Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš emphasized the importance of Central Europe and, in particular, the Visegrad Group for the future direction of the European Union at the Bled Strategic Forum. During his visit to Slovenia, he also spoke out against member states directly managing a significantly smaller portion of European funds in the next EU long-term budget.
On Monday, August 31st, Babiš participated in a panel discussion with the prime ministers of Slovenia, Croatia, and Hungary in Bled, Slovenia. One of the main topics was the future of Europe, its competitiveness, and the role of Central European countries.
Babiš: Cooperation within the V4 is being restored
The Czech Prime Minister emphasized during the debate that, according to him, Central Europe can significantly influence the further development of the European Union.
"Central Europe, and especially the V4, is crucial for the future of Europe. Now, cooperation is being restored," said Babiš. He also recalled the planned meeting between the Visegrad Four countries and the Irish Prime Minister, which is scheduled to take place on September 10th.
According to Babiš, it is important to find other partners with whom the countries of the region can jointly promote their vision for the future functioning of the Union. At the same time, the Czech Prime Minister critically assessed the current state of Europe, stating that the continent was "not in the best condition."
Dispute over funds from the European budget
A significant part of Babiš's speech was devoted to the future multi-year budget of the European Union. The Czech Prime Minister rejected the possibility that more money would go to programs and instruments managed directly by the European Commission, at the expense of resources managed by individual member states.
According to data presented by the Prime Minister, during the current 2021-2027 budget period, member states manage approximately 64 percent of the budget. In the next period, this share could fall below 45 percent according to the Commission's proposal.
"It is unacceptable for us that member states have fewer resources," Babiš stated.
According to him, such a change could be problematic, especially for Central European countries, for whom it would be more difficult to participate in centrally managed European programs and obtain funding from them.
Discussions with Slovenia and on EU enlargement
On the sidelines of the Bled Strategic Forum, Andrej Babiš met with Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša. He also spoke with European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. The topic of their conversation was the further enlargement of the European Union, especially towards the countries of the Western Balkans.
During the conference, the Czech Prime Minister also met with Christian Lauterbach, CEO of Bayer Vital.
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