The Czech EU Presidency: Background and priorities

Since 1989 Czech politics and policies have been shaped by the metaphor of “thereturn to Europe”. EU membership represented an ultimate goal of this return, representing both its most difficult milestone and its final destination. Since the Czech EU accession in 2004, the EU has presented Czech politics with a variety of challenges connected with membership rights and obligations. Undoubtedly, the upcoming Czech EU presidency presents the most serious challenge among these.