France in Czech foreign policy
France in Czech foreign policy

Author(s): Eliška Tomalová
Subject(s): Political history, Environmental and Energy policy, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Political behavior, Comparative politics, Present Times (2010 - today)
Published by: Ústav mezinárodních vztahů
Keywords: France; Czech Republic; political relations; 2015;
Summary/Abstract: After the start of Sobotka’s Government, it was clear that the Czech-French relations would change. France perceived positively particularly the pro-European orientation of the Czech foreign policy; the good atmosphere of mutual relations was also supported by the party membership of the new Prime Minister when the contacts at the party level with the French socialist party (Parti socialiste, PS) supported further areas of bilateral and multilateral relations. This tendency was confirmed during 2014. It was accompanied with greater intensity of visits by leading representatives of both countries: Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and President Miloš Zeman visited France, French Minister for European Affairs Thierry Repentin visited Prague, and Prime Minister Manuel Valls visited Prague in December, which was the climax of the Czech-French cooperation. Both Prime Ministers signed the Action Plan for 2014–2018 in Prague, which was included in the Strategic Partnership of both countries, and it specified individual cooperation areas of the Czech Republic and France. The year 2015 demonstrated a stronger will of the Czech Republic to cooperate with France than the previous years, particularly within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This change was based mostly on the personal level of higher administration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and it was supported by the party contacts between ČSSD and the French PS. In 2015, the trend of mutual visits continued at the political and administration level; the shift within the public diplomacy became apparent when both states increased the number of events for the French and Czech general public. The negative atmosphere from former years caused by the circumstances related to the exclusion of AREVA from the public tender for further construction of the nuclear power plant Temelín is forgotten and the post-Temelín bitterness of the Czech-French relations is in the past.

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