Jan Lipavský|Photo: © MZV ČR / MFA CZ
Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský wrote on the X network that the Czech Republic is ready to promote a bold transatlantic agenda through cooperation in NATO and the EU. He said he looks forward to working with the new head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, to strengthen relations and combat the new axis of evil.
One of the areas where the return of Donald Trump to the White House has brought some degree of optimism is the hope that he will be able to mediate a peace deal in Ukraine. However, while the ruling centre-right parties are concerned regarding under what conditions Trump might negotiate such an agreement, the opposition parties stress the need to leave that decision to the key players involved.
The Czech opposition parties are generally more enthusiastic about the re-election of Donald Trump whom they see as a strong leader who is justified in wanting to do away with the various restrictions harming the US economy and believe that EU member states could also benefit from less governance from Brussels. ANO leader Andrej Babis, whose party is slated to win the October general elections, said he agreed with Trump on many of his business and security priorities.
The main concern across the board regarding the possible impact of the new US administration is how it may affect the Czech economy. Trump’s aim to reduce dependency on foreign manufacturers and introduce high tariffs for foreign partners, including EU member states, would significantly impact Czech exports. Moreover the export-dependent Czech economy is driven by the automotive industry and a rise in tariffs could place European automotive manufacturers at a marked disadvantage on the US market. Radek Špicar, Vice-President of the Confederation of Industry, said the biggest challenge for the European Union now will be negotiations on mutual tariffs. The deputy chair of the Foreign Affiars Committee of the lower house Petr Beitl of the Civic Democrats argued that Trump’s support for mining is likely to reduce energy prices on world markets, saying Czechia could profit from that in more ways than one.
Petr Beitl|Photo: ODS
“What I say is that we should be buying more gas from the US and completely sever our dependence on Russia. It is about negotiation and barter – say we will buy more oil and gas from the US and in return will be able to raise defense spending to 2.5 or 3 percent instead of 5 percent of GDP.”
Czech officials can soon test those negotiating skills in practice. A few days ago, the US introduced new restrictions on exporting advanced artificial intelligence chips, placing Czechia in a second-tier category with stricter regulations than many other EU countries over safety concerns. This move would severely impact Czechia’s technological competitiveness and Czech officials are desperately pushing to get the decision reversed.
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Publish date : 2025-01-21 04:38:00
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