On April 2, 2026, within the framework of the project "EU Global Responsible Leadership: Climate Change, Environmental Protection and Humanitarian Aid" (EU_LEAD) with the support of the Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Programme, a public lecture was held by Ladislav Csabada, Professor at the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň, President of the Czech Political Science Society, from 2012 to 2018 – President of the Central European Political Science Association (CEPSA), and currently the Executive Committee of the European Consortium for Political Science (ECPR). The topic of the lecture: "20 years of the Czech Republic and CEE countries in the EU: lessons learned, challenges and prospects". At the beginning of the lecture, the speaker emphasized that after the collapse of Czechoslovakia into two separate states, the Czech Republic went through a difficult stage of democratic transition. One of the main directions of its foreign policy was European integration. To achieve this goal, the country actively worked within the Visegrad Group, whose states defended the right to join the EU due to their historical affiliation to the European community. Ladislav Csabada drew attention to the fact that the European Commission supported the Czech Republic's aspirations to join the organization. While Hungary and Poland were subject to some criticism regarding the economic transition, the Czech Republic demonstrated significant prospects and progress.
During the lecture, the speaker analyzed the path of the Czech Republic from the fall of the Iron Curtain to the present day, focusing on the following key aspects:
In the early 90s, the main slogan of the Czech Republic was "Return to Europe", which emphasized its natural affiliation to the Western community. The Visegrad Declaration (Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary) consolidated the status of these countries as leaders of transformation. The Czech Republic was considered the most economically developed among the post-communist states, which was confirmed by positive reports from the EU.
Regarding the economic and democratic transformation, the Czech Republic attracted foreign investment, but for a long time did not privatize the banking sector (this was a compromise exception from the EU). The foundation of democracy was created - a multi-party system, a Constitutional Court and an ombudsman institution. The EU pointed to problems with the rights of minorities (in particular, the Roma), ghettoization and a system of special schools, which limited access to higher education - the expert emphasized.
The speaker emphasized that in 1998 a wave of Euroscepticism appeared. Politicians formed inflated expectations among citizens (promises to become "rich like Germans" in a few years). When rapid enrichment did not happen, an emotion of “sovereignism” arose – a fear of losing identity and a sense of moral distance from “old Europe” (Luxembourg, etc.). The speaker called this irrational, because the EU member states themselves shape the union’s agenda.
In 2004, the country became a full member of the EU, although it faced transitional periods (some EU countries initially closed their labor markets to new members). Joining the Schengen area was the logical conclusion of integration, given the Czech Republic’s convenient transit location.
Ladislav Csabada noted that the Visegrad Four is in crisis. After 2010, the group’s unity was shaken by different views on the federalization of the EU. Different views in the group led to the “2+2” format or a complete lack of agreement.
Nevertheless, the Czech Republic has not yet adopted the euro due to constitutional restrictions, although business actually lives in two currencies, which the speaker considers paradoxical.
The speaker emphasized that despite the Eurosceptic sentiments within the country, Prague is seeking a balance between the requirements of the European Court and the interests of its own citizens. Viktor Orbán's position on stopping military aid to Ukraine and opposing the country's accession to the EU was also mentioned.
At the end, the speaker answered questions from students. In particular, regarding the need for the EU to strengthen its own military component; he spoke about the difficulties on the way to the Czech Republic's accession to the EU, including corruption and difficulties in balancing the opening of the economy and national interests. Ladislav Csabada also noted that for Ukraine to join the EU, the state must develop friendly relations with partners who openly support Ukraine's European integration aspirations, for example, how Germany lobbied for Croatia's accession.
In total, 48 participants attended the lecture, including international students, students of the Institute of Energy and Control Systems, as well as members of the EU_LEAD team.
The EU_LEAD team is sincerely grateful to Ladislav Tsabada for an interesting, relevant and informative lecture, and to the students for their support and activity.
