WARSAW, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Euroskepticism seems to prevail in Prague as Czech politicians hold different views on many important issues with the "old" members of the European Union (EU).

    While German Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to revive the EU constitution, Czech President Vaclav Klaus said in January that the constitution is not an urgent matter. The absence of the constitution will not brew a crisis, he said after meeting Polish President Lech Kaczynski.

    Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek told Merkel in January that his country does not accept the constitutional treaty as it is. The text should be simplified, he said.

    Topolanek believed that the ratification process should not be rushed. In his view, the quality of the document is more important that any fixed deadline.

    Czech Member of the European Parliament, Jan Zahradil, was even more straightforward. He said his country does not wish to see 2009 as the deadline for the approval of the EU constitution as the Czech Republic takes over the EU presidency on Jan. 1, 2009.

    On European integration, Prague stresses the importance of the opening of markets and free movement of laborers, rather than political integration advocated by the old members of the EU.

    Many of the 15 old members of the EU still impose restrictions on workers from the 10 Central and Eastern European countries that joined in 2004.

    Topolanek has called for a "democratic and flexible Europe" and demanded the EU get rid of the restrictions on certain member states.

    He was opposed to further political integration of Europe, arguing that the degree of political convergence should be determined by individual member states.

    Klaus has been cynical about European integration, fearing that it would eliminate national identity of member states.

    Prague has also warned against a "multi-speed Europe," fearing that it might become a second-class member.

    The Czech Republic has formed the "Visegrad Four" with Poland, Hungary and Slovakia in order to defend their interests within the EU.

    The Czech Republic's ruling Civic Democratic Party is also seeking cooperation with other parties in the European Parliament.

    The Czech party and the British Conservatives launched the Movement for European Reform in July and aimed to from a new political group on the basis of the movement in the European Parliament after 2009 elections.

    "We have not joined the EU to be tacit witnesses of the unification process and we will not keep silent," Topolanek once said.