Foreign Policy Framework
25.06.2025 / 13:49 | Aktualizováno: 25.06.2025 / 14:14
This Foreign Policy Framework (FPF) builds on the Security Strategy of the Czech Republic which was formulated in 2023 and the consequent government strategy documents. The strategic task of promoting Czechia's interests in the international environment has been formulated on the basis of those documents.
The FPF reflects the established course of Czech foreign policy, which has been shaped by the country's values and interests. It respects the domestic political and inter-institutional consensus. Responding to international developments, the FPF is moving substantially towards ensuring the security of the state and its citizens as the core goal of Czech foreign policy. It outlines specific goals that are aligned with and contribute to core goal of ensuring security.
The FPF identifies the foreign policy tools that are essential to achieving these goals. They require sufficient allocations from the budgets of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the other ministries and institutions that are engaged in shaping and reinforcing the state's external relations.
In recent years, we have witnessed complex, interrelated, fast and profound changes that are beyond our control. These changes bring uncertainties for the Czech state and its citizens, while for the international order, they constitute both a danger and an opportunity. Challenges arising from social, technological, demographic and climate changes are compounded by a lack of consensus on how international rules should evolve. Democratic societies face growing polarisation that divides societies and influences the interplay between the domestic and international contexts. Relations between individuals and society are fragile and less resistant to manipulation by power actors.”.
The post-World War II global order – which is grounded in the principles of the Charter of the United Nations (UN) and international law, the Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (1975), and a set of arms-control and confidence-building measures and agreements – is coming under ever more vehement challenge from ever more sides. Key international organisations – the UN (including the UN Security Council), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) – are often hindered by inefficiencies and by decision-making processes that are routinely blocked. Reform proposals lack widespread support; instead, there is a growing tendency to assert national interests through the use of sheer power and force, economic tools, and transactional policy.
The long peace in Europe has ended. We are seeing frequent confrontations, and direct and proxy wars and conflicts on our continent and worldwide. Russia's aggression against Ukraine has constituted a watershed moment that has exerted a deep and lasting impact on Czechia, Europe, the transatlantic area, and the whole international community. Russia has violated the key principles and obligations of the UN Charter and other agreements. Its intentions do not stop at Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity; they go further. Russia's conventional military force and hybrid attacks – such as information manipulation and interference, economic pressure, cyberoperations, sabotage, criminal operations and “instrumentalised migration” – aim at undermining the confidence of Europe's citizens in democratic institutions. Russia is striving to restore its hegemonic position and sphere of influence (comprising the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Communist Bloc). For Russia, the optimum environment would be a multipolar world in which imperial centres dominated while the states in their respective neighbourhoods abided by the doctrine of limited sovereignty. To this end, Russia takes advantage of “revisionist alliances” and transactional deals. It incites or helps to foment disputes, conflicts and extremism in the Western Balkans, the Middle East and Africa.
Other countries and actors have taken advantage of the weakening international order. On its upward trajectory, China sets out to reshape that order and is quite willing to threaten the use of force when its interests are at stake – a willingness that is sharply incompatible with our values. Revisionist and authoritarian regimes frequently collaborate, “swapping notes” on the strategies that they pursue against their own citizens and against democratic nations. This has led to systemic rivalries and the presence of security-related concerns in all areas of international relations. Radical movements and ideologies, terrorists of diverse affiliations (including Islamic), organised crime and other actors promoting instability thrive in this environment.
Another factor in the international environment is the shifts in the national interests of the United States – including the means that the US employs to promote those interests. Such shifts reflect the political, military, economic and technological rivalry between the United States and China. This rivalry encompasses both the bilateral sphere and the regional and global spheres, and affects the approaches adopted by both countries to the settlement of crises and latent conflicts. The United States remains the key partner for ensuring Europe's defence; nevertheless, the shifts in its interests have impacted both its relations with allies and its approach to Russia. Those shifts have also introduced greater protectionism into trade policy – transforming previously long established international trade patterns.
The European Union (EU) and The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) must respond to the changing international environment, both jointly and individually. Reforms to these two bodies - including ensuring that European countries contribute adequately to the safeguarding of Europe's security, prosperity and the effort to counter Russia's aggression - will be crucial to the future of the transatlantic area.
