ODS says it is entitled to choose EU commissioner

Prague, Nov 3 (CTK) - Czech Civic Democrats (ODS) chairman Mirek Topolanek told journalists Tuesday his party should have a right to appoint new Czech representative in the European Commission as it won the last parliamentary elections.

Topolanek said that on Wednesday he would meet Prime Minister Jan Fischer and Social Democrat (CSSD) chairman Jiri Paroubek to discuss the candidate for Czech EU commissioner.

He said he would push for the candidacy of former deputy prime minister for EU affairs Alexandr Vondra as a "very good and acceptable choice for all."

Paroubek told journalists that it would probably be up to the government to decide who will be proposed for EU commissioner.

Fischer wants to hold talks with politicians this week in an effort to find a compromise as regards the nomination of Czech representative in the Commission headed by Jose Barroso.

Fischer told journalists on Monday that the question would be settled in a week.

He said that if the parties failed to come to an agreement the government would choose the successor to current EU commissioner Vladimir Spidla (CSSD) on its own.

Reacting to Topolanek's statement, Fischer said today that Topolanek would be able to present his arguments at the meeting and he and Paroubek would react.

"I will listen both to Fischer and Topolanek. However, I am afraid that the nominations will remain without changes," Paroubek said.

He said that the ODS did not want to admit the collapse of its European policy and that is why he expected until this morning that the EU commissioner will be chosen by the government.

"I hope there will be majority support for some candidate and I hope that it will be Spidla," Paroubek said.

Apart from Vondra and Spidla, three other candidates have been nominated.

The Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) nominated diplomat Pavel Svoboda, former minister and former head of the Government Legislative Council, the Greens (SZ) propose Jan Svejnar, renowned economist and unsuccessful presidential candidate, and the Communists (KSCM) want their MEP Vladimir Remek, former astronaut, for the post.

The Social Democrats today sharply rejected the possibility of former industry and trade minister Vladimir Dlouhy becoming Czech EU commissioner, as the media have recently speculated.

Paroubek today denied that any of his aides had contacted Dlouhy.

"Mr Dlouhy as industry minister in the 1990s participated in the privatisation robberies on an unbelievable scale and in the disintegration of Czech industry," Paroubek said today, adding that it was Dlouhy who was co-responsible for the economic crisis that hit the country in 1997.