Press Advisories

3. 7. 201420:28

Prime Minister Sobotka Meets Bavarian Minister-President Horst Seehofer

Czech Premier Bohuslav Sobotka met with Minister-President of the Free State of Bavaria Horst Seehofer on 3 July 2014 to discuss cooperation in such areas as high technologies, research and development, and cultural exchange. The two officials signed a declaration on cooperation between their respective education ministries.

Sobotka and Seehofer vowed to pursue further intensification of cooperation between Bavaria and the Czech Republic, a trend established in recent years. One reason is the fact that Bavaria is an important region for the Czech Republic's foreign trade. As much as 32% of Czech exports go to Germany, and Bavaria is the destination of close to a third (29.2%) of this amount.

One of the main priorities of Czech-Bavarian cooperation is research, development, and innovation. Bavaria ranks among the most successful European regions in the area of advanced technologies and applied research. The partnership provides Czech firms and research institutions with ample opportunities to take part in innovation-oriented projects.

Officials from the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports and the Bavarian State Ministry for Education, Science, and the Arts signed a Joint Partnership Declaration on 3 July 2014. The document will allow taking advantage of the potential offered by cooperation between research and development institutions in the two countries.

Another issue discussed by Sobotka and Seehofer was the forthcoming Czech-Bavarian exhibition planned to be held during 2016 and 2017 to present the relationship of Bohemia and Bavaria in the context of their thousand-year coexistence in the Central European region.