Prime Minister Fiala attended a meeting of the Bavarian government and discussed with Prime Minister Söder the expansion of cross-border cooperation

On Tuesday, 9 May 2023, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Petr Fiala, visited Regensburg, Bavaria. He attended a meeting of the Bavarian state government together with the Minister of Culture Martin Baxa and discussed with the Prime Minister of the Free State of Bavaria, Markus Söder, the expansion of cross-border cooperation, energy security, support for joint research projects and cooperation in the field of hydrogen technology. Together they also opened the regional exhibition “Baroque! Bavaria and Bohemia”.

At the beginning of the meeting, Prime Minister Fiala thanked the Bavarian authorities for their support and flexibility in issuing a new operating permit for the TAL pipeline last year, which significantly supported the subsequent shareholder approval of the TAL intensification project. This project is important for strengthening energy security not only for the Czech Republic, but also for Germany and Austria.

Another important topic was the possibilities of scientific and research cooperation in the field of energy. “We talked specifically about the possibilities in the field of hydrogen utilisation, where there are many opportunities for cooperation between Bavarian and Czech universities. I am pleased that there is already a mutual exchange of information in the field of hydrogen mobility and the future use of gas pipelines for transporting hydrogen. The Czech Republic also sees the use of nuclear energy as important and we certainly prefer cooperation in the field of research into new nuclear technologies,” added the Czech Prime Minister.

The Czech Republic is also interested in strengthening support for bilateral research projects with Bavaria within the framework of the Czech-Bavarian Academic Agency projects. “There is a lot of interest in this cooperation and the projects are of very high quality. Therefore, we would like to increase the funds in the next call to EUR 3.5 million for 2024 and 2025,” said Prime Minister Fiala. The Bavarian side is prepared to contribute the same amount.

The Czech Prime Minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Prime Minister of Bavaria on strengthening cooperation in the field of aviation and space. “The Czech Republic is interested in expanding cooperation with Bavaria in space activities at the level of industry and university research. I believe that the Memorandum will also contribute to strengthening our cooperation in the European Space Agency's space programmes and in the European research programme Horizon Europe, and will support our cooperation with EUSPA,” said Prime Minister Fiala.

Another topic of the meeting was the development of transport infrastructure – in particular the modernisation and electrification of cross-border rail links. The priority is Prague – Pilsen – Munich and Nuremberg connection, which can be used for both passenger and freight transport. Improving the train connection will have clear benefits for citizens and for Czech and Bavarian industry.  

At the end of his working visit to Bavaria, the Prime Minister opened the regional exhibition Baroque in Bohemia and Bavaria, which is being opened thanks to the cooperation of the Czech National Museum and the House of Bavarian History. “This exhibition reminds us of the centuries-long neighbourhood and the overall historical interconnection between the Czech Republic and Bavaria. This makes our countries similar in many ways. I am very pleased that the organisers have managed to gather loans from several countries, that such an exceptional exhibition has been organised and that people will be able to visit it gradually both in Regensburg and Prague,” added the Czech Prime Minister.