The Bruges Group Speech about Europe

English Pages, 3. 5. 2012

Many thanks for your invitation and for giving me the opportunity to say a few words about Europe here, in London, in this very special period of time. I am aware of your Group’s continuing interest in this topic and suppose I will not be blowing against the wind in front of this audience.Europe, or perhaps better to say the European Union, has been also my interest and topic for many years.

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How Regimes Collapse and How to Go Back to Liberty? (Notes for Fez)

English Pages, 22. 4. 2012

Mr. Rector, members of the Mont Pelerin Society, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank you for the invitation. Being here is very inspiring and motivating for me. I have never been to Morocco and to this part of the world before and already my first hours here indicate that it will be an unforgettable visit. And a learning process. The first MPS regional meeting in Africa is a great, almost revolutionary event. Let me use this opportunity to say how honoured we, the Czechs, are to host the MPS 2012 General Meeting in Prague in September this year.

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Is There a Chance to Return Europe to a Free Society?

English Pages, 3. 4. 2012

Robert Nef is – without doubt – one of the last classical liberals. There are, of course, many other people in Europe who are convinced that they are anti-communists or anti-socialists, who would insist that they are pro-market and pro-democracy but we know that they are far from being true believers in freedom and free markets and we know as well that they are not active and loud defenders of the classical liberal principles so dear to Robert Nef (and me).

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Introductory Remarks to the Presentation of the Book „Sauver les démocraties en Europe“ in Paris

English Pages, 2. 4. 2012

Many thanks for the publication of this collection of my recent texts and speeches about Europe here in France and in French language. This book may, hopefully, give – at least to interested and concerned readers – the direct contact with my views, not with their very often intentional and calculated caricature in the media.  Let me express my gratitude to all who made it possible: to the publisher of the book François-Xavier de Guibert, to the translators of my book, to the Czech Ambassador in France Mrs. Chatard and her husband.

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Speech of the President at Çukurova University in Turkey

English Pages, 16. 2. 2012

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, Students, thank you for the invitation to visit your university and for the possibility to address this audience. I appreciate it very much. This is not my first academic speech in Turkey. Six years ago, I spoke at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara and a year before that at Forum Istanbul.

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Riyadh Speech: The European Problems As Seen from Prague

English Pages, 17. 1. 2012

Secretary General, Ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, in the past twenty years, I had been – especially in its first part –mostly asked to speak abroad about the intricacies of the transition which the former communist countries, including my country, the Czech Republic, had to undertake on their way from communism to a system of parliamentary democracy and market economy. This unique and revolutionary transition is over but I believe our experience should not be forgotten.

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The Political Economy of Introducing Free Markets: Notes for IIASA Conference

English Pages, 14. 1. 2012

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be at this very unique gathering with all of you. It is nice to meet so many old friends. It is rather curious that I have not yet participated in any conference organized by the well-known International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. There is a reason for it, however.

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Speech by the President of the Czech Republic at the Funeral Service in St. Vitus Cathedral

English Pages, 23. 12. 2011

Dear Mr. Archbishop, Dear Mrs. Havlová, distinguished guests from the Czech Republic and from abroad, allow me, as the President of the Czech Republic who assumed this function immediately after Václav Havel, to render the last tribute to this great personality of our modern history, personally, as well as on behalf of the Czech Republic and its citizens.

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Speech by the President of the Czech Republic at the mourning gathering to honour the late President Václav Havel

English Pages, 21. 12. 2011

We have gathered here today at this historic place in the heart of Prague Castle to pay our respect to Václav Havel, who passed away on Sunday, 18 December, following a long and difficult illness, yet he passed away unexpectedly. We have gathered in the Vladislav Hall, where Václav Havel was first elected and inaugurated as President twenty two years ago. There is not a more appropriate place in our country where to bid him farewell.

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Statement by the President of the Czech Republic reflecting the death of former Czech President Václav Havel

English Pages, 18. 12. 2011

Dear Fellow Citizens,

This morning, the first President of our restored democratic republic, Václav Havel, has passed away after a long and severe illness. We knew about his serious health problems but the news about his death is something we did not dare admitting. We know how grave the health difficulties he was facing were and how brave he was in confronting them.

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