The Czech Republic chairs the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe

The programme and priorities of the Czech Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe were presented to the media at a press conference with Foreign Minister Zaorálek in Czernin Palace on 4 May 2017.

On 27 June 2017 Minister Zaorálek presented the priorities in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly in Strasbourg in his capacity as Committee Chairman.  The Czech Republic chairs the Council of Europe from 19 May to 15 November 2017.

Minister Zaorálek at  the Foreign Ministry press conference 

The Czech Chairmanship’s basic priorities include promoting the human rights of persons belonging to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, strengthening the rule of law, supporting local and regional democracy and public administration reforms, promoting human rights education and linguistic skills, and cooperation and coordination with other international organisations. 

 

Minister Zaorálek addressing the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly

 

The Committee of the Ministers is the Council of Europe’s decision-making body. It is composed of 47 Foreign Ministers. The Committee decides on issues such as the organisation’s budget and proposals for Council of Europe conventions and recommendations. The Committee also supervises the execution by member states of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. The Czech Republic will hand over the Chairmanship to Denmark in November 2017.

 

Conference: A crisis of liberal democracy in Europe?

On 21 April 2017, Martin Smolek, Deputy Minister in charge of the Legal and Consular Section, opened a conference entitled “A crisis of liberal democracy in Europe?”. The conference was co-organized by the Foreign Ministry and the Czech Society for European and Comparative Law. 

The conference discussed the main challenges facing the European Union, ranging from the crisis of liberal democracy and of the rule of law in some Member States to the refugee crisis and security threats in Europe. The panellists – academics, civil servants and lawyers including Jan Passer, Judge at the General Court, and Pavel Bobek, Advocate General at the Court of the Justice of the European Union – explored ways to address the current situation in Europe.

 

Deputy Minister Smolek at the conference

 

Czechia’s Facebook page

On 20 June 2017, Czechia reactivated its Facebook page (Czech.cz). The page serves the Foreign Ministry’s digital diplomacy and its content respects the current policy for uniform presentation of the Czech Republic abroad. The page was renamed “Czechia.eu – Profile of the Czech Republic” to promote the country’s short name following its inclusion in international databases.   

The page is in English and covers mainly economy, culture, politics and sports. Information for travellers visiting the Czech Republic is included on a very limited basis (this type of information is available at “Visit the Czech Republic” page of the Czech Ministry for Regional Development and CzechTourism agency).

We welcome and encourage all honorary consulates to visit Czechia’s Facebook page, to promote it at their public events and on social networking sites, and to share its content.  

 

Czech diplomacy in action…

 

Preparing for the 2017 tourist season

On 7 June 2017, the Foreign Ministry held its annual press conference to open the tourist season.  Foreign Minister Zaorálek stressed that assisting Czech nationals in need abroad was one of the core duties of the Foreign Service.

 

Minister Zaorálek at the press conference

(Left to right:  Irena Valentová from the Press Department; Minister Zaorálek; Deputy Minister Smolek; Markéta Meissnerová, Director of the Consular Department)

 

Minister Zaorálek said that the Foreign Ministry would again open consular agencies in the most popular tourist destinations:

Barcelona, Spain            3 July – 31 August 2017

Burgas, Bulgaria             1 July – 10 September 2017

Rijeka, Croatia                 1 July – 31 August 2017

Split, Croatia                    15 June – 15 September 2017

The Minister recommended travellers to register in the DROZD system (a database in which Czech nationals planning to travel abroad can register on a voluntary basis) to receive text messages warning them about any emergencies and risks that may occur in the country concerned.    

Travellers registered in DROZD

 2014                                            598   travellers

20105                                    25,887    travellers ( 66% increase)

2016                                       58,519    travellers (126% increase)

2017 (as of 7 June 2017)      27,127    travellers

In the same period last year (1 January- 7 June 2016) we had 11,573 registered travellers; this year the number is 134 % higher. 

Minister Zaorálek mentioned the consular Rapid Deployment Team (RDT) set up to provide consular assistance to Czech nationals in situations when the demand for assistance exceeds the capacity of a standard consulate (e.g. large-scale natural disasters, transport accidents and industrial accidents affecting large numbers of Czech nationals). All RDT members are Foreign Ministry employees who have volunteered for the task. The Czech RDT has 49 members serving in Prague and at embassies and consulates worldwide. 

The Consular Department presented a short checklist of practical advice based on many years of experience. The “ten useful tips” should be kept in mind by all travellers who want to stay safe and secure. They are easy, logical, but seldom obeyed:

 

1/   Follow the security situation!

2/   Check the expiry date of your passport!

3/   Find out whether you need a visa!

4/   Take out insurance and check the expiry date of your health insurance card!

