Interview with Eva Zažímalová, President of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Text: Martina Hošková and M. Zisso; Photo: Archive

Jiří Georgiev is a lawyer and an experienced professional in the fi eld of European policy. Simultaneously, he also lectures externally at the Faculty of Law at Charles University in Prague. Previously in his career, he was an inter alia adviser to the Senate Committee on EU Aff airs, the deputy director-general of the European Aff airs Section at the Offi ce of the Government, and director of the Legal Department at the Ministry of Agriculture. Due to his long-term experience with EU policy, he was appointed Deputy Minister responsible for International Relations and the Financial Markets Section at the Ministry of Finance, as of 1st April 2022. In this position, his pivotal task is to participate in the preparation of the Czech presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2022.

During our presidency over the EU Council we will have to face the crucial external consequences of the Ukraine crisis. The war in Ukraine and its humanitarian and economic impacts are, without any doubt, the biggest challenge we have to deal with, not only in Central and Eastern European member states.

On the other hand, we should not forget about eff orts for economic recovery after the pandemic, caused by Covid-19. Although there were some obstacles and bottlenecks, the economic recovery in the EU was well on track before the 24th of February. Now, one of the main tasks for the EU during our presidency will be to provide maximum support to Ukraine and its citizens, and, at the same time, to foster and protect the economic growth in the EU.

Last but not least, we also have to keep in mind that the pivotal role of the Council Presidency is to keep the everyday agenda running. The Presidency is responsible for the day-to-day work of the Council and all its preparatory bodies. Despite the tremendous external challenges that I have mentioned, we would like to move the legislative fi les on the table forward.

As I have already mentioned, this war will have an enormous impact on the course of our presidency. We will have to refl ect on the current situation in our presidency priorities, and the Czech government has decided to overhaul its previous plans.

To be more specifi c, we will have to deal with the economic consequences of the war, the infl ux of refugees, and the implications for the energy sector and the EU budget. In a broader context, we will have to solve soaring energy prices, stability of energy supplies, and problems with supply chains. It is obvious that neither the national government nor the EU can solve everything. Our task, however, is to create the best conditions for allowing households and businesses to adapt. Simultaneously, we should avoid tensions – the pivotal task for the presidency is to keep the unity of the member states in substantial aff airs.

This is a diffi cult question. Most people are rather busy with their own private issues, and they do not have time to study the nuances of the presidency and its implications. Certainly, it is a very relevant topic to professionals and pundits. However, I guess that people expect the EU to devote enough attention to economic and security issues, as there are many of those in these diffi cult days. And I suppose that people may expect from our presidency that we focus on the economic situation, energy prices, availability of energy, and many other issues. Hence, the Czech government decided to substantively review its priorities in order for the presidency to refl ect the current situation.

The second aspect of the presidency is that EU and European policy will be more in the spotlight. In this respect, I believe that there is a unique opportunity to show what the EU can do for the people. On the other hand, although we have reached an unprecedented level of integration, there are still areas where the role of member states is essential.

So, to conclude, I am convinced that citizens expect that their problems and worries will be heard and refl ected. Therefore, we have an opportunity to bring the EU, its role, and its competencies close to the citizens.

The most important and challenging task will be to prepare for regular ministerial meetings. The Economic and Financial Aff airs Council (ECOFIN) is the platform where the major decisions in areas of economic policy, taxation, fi nancial services, or EU annual budgets are taken. Therefore, proper preparation is crucial. Moreover, there will be a regular informal meeting of ministers of fi nance and governors of central banks in September. This so-called Informal ECOFIN is one of the most signifi cant events in Prague during the entire presidency.

Apart from that, my colleagues at the ministry will be responsible for chairing the tens of committees and working parties responsible for technical works at the expert level before the fi les are ready for adoption by the Council. These so-called Council preparatory bodies cover a broad area, ranging from economic and fi nancial policy to taxation and budget issues. And of course, the better the preparation at the working level, the better the outcomes at the level of the Council.

Of course, the Presidency does not exist in a vacuum, and it is not established on a „greenfi eld“. You are always working in a broader context and continuity is a relevant aspect of your work. You start where the previous Presidency fi nished. And you have to keep in mind that after six months, your work will, hopefully, be assumed by the next Presidency. Nevertheless, our previous historical experience infl uences our presidency, not only in economic terms, but in the attitude to the Ukraine crisis as well. Therefore, some Czech tracks could be subsequently visible.

Firstly, I would like to underline that the presidency does not play any special role in the process of Euro adoption. You are correct that the Czech Republic is legally committed to adopting a single currency. However, there is no specifi c date for doing so in regards to timing. We are not in a hurry, and it is entirely up to the government to consider how to set up a timetable for Euro adoption. The key factor in this regard is the level of economic convergence and the degree of economic alignment of the Czech economy with the Eurozone.

