CZECH PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION: FIRST RESULTS

The article discusses the features of the Czech presidency of the EU Council, which took place in the second half of 2022. The author draws attention that program documents was due to both external factors (special military operation in Ukraine) and internal (coming to the power of the liberal-democratic government of P. Fiala). The new Cabinet, following the rhetoric of a return to the Havel course, focused on promoting a value policy. This approach has led the Czechs to prioritize helping Ukraine and combating energy dependence on Russian natural resources. In turn, the extremely urgent goals of post-pandemic recovery were not properly articulated. The author analyzes the results of the previous Czech presidency and concludes that the topics raised 13 years ago have penetrated the European agenda by 2022, becoming current trends in the development of the EU. The continuity of the two presidencies is also indicated. The paper notes that the current chairmanship can hardly be considered as a tool for promoting the long-term national interests of the Czech Republic due to the possible deterioration of the country’s socio-economic situation.