Concert in Vienna City Hall Launches Czech Council Presidency
A concert was held at Vienna City Hall to honor the Czech Republic and its incoming EU Presidency. This year, the Czech Republic will hold the EU Presidency for only the second time, having previously held it in 2009. Mayor Michael Ludwig and Chargé d'Affaires Jakub Novak welcomed guests in the arcade courtyard of Vienna City Hall.
The concert took place in the arcade courtyard of the Vienna City Hall. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Thomas Ledl / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
In honour of the Czech Republic and its incoming EU Presidency, a concert was held at Vienna City Hall. This year, the Czech Republic will hold the presidency for only the second time, having already had the honour in 2009.
The guests were welcomed in the arcaded courtyard of Vienna City Hall by Mayor Michael Ludwig and Chargé d'Affaires of the Czech Embassy Jakub Novák.
Ich kann mich gut an den August 1968 erinnern, als in Prag sowjetische Panzer auffuhren und den Prager Frühling beendeten. Die damaligen Erfahrungen haben sich nicht nur in die DNA der TschechInnen eingebrannt, sie sind auch fest im koll. Gedächtnis unseres Landes verankert. /1 https://t.co/J85s0NgMY9
— Michael Ludwig (@BgmLudwig) July 6, 2022
Both emphasised in their speeches that there is a deep friendship between the two countries, the Czech Republic and Austria, and that they are connected by their common history.
Another highlight of the evening was the speech of the Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations, the OSCE and other international organisations in Vienna, Ivo Šrámek, who presented the priorities of the Czech Presidency.
The opening ceremonies were musically accompanied by the band Ondřej Havelka and his Melody Makers. Their repertoire includes swing music from the early 1930s to the early 1940s. The band closed their performance with a swing interpretation of the anthem of the European Union.
The background of the event was the upcoming presidency of the Czech Republic of the Council of the European Union. It will hold this office for 6 months.
Ein wunderbarer Abend im Wiener Rathaus @Stadt_Wien! Danke für die Einladung an Botschafter Ivo Šrámek und Chargé d’Affaires Jakub Novák von @czechmfa_AT sowie Hausherrn @BgmLudwig, anlässlich des Beginns der tschechischen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft.
— Mordechai D. Rodgold (@RodgoldMD) July 7, 2022
Fotos: SOCIETY/Karakan pic.twitter.com/PIEeugrXYL
The task of the Presidency is to set the agenda for the meetings of the EU Council, to negotiate compromises between the Member States and to represent the EU Council externally.
The overarching goal of the Czech Presidency is to contribute to creating the best conditions for security and prosperity in the EU in accordance with the European values of freedom, social justice, democracy, the rule of law and environmental responsibility. The task of the EU, together with NATO, must be to guarantee security while ensuring strategic resilience and competitiveness of its economy.
The first part of the Czech Presidency's programme includes five priority areas: addressing the refugee crisis and post-war reconstruction in Ukraine, energy security, strengthening European defence capabilities and cyber security, the strategic resilience of the European economy and the resilience of democratic institutions.
The Czech Republic chaired the Council of the European Union for the first time back in 2009, five years after its accession to the EU. The motto of this year's presidency is, in Václav Havel's words, "Europe as a task".