Practical items and gifts of the Czech Presidency

Like other Presidencies the Czech Republic has prepared a set of gifts and promotional items to be presented to its guests.

The gifts of the Czech Presidency that are intended for the most significant guests of events taking place in the Czech Republic have been prepared with emphasis on high quality, traditional Czech origin and modern design.

Practical gifts

The promotional items of the Presidency have been selected with high regard for their practicality, simplicity and the possibility of applying the full-colour logo. Among these items are pens, notebooks, notepads and lanyards for keys or mobile phones. Furthermore, popular USB disks, practical mugs or multi-purpose ecological linen bags are also among the gifts.

Ties and scarves

Ties and scarves are included in a special set of gifts that was designed especially for the Czech Presidency by young Czech designers Alice Klouzková and Jana Jetelová, who work together under the name of their label Sistersconspiracy. The authors describe their design in the following words: ‘When we created our design we attempted to use the Presidency logo as much as possible because we liked it very much and we were very inspired by it. At the same time we wanted our ties and scarves to be wearable; therefore we searched for a way of utilising the logo that would produce the strongest effect. We particularly focused on playing with material and elaborate details.” “We believe that we have created two fashion accessories that people will like and, more importantly, wear. This is probably a dream for every designer”, they added.

A special thankyou belongs to prominent fashion designer Liběna Rochová and her project Studio LR that focuses on the education and development of talents and new opportunities for young designers not only in the area of textile design. The studio of Liběna Rochová has significantly influenced the creation of the ties and scarves for the Czech Presidency.

Commemorative silver coin

The Czech National bank issued the first commemorative silver 200 koruna coin on 7 January 2009 on the occasion of the Czech Presidency of the EU Council. The 200 koruna coin is 31mm in diameter, weighs 13 g and is issued in two versions, regular and proof quality with a polished field and matte relief. The head of the coin features 12 stars symbolising the European Union, compositions of heraldic animals, the state name, designation of the nominal value of the coin with an abbreviation of the monetary unit and the mark of the mint. The back features 12 stars symbolising the EU, the state flag of the Czech Republic, the inscription “CZECH PRESIDENCY OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION”, mint year 2009 and the initials of the creator of the coin, Josef Oplištil. The coin was struck by Česká Mincovna (Czech Mint) in Jablonec nad Nisou.

Each coin is accompanied by a free “catalogue card” in a postcard format, created on yellow half-cardboard with blue print. The coin is depicted in silver colour with an embossed relief with the use of dry seal technique. The text is in two language versions, Czech and English. The card is the same for both versions of the coin.

Czech Presidency postage stamp

On November 25th 2008, Česká pošta, the Czech postal service operator, issued a postage stamp to commemorate the Czech Presidency of the European Union. The value of the stamp is CZK 17 and it is available from Česká pošta branch offices throughout the Czech Republic. More than a million ‘Presidency’ stamps have been placed in circulation through the postal service.

The stamp was designed by Tomáš Pakosta, creator of the Czech Presidency official logo, in cooperation with other graphic designers and philatelists. The square stamp features the Czech EU Presidency logo and a map with the codes of the EU Member States. Its design is based on the uniform visual style used for the Czech Presidency. It is colourful and playful, using high-quality Czech typography and reflects the Czech Republic’s contemporary image.

Along with the stamp, Česká pošta has also prepared a first day of issue commemorative envelope for collectors, which, like the stamp, will also follow the uniform style of the Czech Presidency. Apart from the postage stamp, the envelope will also bear a first day of issue postmark with the Czech Presidency motto: ‘Europe without Barriers’ and the date 25 November 2008.

The stamp will represent the Presidency at the highest political level. A special gift package, which is also themed on the logo, has been prepared for delegates attending events taking place during the Presidency. The package in a pale-blue and silver design will contain the first day of issue envelope and a miniature sheet with four stamps.