Prague, June 4 (CTK) – Interior Minister Milan Chovanec has already completed the text of his complaint against the recently approved European directive restricting firearms possession with which the Czech Republic disagrees, he said in a debate on public Czech Television (CT) today.
Chovanec (senior government Social Democrats, CSSD) added that he would propose to the government that the Czech Republic file this complaint.
He said in the Vaclav Moravec’s Questions discussion programme that the EU was promoting nonsensical measures, while it was restraining those that might be efficient, such as the strengthening of defence of the EU outer border.
In reaction to the Saturday terrorist attacks in London, Chovanec said the EU firearms directive was nonsensical.
“The directive harms Czech citizens…It worsens psychological climate towards Europe,” he said.
The draft lawsuit against it has been completed, Chovanec said.
The government meets next week on Monday and then on Wednesday, June 14.
The respective EU directive takes effect on August 13 and deadline for filing a lawsuit with the European Court of Justice expires on August 7.
Chovanec added that he had no idea whether some other EU countries would join the lawsuit.
The European Parliament (EP) passed the directive tightening control of firearms in mid-March. Its aim is to prevent terrorists from gaining arms easily.
However, its critics point out that it primarily restricts the market with legally possessed arms and strongly infringes on the country’s internal affairs, which is at variance with EU law.
The directive provoked a wave of protests in the Czech Republic.
Chovanec has longed claimed that there is no single case known of a terrorist committing an attack by a legal firearm.
The stricter conditions would afflict some 300,000 holders of firearm licences in the Czech Republic as well as the owners weapons modified for blank cartridges, such as those used for theatre or film purposes, that are not registered now.
More meaningful measures would be the deployment of soldiers along the border and the establishment of the common coast guard, Chovanec pointed out.
The Czech police helped protect the border in Macedonia, Hungry and Poland during the migrant crisis, but they saw very few police officers from other countries there, he added.
