page_title: Prague European Summit
section_title: 2017
hierarchical_section_title: Prague European Summit / Conferences / 2017
caption_attribution_description: Čeština: Prague European Summit 2017 - Lubomír Zaorálek, Miroslav Lajčák, Ryan Heath, Alexander Grubmayr
context_page_description: The Prague European Summit is a platform for a regular high-level strategic debate on the future of the European Union and other European issues. It is the only platform of this kind focused on the European Union in Central and Eastern Europe. It offers space for an informal dialogue among political representatives, high-ranking state officials, representatives of interest groups, businessmen, academicians and journalists.
  The Prague European Summit is organised by a consortium of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy and the Institute of International Relations Prague.
  The summit has been held annually since 2015 at Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle and Czernin Palace, headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. Since the 2019 edition, the Czernin Palace has been the sole venue.
  Prague European Summit 2020 will be held in Prague on 18-19 November 2020.
context_section_description: The third Prague European Summit was held on 13–15 June 2017. Its aim was to discuss pressing European issues, among others the rise of populism, political radicalisation and propaganda, Brexit, relations of EU and Russia or China, and also the single market, the banking union and the European digital market. Part of the programme were, apart from the plenary sessions, three discussion breakfasts at Prague embassies, three Prague Talks (debates open to public) and the annually bestowed Vision for Europe award ceremony.
  The keynote address was delivered by the former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Bohuslav Sobotka. In his speech, he touched upon the threat of international terrorism, the need for reform of the EU or the issues of the European economy. However, he appreciated the effort the Union is making to become a more independent international actor and he ephasized the importance of a rational approach to European problem-solving concerning economy, globalization and technological advancement. He also mentioned the migration crisis, collapse of states in the Middle East, armed conflicts in the region and terrorism that imply the need for a better protection of EU citizens, strengthening of the Common Security and Defence Policy and tighter cooperation between NATO and EU.
  Other significant speakers were for instance Eric Maurice, Editor-in-Chief of EUobserver, Simon Nixon, Chief European commentator at the Wall Street Journal, Massimo D’Alema, former Prime Minister of Italy, Rudolf Jindrák from the Office of the President of the Czech Republic, Taavi Rõivas, former Prime Minister of Estonia, the then ministers of foreign affairs of the Czech Republic and Slovakia Lubomír Zaorálek and Miroslav Lajčák, Governor of the Czech National Bank Jiří Rusnok, and also experts from leading European universities, research centres and non-profit organizations, as well as journalists who report on European affairs, and businesspeople.
  The Summit of 2017 was enriched by guests called new voices – representatives of civil society, activists and future leaders, who usually do not attend the traditional type of conferences. The name stems from the aim to broaden the horizons of the summit to new voices carrying new thoughts and redefining mainstream thinking.
  The Vision for Europe award was given to Timothy Garton Ash, a historian, writer and commentator. He is a professor of European Studies at the University of Oxford and author of a number of publications about the history of contemporary Europe and its transformation over the last thirty years.
caption: Alexander Grubmayr, Ryan Heath, Miroslav Lajčák and Lubomír Zaorálek during a panel debate at the Prague European Summit 2017
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