July 15: Statement by Premier Mirek Topolánek on Weekend Limitations of Truck Driving

I have no intention of violating the coalition treaty. That clearly says that the principle of limiting weekend truck driving will be based on analyses. Today’s negotiations with the association ?ESMAD Bohemia have shown that the problems facing haulage contractors are, quite understandably, not associated solely with restrictions of truck driving, but are connected with an interplay of adverse effects, such as oil prices, toll charges, restriction of cabotage and the like. 

The arguments concerning weekend road accident rates presented by haulage contractors have persuaded me that the whole matter has to be further discussed, and I have scheduled those talks for the third week in August when we want to continue our discussions in a bid not only to remove fears felt by haulage contractors but also to meet the provisions of the coalition treaty. 

I won’t be blackmailed either by special interest groups or a coalition partner, and I believe that serious politics includes search for solutions to factual problems, for their genuine causes, and that is why the only correct step is to continue negotiations. 

Mirek Topolánek, Prime Minister of the Government of the Czech Republic