The conference was opened by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jan Lipavský, who delivered the keynote speech and presented President Čaputová with an award for creating a Europe with a clear vision of values.

During his speech, Minister Jan Lipavský pointed out that the EU can only be a respected global actor if it primarily takes care of its own continent.  “Europe’s future, our security and our prosperity depend on how we manage to confront Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and its increasingly aggressive actions against the West,” the Czech minister said. “But let us focus on the future. We are entering a new institutional cycle under very different circumstances. Today’s challenges facing the Union and its Member States are much more complex than five years ago. The international order as we have known it is breaking down and we must respond,” the Czech diplomatic chief concluded.

Among the Czech representatives attending the event are Minister for European Affairs Martin Dvořák, Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela and Vice-President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency Věra Jourová.

The Prague European Summit is one of the main international events in Czechia focusing on European issues every year. It is organised by the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy and the Institute of International Relations in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the auspices of the President of the Republic, the Office of the Government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Confederation of Industry and Transport, and with the support of the Representation of the European Commission and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

Among others, the German State Minister for Europe and Climate Anna Lührmann, Russian opposition journalist and activist Zhanna Nemtsova, Senior Advisor to the Belarusian opposition leader Franek Vyachorka, representatives of EU institutions and state administration, and renowned experts from leading European think tanks will hold discussions at the Czernin Palace. The accompanying programme in cooperation with People in Need and Světozor cinema includes a public screening of the Oscar-winning film 20 Days in Mariupol, followed by a discussion with guests from Ukraine.

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