The Role of the Czech Republic in Redefining Central European Identity within the European Union

Abstract

The post-Cold War transformation of Europe reactivated debates on the identity, political position, and historical belonging of Central European states within the broader European project. In this context, the Czech Republic emerged as an important actor in the reinterpretation of Central Europe, challenging its reduction to the category of Eastern Europe and promoting a more differentiated understanding of regional belonging within the European Union. The purpose of the study is to analyze how the Czech Republic has contributed to redefining Central European identity within the European Union and to determine the political, institutional, and discursive mechanisms through which this process has taken place. The study is based on a qualitative research design grounded in constructivist theory. The methodological approach combines documentary analysis and qualitative discourse analysis. The empirical basis includes official European Union documents, Czech foreign policy texts, strategic statements, and speeches by political elites. Analytical attention is focused on discursive identity construction, regional cooperation practices, the role of historical memory, and the interaction between national sovereignty and European integration. The findings demonstrate that the Czech Republic has played a multidimensional role in redefining Central European identity. First, Czech political discourse has emphasized the historical and cultural proximity of Central Europe to Western Europe, thereby resisting the homogenizing label of Eastern Europe. Second, the Czech Republic has promoted a complementary model of identity in which national, regional, and European affiliations coexist rather than compete. Third, within regional frameworks such as the Visegrad Group, the Czech Republic has often acted as a mediator, balancing regional interests with constructive engagement in EU institutions. The study also shows that historical memory, normative socialization, and debates on sovereignty have significantly shaped this identity reconfiguration. The Czech Republic has contributed to the emergence of a flexible, pluralistic, and institutionally embedded model of Central European identity within the European Union. Its role illustrates that regional identity in Europe is not fixed but continuously negotiated through discourse, institutional participation, and historical reinterpretation. Future studies may compare the Czech Republic with other Central European states in order to identify alternative models of regional identity construction and assess their implications for differentiated European integration.