, the European Union at present mostly focuses on topics that concern the Eurozone crisis and problems faced by the financial sector, as opposed to dealing with issues relating to external relations. "The need to find solutions to the pressing problems we are currently facing shouldn't deflect our attention from more fundamentally important issues, specifically the need to improve European competitiveness through the continuing development of the internal market," said Nečas.

According to the Czech prime minister, the EU will not be able to avoid multi-speed integration because not all member states share the same vision. "The reality is that some countries simply have different objectives than others," he pointed out. "Sticking our heads in the sand and insisting blindly that everything must be done in the EU27 format doesn't make sense. In fact, it is this very stance that ultimately prevents integration since some fundamental changes cannot be accepted by the EU as a whole because of the different expectations of certain member states," Nečas explained.

Relations between V4 countries intensify

The prime minister explained that an important element of Czech foreign policy is regional cooperation, mentioning this year's Czech presidency of the Visegrad Group and coordination inside this alliance of four Central European countries. "By standing together, we can better advance the numerous interests and views we share with Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia," declared the premier.