The Czech Republic has signaled its support for new rounds of European Union enlargement as the country prepares to mark the 20th anniversary of its entry into the bloc.
The expansion is a “geostrategic necessity,” said Czech President Petr Pavel at a press conference in Prague, together with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at a conference on the accession of the Czech Republic and nine other countries to the EU 20 years ago.
“If we leave the Western Balkans, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia on the doorstep for too long, we will leave them at the mercy of actors like Russia who do not mean well towards the Europeans and Europe at all,” warned Pavel, a former chairman of NATO -Military Committee.
“These countries want to belong to the West,” Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday. “Let’s give them this chance and take advantage of the opportunities that enlargement offers,” he added.
Pavel called on the candidate countries to seriously prepare for future accession. The Czech Republic could help potential members by sharing its own experiences, he said.
The president also pushed for EU reforms, saying the bloc could “definitely” improve.
On May 1, 2004, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and seven other countries joined the European Union, which Pavel described as a “milestone”.
“Our home is not only the Czech Republic, but Europe,” said Pavel.
Six Western Balkan countries – Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia – are currently seeking EU membership and have made varying degrees of progress towards membership.
The former Soviet republics of Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia are also candidates, while EU negotiations with Turkey are currently frozen.
Steinmeier had previously called for the defense of democracy in the European Union in the run-up to the EU parliamentary elections in June.
“Within our European Union, fundamental democratic values, indeed the European project, are being questioned by irresponsible populists,” said Steinmeier.
“Let’s recognize what this is about, especially now,” he said. Democracy, once achieved, is not guaranteed to last forever, the president added.
“We know that the strength of liberal democracy, its tolerance, is also its most vulnerable point. And we know that we must defend ourselves and act defensively when those who despise democracy use this tolerance to attack it.”
Today the Czech Republic and Germany have every reason to celebrate this accession 20 years ago, said Steinmeier, referring to the former Eastern Bloc states Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland as well as Malta and Cyprus, which joined the European Union in 2019 Joined the EU in 2004 as part of the largest enlargement in its history.
“We all benefited from this step – not only economically, but above all as neighbors. And this success story will continue to be written.”
The President pointed out that the Czech Republic had not adopted the euro and said that the Czech Republic had to decide for itself whether it wanted to adopt the currency. “But my message is: If one day the Czech people decide to do this, you would all be very welcome in the eurozone.”
