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Presidents from at least six countries are expected to attend a two-day conference about the European Union’s Eastern Partnership. The event taking place in Prague on April 24 and 25 should be attended by the presidents of Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Georgia, and Armenia, President Miloš Zeman’s spokesman said on Monday. Participation of Ukraine’s acting president is not certain at the moment. The meeting is likely to focus on Ukraine with continued tension in the country increasing the importance of the EU’s initiative to strengthen links with countries from the former Soviet Union, commented the president’s foreign affairs expert, Hynek Kmoníč. It would be for the meeting to lay out firmer guidelines, he added. Czech EU Commissioner responsible for enlargement and the eastern partnership dossier, Štefan Füle, will be attending the meeting but other top EU leaders are staying away from it, according to media reports.

Czechs’ declining trust in the European Union is the legacy of previous euro-sceptic governments and euro-sceptic former president Václav Klaus, the prime minister, Bohuslav Sobotka said on Friday evening after a meeting with the chairman of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz. For his part Mr. Schulz said the EU’s biggest problem was a loss of faith in both European and national institutions. The Czech Republic joined the bloc on May 1, 2004. A recent opinion poll suggested only 34% of Czechs trust the EU, the lowest figure since regular the survey was introduced in 1994.

The head of the European Commission, Jose Barroso, and the president of the European Union, Herman Van Rompuy, have turned down invitations to attend an EU Eastern Partnership conference at Prague Castle on April 24 and 25, Lidové noviny reported on Wednesday. The EU’s foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, is also not coming, the newspaper said. Czech Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek said the senior EU officials were currently preoccupied by the Ukraine crisis. Mr. Van Rompuy is due in Prague on April 30, the eve of the 10th anniversary of Czech accession to the EU.

Preparations are underway for celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the country’s accession to the European Union on May 1st. The authorities are planning a series of events including conferences, exhibitions and concerts. An international conference entitled “The Czechs through the eyes of Europe, Europe through the eyes of Czechs” is taking place at Prague Castle this Friday. It will be addressed by President Miloš Zeman, European Parliament President Martin Schulz, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, EU Commissioner for Expansion Stefan Fule and former Italian prime minister Mario Monti, among others. EU President Herman van Rompoy will be present at the celebrations, arriving in Prague on April 30.

Czechs’ trust in EU institutions is at an all-time low ahead of the upcoming 10th anniversary of the country’s accession to the European Union on May 1, the ctk news agency reports. Since trust in the EU peaked at 56 percent in the late 1990s Czechs’ satisfaction with their country’s EU membership has decreased by one third. The slide has been confirmed by several independent polling agencies. A CVVM poll which puts the trust rating at 34 percent, says that in addition to the economic crisis the slide is due to growing resentment against EU red tape and limitations enforced by EU legislation.

The Czech Republic gained much through EU membership, but failed to make the best use of the potential it offered, according to former EU commissioner Pavel Telička. In an interview for the ctk news agency in connection with the upcoming 10th anniversary of the country’s accession to the EU on May 1st, Mr. Telička said Czechs had benefitted from the free movement of people, labour and goods, but due to their own negative attitude had thrown away the chance to help mould important concepts and norms that would later apply across the EU. We were viewed as a troublemaker and thus often left out of informal talks, Mr. Telička said. The present centre-left government has vowed to bring the country back to the EU mainstream and take an active part in moulding the future of Europe.

The Social Democrats on Saturday launched their campaign to elections in the European Parliament. At a press briefing in Olomouc, party leader Bohuslav Sobotka said he would consider it a success if the Social Democrats defended their current seven seats in the assembly. The party will spend 25 million on campaigning and its candidates will appear at election rallies and debates around the country. Mr. Sobotka said it was important to generate greater public interest in the elections and bring as many voters to the ballots as possible. Elections to the European Parliament are scheduled to take place on May23-24.

Business News this Friday: Finance Ministry shuffles explosives firm over to Ministry of Industry & Trade; low-cost carrier Ryanair returns to Czech skies; Russian group sells Vítkovice Steel; most Czechs would rather hang onto the crown than adopt the euro.

Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš faces a serious conflict of interest which could put strain on the Czech Republic’s cooperation with the EU, according to German MEP Ingeborg Grässle. The Christian Democrat European deputy, who is in Prague to review the Czech Republic’s use of EU funds, has also called on Czech lawmakers to investigate rampant abuse of EU money.

A German Christian Democrat politician has expressed fears that Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš represents such a danger of conflicts of interests that cooperation with Prague will be difficult. CDU member of the European Parliament and member of its budget control committee, Ingeborg Grassle, expressed her concerns during a press conference, adding that Babiš’ companies have been paid 2.6 million euros from EU funds. She added that the Czech Republic’s system for pumping EU funds laid them open to massive abuse. The head of the budget committee later said she was expressing a personal opinion. Concern have frequently been expressed that billionaire Babiš’ media, agricultural and chemical interests make it difficult for him to make objective decisions as finance minister.