As the country's chief EU negotiator, Pavel Telicka, put it: "I think the most important element is that the path towards EU enlargement is now clear and the EU cannot come up with any single additional condition or problem to be tackled."
Perhaps the most encouraging message from Nice for the Czech Republic was the EU leaders' statement at the conclusion of the summit that the first new members would be joining from 2004, in time for the next EU elections. The EU summit of 14-15 December 2001 at Laeken just outside Brussels brought more good news for the Czech Republic. Although the summit was marred by petty squabbles between various EU member countries, it did bring greater commitment to expansion. The Czech Republic was included on a list of ten applicant countries that the union thinks will be ready for membership by 2004. Under the Laeken Declaration fourteen applicant countries were also given a place (but no voting rights) on a new Convention established to debate and put forward proposals for changes to the EU's founding treaties in preparation for expansion. Friday 13th December 2002 was a lucky date for the Czech Republic and nine further candidate countries. At a historic EU summit in Copenhagen, a summit that went surprisingly smoothly, given predictions that it would be beset by haggling over details, the final big hurdle on the path to membership was overcome. The long-discussed financial conditions for admitting new members were agreed. In flowery language the Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen described it as a historic day: "Today we opened a new chapter. Europe is spreading its wings in freedom, in prosperity, and in peace." The Czech Republic emerged from the summit with a much better deal than it had originally expected, on the question of direct EU payments and even on the sensitive issue of agricultural subsidy. Further EU reforms will be discussed at a summit in Berlin in 2004, to define the division of power between Brussels, member states and regions. While the Czech Republic has largely reoriented its economy and politics towards Western Europe, it is also developing regional ties with the other Central and Eastern European countries with which it shares similar goals, namely economic catch-up. It was natural that the countries of Central and Eastern European would want to come together to contemplate the future after the fall of Communism. This was the inspiration for Visegrad cooperation. Named after the Hungarian city where heads of state met in 1991, the Visegrad group includes the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. Although cooperation between the four petered out after 1994, largely due to Czech resistance to political cooperation, it was effectively re-established in May 1999 when the four leaders met in Slovakia's capital Bratislava. Perhaps the greatest success of Visegrad cooperation has been its trade facet.