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REPORT: European Thursday in Scout Institute with Štěpán Černý

On the last Thursday of May, we once again gathered at the Scout Institute for another of our regular debates on European topics. Our May guest was Štěpán Černý, Director General of the European Section at the Office of the Government, who will be departing for Brussels in June to serve as the Czech Ambassador to COREPER I. In this report, we bring you a photo gallery from the event as well as an exclusive interview with Štěpán Černý about what COREPER actually is and what kind of work awaits Štěpán in Brussels.

Events

29. May 2025

Why is COREPER divided into two parts? What does each one handle?

The division is roughly along political and economic lines, but that’s far from the only criterion. Political disputes can arise in COREPER I matters as well, and COREPER II also deals with major economic issues, such as the EU budget and the Multiannual Financial Framework. The main reason for the division is the volume of the agenda. A standard meeting can include 10–15 discussion points, with the vast majority of Member States weighing in. According to the Treaty on the European Union, COREPER — the Committee of Permanent Representatives — is officially one body, just as there is only one Council, which nonetheless meets in various formations. Formally, the division corresponds to these Council formations: FAC, GAC, ECOFIN, and JHA are prepared by COREPER II, while the remaining Councils fall under COREPER I. Of course, close cooperation between teams is essential, as many topics overlap.

So what topics will you be focusing on?

As outlined above, the topics include the internal market, industry, improving the business environment, science and research, as well as energy and the environment, agriculture, health and social affairs, transport, telecommunications, and finally education, youth, culture, and sport.

There are clearly multiple levels of decision-making. This is often criticized here in the Czech Republic. What do you think of arguments claiming it’s inefficient or that it hinders the EU’s ability to act?

EU decision-making is deliberately complex to ensure that no single part of the process becomes too powerful. Decision-making driven by one person’s mood at a given moment is characteristic of more autocratic regimes — which, as European history in the 20th century shows, have not proven successful.

That’s why this relatively complex, but still hopefully functional, structure exists — to smooth out natural differences in opinion among states and other actors through a system of working groups and higher-level political bodies.

Who are our closest current partners? And how are coalitions or alliances on specific issues formed within COREPER?

The key thing to understand is that work in COREPER lies at the intersection of expert and political levels. Forming coalitions requires understanding where other Member States are coming from in defending their interests. If there’s some overlap — large or small — with our own interests, a coalition can be formed relatively easily.However, it’s also essential to be ready to listen to others and accurately read their flexibility, to see which elements of our position are likely to succeed and which are not.

Are you looking forward to it?

Yes.

And finally, we’d like to invite you to our next European Thursdays at the Scout Institute! Join us every last Thursday of the month — follow our channels for updates!