02/08/2022 21:00 | Article
Events of the Czech Presidency during the past month – JulyThe Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU is not only about demanding political negotiations, but also has a rich cultural programme. A number of cultural and accompanying events took place in July, both in Prague and Brussels.
Events of the Czech Presidency during the past month – July
The Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU is not only about demanding political negotiations, but also has a rich cultural programme. A number of cultural and accompanying events took place in July, both in Prague and Brussels.
A visit to the College of the European Commission and a concert at the Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival
On 1 July 2022, the College of the European Commission came to Litomyšl to hold talks with the Government of the Czech Republic and representatives of both chambers of the Czech Parliament. After a series of political meetings, in the evening the Commissioners and representatives of the Czech executive and legislature attended the Concert for Europe performed by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in the courtyard of the Litomyšl Castle as part of the Smetana’s Litomyšl Festival. Under the direction of conductor Jakub Hrůša, the Philharmonic played works by Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana and Josef Suk.
Before the start of the performance, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen gave a greeting. The visit of the European Commission to the presidency countries at the beginning of their presidency is a well-established tradition and helps to set the parameters for future cooperation.
Opening concert in the Rudolfinum
The opening ceremony of the Czech Presidency kicked off on 8 July 2022 with a concert at the Rudolfinum in Prague. The musical performance featured piano virtuoso Tomáš Kačo together with PKF – Prague Philarmonia under the direction of conductor Jan Kučera. The programme of the performance reflected the Czech identity and at the same time pointed to musical traditions in a modern concept. During the evening, among others, the song Stronger than Yesterday, composed by Tomáš Kačo especially for the Czech Presidency, was performed.
"We chose music deliberately...we all understand it, regardless of the languages we speak. Music is also diverse, just as the countries of the European Union are," said Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala. President Miloš Zeman expressed his wish for the Czech Republic to do a good job as the head of nations and countries allied by the choice of freedom.
Zátopek's Run kicked off the Presidency in Brussels
On Saturday 2 July 2022, the Friendship Run was held as part of the opening ceremony of the Czech Presidency at the Stade des Trois Tilleuls in Brussels. The pairs race was an homage to Emil Zátopek and Alain Mimoun, who dominated all the running races of their time, and their perseverance and alliance.
"The fact that it will be a pair race is very interesting. The partners have to adjust to each other's pace, reach an agreement. We will also need collegiality and cooperation to successfully manage the Presidency," said Ambassador Edita Hrdá, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the EU, before the race. Proceeds from the registration fee supported war-torn Ukraine through the organisation People in Need.
Exhibitions adorn the Council and European Parliament buildings
The buildings of the EU Council are adorned with the project Flower Union during the Czech Presidency. It includes carpets, tapestries and furniture made of recycled material, through which nine young Czech artists have likened the alliance of EU Member States to the diversity and interconnectedness of nature. The grand opening of the exhibition took place on Tuesday 12 July 2022 in the atrium of the Justus Lipsius building in the presence of the Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic Martin Baxa, the Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the EU Edita Hrdá and the Director of the National Gallery Prague Alicja Knast.
Over two dozen Czech artworks also adorned the European Parliament building. The main motive of the broad spectrum of the “Physiognomy of the Present” exhibition was to highlight man and his activity in the modern world. The gender and generationally balanced selection responded to the problems and traumas of the contemporary human. The exhibition, which was created under the patronage of MEP Marcel Kolaja and in cooperation with the European Parliament and the Prague City Gallery, was opened on the same day as the exhibition in the Council building by Minister of Culture Martin Baxa.
Czech literature and animation will be presented during the Presidency
The European audience will have the opportunity to get acquainted with Czech literature in the coming months. The project Meet Czech Literature will make samples of books by important contemporary Czech authors available in English to foreign readers. Czech authors who are currently among the most appreciated – Alena Mornštajnová, Jáchym Topol or Petr Hruška – will then gradually travel to Brussels to meet them.
The Czech Presidency will also present domestic animation. Throughout the six months, viewers can watch short animated films by Czech authors on the Presidency's website. The collection titled Watch Czech Animation offers, via the online platform Aniont, films with themes inspired mainly by modern Czech history.
Journalists from Brussels visit the Czech Republic
From 7 to 10 July 2022, a press trip for foreign journalists took place. The aim of the Czech Presidency was to introduce over 50 journalists from all EU Member States, as well as from Ukraine and the USA, to the priorities of the Presidency and other topics that will influence the Presidency.
However, the programme of the event was not only about meetings with politicians. Media representatives also learned more about the Czech glass-making tradition and Czech projects in nanotechnology and 3D printers. In the end, the journalists also visited two projects that help Ukrainian refugees – the Background Café and Nora Fridrichová's Wardrobe project.
Two exhibitions present the Czech Presidency and celebrate the anniversary of EU accession
With the start of the Presidency, a travelling exhibition of photographs was opened to celebrate the Czech Republic's 18 years in the EU entitled "We have grown up in the EU". The opening ceremony took place on 1 July 2022 in Litomyšl under the leadership of the Minister for European Affairs Mikuláš Bek and the Editor-in-Chief of the Czech Press Agency (ČTK) Petr Mlch, with the participation of the public and the media.
The composition of the selected photographs chronologically depicts the so-called adolescence of the Czech Republic in the European Union through various milestones – from the accession negotiations, through significant events, to the positives that our EU membership brings to ordinary citizens, such as entry into the Schengen area or European projects financed from cohesion funds. In the next six months, the exhibition will move around all of the regions of the Czech Republic. An overview of the individual locations can be found here.
On 19 July 2022, the second Mobile Expo panel exhibition in front of the National Technical Library took place. Minister Mikuláš Bek, Mayor of Prague 6 Ondřej Kolář and Director of the National Technical Library Martin Svoboda opened the exhibition with the symbolic cutting of a ribbon. The aim of the exhibition is to introduce the public to the functioning of the European Union and the Presidency itself in Czech and English. It will remain in front of the library building until December of this year.
Playlist of Czech songs on Spotify
In order to promote the Czech Presidency, a musical playlist was created on the Spotify platform. From the beginning of July, listeners can embark on a journey through the history of Czech music. The wide repertoire of songs has been carefully compiled to include the most important Czech composers and musicians representing various musical genres in different historical periods. It includes names such as Antonín Dvořák, Karel Gott, Věra Špinarová and Ivan Král.
The Czech Presidency playlist can be found here
Media campaign of the Czech Presidency
On the occasion of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council, a media campaign was launched not only on television, but also on radio and social media. The campaign primarily featured two video spots that capture important moments in the historical development of the Czech Republic. The shorter, thirty-second video is intended for the Czech audience, while the longer, one and a half minute long, spot was created for the Brussels audience.
The main purpose of the broader media campaign of the Czech Presidency is to raise public awareness of the European Union, to highlight its benefits and to show how the Czech Republic can influence its functioning and direction. Abroad, the emphasis is on a positive presentation of the Czech Republic.
Buildings across the Czech Republic lit up in blue
On the occasion of the opening ceremony of the Czech Presidency, the illumination of important buildings across the regions in blue took place, symbolising the EU flag. In Prague, the European blue colour adorned, for example, the New Town Hall and the Petřín Lookout Tower, as well as the Sýkora Bridge in Ostrava and the Tomas Bata University in Zlín. The illumination of the buildings went on from the evening hours of the last day of June until the early hours of the first day of the Presidency. The highlight of the evening was the visual projection of the CZ PRES logo onto the National Museum building and its illumination.
Media Gallery
