ECR Group Holds Study Days in Prague on Europe’s Security and Growth

Europe can no longer take its security for granted after being shaken by the war in Ukraine, according to conclusions drawn by the European Conservatives and Reformists Group during a four-day meeting in Prague that concluded on Friday. The event brought together members of the European Parliament to debate economic competitiveness, defense capabilities, and the future of the continent following shifts in global power.

Security Realities After Ukraine

The four-day gathering marked the first time in 17 years that the European Conservatives and Reformists Group held its Study Days in the Czech capital. Discussions on defense were spearheaded by Czech Member of the European Parliament Alexandr Vondra, who pointed to the ongoing war in Ukraine as a stark turning point for European safety.

The war in Ukraine has shattered the illusion that Europe can take its security for granted. We need to rebuild our defence capabilities now – not after the next crisis.

Alexandr Vondra

Group Co-Chair Nicola Procaccini echoed those security concerns during the opening sessions. Procaccini emphasized that the future of Europe relies on maintaining confidence, rebuilding domestic industrial capacity, and protecting the interests of member states against outside pressures.

Europe’s future will depend on whether it can remain secure, competitive and confident in its own strengths. We need to rebuild our industrial base, reduce unnecessary burdens and ensure that Europe has the capacity to defend its interests in a much more demanding world.

Nicola Procaccini

Cutting Red Tape Stimulates Growth and Investment

Beyond defense, the agenda centered heavily on public spending, agriculture, and cutting red tape to stimulate growth. Co-Chair Patryk Jaki argued that regulatory burdens are currently holding back investment and innovation across member states.

Europe cannot regulate its way back to growth. If we want investment, innovation and good jobs to stay in Europe, we have to lower costs, remove unnecessary rules and give businesses the freedom to compete.

Patryk Jaki

Czech Member of the European Parliament Veronika Vrecionová managed the sessions on trade and public spending. She led a delegation outside Prague to visit Břehyně and Lobeč, where participants discussed climate change policies and plant protection products before touring a local brewery.

Europe needs to spend smarter, trade better and stop making life harder for the people and businesses that keep our economy running. Competitiveness cannot be achieved through ever more regulation and higher costs.

Veronika Vrecionová

Another segment of the economic program focused on the automotive sector. Czech Member of the European Parliament Ondřej Krutílek brought the delegation to an automotive testing polygon near Mladá Boleslav to examine the challenges facing Europe’s car manufacturers.

Competitiveness is not an abstract concept – it is about real factories, real jobs and real technologies. Europe should set the right conditions for its industry instead of putting unnecessary obstacles in its way.

Ondřej Krutílek

Mirek Topolánek Warns Against Bureaucratic Unification

The return to Prague held distinct historical significance for the political family, tracing back to the 2009 adoption of the Prague Declaration, which served as a foundational document for the European Conservatives and Reformists Group. A central highlight of the week was the Prague Declaration Dinner featuring former Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek.

Topolánek addressed the gathering to warn that European integration risks losing its primary purpose as bureaucratic unification expands.

Freedom is, after all, the main European value. It is what European integration is supposed to serve. Yet freedom is becoming a victim of unification.

Mirek Topolánek

Topolánek further cautioned that the European Union faces an internal test of content and principles rather than merely mechanical or procedural hurdles.

The EU is threatened by a crisis of content and values. The problem isn’t that integration is too shallow, the EU too ununified, or decision-making mechanisms too ineffective. Something essential is fading – freedom.

Mirek Topolánek

The four-day event concluded on Friday after blending cultural tours of Prague Castle and St Vitus Cathedral with legislative planning sessions on security and economic policy.