Press Conference after the Meeting of the Government, Held on Monday 18th May 2009

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, welcome at the press conference held after the session of Jan Fischer’s government, and I give now the floor to him.

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, as far as the information from today’s session of the government is concerned, I should add that the session was preceded – as always during the period of the Czech Presidency - by the meeting of the Governmental Committee for the European Union at the government level. We first of all exchanged experience from our engagement in the Presidency agenda, and discussed the forthcoming events related with the Presidency, above all with the forthcoming summits. We focused of course at the preparations for the summer meeting of the Council of the European Union to be held in the mid of the next month in Brussels. At this occasion, I also acquainted my colleagues with the results of my working visit to Brussels on Tuesday, 12 May. I am glad to note that the ministers, who had to quickly step into their respective agenda matters, were able to cope successfully with these tasks in cooperation with their colleagues, and that the scheduled events were successfully accomplished. This means that as far as the European agenda is concerned, the priority consists now in the preparations for the Council of the European Union and all its supporting events. As far as the agenda of today’s session of the government is concerned, I would like to tell you first of all about the issue, which originally was on the government’s agenda, but the government did not discuss it, and I will now tell you why. Withdrawn was the draft of a constitutional law amending the Declaration of the Basic Rights and Freedoms. The draft was originally submitted by Minister Kocáb , and aimed at amending the provision on the prohibition of discrimination, and namely at its extension to the handicapped. The reason for its withdrawal is very simple, the proposal is not tossed down, it simply needs to be discussed further. At the last session, I clearly indicated that I do not consider the government’s session to stand for an interdepartmental procedure using other means. Thus the proposal goes back into the process of certain interactions that will no doubt take place and, after further debate, it may come back. Another issue that we did not discuss was the proposal on mid-term budget expenditure parameters for 2010 - 2012 or, if you wish the macro skeleton of the budget, and here again it was for the one and only reason, because I would first like to discuss the material on Wednesday, at a meeting of economic ministers, or to consult it with economic experts; I am considering a possibility to call a meeting of NERV (National Economic Council of the Government) to discuss the issue, which will then appear on the government’s agenda again next week, i.e. on 25 May. The materials we discussed were all of the nature of parliamentary draft bills or amendatory acts. Two proposals concerned consumer credits, on which the government took a dissenting standpoint, and this will be later shortly commented upon by the Minister of Justice and Chairwoman of the Government’s Legislative Council. A neutral stadpoint was taken on the parliamentary draft law submitted by a group of deputies, Topolánek, Béniš, Petr Wolf, concerning compensation for the loss of employment on political grounds during the years of 1948 – 1989. The government is fully aware of the legitimacy of the compensation and supports it, yet it holds at the same time the opinion that we should inform the deputies concerned about a number of factual problems or shortcomings, mainly of legislative and technical nature. This is our recommendation to this group of deputies, but I would like to stress at the same time that, as to the contents of the proposal and the principle of appreciation of the persons concerned, this government does not have a slightest problem. A consenting standpoint was taken by the government with respect to the parliamentary proposal proposed by deputies Šoltys and Schuster to pass a law on the support of sports, and here the Minister will again add a few comments. The remaining three materials submitted for the government’s session without debate were unanimously approved. And, as you will probably ask anyway, I will tell you right now that all ministers fulfilled the task to submit their own segments for the programme declaration. At present, the first working draft is being prepared and I would like to distribute it to the ministers by Wednesday evening so that we could hold on Thursday an informal and open discussion rather than a formal government meeting on the version that will be available by then. Formal discussion and approval of the programme declaration can then take place next week. As far as the date on which the government will seek a vote of confidence is concerned, I am discussing the matter with Mr. Vlček, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies. And this is, I believe, all I wanted to say.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: I thank Mr. Prime Minister and I now give the floor to the Chairwoman of the Legislative Council of the Government and the Minister of Justice Daniela Kovářová.

