Brussels – For the Czech Republic, it is important that the existing Czech priorities, such as cohesion and agricultural policy, are taken into account in the proposal for the next seven-year EU budget. Like many other countries, however, the Czech Republic proposes that these two areas be separated in the budget, which is not the case in the current proposal. This was stated today by Czech Minister for Regional Development Petr Kulhánek after the meeting in Brussels.
The European Commission published the first proposal for the new seven-year budget since 2028, amounting to 1.8 trillion euros (43.8 trillion CZK) this July. It introduced several fundamental changes, aiming for much greater flexibility. The seven-year budget includes all basic EU expenditures, from subsidies to farmers to cohesion funds to support less developed regions, as well as building transport infrastructure and assisting developing countries. The proposal was immediately criticized by the European Parliament. MEPs particularly opposed the “national plans,” which was the Commission’s idea to merge funds for farmers and regions (which make up about half of the total EU budget) into unified funds managed by the 27 governments of the bloc. The European Commission ultimately made several concessions last week.
According to Kulhánek, the Czech Republic views the budget proposal optimistically. “We are still only discussing priorities and architecture, we are not discussing amounts,” said the outgoing Czech minister to ČTK. “It is very important for us that our existing priorities are taken into account, whether it is cohesion or agricultural policy. Like many other countries, we propose that these two areas be separated,” he added.
The Czech Republic also appreciates other mentioned priorities of the long-term EU budget, which include security, competitiveness, the enlargement of the European Union, and ongoing assistance to Ukraine. Many Czech comments, according to Kulhánek, resonate across member states. Today, EU ministers for European affairs discussed the proposal in Brussels, but the Czech Republic was represented by the Minister for Regional Development.
According to Kulhánek, there was a clear emphasis on security policy and finances directed towards security projects in the countries closer to the Russian borders during the meeting. The pressure to separate cohesion and agricultural policy is felt across member states, so it will likely be taken into account, the Czech minister added, noting that it is logical. “Both areas have significantly different frameworks, different specifics, and of course, there is a concern that they do not cannibalize each other, so I understand that and agree with it,” he added. Discussions will continue in the coming months. (November 17)