– We did not have the luxury that Switzerland and Norway had of remaining outside the European Union, says Vaclav Klaus (84). He said the same when, as Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, he submitted the application for Czech EU membership 30 years ago.

The doctor of economics does not call himself a eurosceptic. He is simply opposed to the very concept of a European Union. The engaged Klaus believes we must choose between climate (policy) and freedom, and that these two cannot be combined.

The Czech Republic became an EU member in 2004 together with nine other countries, the largest enlargement in the EU’s history.

– Welcome to Europe, they said, as if we were not already part of Europe, Klaus recalls.

Vaclav Klaus was on his second visit to Norway. The previous time was during the Lillehammer Olympic Games, as Prime Minister. He recalls the opening ceremony, which he described as a fine traditional ceremony, but remembers that it was challenging to attend it outdoors in 19 degrees below zero.

Dr Klaus belonged to the ’68 generation in the then Czechoslovakia, which in no way resembles the Western ’68 generation. Klaus belonged to the part of Czechoslovakia that wanted to break free from the socialist grip of the Soviet Union. His political career began after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. He became the first Minister of Finance of free Czechoslovakia. As Prime Minister from 1992, his first task was to ensure a peaceful separation from Slovakia.

He is a strong opponent of the very concept of a European Union, and believes the European Parliament is merely a joke. He is clear that he is not opposed to European cooperation, but considers the concentration of power in Brussels to be unfortunate. The EU has developed into what he feared. As an economist, Klaus belongs to a right-liberal tradition. He believes the EU regulates Europe to death, that the endless stream of directives imposed on the member states inhibits private initiative.

– Europe is becoming a museum, he says, and does not appear particularly pleased that his home city of Prague is overcrowded with tourists. He is concerned about Europe’s economic future.

Climate policy in particular has engaged him. In 2008, while he was President of the Czech Republic (2003–2013), he wrote the 100-page book “Blue Planet in Green Shackles”, published in 2008. The book bears the subtitle “What is threatened: the climate or freedom?”. He is clear that climate has become an ideology, and calls himself a climate realist.

In 2025 he became president of Clintel (Climate Intelligence Group), an international organisation that has signed the “World Climate Declaration”, which asserts that there is no climate crisis. In that connection, he was invited to give a lecture at the annual meeting of Klimarealistene (The Climate Realists) at Gardermoen. Document’s journalist Kjell Erik Eilertsen took the opportunity to interview Klaus.