On 1 May 2004, Czechia joined the European Union. Which made most Czechs happy. 21 years later, some people have mixed feelings about Czeching into the EU. How do the Czechs look at this key event in their modern history today? Our author Sabina asked around, and was surprised by some of the responses given. Read for yourself!
A Polarized Society: Between EU…
The Soviet invasion of 1968 as captured by Sabina’s Grandfather Svatopluk Pražák. (Source: archive)
The Czech entry to the European Union (known as “Czeching In” in Czechia) in 2004 is a very complex topic. Why? Czech society is heavily polarized about many political issues. In the Czech political scene, the far-right populist side regularly wants to create a referendum and leave the EU. Then there is the populist center-left side with Andrej Babiš. It is mostly not for leaving, but heavily criticizes the EU’s climate change regulations policies for example. The center and right-wing groups mostly do not want to leave and like the EU. The left parties like Piráti (the Pirates) are the loudest EU supporters.
…and Russia
A Soviet tank in Czechia (Photo: Private).
And there’s Russia. Or rather, the issue of people’s position on Russia, the communist/socialist past of Czechia and the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The loudest voices in Czech media are against Russian influence and have a critical stance towards the communist past of the country. However, some parts of the population still support Russia as a former Soviet ally to socialist Czechoslovakia and thus is against the Western influence like the EU. They are a minority, but they need to be taken seriously.
What do Gen-Z Students Think About it?
Adam, a liberal 21-year-old student thinks that “The Czech entry to the EU is a complicated topic. The main question is whether being part of the EU is good. I am pro accepting the Euro because many Czech companies use the Czech Koruna and Euros anyway. Personally, entering the EU has been a good decision so far even though it brings aspects some people do not agree with. That, however, is a part of being in a society. It is therefore essential to look at things pragmatically. I believe that accepting the Euro has been a good decision – using the European dotation and supporting Ukraine is good. There are however things I do not agree with – for example chat controls and other things that I believe are not necessarily good or very bad.”
Josef, a centrist 22-year-old student, says: “Our history teacher asked us if we felt more European or Czech. I felt like we could have more identities. One can be dominant, but these do not outweigh each other. I think we should be in the EU – we are a little country, and we should not depend on another country that doesn’t have the best interests. For the UK, it is not crucial to be in the EU, but unfortunately, for us, it is. Czech society is also very polarized – there are very loud populists supporting Babiš and then people with other opinions, some more radical than others.”
Advantages vs. Disadvantages
One of the demonstrations against the Czech government. and the EU. (Source: archive of respondent Vladimíra)
Tereza, a liberal 20-year-old, thinks that “Joining the EU brought many advantages, which weigh out the disadvantages.”
Being part of the EU is most definitely connected to many advantages: we can freely travel between countries which are part of the Schengen area. The possibilities that lie within travelling or moving abroad freely are immense. We can study abroad and have better working conditions. We can also marry someone from a different country of the EU without significant problems. One of the EU’s biggest pluses is its support to less developing countries. Unfortunately, some Czechs do not see all aspects positively.
For instance, Vladimíra, a conservative 75-year-old pensioner and a reflective of the less radical supporters of Babiš, states: “I am afraid of being Central European instead of Czech and am afraid of the collapse of Czech national identity. I am also strongly against green deal and I am scared of us losing independence in favor of regulations from the EU. I am not pro leaving EU – I only want more nationalism.” I ask myself to which extend Vladimíra represents her generation as such. A generation that has lived under a Socialist regime and hasn’t grown up with a European identity at all.
A demonstration against the Czech government and their pro-EU policies (Photo: Private).
Between Euro and Koruna
One of the opposing views against EU policies by some parts of the population is having Euro currency as our national currency (we still use the Czech Koruna). It is one of the things Czechia promised to do, but it didn’t fulfil that promise. The problem might have been that the Euro issue wasn’t resolved right at the beginning of our EU journey. One group is for accepting the Euro as our currency. The opposing group is louder and is radically against accepting the Euro.
In front of the European Parliament (Photo: Private).
Some of the arguments against the Euro currency claim that we are a sovereign country and therefore we should keep our national currency, that we should not be “controlled“ by a central bank from abroad. The same people fear the Czechs losing control over their own economy. However, in the bigger picture – focusing on Czech companies, the international trade and on the economic growth of Czechia, entering the EU has many advantages which outweigh the disadvantages.
The Czech Koruna is very closely tied to the Euro anyway therefore the argument that we can regulate our own currency is not valid. Accepting the Euro as our currency would help small businesses which do not have the capacity to have evidence of sales in different currencies to sell abroad with ease. Travelling between countries would also be easier. There are also a lot of other factors from our EU existence – foreign policy, ecology, etc. Some Czech citizens are even in favour of leaving the NATO, which would make us very vulnerable – especially when it comes to power claims and threats from the East.
Czech in or Czech out?![]()
The most surprising statement for me was by 75 year-old Vladimíra, stating that being in the EU contradicts having a Czech national identity. Personally, I hope that the next elections (fall 2025) will end up without the far-right populists having many seats in the parliament. At the moment, not many Czechs are radically pro-Czeching out. I hope that we will stay Czeched-In for as long as possible.