5/   Find out whether you need any vaccinations!

6/   Register in the DROZD system!

7/   If you travel with children, find out about any extra documents you might need!

8/   In an emergency, contact the Czech embassy or consulate!

9/   Observe local laws, respect different rules and customs!

10/ Follow the Foreign Ministry website www.mzv.cz, Twitter account (@mzvcr) and Facebook page!

 

Gratias Agit 2017

On 23 June 2017, Minister Zaorálek presented the Gratias Agit prize to 15 recipients. Gratias Agit has been awarded since 1997 to compatriots and friends of the Czech Republic in recognition of their role in promoting the Czech Republic worldwide. 

The recipients include Bohemists, translators, researchers, businessmen, artists, writers, teachers as well as sportsmen. Each recipient gets a certificate and a crystal globe designed by the Czech painter Zdeněk Petr. There is no financial reward connected with the prize.　

 

Gratias Agit 2017 recipients with Minister Zaorálek

Gratias Agit 2017 recipients

Jiří Bělohlávek, in memoriam, Czechia, conductor
Tomasz Dostatni OP, Poland, Catholic priest and publicist
Clara Janés Nadal, Spain, poet, prose writer and translator of Czech poetry into Spanish   
Miriam Kama, Israel, president of the Haifa branch of the Association of Czechoslovaks Living in Israel
Doris Kumarová, India, promoter of Czech culture in India
Jaroslav Kynčl, USA, significant compatriot, scientist and benefactor
Paul Millar, United Kingdom, Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Edinburgh
Ludmila Muchina, Ukraine, chairwoman of the Czech National Council of Ukraine and chairwoman of the Vyšehrad association
Damjan Prelovšek, Slovenia, professor of history and art, former Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the Czech Republic
Oliver Rathkolb, Austria, historian
Martina Sáblíková, Czechia, speed skater
Jürgen Serke, Germany, literary publicist
Georgina Steinsky, Canada, prominent expatriate, philantropist
Alena Wagnerová, Czechia/Germany, Czech-German writer and journalist
Věra Yabéko Vitáčková, Cameroon, doctor, Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic in Douala

 

From the life of the honorary consular community at home and abroad...

 

1) Newly opened honorary consulates of the Czech Republic

22 March 2017 – Opening of the Honorary Consulate in Victoria, Canada, with a consular district covering Vancouver Island. The Honorary Consul heading this post is Mr. Jim Harrison Reed. The opening was attended by Minister Zaorálek.

11 May 2017 – Opening of the Honorary Consulate in Miami, United States, with a consular district covering the South West a South East Regions of the State of Florida. The Honorary Consul heading this post is Mr. Stanislav Janšta. The inaugural celebration at the American Czech-Slovak Cultural Club in Miami was attended by the Czech Ambassador Hynek Kmoníček, representatives of the City of Miami and the State of Florida, and members of the local consular corps and Czech community.

 

 

Ambassador Hynek Kmoníček (in the centre) with Honorary Consul Stanislav Janšta (on his left)

 

2) Reopened honorary consulate of the Czech Republic

10 April 2017 – Reopening of the Honorary Consulate in Panama City, Republic of Panama, with a consular district covering the Republic of Panama. The Honorary Consul heading this post is Mr. Jaime Eduardo Sánchez Reverte.

 

3) Closed honorary consulates of the Czech Republic

1 April 2017 – Honorary Consul Mr. Tonio Casapinta, head of the Honorary Consulate General in Naxxar, Malta, passed away. Mr. Casapinta was a leading entrepreneur in design and exhibition management. Among his many honours and responsibilities, he was a member of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and vice-president of Malta’s Chamber of Commerce.  In 2003 he received the Gratias Agit prize for his important contribution to the development of Czech-Maltese relations.

June 2017 –Mr. Raimundo José Marques Viana resigned from his position as head of the Honorary Consulate in Fortaleza, Federative Republic of Brazil, with a consular district covering the State of Ceará. Mr. Raimundo José Marques Viana, former Secretary for Economic Development of the State of Ceará, was the Czech Republic’s important representative in this Brazilian state from 2008.

 

4) Relocated honorary consulate of the Czech Republic

17 June 2017 – The Honorary Consulate of the Czech Republic covering the State of Texas, United States, opened its new office in Houston following relocation from Temple. The consular district remains unchanged. The Honorary Consul heading this post is Mr. Brian Allen Vanicek.

 

5) New honorary consulates opened in the Czech Republic  

In April and May 2017 the Czech Foreign Ministry registered two new honorary consuls in the Czech Republic: Mr. Michal Kučera, Honorary Consul of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and Mrs. Jana Štefánková, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Seychelles. Both honorary consulates are located in Prague.