About: Andrej Babis
Czech PM urges EU to ditch Green Deal amid virus
The Czech premier, whose country depends on nuclear energy and coal, said Monday (16 March) the European Union should ditch its landmark green law seeking carbon neutrality as it battles the novel coronavirus.
MEP Hohlmeier: No system to identify conflict of interest in Czech Republic
Distribution of EU funds in the Czech Republic faces several weaknesses, including a lack of clear system, said German MEP Monika Hohlmeier (EPP), who led a fact-finding mission of the Budgetary Control (CONT) committee to the country.
Czech government to sue Commission over PM’s alleged conflict of interest
The Czech government will fill a lawsuit against the European Commission over the suspension of subsidy payments granted to Agrofert holding, an agrochemical company of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (RE) that is currently managed by trust funds. EURACTIV.cz reports.
Czech PM must quit, say 50,000 protesters
Tens of thousands of Czechs rallied in central Prague on Tuesday (10 December) demanding the resignation of populist billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babiš over fraud allegations.
Revolt brewing against EU’s ‘unrealistic’ climate goals
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has threatened to veto Europe’s goal of becoming the first climate neutral continent in the world by 2050, adding his voice to a growing chorus of discontent as EU leaders prepare for heated climate discussions at a summit in Brussels next week.
Czech taxpayers should return EU subsidies due to PM’s business conflict
The European Commission has determined that the Czech Republic must return hundreds of millions of crowns in EU subsidies as Prime Minister Andrej Babiš did not sufficiently separate himself from holdings that received the funds, Czech news websites reported.
EU audit finds Czech Prime Minister Babis in conflict of interest
A European Commission audit has confirmed that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is in a conflict of interest due to his former business empire that he has put into trust funds, weekly Respekt reported on its website on Sunday (1...
Babis voices regret for Czech communist past at Velvet Revolution anniversary
The Czech Republic's billionaire prime minister expressed regret over his communist past on Sunday (17 November) while Slovakia's liberal president hailed the sacrifices communist-era dissidents made for democracy as their nations celebrated 30 years since the Velvet Revolution toppled communism in then-Czechoslovakia.
Visegrad countries back opening of accession talks with North Macedonia, Albania
Four eastern European Union members on Thursday (12 September) backed the accession of Western Balkan countries to the bloc, saying North Macedonia and Albania should start talks this year.
Babis: Rule-of-law job would be great honour for Czech Republic
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has scolded Politico for publishing what he said was old and unconfirmed information about a potential rule-of-law portfolio for the Czech Commission candidate Věra Jourová. But he did say this portfolio would be a prestigious one. EURACTIV Czech Republic reports.
The Czech president’s summer power play comes to an end
The latest Czech government crisis is over: President Miloš Zeman will appoint Lubomír Zaorálek as the new minister of culture on Tuesday (27 August), ending a dispute over the post that almost caused a collapse of the government. However, the crisis has exposed the deteriorating state of democracy in the country.
Will the government of Andrej Babiš survive again?
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš survived a no-confidence vote on 27 June, but his coalition government is torn by internal strife and appears to be nearer the end than at any point in its past 12 months in office.
Embattled Czech mogul PM survives confidence vote
Billionaire Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš survived a no-confidence vote early on Thursday (27 June), even as he faces charges of graft, EU concerns over possible conflicts of interest and mass rallies demanding his resignation.
Czechs demand Babis quit in largest protest since communism
Huge crowds flooded central Prague on Sunday (23 June) demanding Prime Minister Andrej Babiš step down over allegations of graft in a protest that organisers and local media claim drew around 250,000 people, making it the largest since the fall of communism in 1989.
Czechs alarmed as populist leaders take aim at public media
Czech journalists and media analysts are raising alarm over the "threat" to the country's public media from mounting pressure on the press by populist politicians.
GLOBSEC Forum: ‘No reason to protest, people have a great life’, Babis says
As GLOBSEC's 2019 forum in Bratislava kicked off last week, EURACTIV went along to listen to world leaders from politics, civil society and business, on the EU’s place amid unstable political contexts. Here are the main talking points from the Saturday forum.
Czechs go to the polls, embattled PM set to win
Czechs will start voting Friday (24 May) in the European Parliament election, with the party of their embattled billionaire prime minister set to win amid expected low turnout and despite protests against his cabinet.
#EU2019 – Mainstream Czech parties go to polls with common EU vision: a stronger nation
The two largest parties in the Czech Republic, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ANO (ALDE) and Civic Democratic Party (ODS, ECR), have found common ground in their vision for the EU future: a stronger nation. EURACTIV Czech Republic reports.
EU country briefing: Czech Republic
The following article is a part of a series of brief country profiles for the EU-28 ahead of the European elections in May. The Czech Republic, shortened to Czechia since 2016, was the second most developed country (after Slovenia) of the eight Central...
Juncker looks back on 15 years of ‘big bang’ EU enlargement
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker offered interesting comments on present-day leaders of member states from Central Europe, on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the 1 May 2004 accession of 10 countries, known as “the big bang”.
Police recommend indicting Czech PM for fraud
Czech police believe billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babiš should be indicted for alleged involvement in EU subsidy fraud worth two million euros, a spokesman said Wednesday. “The investigation is over and the complete file has been submitted to the state...
EPP more likely to expel Fidesz if rival groups also ditch troublemakers
If mainstream political groups do not collectively expel their bad apples it could spell an end to measures by the EU to protect democracy in its member countries, write Jean Morijn and Israel Butler.
Czech PM raps Macron’s call for EU reforms
A call by French President Emmanuel Macron for reforms of the European Union to pave the way to a "European renaissance" won polite support in several capitals on Tuesday (5 March), but Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš called it “divorced from reality’.