Regions in Europe's neighbourhood (the Caucasus, the Middle East and North Africa) are striving for growth in the fields of trade, investment, industry, energy and scientific cooperation. However, they are not meeting their full potential – mainly for reasons that are rooted in the security domain. Unfavourable conditions (brought about by protracted conflicts and disputes, foreign interference, and the fragility of institutions) are exacerbated by the effects of climate change. The by-products of those conditions (such as terrorism, illegal migration and disrupted shipping networks) can destabilise European states and their economies, politics and societal consensus.
Once globally dominant, the Euro-Atlantic region is losing its economic and demographic weight. The Indo-Pacific region is taking the lead: with 60 per cent of the world's population, it generates over 40 per cent of the world's gross domestic product (GDP). India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the leading members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations together form a heterogeneous and dynamic environment that offers plenty of opportunities for development and international cooperation. A source of concern is China, with its claims in the East China Sea and the South China Sea, together with its fomenting of border disputes, threats to initiate an armed conflict in the Taiwan Strait, forceful rhetoric, abuse of economic dependencies, and "normalisation" of Hong Kong. In many countries across continents, China is employing new approaches in a bid to solidify its political and economic dominance.
Africa, with its rapid demographic growth and enormous raw-material wealth, boasts enviable prospects of increased living standards. Representing a quarter of the UN’s members, African states play crucial roles in international decision-making. However, many face challenges such as unconstitutional changes to the system of government, violations of human rights and democratic principles, religious radicalisation, and a struggle for resources that is rendered all the more desperate by climate change. For Europe, this means the risk of increased levels of migration and of larger humanitarian and development-related needs – particularly in North Africa, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. Additionally, Africa serves as a stage for regional and geopolitical competition with military and hybrid instruments (including anti-Western propaganda). The path to stability and well-being for Africa leads through the development of its countries' human, economic and natural potential.
Latin America and the Caribbean, no less rich in minerals and agricultural resources, are building their geopolitical clout and aspirations. However, the authoritarian regimes in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua – not to mention Russia's and China's assertive pursuit of their own interests in the region– pose a menace to the security and living standards of the local inhabitants.
The crises of recent years have revealed the risks of excessive dependencies. It has become evident that interdependencies will not lead to the stability of the international order. On the contrary, they help democracy-deficient actors to generate pressure. Despite long-term programmes and investments, little success has been achieved in closing the economic and social gaps, achieving food and healthcare security, mitigating climate change and its impact, and preventing violations of human rights and freedoms. Negative trends prevail across all these areas.
New technologies such as artificial intelligence, quantum computers and biotechnologies (combined with the absence of borders in cyberspace) give cause for concern about abuse - driven by totalitarian regimes and ideologies - in pursuit of domestic and foreign policy goals. On the other hand, they open up new and unexplored opportunities for international cooperation on many levels – for example, in combatting crime or managing natural disasters.
Czechia, a medium-sized country, grounds its foreign policy on its identity, which has been shaped by historical, value-based, geographic, economic, and alliance-based factors. Its system of values is built around democracy, freedom, human rights and the rule of law; alliances within the EU and NATO provide shared stability and prosperity.
Czechia has thrived in the globalised international environment: it has an open economy that is integrated into international supply chains, and its industry and trade are well developed. However, it is a landlocked country with limited raw resources; finished goods account for only a low proportion of its exports. Czechia has its vulnerabilities, so its security, stability and prosperity are contingent on the international environment and trade conditions.
Czechia builds on its experience of overcoming two totalitarian regimes and on the legacy of champions of democracy and humanism – notably, President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk and President Václav Havel. Their influence, which extends to this day far beyond the borders of Czechia and Europe, continues to uphold the unique value and individual accountability of every human being and the principle of equal treatment for all countries. In terms of Czech foreign policy, this equates to the universality and indivisibility of fundamental human rights and the importance of international law and a rules-based international order.
