Big event at the Castle, the Czech Republic celebrates 20 in the EU! Pavel invited Steinmeier, Fiala will also speak

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and President Petr Pavel will talk about the benefits and challenges of the European Union for the Czech Republic and other member states today at a conference in Prague Castle. The event commemorates 20 years since joining the EU, the speakers are also expected to outline a vision for the future. The Czech Republic, together with Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and six other European states, became a member of the union on May 1, 2004.

In the first part, entitled “The Czech Republic in the EU: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”, alongside the Czech and German heads of state, Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) and the presidents of both chambers of the Parliament will speak. A video greeting by a representative of one of the candidate countries should also be included.

The speakers are to deal with the benefits that the enlarged EU has brought to the member states in the past 20 years. The panel is supposed to connect the views of the founding, newer and future member states and try to outline a vision for a common future. In the second part, experts will discuss in the panel “Enlarged Europe in 20 years: Challenges and opportunities”.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the enlargement of the EU by ten countries, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday called for the accelerated acceptance of candidate states from the Western Balkans, which include Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo. According to Monday’s DPA, the possible expansion of the EU, which now has 27 members, is not expected until the end of this decade at the earliest.

The conference “20 years of the Czech Republic in the EU: Vision for an enlarged Europe” is the culmination of a series of events organized on the occasion of the anniversary. This evening’s concert of the Czech Philharmonic in Prague’s Rudolfinum is also included.