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P 201745Z JUN 08
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INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRAGUE 000384 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR/ERA JGIAUQUE, EUR/NCE FOR ATRATENSEK 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EUN EZ EG PGOV PREL
SUBJECT: CZECH THINKING ON UPCOMING EU PRESIDENCY - PART II 
 
REF: A. CARNIE-LUCAS E-MAIL DATED 6/19/2008 
     ¶B. 07 PRAGUE 1151 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: On June 12-13 State EUR/ERA Office Director 
Bill Lucas met with a variety of Czech officials preparing 
for the January 2009 Czech EU Presidency.  Czech officials 
covered the waterfront - from their very broad vision of what 
they hope to accomplish by next June, to the specifics of how 
to finalize dates for key U.S.-EU meetings. End Summary. 
 
---------- 
Czechs Condense Priorities 
---------- 
¶2. (SBU) In the fall of 2007, the Czechs published their 
priorities for the EU Presidency, "Europe Without Barriers," 
which highlights the Czech commitment to press for a freer 
movement of persons and services and address EU bureaucratic 
impediments to progress in these areas.  The five stated 
Czech priorities fall under the categories - Competitiveness 
of the EU, Energy Security and Sustainability, Reform of the 
EU Budget, Foreign Policy, and EU Third Pillar (Justice and 
Security) issues.  The Czechs have begun now to narrow their 
focus at the urging of Prime Minister Topolanek, who wants 
the GOCR to take on issues where concrete results are 
achievable. Thus, the Czechs are winnowing these down and 
they are likely to settle on two or three key priorities. 
Mr. Marek Mora, Deputy to the Deputy Czech Prime Minister, 
indicated to Lucas that the Czechs are quite keen to advance 
Energy Security and Sustainability as well as Competitiveness 
of the EU.  Foreign Policy, particularly the three 
subsections of transatlantic relations (listed first), the 
Balkans and the European Neighborhood Policy, cannot be left 
behind, however, which makes it very likely that the Czechs 
will settle on three overarching priorities rather than 
simply two as the Prime Minister would prefer. 
 
---------- 
Czech Interest in Cooperating with USG 
---------- 
¶3. (SBU) Given our strong bilateral relationship, the Czechs 
are interested in working with the USG in several areas. 
Czech MFA Department of the Americas Director, Katerina 
Fialkova, suggested that our goals for transatlantic 
relations should be "ambitious, but realistic" with a focus 
on continuity.  She also proposed that similar to the 
Slovenes, it would be useful to use the model of three 
baskets.  In the first, she highlighted regional and security 
issues (transatlantic relations, Balkans, ENP, while Lucas 
added Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East).  In the 
second basket she put economic issues (TEC and investment 
dialogue) and in the third basket she highlighted global 
issues (climate change/energy security while Lucas added 
human rights, and ESDP). 
 
¶4. (SBU) The issue of human rights cooperation also came up 
with Mora who noted Czech interest in advancing this 
particularly in relation to Burma, Cuba and Belarus. On the 
topic of energy security, Mora noted that the Czechs are 
exploring the possibility of perhaps hosting a conference or 
an expanded discussion (to perhaps include the U.S. and or 
Central Asian countries as well as energy suppliers) with the 
EU Energy Ministers in Prague in February.  They hope to 
significantly advance this topic prior to the December 2009 
energy conference in Copenhagen.  On Foreign Policy items, 
the Czechs would like to work closely with us on the Balkans, 
which they refer to as "our common child," as well as the 
"Eastern Neighborhood." In a later conversation with Director 
Vaclav Balek of the MFA Department of EU Common Foreign and 
Security Policy Director, Balek highlighted that the Czechs 
really hope to press forward on accession for Croatia and the 
opening of talks with Macedonia.  In conversations with both 
Mora and Balek, Lucas also referenced USG interest in keeping 
our joint efforts in Afghanistan front and center. 
 
