The research for the Government Office was conducted in November 2024, during the time when interviews (so-called “grilling”) of national candidates for European Commissioners were taking place in the European Parliament. It was already clear that the Czech Republic would be assigned the portfolio for International Partnerships. However, it was still uncertain whether the Czech candidate would be allowed to take up the office. Nevertheless, the Czech representative successfully passed the interview conducted by the European Parliament’s representatives. Subsequently, the European Parliament approved the new European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen. The Commission officially took office on January 1, 2025.
One of the main priorities of the new European Commission, as Ursula von der Leyen had previously announced, is to increase the competitiveness of the European Union. This year, the new European Commission introduced the Competitiveness Compass, which aims to support innovation, reduce bureaucratic obstacles, and strengthen the EU market.
The prevailing perception among the Czech public is that the EU is lagging behind the world’s major powers.
When assessing the state of the European Union, the Czech public continues to perceive it as overly bureaucratic and overregulated. This trend is evident in the survey’s findings regarding the public’s perception of the main barriers to increasing prosperity of the EU and its member states. There is a broad consensus that the European Union has a high level of bureaucracy and regulation, which Czechs perceive as obstacles to the EU’s competitiveness.
The main aspect that the Czech public associates with the competitiveness of the EU bloc is primarily its position in relation to global powers such as China or the United States. According to Czech citizens, the EU’s economic strength is a manifestation of its competitiveness, which is reflected in its position in the global market as well as in the economic prosperity of EU member states.
The main area that the Czech public associates with the competitiveness of the European Union is the ability to assert itself against global powers. However, there is also a prevailing impression that the EU is economically falling behind the other world powers. The majority of people (70%) agree with the statement that the European Union lags behind China in many respects. When it comes to the United States, 65% of people agree with the same statement.
The public is divided on the question of the euro’s strength as a global currency, as well as on whether the EU is a global guarantor of democratic values and freedom. More than half the public disagrees with the statement that the EU is a driving force in international affairs. Even stronger disagreement is expressed with the idea that the EU is the world’s most powerful economic bloc.
There is a strong perceived need within Czech society to increase the competitiveness of the EU, primarily through the implementation of specific measures at the European Union level. Once again, the need to remove bureaucratic obstacles and regulations within the single market stands out. As many as 79% of people perceive this as necessary. An equally high share of Czech society (76% of respondents) sees the need for EU action in access to healthcare and social services.
On the other hand, the Czech public considers support for research into technologies to combat climate change and the unification of the European digital market to be among the less important measures the bloc should adopt. Although the public recognizes the need for these measures, there is scepticism about whether the European Union is capable of putting them into practice.
The benefit of the International Partnerships portfolio is seen by the public in terms of opportunities for Czech companies
From the perspective of the Czech public, the portfolio of the Czech European Commissioner for International Partnerships is should primarily bring new opportunities and investments for Czech companies. When comparing different areas, 37% of people see this as a benefit for the Czech Republic.
Additional benefits, according to a part of the public, lie in the potential to address the root causes of illegal migration in countries of origin, as well as in the overall economic strength of the portfolio to boost the EU’s competitiveness or to shape and direct the EU budget. Other possible roles of the EU in the world through this portfolio are seen by the Czech public as only secondarily beneficial for the Czech Republic.
The cited research by the STEM research institute (www.stem.cz) on competitiveness and the European Union was conducted in November 2024, during the same period when national candidates for European Commissioner were being interviewed by representatives of the European Parliament. At that time, it was already clear which portfolio would be assigned to the Czech Republic, but it was not yet certain whether the Czech candidate would be allowed to take up the office. The research was conducted on a sample of Czech residents aged 18 and over, selected using quota sampling. A total of 1,008 respondents answered the questions through a combination of online and face-to-face interviews (CAWI + CAPI). The sample was weighted to be representative in terms of voter turnout in the last parliamentary elections, the election results of political parties, and the results of the second round of the presidential election.
