International Relations

Within the February survey of CVVM SOÚ AV ČR there was probed the confidence of Czech Citizens in European Union, North Atlantic Alliance and United Nations and then the satisfaction with membership of these institutions. More than half of Czech people confide in United Nations (56 %), on the other hand 27 % people have sceptic attitude towards this institution. Half of Czechs trust in European Union, but two fifths (40 %) have an opposite opinion.

About three fifths (61 %) of Czech citizens do not agree with planned deployment of U.S. anti-missile radar in Czech Republic, on the other hand a quarter (25 %) of respondents would approve it. Less than three quarters (73 %) of respondents expressed their opinion that this question should be decided in a referendum, 19 % of Czechs disagree with holding a plebiscite in this matter. People who are against the referendum are for the most part supporters of idea to locate the U.

A third of Czech citizens (33 %) is satisfied with membership of the Czech Republic in EU. Almost a half of respondents expressed their opinion that they are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with EU membership of the Czech Republic. On the other side 17 % of people are dissatisfied with it.

A half of respondents are satisfied with EU membership of Romania, while a third of Czech citizens do not agree with it.

In January survey CVVM SOÚ AV ČR investigated public attitude to membership of the Czech Republic in NATO and to some aspects concerning this membership. The question about satisfaction with membership in NATO was positively answered by more than half of respondents (55, 3%), on contrary 29, 2 % of addressed citizens shared opposite opinion . In comparison to year 2002 the same question was positively answered by 61 % and negatively by 23 % of respondents.

In November survey CVVM also asked respondents some questions about Benes decrees.

Currently more than a half of respondents share the opinion that Benes Decrees should continue to be in force, 13 % stood up for their cancellation, and more than a third (34 %) did not answer this question..

Expulsion of Sudet-German is considered to have been just by a half respondents, on the other hand a total of 32 % think it unjust.

Czech public more often than Poles, Hungarians and Slovaks consider Lebanese movement Hezbollah responsible for recent Israel–Lebanon conflict, but Czechs as well as citizens of other Central European states refuse the military operation of Israel in Lebanon. In the whole region people mainly support sending of UN peace mission to south Lebanon. People from Central Europe are mostly sceptic when thinking of the future of relationships between Israelis and Arabs.

In September survey made by CVVM SOÚ AV ČR we asked our respondents a question whether they trust to chosen international institutions. Confidence in all monitored international institutions prevails. OSN enjoys highest level of trust expressed by two thirds of respondents (61 %), on contrary a quarter of respondents (25 %) do not trust to OSN. Almost two thirds of respondents(58 %) also confide in the EU, otherwise 35 % do not find the EU trustworthy.

Trust prevails over mistrust in the case of V. Klaus, J. Chirac, T. Blair, A. Merkel, K. Annan, W. Schüssel, J. Barroso and D. Koizumi. For other personalities in international politics included in the survey, there is prevailing mistrust among the Czech public, most significant being for Fidel Castro and Alexander Lukashenko and also – though on a smaller scale – for the Presidents of the USA and Russia George Bush and Vladimir Putin.

More than three fifths (62 %) of czech citizens do not agree with locating of an U.S. anti-missile defense base in Czech Republic, on the other hand almost a quarter (24 %) of respondents would agree with it. More than three quarters (78 %) of respondents expressed their opinion that this question should be decided in a referendum, 14 % of Czech people are against holding a referendum in this question, while the part of people who are against holding a referendum are almost all supporters of locating of the U.

In April survey realized by CVVM respondents were asked to evaluate exercise of selected values in the EU and usefulness (or harmfulness) of european integration in areas of country defence, ekology, culture, economy and politics.

Exercise of democracy and cooperation was best evaluated by respondents. On contrary disagreement with assesment of justice and equality in EU prevailed.

As a part of April survey there was evaluation of influence of the european integration on country defence, culture, ekonomy and politics.