EU welcomes Czech revert to pro-EU policies

The President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso on Thursday hailed the Czech new government's decision of ending its euro skeptic policies, and starting with the symbolic joining of the European Union (EU)'s fiscal compact, an agreement on budget responsibility. "I believe Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka's taking up office marks a new start. He and his government are pushing the reset button on many fronts, and of course in relation to the European Union. The Czech Republic is taking back its role as an active and constructive member of our European family," Barroso told a press conference following a meeting with Sobotka. Sobotka told media that his government would be an active partner in the EU and would strengthen mutual cooperation. He paid his visit to the EU headquarters two days after his cabinet passed a confidence vote in the Czech parliament. Sobotka's center-left cabinet made a decision on Wednesday to start the process of preparing the ratification of the EU Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance, the so-called "Fiscal Compact." "The Czech Republic is turning a page and I sincerely believe that it will play a more active and more constructive part in our common European project," said Barroso.