Strasbourg/Brussels – Should Andrej Babiš, leader of the ANO movement, be reappointed as the Czech Prime Minister, the European Commission will conduct a thorough examination of the situation to ensure there is no conflict of interest. This was communicated by European Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin during today’s session of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT). The Commission has previously raised concerns about Babiš’s conflict of interest, noting that companies within the Agrofert group improperly received EU subsidies during his tenure.
Serafin’s comments were in response to a query from German MEP Daniel Freund of the Greens, regarding the political landscape in the Czech Republic and potential conflicts of interest involving a politician poised to lead the government again post-election. Babiš served as the Czech Prime Minister from 2017 until 2021.
“Monitoring conflicts of interest is a key priority for the Commission in safeguarding the financial interests of the Union,” Serafin remarked. “If Mr. Babiš is reinstated as Prime Minister, the Commission will closely scrutinize the situation and verify the absence of any conflict of interest,” he further stated. He noted that the Commission has previously conducted several audits regarding the management and control systems implemented by Czech authorities.
The 2021 audit report indicated that “Mr. Babiš’s impartial and objective execution of duties was undermined due to his involvement in decisions affecting the Agrofert group, which he owns,” Serafin highlighted in his remarks. “The Commission has implemented various financial corrections to address this issue and will continue to monitor compliance with conflict of interest regulations,” he concluded. (October 9)
Leave a Reply