Czech Euroscepticism before and after EU accession

The paper analyzes the problem of the Czech Republic's accession to the European Union, examining the position of Czech society before and after the implementation of the " reentry into Europe " strategy. The views of two influential Czech politicians of the late 20th century are compared - V. Havel and V. Klaus - on the priorities of the country's foreign policy and the conditions of its accession to the EU. The first Czech president linked the successful development of his state solely to European integration. V. Havel was also one of the initiators of the Visegrad Group, an association of former Eastern Bloc countries aimed at coordinating EU accession efforts and developing inter-state dialogue. V. Klaus insisted on greater regional cooperation as part of the Central European Free Trade Association (CEFTA) and building a "level playing field" with Brussels. On the basis of sociological surveys, it analyzed what was expected from the Czech Republic's accession to the EU and what was feared. A conclusion is drawn on the outcome of the first years of the Czech Republic's membership in the EU, both pros and cons are given.