---------- 
TEC - Getting Beyond Chicken 
---------- 
¶5. (SBU) Czech Director of European Policy Coordination 
within the Deputy Prime Minister's Office, Michal Sedlacek, 
highlighted Czech disappointment with the interaction so far 
at the Transatlantic Economic Council, and he was interested 
in hearing our thoughts on how U.S. and EU engagement could 
be structured to make the TEC more productive.  Lucas offered 
to provide a paper on USG thinking related to the TEC; Lucas 
also noted that while the EU committed in October 2007 to 
dealing with the lack of access to the EU poultry market, the 
EU has yet to do so.  The safety of U.S. poultry processing 
with chemicals, according to several of our Czech 
interlocutors, is a very "political," as opposed to 
"scientific" issue.  They were skeptical that this would be 
 
PRAGUE 00000384  002 OF 002 
 
 
easily resolved, given that several EU member states "are 
very entrenched" in their opposition. 
 
---------- 
Czechs Float Ideas - Schedule, Summits, Visits, and 
Structured Dialogue 
---------- 
¶6. (SBU) Summits and Trips:  Sedlacek highlighted the 
benefits of having the new U.S. President visit Europe as one 
of his very first trips abroad, and if this is done, the 
Czechs would want this visit to include Prague, since they 
will hold the EU Presidency. Besides the Summit with the U.S. 
during the Czech Presidency (the Czechs expect this will be 
in the U.S., and they are planning for June), there are plans 
for Summits with Japan and Canada, and an interest in perhaps 
hosting some major conferences as well.  Balek noted that the 
EU is looking to enhance EU-Israel relations.  Depending on 
how the internal EU discussions develop in this area, the EU 
may even upgrade relations to include a Summit next spring. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Structured Dialogue at GAERC: As one intriguing 
idea, the Czechs expressed an interest in perhaps having a 
structured dialogue with the USG at several of the GAERCs, 
which would theoretically allow all of us to better prepare 
for our Summit in June.  The idea would be to perhaps discuss 
Security at the March GAERC, Economics in April, and Global 
Issues in May.  This is clearly only a fledgling idea of the 
Czechs, that they appear not to have fully worked through 
internally, nor with their EU member state counterparts. 
Nonetheless, it is an idea which demonstrates that the Czechs 
are thinking creatively and that they are seeking new ways to 
engage closely with us. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Scheduling: Czech MFA Department of the Americas 
Director Katerina Fialkova flagged Czech interest in working 
closely with us to schedule U.S.-EU meetings, noting that 
they have already penciled in the Political Directors meeting 
for January 8 or 9.  She offered to provide a copy of the 
Czech preliminary schedule of meetings with the U.S., which 
post has now shared with Washington (ref A). 
 
----------- 
Lisbon Treaty Implementation Issues 
----------- 
¶9. (SBU) At the time of Lucas's meetings with Czech 
officials, the Irish referendum results were not known.  The 
Czechs, however, have been preparing to move forward with 
their EU Presidency under either condition - with, or 
without, the Lisbon Treaty in place.  Czech interlocutors 
flagged for Lucas their interest in making sure that Czech PM 
Topolanek has a substantive role to play during this, the 
very first Czech EU Presidency.  With respect to 
implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, the Czechs stated that 
they have engaged their French and Swedish counterparts 
regarding the EU common program, but many aspects of the 
treaty appeared to them unlikely to fall into place until the 
treaty ratification process was further along.  (Note: In a 
subsequent conversation on June 19 with officials in Deputy 
Prime Minister Vondra's office, the Czechs stated that they 
consider this process to be at a standstill for the moment. 
They also referenced the comments of Commission President 
Barroso that this issue will be discussed at the next EU 
Council meeting scheduled for October 2008.  End Note.) 
 
¶10. (SBU) Comment: The Czechs officials that we met with are 
all quite enthusiastically preparing for their upcoming EU 
Presidency which commences in six months.  Since this is the 
very first time they will assume the EU Presidency, they are 
quite eager to make this a success, including by closely 
cooperating with the United States.  We have an opportunity 
here to begin shaping the U.S.-EU agenda under their 
presidency early.  We believe the Czechs will be responsive 
to our ideas, such as the promised paper on TEC.  We should 
also ensure that we use the first session of the U.S.-Czech 
Strategic Dialogue, scheduled for September 4, to tee up some 
of the priority issues for their presidency. 
 
¶11. (U) Please Note EUR/ERA Director William Lucas did not 
have a chance to clear this prior to post's transmission. 
Graber