An Address by Czech President Václav Klaus

On Monday, September 24th, Hudson Institute held the third event in the Hudson Institute—Hunter College speaker series. It featured His Excellency Václav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, for the inaugural event for his new book, Europe: The Shattering of Illusions (Bloomsbury Books).

President Klaus offered his reflections on the Euro crisis and its effect on transatlantic relations. His speech, which focused on the need for a new paradigm for Europe—one of market liberalization, not political unification—was well-received.

Klaus, an economist by training, is known for distributing clandestine translations of Milton Friedman's writings under Communism. He played a critical role in Czechoslovakia's transition to liberal democracy, serving as Finance Minister of the first Czechoslovak post-Communist government, and then as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 1992 to 1997, before being elected President in 2003.