Czechia is an active part of the global democratic community. It relies on its EU and NATO membership – most importantly on the commitment to collective defence under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, but also on the mutual-aid clause in Article 42.7 of the Treaty on the European Union. Czechia has learned that its capability to influence the international environment depends on the quality of its bilateral relations, on solidarity built over time, and on loyalty to a common cause. This applies to our membership in the EU, NATO and the UN, as well as to our relations with allies and close partners.
Our part of Europe has been repeatedly targeted by Russia's imperialist policy. It is, therefore, in our vital interest to make sure that Russia fails in its aggression against Ukraine and is deterred from planning any further aggression in Europe. Effective and balanced cooperation within NATO and complementarity between NATO and the EU will be key.
Europe strives to realise its vision of cooperating, free and democratic states living harmoniously in a secure, stable and prosperous space. For Western Balkans and Eastern European countries, joining this geographic, cultural, economic and values-based Euro-Atlantic community opens opportunities for development. Otherwise, they will find themselves in a political and security limbo and vulnerable to incursions by foreign powers. That is why Czechia supports the enlargement of the EU enlargement to encompass the countries of Western Balkans and Eastern Europe and the use of the EU’s stability instruments in Europe's neighbourhood – namely North Africa, the Sahel, the Middle East and South Caucasus.
The EU is a unique community that is devoted to the principles of democracy, equality, the inviolability of human rights and the rule of law. It is the world's third-largest economy, the leader in development financing, and many countries' chief trade partner or investor. Active EU membership enables Czechia to promote its interests to an extent that it would never achieve individually. Those interests include that of Czechia's (and the EU's) security. The open Schengen area – within its efficiently controlled and protected external borders – has brought a substantial improvement to Czechia's stability and the well-being of its present and future generations. So too have (i) the competitive and functioning internal market and its Four Freedoms, (ii) mutually advantageous trade and investment partnerships with third countries, (iii) EU funds for the increasing and strengthening economic, social and territorial cohesion, (iv) food self-sufficiency, (v) the development of a technological and industrial base for defence (combining national, EU and NATO capacities), (vi) energy security and an economically sustainable decarbonisation process, (vii) connectivity, and (viii) new technologies and research & innovation programmes. Czechia has been preparing to join the eurozone. However, this can only happen through the necessary political and social consensus.
Foreign policy goals mirror the wording of the Security Strategy: "Czechia is not secure. The main source of the threats is the deteriorated international environment". Accordingly, the core goal of foreign policy is to support, to the fullest extent, the security of the state and its citizens.
Goals directly related to or contingent on the core goal are strong alliances and new partnerships, the protection and promotion of values, and economic prosperity. In addition, there are enduring goals that have an indirect security element: the modern public service and the promotion of Czechia's good name abroad.
1.Strong alliances and new partnerships
Czechia will remain a reliable EU and NATO member in formulating, adopting and implementing collective decisions – including those concerning changes that need to be made within each organisation. The primary focus will be on the solidity of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and the need to build up Europe's defence industry, capacities and capabilities, while ensuring that the rise in defence expenditure adds to prosperity. Czechia will interlink its strategies and activities with common initiatives – such as NATO's Strategic Concept, and the European Union’s Strategic Compass For Preparedness and Defence roadmap document, its European Preparedness Union Strategy, and the White Paper for European Defence – in order to be well-prepared and resilient. As a member of the EU, NATO and “coalitions of the willing”, Czechia will work consistently towards unity, strength, resilience, cohesion, operational capability and meaningful alliances in the international environment. It will promote consistent and predictable positions. Czechia's diplomacy will actively ensure that its interests are reflected in final common decisions; this will require an adequate presence of Czech citizens in EU and NATO structures.
Czechia will continue to foster relations with its neighbours. It will promote people-to-people contacts through regional and cross-border formats, partnerships (between communities, cities, regions and non-governmental organisations), art and research projects, and student and academic exchanges. It will use discussion forums hosted by Czechia, Germany, Poland, Austria and Slovakia and financed by those countries (and by the International Visegrad Fund); some of that funding will also cover projects in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe. Coordinating with neighbours through the internal market and strategic partnerships, Czechia will secure supplies of energy and critical raw materials, reinforce critical infrastructure, and fight against illegal migration and human smuggling. Czechia will continuously and transparently communicate with their partners about the safeness of nuclear energy in order to ensure that mutual relations do not suffer from differences of opinion.
