The Czech Republic applies for membership of the European Union

Smack dab in the middle of the European continent, Czechoslovakia was first united into a single nation of Czechs and Slovaks in their struggle for freedom against the Austro-Hungarian empire. After the empire’s defeat in WW I, Czechoslovakians got their wish. Still, differences remained between the two sides, compounded by economic inequality, and in 1993 the state split into the former two states – the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Czechs being the better off of the two took the opportunity to integrate themselves with the west, and applied to join the European Union.

On this day, January 17, 1996, the several-year-old Czech Republic officially issued their application for membership to the European Union. Years of Soviet rule had depressed the Czech economy, and a lot of work needed to be done to meet EU membership standards, but they were finally accepted in 2004.

Though EU leaders pressed the Czech Republic to join the Eurozone and adopt the Euro currency, Czech leaders demurred. A few years after joining, one of the top government officials publicly stated the country’s intended policy of sticking with their existing currency. It was a prescient move: as the Eurozone countries are now struggling with their financial crisis, the Czech banking system, while not unaffected, still remains strong.