Czech government seeks to sweeten EU campaign
(PRAGUE) - A humble sugar lump will take centre stage alongside celebrities in a Czech campaign to increase interest in the European Union unveiled by the government on Thursday.
The communication campaign, "We sweeten Europe," features a television spot with sports and cultural personalities, such as Czech and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, ice hockey star Jaromir Jagr, and architect Eva Jiricna, sitting round a conference table dribbling, catching and building with the Czech invention, the sugar lump.
The Czech Republic takes over the presidency of the EU on January 1.
"People do not know a lot (about the EU and the presidency) It is our major task to awake interest," European Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra told a news conference.
Vondra came up with the idea for using the sugar lump, invented in 1843 by a Czech.
The campaign has put the spotlight on discordant notes in the central European country which joined the EU in 2004 but whose head of state and an important faction in the main government party, the Civic Democrats, have strong Eurosceptic views.
President Vaclav Klaus sour stance on Europe was once famously summed up when he warned that the Czech Republic would dissolve like a lump of sugar in a cup of coffee.
The slogan also evokes the unpopular closure of sugarbeet processing factories at the demand of the EU two years ago.
"The main slogan does have some negative tinges," Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek admitted, but he defended the 12 million koruna (485,000 euro/ 700,000 dollar) campaign as a "unique opportunity" for Czechs to better understand Europe.
The campaign runs the risk of taking on an ironic meaning if the ex-communist country rejects the EU's reforming Lisbon Treaty, already derailed by the Irish 'no' vote in June. The Czech parliament has still to ratify it after the verdict of the Constitution court.
The court was called on to pronounce on the treaty's legality by the Civic Democratic dominated upper house, the Senate, with a final decision expected in coming weeks.
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