Prague, Dec 8 (CTK) – President Milos Zeman told Finance Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) that the Czech state budget for next year, which the parliament passed on Wednesday, does not focus on investment enough, Babis told CTK after his talks with Zeman on Thursday.
Babis dismissed Zeman’s view and he said enough money would be available for investments in 2017.
“(Zeman) again rebuked me for the investments but I told him that I, the finance minister, raised funds for all the investments. Now it is mostly up to the individual ministries and on their drawing of European funds,” Babis said.
He said investment projects cannot be immediately implemented because their preparation was neglected after 2010.
“The president is of course happy that the present budget will have a surplus and that the debt is decreasing,” he said.
The deficit of this year’s state budget is projected at 70 billion crowns, but the budget had a surplus of 55 billion in November. Babis said previously the Czech Republic will undoubtedly see the best state budget result in the past 20 years.
Zeman and Babis also talked about the bill on the conflict of interest which would considerably affect Babis’s business companies, Novinky.cz news server writes. Babis told the server that he does not know whether Zeman would veto the bill.
Babis said they also discussed European affairs and the invitation to the White House that Zeman recently received from President-elect Donald Trump.
