Press Advisories

4. 8. 2010 7:18

Government's Programme Announcement

The coalition cabinet of the ODS, TOP 09 and VV parties have approved the government's programme announcement. Prime Minister Petr Nečas will introduce it to MPs who will hold a confidence vote on 10 August.

"This programme announcement contains the government's vision and tasks, and it is aware of its responsibility to carry out deep structural reforms of public systems, to successfully lead the country through the turbulence of the global economy, to maintain and strengthen the Czech state's democratic values and to protect the freedoms and individual rights of our citizens," the government writes in its programme announcement.

Preamble

On the basis of the mandate of the citizens of the Czech Republic, as expressed in elections on 28 and 29 May 2010 to the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, the coalition goverment will appear before this lawmaking body with its programme announcement. This programme announcement contains the government's vision and tasks, which is aware of its responsibility to carry out deep structural reforms to public systems, to successfully lead the country through the turbulence of the global economy, to maintain and strengthen democratic values of the Czech state and to protect the freedoms and individual rights of our citizens.

The government is convinced that the tools which it intends to use to fulfil these goals and with which you will now be introduced, are adequate and correct, and that they will lead to the country's further development. I believe that you will agree with these proposals, and that you will support a government of fiscal responsibility, a government of law and the fight against corruption, and that you will give it a mandate to begin work on these tasks.

Our country is not in a simple situation. The global crisis has shown the vulnerability of every economy, and has revealed the mistakes which political leaders made in times of apparently permanently-sustainable growth and security. It has clearly given the impression that living under debt is not permanently possible, neither within a family nor among states. The price which citizens of many countries are now forced to pay for this thoughtlessness is high.

The Czech Republic stands at a crossroads. Figuratively speaking, either we pull the emergency brake and stop the deepening of negative tendencies, especially the indebtedness of the state, the long-term dysfunction of key public systems such as the pension system and health care, and start to cut out the cancer of society - corruption - and increase the competitiveness of our economy, or we will gradually fall among the countries which are known to be unable to solve their own problems, and who face painful corrective measures which they do not fully hold in their own hands.

Our government wants to take the first route. We will not hide our heads in the sand when faced with problems that many still do not see or do not want to see, because today they are not so acute, and they want to let someone else solve them tomorrow. For this reason let us not be reconciled with the state's deficit spending, even if we hear voices downplaying this fact, referring to far higher indebtedness for countries comparable to us. We are literally watching the results of such an approach play out before us live. We will work hard for reform of the pension system, even if many are lulled to sleep by the idea that the current status can hold out a few more years. We do not want our children to one day reproach us for our irresponsibility to future generations. We support enterprise and initiatives because we know that only the business sector is the creator of society's wealth, not the state.

Our country is part of transnational political structures, especially the EU and NATO. The government is aware that this anchoring is fundamental for the Czech Republic from the point of view of long-term security, stability and international standing. The government will continue to develop these ties and will actively participate in projects which increase the security, predictability and stability of international society and, with it, the Czech Republic.

The government will realise its policy in the long-term interest of the citizens of this country, as well as for the generations which will come after us. We want to work on this task together with all who pursue the same interest. We are prepared for dialogue and will not avoid responsibility.

Government's Programme Announcement

The document has nearly 50 pages, and is divided into seven thematic areas. The government has laid out 5 key priorities as its main tasks:

1. To reform public finance with the goal of stopping the growing public debt and setting the parameters of budget policy in such a way as to achieve a balanced budget in 2016.

2. To carry out reform of the pension system in such a way as to be sustainable in the long term and able to react to the changing demographic structure of Czech society.

3. To accept a set of reform measures leading to the modernisation and greater effectiveness of the health care system.

4. To carry out reforms of the tertiary education system.

5. To accept measures leading to a fundamentally greater amount of transparency in the area of public contracts and measures decreasing the space for corruption in the public sector.

The entire text of the Programme Announcement as it was approved by the government on 4 August 2010 can be found in the attached documents.

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