Paper Titles & Abstracts

In the EU, the Czech Republic is not a new member state anymore. Not only are there other countries that joined the EU at a later moment, but the Czechs have already collected enough experience with EU policy-making, not least during their EU Council presidency in 2009. It is therefore possible to analyse the channels that the Czech Republic uses to influence EU decisions and policies. The proposed paper aims at mapping and analysing Czech Republic's strategies and tactics in using formal and informal channels to influence EU policies towards Eastern Europe. Eastern Europe has been one of the foci of Czech foreign policy after 2004. The Czechs have got important interests in Eastern Europe in various areas of EU external relations, including trade, democracy and human rights, and security and stability. Building on the Europeanisation argument that expects the EU Member States to adjust to EU policies depending on the type of policy-making at the EU level, the paper will make a cross-area comparison of Czech strategies looking for corresponding differences. The analysis will extend beyond the Council level and will cover relations to other institutions, as well as the role of non-state actors, such as businesses and NGOs.