Photo: archive of the KP CR
Prague - According to President Petr Pavel, the government is failing to explain its measures and reform steps, to persuade the citizens and thus win them over to its side. He said this in today's New Year's speech filmed in the third courtyard of Prague Castle. At the same time, however, he appreciated that even with five parties, the cabinet of Together (ODS, KDU-ČSL, TOP 09) and the Pirates and STAN did not have any significant disagreements, as well as the government's efforts to tackle the country's debt. According to the head of state, the logical future is the common European currency, and after a number of years, concrete steps should be taken that will lead the Czech Republic to fulfil its commitment to adopt the euro.
He appreciated the efforts to address the debt, even though the President said the chosen paths are sometimes crooked and marked by balancing demands in the five-coalition. According to Pavel, the purpose of the opposition, which currently includes the ANO and SPD movements, is to criticise the cabinet and create alternative solutions. "The government makes this task easier by failing to explain its measures and reform steps. It fails to convince the citizens and thus win them over to its side. But some unpopular and unpleasant changes are necessary if we are to get out of trouble," the president added.
In his first New Year's speech, Paul also said he was not pleased with the vulgarization of political discussion. "Disagreements belong to democracy and can be fruitful. But if they slide into ignorant haggling, slander or even insults, it is a failure that does not bring anything good," he said. He appealed to politicians to take cultivating public space, not devaluing it, as one of their resolutions.
The President called on citizens to participate in this year's elections to the European Parliament, regional councils and the Senate. In his view, votes are easily won by populists and extremists, who are attracted by appealing promises and are not shy about abusing or stirring up fears. "In reality, however, they only deepen the problems and exhaust their countries and their people," Pavel said.
Concerns such as the energy crisis, economic stagnation, inflation, security or environmental protection do not disappear when we close our eyes, Paul said. On the contrary, he called for responsible consideration of how realistic the solutions put forward by politicians are.
According to the President, the lives of Czechs are strongly influenced by problems with their origins far beyond the country's borders, more so than in the past due to wartime conflicts. In his speech, however, Pavel did not elaborate on his positions on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, which he has expressed many times in the past. In his New Year's message, he focused more on domestic events.
In his last Christmas message in December 2022, former President Miloš Zeman focused primarily on the balance sheet of his own political career, which culminated in his ten-year tenure as head of state. He also spoke in favour of international pressure, which, in his opinion, will one day ensure Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine, and he also mentioned inflation and the energy crisis.
After years, concrete steps should be taken to adopt the euro, President says
"After all these years, it is time to start taking concrete steps that will lead us to fulfilling this commitment (to adopt the euro). Despite the endless discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of the euro for a country with an open and export-oriented economy, located in the centre of Europe, the common currency is the logical future," the President noted.
Hospodarske noviny reported last November that ministries were arguing over whether the government should start taking steps to adopt the euro. A report by the finance ministry and the Czech National Bank stated that the Czech Republic is likely to meet some of the so-called Maastricht criteria for currency adoption this year. However, the document also recommended not taking any steps in this direction, which was criticised by ministers from the STAN movement.
To join the euro area, countries must meet the four so-called Maastricht criteria. The price stability criterion stipulates that the country's inflation rate must not exceed by more than 1.5 percentage points the average inflation rate of the three euro area countries with the lowest price increases. The long-term interest rate criterion requires that the long-term interest rate be no more than two percentage points above the average of the three euro area countries with the lowest inflation. The public finance criterion sets a maximum budget deficit of three percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and a maximum debt ratio of 60 percent of GDP. The last criterion is exchange rate stability, which requires two years of membership of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II).
In its programme declaration, the government of ODS, KDU-ČSL, TOP 09 and the Pirates with STAN does not state that it wants to set a deadline for adopting the euro by the end of its term in 2025. However, the document commits the cabinet to meeting the Maastricht criteria as soon as possible.
This year the Czech Republic will commemorate the 20th anniversary of its accession to the European Union and a quarter of a century since joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which, according to Pavel, offers an opportunity to look back to the past and at the same time to look to the future and recall its commitments. In the case of NATO, he mentioned defence spending, which will reach two per cent of GDP this year, as newly mandated by law.
According to Pavel, the EU gives the Czech Republic a chance to exert its influence and promote its interests. Together with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), it is a guarantee that the Czech Republic has strong partners on which it can rely, he said. "And such a guarantee is invaluable today," the president added.
Pavel considers it necessary for society to overcome fear even after the tragedy at the Faculty of Arts
The loss of life in the shooting at the Faculty of Arts at Charles University in Prague has caused great sadness, regret and anger, Pavel said. Although these feelings will remain in people for a long time, society must first of all overcome fear, he said. A gunman killed 13 people in the faculty building last Thursday and a 14th victim died later in hospital. Another 25 people were injured, some very seriously. The perpetrator ended the shooting with suicide.
