Prague, Aug 13 (CTK) – The projected budget of the Czech Justice Ministry for 2016 will be raised by one billion crowns, Finance Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) said Thursday after a meeting with minister Robert Pelikan (for ANO), who demanded an increase of two billion crowns.
Pelikan wants to spend the additional money on reinforcing the staff at courts that, he says, would improve their effectiveness.
The Justice Ministry has a budget of 23.25 billion crowns this year and it was to get 23.35 billion crowns next year according to Babis’s original plan.
“It is the same every year. The ministers are trying to secure as much as possible and then they have a problem to spend it,” Babis said.
He said after his meetings with representatives from the interior, regional development and defence ministries on Wednesday the projected state budget deficit of 70 billion crowns next year may be exceeded.
Thursday, Babis said the figure is still valid even though the projected state budget is “tense,” mainly due to the demands of the interior and defence ministries reacting to “the new security situation.”
Babis is to submit the final draft state budget to the government by mid-September. He is still to meet Health Minister Svatopluk Nemecek (Social Democrats, CSSD) and he would also like to talk to Education Minister Katerina Valachova (for CSSD) once more.