Daniela Kovářová, Minister of Justice: Thank you. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to briefly comment on the reasons why the government took a dissenting standpoint with respect to two parliamentary proposals, both concerning the proposed amendment to the law on consumer credit which related, for example, to the problems of usury. While the government is fully aware of the acuteness of the matter and will certainly deal with the problem, it came to the conclusion, in conformity with the recommendation of the Legislative Council of the Government, to resolve the issue of consumer credits by the transposition of the directive of the European Parliament, and found therefore the parliamentary proposals to be at variance with the government’s concept and with the preparation of the transposition directive. These were the reasons why the government took a dissenting standpoint on the two parliamentary proposals. Now to the law or amendment also mentioned by the Prime Minister, on the promotion of sports. The parliamentary draft proposed to introduce into the existing Sports Promotion Act an authorisation not only for stadium owners and sports facilities owners but also for operators of sports facilities to the effect that, for example with respect to various sports matches, not only the owner but also the operator, would be authorised to establish visitor rules or to ask the police for cooperation. Here the government, again in agreement with the recommendation by the Legislative Council of the Government, supported the parliamentary amendment and expressed its consent.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: I thank the Minister and here is the time for your questions, ladies and gentlemen.

ČTK: I would like to ask about the meeting with the Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies. If I understood it correctly, do you anticipate an extraordinary meeting of the Chamber of Deputies?

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: Yes, such possibility is not excluded, this variant is also on the table.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Your questions, please.

Prima: Some of the ministers saw their colleagues for the first time today. How was it at the first official session of the government, in what atmosphere did it take place?

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: We are farther away already, Madam. The first meeting of the government took place immediately after the appointment of the government, on Friday night. So we had an opportunity to communicate with each other more than a week ago, today’s meeting was already a repeated performance. I think that we are very well getting accustomed to each other, the team starts functioning well, as I hoped for. I asked the ministers - and I think they are getting accustomed to it - for mutual communication, also at the level of the staff of individual ministries. This should be the style of this government.

Daniela Kovářová, Minister of Justice: I would like to add to what the Prime Minister said that nearly all of us met last week in the Chamber of Deputies, where we spent 2 to 4 days, so that there was ample time to get acquainted and to start working together, I can thus confirm what the Prime Minister said.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: I thank you, let me add that the government indeed does not communicate only in this building and only during the government sessions. Your questions, please.

Vařeková, ČRo Radiožurnál: I would have two questions, the first is whether and if so in which way will you react to the appeal by the Amnesty International to discuss, at the European Union – China Summit, also the human rights issue, which would be my first question, and the second one would concern the tender on the liquidation of the past ecological burden, whether your government will take some steps on the grounds of its alleged unreasonable price.

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: The petition of the Amnesty International was handed over to me by Deputy Jaques and chairman of the Green Party Mr. Bursík. I received it, and informed the members of the petition, i.e. they received copies. All members of the government were able to get acquainted with it. Let us now differentiate between two things, first there will be the European Union – China Summit, whose deliberations are already chaired by the President of the Republic, which will be followed by the 30 – 45 minutes during which I will receive the Chinese Prime Minister, which is a bilateral meeting. As to the use of the inputs or outputs, as you wish, of the petition I received today, I am still deliberating the matter.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: There was the second question concerning the alleged unreasonable price of the ecological tender.

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: Yes, the ecological tender, which stirs the Czech mass media I think from Saturday up to now. I have an agreement with the current minister of finance, but not only after the media started writing about it, that he will prepare for me and for the government a thorough background research of the contract as a whole, of the entire problem, together with the characteristics of further steps to follow-up, and I unambiguously say here that the contract should proceed as an entirely transparent process without any external influence, speculations, this is the first principle I wish to assert and, in addition, I am convinced and it logically follows that the final decision on the implementation and price of the contract will be in the hands of the politically constructed government.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Thank you, next question, please.

Robert Müller, Reuters: I would like to ask about the budget parameters, why could these not be approved today, and what will be the subject of the meeting of economic ministers you said will be held on Wednesday.

