Brussels, Feb 23 (CTK correspondents) – The Czech Republic has no problem with the possible condition that may link the drawing of European money with the quality of the rule of law and democracy and independent judiciary for the next financial period after 2020, Prime Minister Andrej Babis told journalists on Friday.
“We have a problem if migration or quotes were cited as conditions. We basically disagree with this,” Babis said.
Similar conditions can be heard from Germany whose Chancellor Angela Merkel interpreted the affair in the positive sense, as an effort to support the countries which were seriously hit by migration.
Babis said the net payers had made it clear that they were reluctant to increase their contributions to the joint EU coffers.
“We are ready to discuss an increase in the sum, but only on condition that we will have a much bigger say on how the funds, mainly the cohesion funds, are distributed,” Babis said.
European security and migration should be the priorities of the long-term budget after 2020 according to other statesmen, too.
“We do not want any major change in the cohesion funds,” Babis said.
The Czech Republic reckons with a lowered flow of money to it while the difference between its payment and received money would diminish.
“Naturally, the sums are still big and what matters is that we should have a major influence on their use,” Babis said.
Babis had an eye-to-eye conversation with French President Emmanuel, whom he invited to Prague for May.
Babis also had a bilateral conversation with Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
