Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is traveling to Prague on June 29.
There he will meet with Jozef Síkela, Minister of Industry and Trade; Marek Havrda, Deputy Minister for European Affairs; and ?t?pán ?erný, Director-General of European Policy Coordination for the Prime Minister.
As the Czech Republic looks ahead to the start of its EU Council presidency on July 1, Franck Riester will share the trade policy advances we have made during our Council presidency, which are aimed at making our policies more assertive, responsible and sustainable and a greater source of opportunities for our businesses.
Mr. Riester will also discuss the strengthening of the Franco-Czech economic relationship, especially as regards projects in the transportation and energy sectors. He will stress the overlapping views and interests shared by France and the Czech Republic regarding the role of nuclear power in the transition to carbon-free energy and the need to end our dependency on Russian oil and gas in the context of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
Franck Riester will meet with the French business community in the Czech Republic, which is centered around the Franco-Czech Chamber of Commerce and the Team France Export network, to discuss the consequences of the war in Ukraine. He will take part in the Partners' Day event organized by EDF in order to formalize the partnership between French and Czech businesses in preparation for bidding on the tender for the construction of the Dukovany 5 power plant, a project that is supported by EDF and by France. Mr. Riester will also reiterate our desire to forge a true European nuclear energy alliance with the Czech Republic.