Final Word from Thursday, December 29, 2022

As the year 2022 and the Czech EU presidency come to a close, questions about the energy situation have receded somewhat and have been replaced by heightened anticipation about what the presidential elections in Jan. will bring. Petr Fiala's industry minister, Jozef Síkela, and his EU affairs minister, Mikuláš Bek, who both happen to represent STAN, have good reasons to praise their own accomplishments and those of the EU presidency as a whole, but they've left many questions unanswered. Most importantly, what will be the impact on Czech industry of the EU's energy and Green Deal policies, which are being pushed so hard by the Fiala government? Will steel, cars and fertilizer still be stamped Made in Czech Republic in 2-3 years' time? Will 2023 be the year of decision? It almost seems that Fiala, Síkela and Bek are avoiding addressing the hard questions until after the presidential elections, so that their preferred candidate, Danuše Nerudová, isn't tainted by the harsh reality. [ Czech Republic ODS PM European Presidency transformation ]