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: I believe that it simply needs a certain escalation procedure before we put it bluntly before the government meeting. You know that we speak here about a material, which was submitted by the former Minister of Finance Kalousek to Topolánek‘s government, but was not considered by the former government. I would like to form a better opinion, I would like to discuss it preliminary in a narrower meeting and also, of course, to use this time and discuss it with specialists. This is one of the most demanding issues, the setting of budget parameters not only for the next year but, as you know, up to 2012, and this is the reason for its postponement, there is nothing more behind it.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Thank you, next question, please.

Z1: I would like to ask two questions, my first question is whether you have discussed in more detail in the cabinet the twenty-seven points by the social democrats and whether you included some of them into the programme declaration. My second question concerns the compensation to those persons, who lost employment during the period of the communist regime, if you have an idea as to the amount of the compensation.

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: Yes I will answer the first question, this was the twenty-seven points, sorry I already thought of the second, so let me answer the first question. When I received the requirements from Mr. Paroubek, I asked individual ministers in writing to give me their standpoint by this Wednesday, and we will naturally discuss the twenty-seven points within the debate on the government’s Programme Declaration. The Minister will answer now the second question.

Daniela Kovářová, Minister of Justice: My answer to your question is that according to the parliamentary draft law, financial compensation would amount to CZK 15 for every calendar month, starting from the termination of the service or employment up to the occurrence of entitlement to old-age or disability pension, but not beyond 1 April 1991.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Nova Television.

Keblůšek, TV Nova: I would like to come back to the programme declaration; you said that the first version of the programme declaration is being prepared. Do you consult it in any way for example with the political parties, so that you may be sure to get a vote of confidence?

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: Such consultations will of course take place, but give us some more time, we are writing it now.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Thank you, any more questions? Czech Television.

Czech Television: Good afternoon Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to add to what my colleague said. To what extent do you think will the programme declaration reflect what the political parties wish to see and to what extent will there be some of your own ideas. And I would like to ask the Minister, what would you formulate and submit with respect to your priorities, what can be done within the five months, as you see it. Thank you.

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: It includes a number of different things. I could start with the need to carry through the Presidency, this is something the political parties do not have to tell me about, I know very well what we have to do, and this is the priority par excellence. I have articulated my view on drafting the budget as a highly restrained budget, although it will be an extremely difficult task, especially in the pre-election period, before the October premature elections. By all means there will be a number of our own ideas and, by the way, the proposals I receive come from the ministers rather than from political parties. With the exception of the twenty-seven points, and there we will see whether we are compatible or not.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: ČTK has a question.

Daniela Kovářová, Minister of Justice: I would like to answer the previous question.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Oh yes, I am sorry.

Daniela Kovářová, Minister of Justice: I must say that what I sent to the Prime Minister were not my priorities, it was a result of the priorities of our Ministry. We formulated them together with my deputies and the entire team. They are unambiguous: the accomplishment of the Presidency, finance, finance, finance. This means we need to resolve the situation, which will be a rather burning issue and we will deal with it as early as during the next week, and third -the completion of the legislative process viewed from the issues proposed in the parliament, which we will submit, in the course of the next five moths, for consideration by the government.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Thank you and now ČTK.

ČTK: In connection with what was said before about political parties, does it mean that other political parties have not sent you similar list of proposals, recommendations?

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: No.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Next question, please.

Aktuálně.cz: I would like to ask whether you have already considered or will consider in the foreseeable future the so-called muzzle law, and how would a possible amendment of which you spoke look like?

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: First of all, with respect to the muzzle law I received a letter from the editors-in-chief of major dailies, weeklies and periodicals of the Czech Republic. I have started considering the issue together with Minister Kocáb and I think that within 10 to 14 days, I would say, we will meet with the editors-in-chief and agree on possible future steps that may be in the hands of the executive branch. I am interested in this problem, far from indifferent.

Roman Prorok, Press Spokesman of the Government of the CR: Unless I see any show of hands, I would like to close today’s press conference. Thank you for your questions and I thank the Prime Minister and the Minister for their answers. I am looking to see you again.

Jan Fischer, Prime Minister of the Government of the CR: So do I. Thank you for coming, have a nice rest of the day.