Strengthening strategic partnerships will remain among the main tasks of Czech diplomacy, involving mainly France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Poland, the Republic of Korea, Romania, the United Kingdom, the United States and Ukraine. The goal will be to achieve as many tangible results as possible in all fields. Priority areas will encompass European defence capabilities and capacities, broad-level security (including energy security and cybersecurity), democracy and human rights, trade and investment, technologies and research, and promoting international standards.
Czechia will seek to deepen its bilateral relations with its EU and NATO allies and like-minded partners on all continents. To expand bilateral cooperation, it will capitalise on countries' involvement in Ukraine's defence capability and reconstruction. It will invest in capacity building, security-expertise sharing, and timely reactions and resilience to hybrid threats.
Czechia will build on values, interests and synergies (bilateral and multilateral) to develop new partnerships and to make existing partnerships more efficient – even taking them to a strategic level, where appropriate. The decisive focus will be common needs or interests and shared objectives within international organisations. Czechia will avail itself of the various reconstruction and development programmes run by the EU, UN, other organisations and development banks; in doing so, it will draw on its experience of social and economic transformation and the know-how it has acquired in developing regional strategies and export-promotion tools;. It will facilitate the involvement of Czech companies and offer expertise and technologies in the fields of security, trade and investment, sound circular-economy practices, environment-friendly agriculture and water management, clean energies, healthcare, education, and disaster prevention and management.
In addition to its multi-layered relations with Israel, Czechia will engage with other countries in the Middle East and North Africa, profiting from its diplomatic missions and its rich industrial tradition. It will focus on the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the League of Arab States. It will develop opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region (including the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), and in sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
2.Protection and promotion of values
In the furtherance of its own interests, Czechia will protect and promote values which are based on respect for human rights and international law and which reject “revisionism”, the rule of the strong, and the creation of “spheres of influence”. To this end, it will work actively within international organisations – particularly the EU, NATO, Council of Europe, the OSCE and the UN system (including the Human Rights Council). It will participate in joint missions and operations and support the making of necessary reforms to international institutions. Czech engagement will be effective, cross-cutting, and in line with its financial commitments.
Influential diplomacy hinges on successful candidacies in international organisations. One crucial Czech endeavour is the current effort to secure for the country a seat as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2032-2033 term. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will coordinate steps taken across the government agencies to ensure a unified approach regarding this and other candidacies.
We will step up dialogue with countries of different value orientation which nevertheless, like Czechia, uphold an international order that is grounded in the principles of the UN Charter. We will do so without compromising our principles. Such dialogue will concern global issues such as non-proliferation and arms control regimes, sustainable development goals, climate change, artificial intelligence, new technologies, and the peaceful use of outer space. To promote stability, security and economic development in Europe's neighbourhood (mainly the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel), we will concentrate on the prevention and suppression of illegal migration, the fight against terrorism, economic and environmental security, and respect for human rights (including the rights of women).
Other priorities will include cyberspace and the regulation of new technologies in order to safeguard human rights and fundamental freedoms. Similarly, we will include human rights in our support for setting international social standards. Czechia will take a responsible approach (while remaining mindful of its interests) regarding security in supply chains, sensitive exports, the screening of foreign investments, and the imposition or enforcement of sanctions. Besides supporting common action and the exchange of information within the EU and with close partners, we will use the Czech national sanctions list as a complementary tool to the fullest extent.
Czechia will work with its allies and partners to ensure that Russia is held responsible for the crimes that it has committed and the damage that is has caused in Ukraine. The appropriate tools are the International Criminal Court, the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, and the Register of Damage for Ukraine (founded by the Council of Europe). Czechia will provide Ukraine with political, military, diplomatic, humanitarian, developmental and reconstruction assistance in support of its independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty, and its aspirations to join the EU (and, possibly, NATO). Czechia will be a staunch and consistent advocate of the EU's and NATO's strategic and comprehensive approach to the constant threat posed by non-democratic Russia. In the same vein, we will engage in building up the EU's internal security and resilience and in reinforcing its border-protection infrastructure in order to counter, among other challenges, instrumentalised migration on the eastern land border.
