Europe

Czech Republic
Last reviewed: 31 March 2009

Country information

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

The Czech Republic's Relations with Neighbours

The Czech Republic is a founding member of the Visegrad Group (V4) with Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. The group seeks to work together to promote their common interests.

The Czech Republic's Relations with the International Community

The Czech Republic has now largely achieved its prime post-communist foreign policy goal of integration into the Euro-Atlantic mainstream. It joined the Council of Europe in 1990, the OECD in 1995, NATO in 1999 and the EU in 2004.

The Czech Republic has played an active part in international military operations. It is contributing to the NATO-led Kosovo Force and the EU Force in Bosnia. In Afghanistan in March 2008 the Czech Republic took responsibility for the provincial reconstruction team in the eastern Afghanistan province of Logar. The Czech Army also has Special Forces in Afghanistan supporting the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom.

THE CZECH REPUBLIC'S RELATIONS WITH THE UK

The Czech Republic and the UK continue to enjoy strong and positive relations at all levels including cultural, commercial and popular. Britain and the Czech Republic are both popular destinations for each other's nationals to holiday, study and work. There are around 3,500 British working in the Czech Republic and over 500,000 visited in 2008. In 2006, it was estimated that over 25,000 people living in the UK were born in the Czech Republic or the former Czechoslovakia.

At an inter-governmental level the UK and Czech Republic are close partners across a wide range of multilateral and bilateral issues. The Czechs currently hold the EU Presidency in until June 2009. The chosen theme of 'Europe Without Barriers' reflects their wish for an open and competitive Europe and the advantages gained by the Czech Republic from EU membership and the Four Freedoms; movement of goods, services, capital and people. The British Embassy in Prague works closely with the Czech Government, public authorities, private sector and NGOs on a large range of issues of common interest ranging from economic, trade and environmental policy to advice to tourists.

British Council Czech Republic