Vaclav Klaus
Vaclav Klaus
Václav Klausis a Czech economist and politician who served as the second President of the Czech Republic from 2003 to 2013. He also served as the second and last Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, federal subject of the Czech and Slovak Federative Republic, from July 1992 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in January 1993, and as the first Prime Minister of an independent Czech Republic from 1993 to 1998...
NationalityCzechoslovakian
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth19 June 1941
country powerful past
Human relations tend to be more difficult when you're dealing with someone who weighs 30 kilograms more than you do. That's when you worry about whether a well-meaning gesture could produce complications. We have no problems with countries like Madagascar or Bolivia, for example. But Germany is our neighbor and we have a shared past. Besides, Germany is powerful and ambitious and more than four times as large as we are. It makes complete sense that we would act cautiously. It's simply Realpolitik.
country russia europe
But how can you speed up the transformation of society in a country as large as Russia? Those sounding the moral outcry are the ones who are trying to dictate their standards from the outside. Of course, that isn't the right way to go either. One cannot impose democracy from the other side of national borders, which is something we ourselves experienced during the communist era. The West's policies toward Eastern Europe, the Helsinki process - none of that really helped us.
country technology men
I am afraid there are people who want to stop the economic growth, the rise in the standard of living (though not their own) and the ability of man to use the expanding wealth, science and technology for solving the actual pressing problems of mankind, especially of the developing countries.
country goal priorities
Common foreign policy is completely unnecessary. The various European countries have widely differing priorities, goals and prejudices. It would be wrong to force them all to follow the same course.
although broad colleagues consensus faster issues move needs share
I share with my colleagues a broad consensus on what needs to be done, although there are issues where I want to move faster than they.
civic expect forum june parliament visible
But the Civic Forum has put me in a very visible position, and I expect that I will be in the parliament after the June elections.
allow government quite
Nonsense. I would like to say, quite formally and clearly, that my government would never allow something like this.
board created property selling state temporary
This week, we created a Board for the Temporary Administration of State Property that will look into selling government-owned assets.
awful
It's an awful thing and I take it very seriously,
cannot consensus czech delicate history
it is such a delicate part of Czech history that it cannot be done without consensus on it in the Czech Republic.
agreed became board broad cultural editorial issues literary major served
We served on the editorial board of a literary monthly called Face in 1968 and 1969. He was a young writer, and I was also interested in broad cultural issues. We agreed on all major issues and became friends.
allow allowing citizens companies limits number pass sell shares state workers
We will also allow state companies to sell shares to their workers and will pass a law allowing citizens to start companies of their own with no limits on the number of employees or on the firm's output.
among countries defined european eurozone monetary obvious optimum union work
It is obvious that the monetary union among 17 very different European countries does not work. As an economist, I know that the Eurozone is not an optimum currency area, as defined in economic theory.
europe states
I live in Europe and care about democracy and sovereignty of nation states there.