Czech decoration of the EU Council will be a controversial artistic endeavor

Brussels - The Czech presidency, which began at midnight today, will be filled in Brussels not only by increased activity from Czech diplomats and politicians but also by a plethora of various Czech cultural events. Diplomacy, regional representatives, and other organizations from the presidency country traditionally use this six-month period of "visibility" to present their culture and country. The same will apply for the Czechs. This is evident from the list of planned accompanying events that is available to the Czech News Agency. Their number will exceed a hundred, promise diplomats from the Czech mission to the EU, which coordinates the events.
    The presidency started today and will end on June 30. Then the Czechs will hand over the presidential reins to the Swedes. In the EU Council, where meetings of the ministers of member states take place, there will be an exhibition of photographs by Herbert Slávik and a presentation of Czech design right from the beginning of the Czech mandate.
    A symbolic cultural start of the presidency will be the ceremonial Czech ball on January 30. The final touch is expected to be the Czech Street Party planned for June 27. In both cases, these are events that have already taken place in Brussels in the past, and which diplomats would like to turn into a certain tradition.
    "From the perspective of the European Union, our country is a relative newcomer; however, from the perspective of European culture, it has been an important center since time immemorial," writes Karel Schwarzenberg, the head of Czech diplomacy, in a brochure regarding cultural events during the presidency. The Czechs are preparing, for example, exhibitions about the reign of King and Emperor Charles IV, the musician Gustav Mahler, and the writer Franz Kafka. They will also organize events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain in Europe.
    "The Czech presidency in the EU Council aims to positively combine both: to show that even a newer and geographically small member country located in the heart of Europe can perform well in the presidential role, also thanks to its rich cultural tradition that intertwines with the history of Europe and influences it," added the minister.
    Probably on January 12, the Czechs should also unveil the decoration of the repeatedly mentioned EU Council. France, from which the Czech Republic took over the presidency in the EU, adorned the entrance atrium of this building with, among other things, a huge transparent balloon hanging from the ceiling. Prague is currently keeping its plans under wraps. However, there are hints that it will be a relatively controversial artistic endeavor that will likely not go unnoticed.