Mikuláš Bek, Czech Minister for European Affairs, revealed the five likely political priorities for the upcoming Czech presidency of the Council of the EU, in an address to EESC members delivered in Prague on 28 April 2022.

Mr Bek disclosed the Czech presidency's expected political priorities at a meeting of the EESC Bureau, stressing that the spotlight would be on the green and digital transition but also, in the light of recent events, on security.

Under the motto "Europe as a task", taken from a speech by Czech former head of state Václav Havel in Aachen, the Czech EU presidency will focus on:

1) managing the refugee crisis and post-recovery in Ukraine;
2) energy security in Europe;
3) strengthening European defence capacity and cyberspace security;
4) strategic resilience of the European economy;
5) resilience of democratic institutions.

Referring to the developments in the crisis in Ukraine, he said that "ensuring access to affordable, sustainable but also reliable energy sources will be one of the biggest challenges which the EU has ever faced".

In the debate, EESC members urged the minister to increase the EU's and national governments' support to civil society organisations, saying that such organisations were right on the frontline in the humanitarian crisis brought about by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and needed urgent practical support.

European solidarity was another key thread in the discussion: members stressed that it would only be possible to stop energy imports from Russia if all EU Member States stuck together and shared available energy sources.

Several speakers also warned against disregarding social aspects during the Czech Council Presidency in the second half of 2022. With energy and food prices increasing, poverty was on the rise and was threatening social cohesion.

In a seminar held as part of the event, on an Optimal energy mix for sustainable and affordable energy, EESC president Christa Schweng pointed out that reducing the EU's energy dependency on third countries was essential. The way ahead was to diversify energy sources and step up investment on renewables.

"To ensure a successful transition, civil society organisations must play a key role in defining and implementing policies", she said. (mp)