Support from the EU's neighbours will be necessary because these states, too, are exposed to Russia's destabilising influence. In the course of the EU enlargement process (which also entails new member embracing the EU’s shared values) Czechia will focus on the reforms accomplished by the candidate countries and the link between those reforms and the progress achieved during that process. It will pay special attention to the impact of enlargement on the EU's ability to function effectively. Our cooperation with partners in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe will prioritise economic and energy security and the convergence of standards, legal regimes, and foreign policy positions with those of the EU.
Czech foreign policy will be active and open towards the input from non-governmental organisations, think tanks and civil society. It will look for ways to advance cooperation with these partners (which include the Czech Development Agency and the Institute of International Relations – both established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The new Human Rights and Transition Promotion Policy will bring Czechia’s traditional and long-standing priorities into line with the current conditions. Czechia will continue to run transition projects aimed at fostering democracy, the rule of law, good governance and human rights. It will support active citizenhood, free political competition, independent media and non-governmental organisations, gender equality and, as ever, human-rights defenders and the unjustly persecuted.
In an environment of intense information manipulation and interference, Czech diplomacy will strategically disseminate verified information in a thoughtful and appealing manner across a broad geographical scope, with the aid of tailor-made instruments. In coordination with allies and on its own initiative, it will conduct an open dialogue with the international and Czech public, experts and young people. Topics covered will include security in Europe, Czechia's EU and NATO membership, the universality of human rights, humanitarian assistance and development cooperation.
3.Economic prosperity
Czech exports represent almost 80 per cent of the country’s GDP; 80 per cent of those exports are destined for the EU. Thus, Czechia's prosperity relies on an environment that is conducive to open international trade and fair and equitable treatment. The principal tool for creating such an environment is active EU membership – that is to say, it is essential to capitalise on the internal market and its progressive integration, EU trade policy (including the EU's free-trade agreements and other types of partnerships) and sectoral cooperation. Czechia will coordinate intensively within the EU and with its allies and close partners in order to achieve mutual openness and the synergic support of trade. It will strive to help coordinate the shaping of a secure international environment that honours the agreed rules and commitments. Czechia will engage in the work of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and will urge the reform and strengthening of the WTO (the only global platform for setting international trade rules).
Czechia will be building its prosperity by increasing the competitiveness of its economy. The EU's open internal market is one of the cornerstones of this effort. Accordingly, Czechia will advocate for an internal market that facilitates the movement of citizens and companies across the EU. To make this a reality, Czechia will promote the deepening of the internal market and the removal of the remaining barriers – especially in the services sector. It will efficiently enforce the internal market's rules and foster a business-friendly climate, creating a level playing field for all actors. It will promote an active industry policy, placing a special emphasis on the traditional industries (including the automotive industry). It will support a pragmatic take on the climate targets set out in the EU Strategic Agenda 2024-2029. Czechia will assert its interests through effective coalitions with like-minded states.
Under its Export Strategy, Czechia will aim at the long-term sustainable growth of exports, the diversification of trade and the internationalisation of Czech companies (and the improvement of their positions within supply and production chains). To this end, all available tools will be employed – including the EU's Common Commercial Policy, export promotion, development cooperation, and membership in international organisations. In joint missions and operations, we will ensure the security of trade routes and critical infrastructure (including maritime shipping, and land and maritime-energy networks).
Czechia will bolster its economic security and resilience by preventing, eliminating or minimising strategic dependencies and undesirable transfers of sensitive technologies. To achieve this it will deploy its expertise, knowledge and ability to monitor the international environment. Czech exporters will be provided with information on export and investment opportunities, and with opportunities for internationalisation and diversification – thus reducing undesirable dependencies and geopolitical risks that might significantly affect trade flows and supply chains. The priority will be an unhindered supply of strategic products such as critical raw materials, food and medicines. Czechia will look for new sources of raw materials and ways of diversifying and securing its import and export supply chains. It will encourage incoming foreign investment and the participation of Czech stakeholders in crucial and strategic foreign investment projects with a regional impact. The focus will also be on international cooperation in research, development and innovation, and on tailoring the recruitment of foreign workers to the specific needs of Czech-based companies.
