Debate: State of the Union
Date: WEDNESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER 2022
Speaker: Mikuláš Bek
Language: EN

Russia is fighting not only against Ukraine, but also against our values and principles. For this reason, the Czech Presidency will never cease to support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, using all the means at the EU's disposal, which includes, inter alia, providing all the political, military, economic and humanitarian assistance that Ukraine may need. The challenges we face are manifold and their combined impacts are taking a high toll on our populations, especially the most vulnerable and on our economies. These challenges also present risks for our ambitious EU agenda. We need to address the immediate challenges while keeping our long-term goal goals very much in mind. It’s no easy task.  President von der Leyen, you have given us a lot of food for thought. You have addressed the most pressing issues that require our full collective attention, and the Council will no doubt give its political support to meeting these objectives.  President von der Leyen, in a number of your previous speeches, you referred to Czech President Václav Havel, and I thank you for that. And indeed, as Václav Havel once said, the task ahead of Europe deserves careful and thorough reflection.  Madam President, you can count on our presidency to help you rethink, rebuild and repower Europe. Addressing this hemicycle in July, Prime Minister Fiala outlined our priorities, which largely align with yours. The most urgent tasks are to address the various dimensions of the war on Ukraine, bring genuine energy security, strengthen Europe's defence capabilities, secure the strategic resilience of the EU economy, and ensure the resilience of our democratic institutions. Energy security and mitigating high energy prices is our most pressing task. I welcome that the Commission is today following up with its proposals on some of the measures discussed by the Council last week. We are determined to work around the clock on these proposals and reach an agreement among the Member States at the next meeting of energy ministers scheduled for 30 September. However, the situation we are facing is very difficult and complex: a European response is necessary. Therefore, we welcome the Commission's intention to come up with further measures in the following weeks. All of this we have to keep in mind, while not forgetting about our long-term goals, namely the green and digital transitions. And of course, we will also follow up on the recommendations of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The Council will do its utmost to progress at pace on the many initiatives already on the table and on the new ones to come.  Finally, we welcome the Commission's letter of intent, which the Council will discuss next week, together with the annual foresight report. We look forward to continuing the dialogue among the three institutions on our common priorities for the next year. The Council will then, in November, discuss the new Commission work programme with a view to the next joint declaration on legislative priorities. Our joint programming can help us and our three institutions achieve results in a focused and targeted way. Let me reaffirm the Council's commitment to this process, and I assure you that the presidency will continue to be a determined and sincere partner.