Zeman meets PM at Prague Castle

Prague, March 13 (CTK) - New Czech President Milos Zeman met Prime Minister Petr Necas (Civic Democrats, ODS) for the first time at Prague Castle this afternoon, but neither Zeman's nor Necas's spokesperson would comment on their hour-long meeting.

Necas met Zeman after the latter said earlier yesterday that the Czech regional governments work better than the Necas cabinet.

"As far as the topics on the agenda, it was a tete a tete meeting behind the closed door," the Presidential Office's spokeswoman Hana Burianova told CTK.

She said the meeting had nothing to do with Zeman's statements earlier yesterday as its date had been set a few days ago.

The government spokesman Michal Schuster did not give any information about the content of the first Zeman-Necas meeting either.

Zeman, former Social Democrat (CSSD) prime minister, yesterday said the self-rule regions have been more successful than the Necas cabinet, mainly in terms of drawing EU subsidies.

Later in the afternoon Necas reacted in a press statement saying that the government has been saving money while the regions [mostly controlled by the opposition CSSD] have generated debts.

"Under the CSSD's rule the regions' debts grew more than the state's. The volume of administrative staff's pay alone rose by 10 percent in the regions in 2009-2011, while it declined by 9 percent in the state administration in the same period," Necas pointed out.

"As far as the comparing of [the drawing of money from] the European funds by the regions and the government, I wouldn't be as optimistic as the regional governors are," Necas said.

He said not quantity but mainly the quality and effectiveness of the [Czech EU-subsidised] projects is important.

As a symbol of the regions' managerial practices he gave David Rath, a deputy and the CSSD's former Central Bohemia governor faced with corruption charges.