International Relations

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.

As a part of April survey made by CVVM there were questions about relationship of Czech citizens to the European Union. Respondents had to talk about impact of EU membership of Czech Republic on some segments of economical and ocial system of Czech Republic and their standard of living.The EU influence on supply of goods and services on czech market is best evaluated by 60% of addressed cititizens. On contrary impact on agriculture is supposed to be he worst by two thirds of respondents.

Satisfaction with EU membership of our country was expressed by more than a third of czech citizens (36%), on contrary approximately a fifth of Czechs feel dissatisfied with it. The highest number of respondents (40%) are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with EU membership of our country. When talking about our membership in EU people appreciate chance to travel to other EU states without any problems.

In September survey 28 % of respondents stated they are interested in situation in Palestine and Israel, on contrary 69 % of respondents stated they are not interested in it. Czech public is mainly sceptical when judging current relations between Palestine and Israel. Only 2 % of respondents evaluate these relations as rather good, 12 % of respondents suppose these relations to be neither good nor bad and three fifths of respondents consider the relations to be bad.

More than a third of czech citizens (36%) are satisfied with EU membership of the Czech Republic. A fifth of respondents are dissatisfied with it.The ambivalent opinions about satisfaction with membership of Czech Republic in European Union is shared by a 37% of czech citizens. 43% of czech public agree with existence of a united European Constitution. A third of public expressed their negative opinion about it.

Four out of ten czech citizens assume EU membership of the Czech Republic to be good thing. Almost same number of respondents are not sure, whether EU membership of the Czech Republic is a good thing or not.

Only 10 % of czech citizens suppose membership of Czech Republic in European Union to be wrong thing.

Almost a half of czech citizens feel themselves at least sometimes members of EU, on contrary 4 out of 10 never feel members of EU.