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Small States Thinking Big: Comparative Analysis of the Czech Presidencies of the Council of the European Union in 2009 and 2022
Monsportová, Daniela ; Kazharski, Aliaksei (advisor) ; Karásek, Tomáš (referee)
This study focuses on the two Czech presidencies in the Council of the EU. It approaches them via the lens of two theoretical concepts - the small state, and Pierre Bourdieu's symbolic power. The main objectives of the thesis are to observe the relevance of the two concepts in application to the selected case (Czech Republic) and to shed light on a relatively new and often overlooked subject. To fulfill the objectives, the study follows qualitative research, utilizing the research design of an embedded single case study. To answer the research question, the thesis firstly focuses on an in-depth discussion of the theoretical underpinnings and gives an overview of the general discourse surrounding the concept of a rotating Council presidency. It then goes on to examine the domestic and international settings of the two presidencies, their manifest and latent goals, and the outcomes of negotiations and communication strategies. By placing the two presidencies against one another, the thesis concludes that while relations between states may be asymmetrical, symbolic power may improve a given state's position within the system once the state uses the granted power wisely and effectively. This notion is demonstrated on the case of the Czech Republic and its two Council presidencies, where the country was...
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The Czech priorities for the Council Presidency - 2009 and 2022
Samec, Petr ; Martinková, Viera (advisor) ; Karlas, Jan (referee)
Although the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and its agenda have been affected by the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty, it is still a useful tool that Member States can use, for example, for self-presentation within the EU. The evaluation of individual presidencies assesses, in particular, the success in promoting the priorities set by the presiding countries themselves. The aim of this thesis was to find out what factors influenced the choice of these final presidency priorities during the Czech Presidency in 2009 and 2022. To test the hypotheses based on the new institutionalism, an extensive qualitative analysis of EU legislative acts, Czech national strategies and Eurobarometer surveys was conducted. From these documents, the main themes that appeared most frequently in them were selected, which then allowed comparison with the resulting priorities of the Czech presidencies. These were always documents presented in the periods preceding each Presidency. This comparison showed that the priorities of the Czech presidencies were influenced by the progress in the given policy, the success rate for enforcement, the Commission's work program, the current situation in the European and global arena, and partially also its national strategic interests.
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Change of the Presidency of the Council of the EU's role after the Lisbon Treaty on the Example of Hungarian and Polish Presidencies and their Influence in Eastern Partnership
Vavricova, Linda ; Šlosarčík, Ivo (advisor) ; Bauer, Paul (referee)
The aim of this Master thesis was to find out whether the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union was able to exert influence in EU's external relations after the Lisbon Treaty has entered into force. Thesis was looking on two post-Lisbon Council Presidencies- Hungarian Council Presidency and the Polish Council Presidency and their influence in Eastern Partnership-the flagship initiative of both of these presidencies. Through the identification of the informal roles of the rotating presidency-agenda setter role and broker's role, the influence on the development of Eastern Partnership of both Council Presidencies was determined. The other factors such as the reputation of the presiding country, stable domestic political situation, ability to deal with unexpected developments have been considered as important pre-requisites for the Council Presidency to be able to exert influence through its informal roles.
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Preparation and Organization of the EU Council Presidency
Vandová, Simona ; Peterková, Jana (advisor) ; Druláková, Radka (referee)
The thesis analyses the activities which are realized within the preparation and organization of the EU Council Presidency, namely both at the general level and also in the concrete case of the Czech presidency, with the priority focus on logistic and promotional aspects. The subject matter of the thesis is also an evaluation of the presidency, which presents the important part of its organizational support. The principal aim of the thesis is to stress the cardinal importance of the preparation and organization for the successful execution of the presidency.
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