"The senseless loss of so many lives, in most cases young lives, has caused us enormous sadness, regret, but also inner anger," the President noted. "While these feelings will remain with us for a long time, as a society we must first and foremost overcome our fear. We cannot let the joy of life and the hope for better times be taken away," he also said in the first New Year's address by a head of state in a decade. Pavel's predecessor, Miloš Zeman, delivered Christmas messages regularly on 26 December.
The shooting at the Faculty of Arts is the most tragic such case in Czech history. According to police, the perpetrator is a 24-year-old student from central Bohemia, whom police have also linked to the case of the murder of a man and his two-month-old daughter in the Klánovice forest on the outskirts of Prague in mid-December.
Pavel said that society believed that such a tragedy could not happen in the Czech Republic. "We thought we were living in complete safety and that what was happening in the world did not concern us," he said. Many people expressed solidarity after the tragedy, thousands of candles were placed at memorial sites and tens of millions of crowns were raised in collections.
"I wish that the candles and flowers at the memorial sites also signify a common will that cruelty and violence will not intimidate us. That we will remember the personal heroism of all those who were able to stand up to evil, and that our country will emerge stronger and more united from the horror. If only for those who died at the hands of evil," the President said.
According to the head of state, there is only one culprit in the tragedy, although there are certainly circumstances that could have contributed to it. He urged that no other culprits be found to point the finger at. "It is not possible to ensure the presence of police officers in all public places. Nor will there ever be enough controls and regulations to eliminate all dangers," Paul said. He said it is necessary to analyse what happened and why. "We can improve laws, controls and measures, but we cannot give up our freedom because of fear," he added.
The President appealed to the people to strive to make their families, streets, communities and the country safer. To not overlook aggressive behaviour, even on social media, to stand up for the weak, to not ignore the problems in the neighbourhood. "Let's be prepared for crisis situations, but let's not be paralysed by fear," Paul added.
Paul turned to young people, he said they should try to change things for the better
Paul also addressed the young people today. He said it is important that they take an interest in their surroundings and try to change things for the better. According to the head of state, society needs the ideas of the young generation, their courage and activity and their ability to stand up for themselves.
Paul said he realises how bleak it is for young people to think of a future where it seems almost impossible to achieve a satisfactory living and economic independence, in a world where the environment is collapsing. "How hard it is to function under the pressures of a digital world that presents an endless flow of information, possibilities, constant communication, and at the same time the demands that are placed on you," he said. The uncertainties, he said, have an impact on some people's mental health.
The President feels that the values of the younger generation are often stronger than those with which his peers entered adult life. "Society needs your ideas, your courage and your activism and your ability to stand up for yourself. The younger generation has always been an agent of change. That's why it makes sense for you to take an interest in your surroundings and try to change things for the better. And I know that many of you are doing this despite the misunderstanding you face," said Paul. He said the attention of politics and society should turn to the difficulties of the youth.
According to the head of state, this year is full of expectations, including lower inflation, real wage growth and modest economic growth. "This could be the beginning of a positive turnaround, a rebound from the bottom to a better mood," the president said. "In addition, many of us will be pinning our hopes on a medal finish at the domestic world championships in hockey or biathlon in Novo Mesto na Moravě."
Pavel has been president since March, when he took over from Miloš Zeman. In his own words, he assumed the office closed in on himself and in front of the people. "He has resigned himself to the needs of the citizens, to visions and plans. I have been working since then to change that," he said. He recalled that as of today, the pardon agenda is back in the hands of the presidential office, that he has appointed seven new constitutional judges or that he has visited 10 of the 14 regions.
"I have had the opportunity to get to know many interesting and inspiring stories, but also the difficulties and problems I am trying to contribute to solving. Although I don't have as many specific powers as president, my effort is to raise the visibility of what stands in the shadows, to raise issues that are overlooked and to remind other politicians of what is usually forgotten," Paul said.
The President said people can lean on their loved ones in difficult moments. "For me, my family and especially my wife Eva, who had to adjust to a new role last year, are such a support. And I admire her for the way she handles it," he noted. "I wish you all to have someone to lean on when you need it, and someone to share the joy with when things are going well. That's already a great happiness. In the coming year, I wish you health, happiness and a great deal of goodwill," Paul concluded his speech.
https://www.ceskenoviny.cz/zpravy/pavel-vlade-vytkl-komunikaci-navrhl-kroky-k-prijeti-eura/2460001
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