Word: european
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...tried to pressure the Czech public television broadcaster to drop a program criticizing a former member of the opposition Social Democrats who had decided to back the coalition. But the toppling of Topolanek is not just a Czech issue. With the Czechs currently holding the presidency of the European Union, the consequences of this vote could resound far beyond Prague and deep into Brussels. (See pictures of Prague...
Topolanek told the European Parliament on Wednesday that his departure would have "no impact" on the E.U. presidency. But he also warned that it could complicate negotiations. "Partners in Europe have grown used to us negotiating hard," he said. "In this sense it can happen that our position will be weakened...
...European Commission insists it has "full trust" that the Czech Republic will continue to run the E.U. presidency smoothly. But officials in Brussels are nervous about the E.U. falling into limbo at such a critical moment. On Wednesday, German MEP Martin Schulz, who leads the European Parliament's Socialist group, accused Topolanek of undermining Europe. "Being here this morning shows that you are a fighter, but so far you haven't understood what the task of the presidency of the E.U. is," Schultz said...
Others are more sanguine. "It's not an existential crisis, but it is a nuisance," says Hugo Brady, from the Centre for European Reform, a London-based think tank. "Luckily, there are mechanisms to keep things going. The E.U. is to some extent above politics - although that is part of its problem - and officials can pick up the slack if politicians cannot deliver...
...added to the unsteady leadership. In Tuesday's vote, Topolanek was defeated by the mainly center-left opposition, but he has also had to cope with sniping from his own president, Vaclav Klaus. Klaus has been outspoken about his criticisms of every aspect of the E.U., even telling the European Parliament last month that it was an elitist project comparable to Soviet-era dictatorships...