4.Modern public service
Consular services offered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs enable citizens to enjoy the opportunities and avoid the risks associated with international mobility. Ministry staff will optimise services ranging from one-off consultations to complicated cases, assistance to crime victims and minor children, the issuance of travel documents, notarial civil registration and citizenship procedures. Digitisation will connect state institutions in Czechia with our embassies and consulates worldwide. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will use the honorary consular network to its full capacity in order to communicate more efficiently and assist Czech travellers as quickly as possible. The online system whereby citizens travelling abroad may register in case of future need (DROZD) will be further developed.
Cooperation with Czechs living abroad will involve long-established and recently formed Czech communities. The diaspora policy will focus on both registered associations and individuals living abroad permanently or long-term. The nearly three million Czechs living abroad have access to more than three hundred associations and schools. Their bond with Czechia will be supported by the Czech cultural heritage programme, educational programmes, the option to vote by postal ballot in Czech elections and the planned changes to the rules for acquiring Czech citizenship.
The visa service regulates the entry and residence of foreigners in Czechia and the Schengen area. Czechia will continue to digitalise the service and reduce the administrative burden in order to ensure security and prevent illegal migration, and to encourage trade and tourism, expert travel, and exchanges between scientists and academics. Specific but flexible procedures will provide for the needs of people persecuted by authoritarian regimes, compatriots without Czech citizenship, students, scientists, scholars and experts.
5.The good name of Czechia
Czechia's positive image abroad is an essential springboard for consistently promoting our values and interests. This requires an approach to public diplomacy that is widely coordinated and policy-driven. Public diplomacy will present Czechia as a modern and innovative country that is firmly anchored in European structures and active in dealing with urgent global issues. Czechia's unified visual identity must be given a pivotal role. The foundations on which Czechia will build its good name are its cultural heritage and world-famous personalities, its creativity and innovative thinking, business and tourism opportunities, and education for the future. Additional tools will include language courses, topical workshops, and the successes and achievements of Czech artists, athletes, scientists and business people. Every year, there will be a range of joint or individual projects sponsored or organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, embassies and consulates, Czech Centres, and other institutions representing Czechia abroad.
Our partners in human rights, transition, and development programmes will also present Czechia as a responsible and trustworthy country that lives by its values. A vital asset will be Czech engagement in efforts to protect human lives and health during conflicts and disasters, and in programmes to reduce inequalities worldwide.
Naturally, Czechia's reputation will be further boosted by Czech communities and honorary consuls, and by international students enrolled in Czech universities (where their presence is growing year-on-year). Self-funded students from all over the world (most typically from North America) and students coming only for semester courses outnumber those who finance their studies through Czech government scholarships. Embassies and consulates will intensify their contacts with compatriots and with friends of (and experts on) Czechia – many of whom hold key positions in politics and society and are recognised professionals or prime movers of dynamic trade with the country concerned.
Young journalists and personalities from Africa, Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans will benefit from projects enabling them to experience Czechia first-hand, such as the Duke Wenceslas Future Leaders Programme, the Cool Czechia programme, the Václav Havel Scholarship and the Jiří Dienstbier Journalism Fellowship.
Building our country's image is an ongoing task that brings together a large number of actors: state institutions and local or regional self-government bodies, professional and interest-based unions, churches and political parties, non-governmental organisations and think-tanks, academics and scientists, Czechs living abroad, artists, athletes, and students. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will combine the promising projects of its partners with its public diplomacy and ensure effective coordination across the public administration (including through the unified blueprint for Czechia's presentation abroad.
The principal foreign policy tool is a professional foreign service that is sufficiently staffed with qualified personnel (both at home and abroad) and is equipped with an adequate network of embassies and consulates. The distribution and size of embassies and consulates must match the needs of modern diplomacy, in line with the FPF. Through its Diplomatic Academy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs trains its staff, develops their skills, prepares candidates for international organisations, and provides specialised in-depth training.
