Prague, March 21 (CTK) – The Czech Republic is not interested in a multi-speed Europe, which the European Commisison has offered as one of possible alternatives of the EU’s future developement, Prime Minister Bohsulav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) told the Senate European committee on Tuesday.
He said the European Commission should not make a decision on the future of the European Union.
Sobotka said, however, the Czech Republic should make clear its stance on the EU’s development after Britain’s departure from the Union in the months to come.
The concept according to which individual EU member countries would integrate in the EU with a different speed is being pushed for by some states headed by Germany and France.
They would like the term “multi-speed Europe” to be included in the declaration that the EU heads of state and government will approve at their special meeting in Rome on Saturday.
The summit is to demonstrate the Union’s unity on the 60th anniversary of the beginning of European integration.
Sobotka said he expects the declaration to be rather general and that it will reflect the existing unity in the fields of security, prosperity and competitiveness.
He said the European Commission’s proposal is a technical material outlining the alternatives of the EU’s future development.
The decision should be made by the member countries and their representatives in the European Council and European Parliament.
Sobotka said he would like to strengthen the role of the European Council because it makes conclusions based on agreement and because one group of states does not outvote another one.
“I would be very glad if the Czech Republic made it clear in the months to come which is better from the point of view of its national interests – whether trying to keep Europe as much compact as possible, or giving up this and conceding that Europe is more and more multi-speed or multi-level,” Sobotka said.
He said the Czech Republic should not lose contact with the decision-making processes in the euro zone whose condition influences the Czech economy as well.
Vaclav Hampl (for the government Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL), chairman of the European committee, said the influence of the “non-euro zone,” or the states which do not have the single European currency, has decreased with Brexit and that it is necessary to resume the debate on the introduction of the euro in the Czech Republic.
