Russia and the euro opt-out

Even if you're a big fan of Václav Klaus's, read (or reread) Radio Free Europe's recent article about "How Russia is Rebuilding Influence in the Former Soviet Bloc." And then, in that context, consider Klaus's proposal for an opt-out to adopting the euro. Klaus's "protracted opposition" to the euro could again "fray the EU's already fragile unity," to borrow from the article. He will likely again be accused of "acting in the interests of the Kremlin," of helping Moscow in one of its "biggest foreign-policy goals - splitting European unity." The most damning aspect of Klaus's call for an opt-out is that the CR essentially already has one, as PM Petr Nečas points out. This makes the current disruptive action by Klaus and his handpicked Czech National Bank board rather suspicious. And it highlights the significance of the next Czech presidential elections (in 2013) for the future direction of the CR and the EU itself.