Diplomats has a unique capacity to continually gather, verify, assess and analyse information from foreign sources and to put it into context. In times of geopolitical struggle, an understanding of the international situation is a tool not only for choosing the best means of fulfilling a foreign policy task but also for building resilience and reducing vulnerabilities. This understanding must be shared, in appropriate ways, within the public administration and with other actors – including investors and business people, non-governmental organisations, think tanks and universities.
Sharing this understanding is a specific task for our professionals in the field of strategic communication, which is an indispensable instrument for any foreign policy goal. Strategic communication disseminates knowledge acquired through targeted research. It coordinates priorities and procedures with national and foreign partners. It includes providing everyday information to the public, building confidence in the rule of law and diplomacy, explaining the priorities and values of our foreign policy, and making citizens more resilient to manipulative and false information. Without solid strategic communication, there can be no public support for foreign policy and no desirable response from foreign partners.
Today's diplomacy must operate across many fields that connect domestic policies with foreign affairs. Specialised fields of diplomacy have developed, such as security, digital, economic, energy, humanitarian, environmental, cultural, cyber, migration, raw materials and scientific diplomacy. Naturally, this heightens the need to emphasise practical day-to-day cooperation among ministries and state institutions. It requires a government-wide approach to foreign policy goals. A specific challenge is the domestic coordination of our EU agenda; this is a time- and content-intensive process. All Czech actors must speak with one voice. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinates diplomatic activities across most areas of foreign relations in a manner that is consistent, transparent and in conformity with the applicable laws. It supports the Prime Minister's office in coordinating EU policies through the Government's Committee for the EU. Outside Czechia, the diplomatic network interacts with other state institutions and representations – namely the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, the Czech Centres and the CzechTrade, CzechInvest and CzechTourism agencies.
Through humanitarian assistance, development cooperation, and its transition policy Czechia demonstrates its concern for the state of the world and supports security and prosperity at home, in Europe, and globally. As set out in the Development Cooperation Strategy, Czechia's programmes have a broad focus that includes protection of the environment, climate and biodiversity. The programmes cover the provision of assistance to forcibly displaced people and the prevention of illegal migration (which involves reintegration support for returnees in their countries of origin). The programmes facilitate humanitarian, development and security-related activities in unstable regions and combine bilateral expertise with international funding, mainly from the EU. They provide opportunities for non-governmental partners. Scholarships for students, as well as university partnerships, complement the programmes.
Another task for diplomacy is to foster external economic relations over the long term, bearing in mind the increasing focus on the growth of Czechia’s gross national income. Export promotion (including economic diplomacy) is an all-round tool for Czech companies in foreign markets, whether they are selling goods, services or investments. It helps to strengthen defence cooperation, deepen relations with allies and build Czechia's defence capacities. Economic diplomacy gathers and shares reliable information and provides a wide range of services (such as events promoting Czech companies). Scientific diplomacy assists with presenting and linking Czech research and innovations internationally and with applying their results commercially.
An increasingly important tool is sanction and control regimes, including Czechia’s export control system for sensitive items and foreign investment screening. Through the export control system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs scrutinises aspects relevant to foreign policy and international security and – in coordination with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence, intelligence services and other bodies – fulfils Czechia's commitments.
The strategic tasks for Czechia's foreign policy in the FPF will be developed in regional or thematic documents and through annual foreign policy priorities. Current documents will be reviewed and, where necessary, brought into line with the FPF.
Following the adoption of the FPF, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will review its coordination mechanisms with the Office of the President of the Republic, the Government Office, the National Security Adviser, both parliamentary chambers, and other ministries and state institutions. Where necessary, it will propose changes to optimise the process.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the primary party responsible for implementing the FPF. It will regularly review the FPF and assess the relevance of (and progress made on) each of the goals against the background of international developments. The FPF will be updated on the basis of the overall needs.
The FPF gives citizens a comprehensive and straightforward vision for Czech foreign policy. In the light of the changing international environment, this policy must both be grounded in domestic political consensus and enjoy broad public support.