LN: Wasted EU money casts doubt on govt's aims

Prague, Feb 13 (CTK) - The way EU subsidies have been wasted in the Czech Republic makes one worry about the current Czech government's raison d'etre and the aims it strives for, Lubos Palata writes in daily Lidove noviny (LN) yesterday in reaction to Prague's recent problems with EU money drawing.

It has become a fashion among Czechs to pretend that the Czech Republic does not need EU money and that the EU subsidies have been of no use for the Czechs so far. President Vaclav Klaus, who has been promoting this opinion consistently, has managed to plant it in the minds of people, not only members of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) that he used to lead, Palata writes.

True, in the foreseeable future it may happen that the Czech financial contributions to the EU will prevail over the subsidies received, which is the case of rich countries such as the Netherlands and Luxembourg now, Palata admits.

However, first, the Czech EU entry and membership should not be motivated by the sum flowing to the Czech Republic from richer fellow members, Palata writes.

Second, this is not the case now. Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek recently said the overall revenues the Czech Republic has received from Brussels since its EU entry in 2004 are 176 billion crowns higher than its contributions to the EU, Palata writes.

The difference between the Czech revenues from and contributions to the EU considerably shrank last year, to 30 billion crowns compared with previous 50 billion. However, this was not because the EU would be angry with Czechs and cut its subsidies as a result, but because Prague failed to properly draw the subsidies assigned to it, Palata writes.

The list of the Czech operational programmes that the EC has suspended or halted is alarming, Palata continues, giving the programmes Transport and Environment, and also Northwest and Southwest, i.e programmes aimed for advanced regions' development, as examples.

The reasons behind the suspensions and halts have not been told aloud, but, if the clerks' correct vocabulary is translated, it was because the money was either stolen while being drawn from the EU or it was wasted on meaningless projects, Palata writes.

The latest case, in which the Czech Republic may lose 53 billion crowns, are the programmes for which Josef Dobes's (Public Affairs, VV) Education Ministry is responsible, Palata continues.

The above words apply to Dobes as well. He planned either to waste a big portion of the subsidies on nonsensical projects or to pass it to people linked to his political party, Palata writes.

Serious mistakes have been uncovered, European employment and social affairs commissioner Laszlo Andor said after receiving Dobes in Brussels last week, Palata recalls.

Czech politicians, including Prime Minister Petr Necas (ODS), assert that the main goal is to gain the subsidies from Brussels and that the way the money is spent is unimportant. One shudders with horror at reading how the money was to be spent within the Dobes-led ministry's projects SPORT (650 million crowns) and OKNO (550 million crowns). It would have been more appropriate to name the projects THEFT 1 and THEFT 2, Palata writes.

The way in which the EU money has been wasted (stolen) in the Czech Republic has become a problem even bigger than the Czech Republic's strange EU policy, Palata writes.

The fact that Necas has left Dobes in control of the 53 billion crowns worth of EU subsidies in spite of the gloomy suspicions surrounding Dobes's performance as minister, makes one worry about the aims and raison d'etre of the current centre-right government of the ODS, TOP 09 and the VV, Palata writes.

The 53 billion crowns, like the other billions the Czech Republic has received so far, are not the EU money belonging to the Czech government leaders but the EU money belonging to taxpayers, Palata points out.

For this to come true, the Czech government parties would have to start declaring their adherence to the EU as a mother entity of Czechs, an idea from which mainly the ODS and the VV tend to move farther and farther away, Palata concludes.

($1=19.143 crowns)