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The Czech Republic on Thursday took command of the European Union for the next six months, in which should help the bloc to manage its worst economic crisis in decades and face the renewed conflict in the Middle East.


Following the mandate of France, whose president Nicolas Sarkozy was launched to deal with several issues ranging from the financial turmoil to climate change, the Czechs have raised fears among other European states on its ability to manage the block.

The Czechs have tried to alleviate those fears, identifying key priorities such as economics, foreign affairs and energy, this highly topical after the Russian decision to cut gas supplies to Ukraine, the main transit country for gas European Union.


"Sarkozy has already called the prime minister (Mirek) Topolanek and congratulated him," said the Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra live on television.

Then he lit a huge metronome Prague, the symbol of the Czech presidency, but the ceremony was quite discreet since the official launch of the Czech presidency will be held on January 7.


The former communist state of 10 million people has suffered only slightly the economic crisis that has wreaked havoc on the rest of the bloc of 495 million people with stock market crashes, bank failures and job losses.

The minority government's center-right Prime Minister Topolanek has put obstacles to the Lisbon reform treaty, a text designed to streamline decision making in the EU and the country is one of only three EU states who have yet to ratify it.


The Czech president, Vaclav Klaus, a staunch Eurosceptic who has campaigned against further integration with other EU members, despite the prime of his ceremonial office.

Topolanek, who will lead the Czech presidency, will have to deal with these issues together with the already long list of challenges facing the new year, as the Middle East conflict.


In economics, the Czechs expected to grow slightly next year and see unemployment rise to six percent. The decision of other EU governments to assist with public funds to private sector contractors have no problems either, a situation that can cope with the big eurozone countries.

Experts say the success of the Czechs in the presidency of the EU will depend on whether the block used as a platform and if the Executive Committee of the EU or the "big three"-Germany, France and Great Britain take control if Prague does not.