PRAGUE: France's six-month rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) has been passed to the Czech Republic.

According to reports, the Czech Republic's presidency began with a joint meeting of the Czech government and the European Commission, presided over by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in the eastern Czech town of Litomysl.

Following the meeting, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala tweeted that his country's leaders had discussed with the European Commission the current issues that affect both EU residents and people in the Czech Republic.

"The EU's energy independence is one of the major challenges that still has to be accomplished. We have an opportunity to resolve the current crisis if we work collectively "the Minister said.

For the Czech president, there is a lot of work to be done in the areas of energy security, climate protection, economic recovery, and digitization, von der Leyen said.  "I'm confident we will make good progress on enhancing our energy security while achieving our climate goals; combining investment and reforms for a strong economy; and increasing our global partnerships, she said.

The Czech Republic joined the EU in 2004 and took over the presidency of the EU Council for the first time in 2009.

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