Press Advisories

5. 5. 201520:36

Prime Minister Sobotka discussed developments in the EU internal market with European Commissioner Bieńkowska

On Tuesday 5 May, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka met Elżbieta Bieńkowska, the member of the European Commission responsible for the internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs. With today’s meeting, the Prime Minister is continuing a series of review meetings with his European partners.

The main topic of the meeting between the Prime Minister and the Commissioner was the long-term Czech priority of the internal market, where the Government regards its further intensification and proper functioning to be one of the main sources of economic growth, employment and promotion of investment. The meeting also addressed the removal of barriers to the single market, where the focus should be on sectors which have an important economic impact. The Government considers the key sectors in this regard to be services and the digital market.

Commissioner Bieńkowská informed the Prime Minister of the European Commission’s current strategy for a Digital Single Market, which is due to be published on Wednesday 6 May. The main issue for the Czech Republic in this regard concerns e-commerce and the digitalisation of industry and their impact on employment. The Prime Minister assured the Commissioner that the strategy for a Digital Single Market has the full support of the Czech Government, which is aware of the potential of this sector, which has so far been neglected within the EU.

Another important point in the meeting involved discussions on the European Semester, which helps to coordinate economic policies. The Prime Minister praised the European Commission’s approach, which, at the end of February, analysed our situation and highlighted the implementation of last year’s recommendations. The Government’s key focus for the upcoming period is to promote economic growth and employment, along with related improvements in tax collection. The steps planned by the Government for other areas are outlined in full in the National Reform Programme, which was approved by the Cabinet last week and sent to Brussels.

At the end of the meeting, the Prime Minister and Commissioner Bieńkowska also discussed space activities, relating to the fact that the centre for the European Galileo navigation system has been based in Prague for the past three years.

In today’s meeting with Elżbieta Bieńkowska, the Prime Minister is building on previous meetings with members of the European Commission. In March, the Prime Minister met in Brussels with the European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, the Commission’s First Vice-President, Frans Timmermans and Czech European Commissioner, Věra Jourová. At the end of March and beginning of April, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka met Corina Creţu, Commissioner for Regional Policy and Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-Present of the European Commission, in charge of Energy Union, in Prague. At the beginning of June, he will invite European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström to Prague for talks, which will also address the TTIP agreement.