Prague, July 2 (CTK) – The deliberations about a referendum on the Czech Republic leaving the EU are appalling, Foreign Minister Zaoralek (Social Democrats, CSSD) told Czech Television on Sunday.
This amounts to dangerously risking the country’s fate, Zaoralek said.
The public is exposed to anti-European propaganda and politicians should fight the propaganda in the campaign [ before the October general election], Miroslav Kalousek, leader of the conservative opposition TOP 09, said.
President Milos Zeman has repeatedly said he is ready to support a referendum on the Czech Republic’s staying in the EU. He said he would vote against the departure, however.
His predecessor, former president Vaclav Klaus (2003-2013), recently said the time had come to prepare the Czech Republic’s departure from the EU.
He said this in reaction to the European Commission having started a legal action against the Czech Republic over its failure to fulfil its redistribution quota for migrants.
“This is appalling because this is a deliberation taking the risk with the country’s fate,” Zaoralek said.
“You know, EU membership provides us with access to a tremendous market and technologies. It is basically our livelihood. If someone does not want to understand this, I am ready to travel across the country and explain this,” Zaoralek said.
He pointed out the results of Brexit, exemplified by the fall in investments, growing inflation, diminishing real incomes and the results of the recent election in Britain.
“Britain is a large country, the fifth biggest economy of the world. And now it is being rocked so. Can you imagine how this would rock the Czech Republic?” Zaoralek asked.
He said on the other hand, there were things going on in the EU with which he strongly disagreed.
“There is the fact which makes me nervous that there is a strongly increasing anti-European atmosphere here. This can fatefully send us to quite a different trajectory of historical development,” Kalousek said.
He said the public was targeted by a strong anti-European propaganda.
“It is our duty to face the propaganda in the election campaign and explain the natural advantages we use by our EU membership every day and the tremendous risk we are facing if we do not want to be a fair, comprehensible partner and if we do not do want to be in the fast lane,” Kalousek said.
