STAN remains the pro-German party, although the German candidate, Danuše Nerudová, was eliminated early in the presidential elections. EU Affairs Min. Mikuláš Bek (STAN) told Czech TV yesterday that he's a bit of a Germanophile and that Germans defend their own interests but feel an authentic responsibility for Europe as a whole. To be frank, he added, Czech economic interests are very much linked to Germany's. This probably explains why he is so keen on giving up the EU veto of the CR and other small countries. This position was expressed bluntly on Fri. by Tomáš Prouza, a lobbyist for German retailers and an adviser to Industry Min. Jozef Síkela (STAN). Prouza told ČT that one of the big lessons of the debate about sanctions should be that the EU can't function for very long if one country can take it hostage with its veto power. He also sharply criticized Olaf Scholz for hesitating to send tanks to Ukraine. STAN and its advisers are becoming better Germans than the Germans.