Miloš Gregor

Euroscepticism the Czech way: An analysis of Václav Klaus’speeches

Research on political speeches is commonly undertaken in countries where the president has a powerful position, typically in the United States. In the Czech Republic, too, political speeches are an important instrument for influencing public opinion. Meanwhile, few politicians are so known for their fiercely held opinions on the European Union as former President of the Czech Republic Václav Klaus; his speeches about the European Union are the subject of this article. Our research is based on quantitative and qualitative content analyses of the speeches posted on the former president’s website (http://www.klaus.cz) from 1995 until the end of his presidency in March 2013. Our goal was to identify the changes over time in how he spoke about the European Union, and whether and in what way his positions and vocabulary on the subject evolved.