Miroslav Kalousek responded to your questions

Czech Minister of Finance Miroslav Kalousek answered your questions concerning outcomes from the Informal Meeting of Ministers for Economic and Financial Affairs on Tuesday, 7 April at 14:00 online in the European chat. After the chat is closed, the most interesting questions and answers from both language versions will be published in the ’News and Documents’ section on www.eu2009.cz. The chat is conducted simultaneously in two language versions – in Czech for the local public and in English for readers abroad. Czech and English questions appear only in their respective language versions. To read all the questions answered by the Minister, open both chat versions.

Questions and Answers

Sarah Collins, 7. 4. 2009, 9:35
What specific problems, if any, do you foresee for the EU´s new financial supervisory and regulatory system - after the de Larosiere model?

responded to, 7. 4. 2009, 14:39
We are not by far in a situation in which we could speak about a final model. We have de Larosiere's report, which is of a very high quality, and we are discussing it. We have agreed that it is indispensable to strengthen supervision but a very demanding discussion about the final form of institutions and their respective powers is ahead of us. We have asked the Commission to submit, by mid-May, their proposal and we will try to reach conclusions concerning this document. Thank you for your questions and I wish us all good luck because we will badly need it.

Maria Kapsch, 7. 4. 2009, 10:26
Dear Mr. Minister, how could your government lose the non-confidence vote? I do not understand how a country can change governments in the middle of the presidency? What about the continuity of your steps in Ecofin which you have chaired successfully this year? What about your steps as the head of EU finance ministers to fight the present crisis? What can we expect from your successor? Thank you.

responded to, 7. 4. 2009, 14:31
I can't understand that either, you must ask those irresponsible people who allowed this vote to take place and at the same time they have no solution for forming a fully fledged government. I will only repeat that we who are leaving will do our best to enable our successors to keep the continuity of the Czech presidency.

Vincent Lebert, 7. 4. 2009, 10:40
Hello Mr. Kalousek. Can you imagine that the Czech role in the EU presidency would be taken over by President Klaus? I have read that he is "willing to participate in it if necessary". Does the present Czech government have any idea about the President´s opinions on individual European agendas and issues? To whom would Mr. Klaus be responsible for his actions? Thank you.

responded to, 7. 4. 2009, 14:26
President Klaus is the head of my country and therefore he is entitled to be the head of all international delegations like Mr Kaczynski in Poland or Mr Sarkozy in France. Obviously I can imagine that. I am convinced that the President of my country will act in the interests of my country.

Georgi Gotev, 7. 4. 2009, 10:55
What is your view on the impact of the global economic crisis on EU-led efforts to reduce CO2 emissions? Will climate change fall victim to this crisis? What is the Czech presidency doing in this respect?

responded to, 7. 4. 2009, 14:22
I think that postponing necessary steps in the fight with the climate change would be a mistake. On the contrary, the "green economy" can be one of the positive anti-crisis measures.

Peter, 7. 4. 2009, 12:41
Dear Mr. Kalousek, should we be afraid of inflation of the Euro and of other European currencies caused by the various state-funded incentive programmes and stimuli?

responded to, 7. 4. 2009, 14:19
This risk is here. The history of economic crises does not know situations in which after the end of the crisis substantial inflation did not come. Therefore it is necessary already now to think thoroughly and carefully about exit strategies to lead us out of the present policy of fiscal impulses. A consolidation of public budgets which is as rapid as possible is a necessity. In the contrary case there is a threat of the instability of the currency.

W.Huber, 7. 4. 2009, 12:47
Mr. Minister, if I understand it correctly, at the G-20 Summit in London the U.S. failed to convince the Europeans to dig themselves even deeper into debt. Do you consider this to be a victory or a defeat for the EU? Should the EU not spend more money on various revitalization efforts, like the USA?

responded to, 7. 4. 2009, 14:14
I consider the conclusions of the G20 a result of common sense. Delegations did not put pressure on others to provide more fiscal impulses. We are all aware that it will be necessary to pay the debt and everything has its limits. The G20 summit was successful mainly because it was a common agreement on common principles. It was not a competition in digging individual countries into debt.