The 2009 Czech Presidency of the European Union: a critical assessment.
Keywords:
European Union, Czech Republic, European Council, Lisbon Treaty.Abstract
During the first half of 2009, the Czech Republic exercised the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union that is assumed every semester by a EU member State. The event was historical for the country —since it was the first time this important responsibility was bestowed on the Czech Republic— and it coincided in time with a rather delicate moment in the life to the EU, as well as with a moment of uncertainty for the international community. This paper will analyze the manner in which this semester of the Czech Presidency of the Union was developed, describing its initial goals, underlining the most important events that marked its development, and evaluating its final outcomes. On the basis of all this, an analysis capable of serving as a first attempt of evaluation will be carried out, in which successes and failures are defined and a satisfactory explanation of both —but specially of the latter— is proposed. All this on the basis of a summary outlook of the European political moment and the Czech political panorama that framed this complex semester.Downloads
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2010-06-22
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