Therefore, every two years, the Ministry of Finance and the Czech National Bank prepare a document titled „Assessment of the Fulfi lment of the Maastricht Convergence Criteria and the Degree of Economic Alignment of the Czech Republic with the Euro Area“. Given the current situation and high level of uncertainty, the latest report‘s outcome, which recommends that the Czech government should not set a target date for Euro area entry, for the time being, is still valid.

Under this exceptional level of uncertainty that we are now facing, it is not easy to make a plan with clear goals for the next six months. You can do your best in the planning and preparation, but over one night the stage can inevitably change by an incident out of your control. Therefore, I will be satisfi ed when the Czech presidency will have fulfi lled everything that is expected of it in terms of the day-to-day work and keeping the Union moving forward. Personally, I hope to confi rm the reputation of the Czech Republic as a respected and solid partner in the community of EU member states.

Text: Martina Hošková and M. Zisso; Photo: Jitka Tomečková

Luís de Almeida Sampaio studied law at the Coimbra University, the oldest Portuguese university and one of the oldest in the world. His fi rst diplomatic post was NATO, back in 1987, and after many positions abroad and in Lisbon he came full circle to become ambassador to NATO, immediately prior to his appointment as the ambassador to the Czech Republic in December 2019. He has an abundance of intriguing stories to share, which he is planning to do in his books when the time comes. Until then, enjoy our interview.

Let me start by telling you how pleased I am to have the opportunity to reach out to the wide and very knowledgeable audience of the Czech & Slovak Leaders Magazine. I feel privileged to be the ambassador of Portugal to the Czech Republic. I always repeat that I am not the ambassador of Portugal to Prague only, but to the Czech Republic as a whole. I really mean it. That is the reason why I travel extensively in the Czech lands, visiting not only the main cities, but also never missing the opportunity to get acquainted with the many cultural heritage landmarks, meet Czechs from very diff erent walks of life, and to enjoy Czech traditions. I also enjoy tasting the variety of Czech gastronomies, wines and beers, and, of course, I am always amazed by the vast natural beauties of this country. I think that this is already very telling about myself. I am a curious observer and a relentless analyser of cultures and societies. I was always like that, and I believe that a diplomatic life is the best possible life for any true curious observer.

Being the ambassador of Portugal to the Czech Republic is extremely rewarding personally and professionally, as our bilateral relations are excellent. Indeed, there are no problems between our two countries, and that makes the life of any ambassador especially easy. It is also very rewarding to serve in such a beautiful capital as Prague, and being in daily contact with my Czech interlocutors, offi cial and private, who are always the kindest persons on Earth, adds to that feeling. However, the agenda of any ambassador is quite hectic and fi lled with many meetings, conferences, and reports to write. Fortunately, I have excellent staff working with me, both at the embassy and the residence, and I count on, as I always could throughout my life, the full support and enthusiasm of my wife and daughters, without whom it would have been absolutely impossible to have led a successful diplomatic career.

Diplomatic lives are very often rather adventurous lives. I could tell you many stories, but I believe the following is a good example. In 2007, during the then Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, in the context of which I was the Middle East Peace Process envoy, I was in Gaza at the time of the take-over of that territory by the Hamas movement. One day I will write a detailed account of that experience, also to prove that diplomatic lives are not only about receptions and cocktails, meeting ministers and heads of state, and exchanging with diplomatic colleagues.

When it comes to the weirdest thing I had to deal with, one episode immediately crosses my mind. It happened a long time ago, in a country that I am not going to mention by name. I was meeting a minister who did not speak any other language except his mother tongue, and we had no interpretation whatsoever. As I had to convey some urgent messages, I resorted to drawings on a paper napkin. I can guarantee you that I am not a good artist. Extraordinarily enough, I discharged myself honourably of my instructions as the results of my démarche proved to be to the satisfaction of my authorities, as I later learned. From then on, I have recommended that one of the requirements for future diplomats be basic drawing skills.

My wife and I came directly from Brussels to Prague by car in December 2019, but we had already visited the Czech Republic before so we knew what to expect about the majestic beauty of this country. Our fi rst impression was of amazement and respect, but the most important thing is that all our impressions after that very fi rst one always just added to that initial feeling. We now understand much better why Czechs are very proud of their country. The current status of Czech-Portuguese relations is excellent. From a political and diplomatic standpoint, they could not be better. The same applies to our cultural relations. We have hundreds of Portuguese students in the Czech Republic, and the number of Czech students of Portuguese language at the main Czech universities is growing every year. The domain where there is still a lot of room for improvement is our economic and business relations. I am determined to improve them, and to promote the indispensable synergies that would pave the way for joint ventures of high-tech Czech and Portuguese companies that could together explore markets in regions that complement the interests of both countries. In this vein, we are preparing a roadshow of Portuguese companies, businessmen, and businesswomen to the Czech Republic, scheduled to take place during the EU Czech presidency.

I have no doubt that the Czech Republic will manage to conduct a very successful presidency, in spite of the extremely challenging international circumstances we are living through. I am also convinced that the Czech presidency will contribute to the betterment of the European project.