A Performance Assessment of the 2022 Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU: External Security
- Oldřich Bureš
Abstract
This contribution to the forum on the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU (CZ PRES) in 2022 focuses on external security policy issues. It provides a tentative assessment of the legislative agenda, non-legislative deliverables, and relevant political initiatives of the CZ PRES. Building on recently developed methodologies for assessments of EU presidencies, it is based on a set of measurable indicators directly related to the work and efforts of the presidency during its six-month term. The findings indicate a solid execution of the key functions of EU presidencies – political leadership, brokerage, and external representation – in response to the challenges stemming from the war in Ukraine in terms of both legislative and non-legislative deliverables. Regarding the assessment of the political initiatives, the performance of the CZ PRES was above average overall, albeit several initiatives have not realized their maximum potential when it comes to result delivery.
Keywords
Czechia, European Union, Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU, security, CSDP/CFSP, Strategic Compass, sanctions, Ukraine
Author Biography
Oldřich Bureš
Professor Bures is the founding director of the Center for Security Studies and Professor of International Political Relations at Metropolitan University Prague. He also lectures at the Department of Security Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University in Prague. From 2021 till 2026, he is a Visiting Professor at University of South Wales. His research is focused in the areas of Conflict Resolution and International Security, with special emphasis on privatization of security, (counter-)terrorism, and migration. He currently participates in the Jean Monnet research-led excellence network on EU counter-terrorism (EUCTER) and in the Globalization, Illicit Trade, Sustainability and Security (GLITSS) COST Action.