Even if the government does not implement anything else, its contribution will be greater than in the case of the previous two cabinets, party chairman and prime minister Petr Fiala said at Saturday’s idea conference of the Citizen Democrats in Prague. He identified the strengthening of Czech energy and security, development of the transport network, reduction of bureaucracy and education reform as priorities for the future.
At the beginning of the day-long meeting of the ODS on the program, he praised the politicians of his party in the government and in other positions, he also highlighted the will of the cabinet for the painful and unpopular reform in the form of the consolidation package that the government presented this week.
On Thursday, the ODS-led government presented a plan to consolidate public finances. The austerity package contains 58 measures and is accompanied by a pension reform. According to the Prime Minister, without the package, next year’s budget deficit would be 94 billion crowns higher.
On Saturday, Fiala appreciated that the government had the courage to prepare unpopular materials. The changes are painful but absolutely necessary, he said. “If the government had not implemented anything else, I am sure that its contribution to the Czech Republic at this moment is greater than the actions of the two socialist-populist governments that preceded us,” reminded the government led by Andrej Babiš (ANO).
According to Fiala, the government coalition of five manages to maintain a welcoming atmosphere in which, at the same time, the ODS is able to promote and adhere to its key priorities. “Last year we reduced the tax burden by 30 billion due to the crisis, next year we will increase taxes by roughly 30 billion in total. And in any case, the tax burden on citizens will not be the same as it was before the abolition of the super gross wage,” said Fiala.
Strengthening of energy
The prime minister praised all civil democrats in the government, but also in other positions. He especially singled out his party’s first vice-chairman and finance minister Zbyňek Stanjura, who, according to him, has unfairly faced media attacks in recent weeks. “Only because he adhered to the rules and was the one who quietly calculated, analyzed and prepared documents for the decision-making of the entire government coalition,” said the prime minister.
The cabinet must continue with projects that often exceed its four-year mandate, Fiala mentioned. According to him, five areas are key. “In the first place is the strengthening of our domestic energy. It is not only the development of the core that our government is betting on, but also the construction of other sources, including renewable ones,” he said. He also called further development of security or the road and rail network necessary.
The reduction of bureaucracy must also continue, the state must modernize and digitize. He also wants to complete the education reform. “We must strengthen its quality, think about its length and focus on its accessibility. The situation with a lack of schools must not be repeated,” said Fiala.
According to him, the review of money spent on education is also important. “That is, are we really getting quality education for this money, or could it be better invested,” he said.
Our website @current as part of its reporting, it brings an example from today’s speech by the chairman of the ODS and the prime minister, Petr Fiala, at the ideas conference of the ODS. In this video, you can hear how Petr Fiala warned fellow party members against ODS “not closing itself into ideological camps”. pic.twitter.com/epoY639KAw
— Radek Bartonicek (@R_Bartonicek) May 13, 2023
