Petr Kočí
Following his studies in journalism at the University Charles de Prague, Petr Kočí has worked as editor and secretary of the newsroom at the daily Lidové Noviny. Since 2007, he has contributed articles on society in the magazine Týden.
Seventeen years ago, Czechoslovaks were in mourning for their impossibly named multi-ethnic state, which had just been dissolved to create two separate countries. Having squandered the first five years of their independence, Slovaks rapidly embarked on a series of major reforms which led to their inclusion in the eurozone. For the first time ever, they "succeeded in overtaking the Czechs" who were busy struggling with the interminable internal squabbles that beset their new republic.