Minister for Regional Development Klára Dostálová (for YES) wants to increase its office’s budget for next year by CZK 5 billion to about CZK 35 billion. These are national subsidies that it wants to use mainly to support affordable housing, local roads, public buildings or sports grounds. Dostálová told reporters today before a meeting with Finance Minister Alena Schillerová (for YES).
“The demand of municipalities is in units of billions, so we will certainly talk about increasing investment in national subsidy programs. We clearly want to support affordable housing, we will invest in land for subsequent housing, etc. I have a number of such requirements and I would like to national subsidy programs managed to negotiate at least five billion extra crowns,” said Dostálová.
She expressed satisfaction with the money from European subsidies, according to her, the new programming period will start in about February next year. “But it will take some time before the first contracts can be signed. Therefore, I do not think that there will be any large drawdowns next year,” Dostálová added.
As she further stated, Saturday’s statement by President Miloš Zeman could help her in the negotiations. He said he would like more support for housing construction. According to the spokesman of the Castle, Jiří Ovčáček, the president considers the draft state budget to be not very economical and insufficiently investment. “Mr. President helped me a lot, I accepted his words with great enthusiasm,” Dostalova added.
The basic parameters of the state budget were approved by the government in June. The Ministry of Finance planned the total budget revenues, including money from the EU, at CZK 1.486 trillion and expenditures at CZK 1.876 trillion. The deficit should amount to CZK 390 billion.
Schiller has previously stated that the Chamber of Deputies will probably not have time to approve the budget by the October parliamentary elections, not even at first reading. After the elections, the government will have to approve the proposal again and submit it to the deputies.
Source: CTK
