My life is EuropeEurope is my life

I started going to Italy on a regular basis in 1992, when I was sixteen. In 1995, I went to study political science at the University of Padua. I still thank my parents for letting me go there back then. It must have been difficult for them, but I was stubborn. So we made a deal. If I find it hard to take care of myself and fail to become independent in twelve months’ time, I will give up on my dream and come back to the Czech Republic. I didn't give up, though, and didn't return home to Czechia until twenty years later. I had the opportunity to be there when, following the 2004 EU enlargement, the CEE markets opened up to the West and also to Italy – the third biggest economy in Europe.

Italy won me over right away. Everything was more colourful and relaxed compared to post-1989 Czechoslovakia. It was the "Europe" I had heard and dreamed of. I passed the entrance exams to the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Padua, which celebrates its 800th anniversary this year and is one of the oldest universities in the world. Many famous students and professors have studied and worked at the university through the ages. To name a few, Galileo Galilei, Giordano Bruno, William Harvey, Nicolaus Copernicus or Elena Cornaro Piscopia, the first woman in the world to receive a university degree.

Each of them was an inspiration to me and a motivation to keep going. At that time, I was the only foreign student at the University of Padua. Hard to believe when you look at the situation today, as foreigners make up around 25% of the 70,000 students at the university. I also had to come back to the Czech Republic every month and show my student’s book at the Italian embassy in order to get a visa for the next month and continue in my studies. I remember how excited I was when my residence permit was first extended by three months, and I didn't have to travel back so often just to get a stamp in my passport. After some time, I didn't even need the stamp anymore, and gone were the endless queues for residence permits at the local police department in Padua. But in my mind, it will always be a symbol of my journey home, to Europe.

Thankfully, students don't need any of these today. Thanks to extensive European cooperation, they can study at practically any school they choose. Dozens of Czech students study in Italy every year. In 2020, there were 150 Czechs studying at Italian universities in the summer semester alone. Bravo!!!

Moravia and the Dolomites

It was a similar story with business. I started working in Italy right after I came there. I set up my own business at the age of sixteen, and while still at university I founded my first company, which focused on international consulting. In fact, there had to be two companies back then! I had to set up a Czech limited liability company in order to establish an Italian limited liability company, because as a Czech natural person, I could not set up a company in Italy at that time.

I decided to stay in Italy after my graduation and put 100% focus on my business. The Czech Republic and Italy are both really interesting countries, and I wanted to connect them more. I advised Czech companies on how to gain a foothold in the Italian markets, and in turn, I helped aim Italian investments to the Czech Republic. I promoted Czech culture and food in Italy, and vice versa. I brought together Czech and Italian schools, which later worked on joint projects. I am particularly proud of student exchanges between art schools, particularly the exchange between the mosaic school in Spilimbergo, the only one of its kind in the world, and the glass school in Valašské Meziříčí.

I also worked on bringing Czech and Italian regions, cities and smaller municipalities closer together. These connections often resulted in long-term collaborations that continue to this day. To name a few: there is a cooperation between the Zlín region and the Piemonte region, the Vysočina region and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, the cities of Zlín and Turin or Bystřice pod Hostýnem and San Giovanni al Natisone. I also tried to support tourism: for example, I organized a joint presentation of all Moravian regions under the Moravia brand or a presentation of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region in Czechia as the region with the closest Alps and the closest beaches from our point of view.

My belief in a strong and united Europe was born in Italy.

Single market on paper

The Czech market, or even the entire CEE region, has always been a great attraction for Italian companies. There was a limited amount of trade exchange even during the totalitarian era, and it increased significantly during the 1980s. It was mainly Italian export to Czechoslovakia, but it also went the other way, as metals, cast iron, iron and steel were exported to Italy. The turning point came in 1989, which brought new opportunities. During the 1990s, Italy became one of the biggest trading partners of the Czech Republic and has maintained this position to this day. After Czechia joined the EU in 2004, there was a boom in economic exchange mainly in the SME field.

However, it was definitely not as easy back in the 1990s. For us, entrepreneurs from Central and Eastern Europe, the European single market existed only on paper, while in reality it was something very hard to reach. The trade barriers in Western European countries were not easy to overcome on either side, and many of us had a difficult time in the early days.

I still remember the complicated paperwork that businesspeople had to deal with every step on the way as well as endless customs checks at the borders. But it went both ways: to enter the Czech market, Italian investors needed a local partner, whom they were forced to trust no matter what. It was a nightmare.

Partners in good and bad times

I have hands-on experience starting a company and doing business "there" and "here". Thankfully, both the way of doing business as well as standard of living in the Czech Republic have gradually converged and improved. That’s why I like to say that my life and the history of my business reflect the recent history of Europe as a whole.

My belief in a strong and united continent and my love for Europe was born somewhere there. I am grateful that I lived and did business for many years in a country that laid the foundation of European integration and was an integral part of it for many decades. At the same time, I was also well aware of the conditions in my home country, still preparing for its big moment after years of isolation, and I was excited about its return "home to Europe". After all, that was the title of my master’s thesis at the University of Padua.

Everyone can contribute their part, which is why I have decided to fight for a common Europe. Once as a student, then as a businesswoman and now as a politician.

Written by Martina Dlabajová

Photo credits: Martina Dlabajová