Prague, July 28 (CTK) – Finance Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) launched the negotiations with individual ministers about the 2017 Czech state budget bill on Thursday, meeting Robert Pelikan (justice), Richard Brabec (environment; both ANO) and Daniel Herman (culture; Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL).
Babis has drafted a budget with a deficit projected at 60 billion crowns. The bill includes pay rise for teachers, nurses and doctors, higher pensions and higher health insurance payments that the state pays on behalf of children, pensioners and the unemployed.
The government must approve the budget bill and send it to the lower house of parliament by the end of September.
Justice Minister Pelikan told journalists after the talks with Babis that his ministry would get additional 650 million crowns that would be used for increased salaries of court personnel and the hiring of new staff in the judicial sector and the Prison Service.
Pelikan originally wanted two billion crowns more in the budget. According to the preliminary budget worked out in the spring, his ministry would get 24.8 billion crowns.
Environment Minister Brabec said he would like Babis to give his ministry 300 million crowns more than is set by the draft budget. After the talks, he said Babis will increase the environmental budget by 100 million crowns and this money will be used primarily for projects against drought.
According to the preliminary budget, the Environment Ministry will get 16.6 billion crowns next year.
Herman said he agreed with Babis that the Culture Ministry would get 200 million crowns more for salaries in cultural organisations funded from its budget.
The salaries of employees of organisations such as museums and galleries are markedly lower than the Czech average wage, even though most of these employees are university graduates.
The Culture Ministry is likely to get 11.8 billion crowns in 2017, according to the available data.
