The Czech Republic’s Constitutional Court issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday allowing President Petr Pavel to attend the July NATO summit in Ankara.
The court’s ruling partially resolves the ongoing dispute between Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who announced on Monday that Pavel could not be part of the country’s delegation. Pavel filed a competency lawsuit the following day, seeking clarity on who has the authority to decide whether the head of state may attend the NATO summit.
While the court will take up the ultimate question in an expedited manner in the coming weeks, it cited precedent from past presidents’ summit attendance, as well as Friday’s accreditation deadline, as grounds for the immediate injunction.
“Given the current situation — in which time constraints are indeed fixed — it is necessary to maintain this practice as it stands,” said Pavel Šámal, the judge rapporteur for the case.
The NATO summit has become a flashpoint between the president and the prime minister, who previously faced off in the 2023 presidential election. The two have also clashed over Babiš’s decision to cut core military spending to about 1.8 percent of GDP — below NATO’s 2 percent target.
“I welcome the fact that the Constitutional Court has issued a preliminary injunction that reflects existing practice and ensures continuity in the country’s representation at the NATO summit,” said Pavel on Wednesday. Babiš said that he respected the court’s decision.