Sugar-coating cannot soften a tough presidency

EXPECT less sugar and more spice from Czech president Vaclav Klaus’s hardline eurosceptic views during his visit to Ireland.

The Czech government made it clear its rotating presidency of the EU which begins next January will be no exercise in sweetness — despite choosing the sugar cube as its emblem.

The innocent-looking sugar cube is a Czech invention and a major PR campaign features homegrown celebrities like Chelsea’s goalkeeper Petr Cech doing playful things with it under the official slogan, “We’ll make things sweeter for Europe.”