European Commission confirms Babiš's conflict of interest, but PM says he couldn't care less

The European Commission has suspended part of the subsidies from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) earmarked for companies within the Agrofert holding. This was announced on Tuesday by European Commission spokesperson Louise Boje.

According to her, after a thorough review the Commission concluded that Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is in a potential conflict of interest, and that the trust fund into which he transferred his Agrofert shares does not adequately resolve the issue. The suspension also affects the so-called cohesion funds. The Commission has sent a letter to Czech authorities demanding additional information and clarification.

The Prime Minister's Reaction

Babiš himself responded to the European Commission's decision with pointed calm. "It doesn't bother me, and I don't even deal with it. I don't own Agrofert, I'll never own it again, and I get no benefit from it. I don't know what more I'm supposed to do. For the European Commission, it's apparently enough for a commissioner to simply declare a conflict of interest, and the matter is settled. It seems that even if I shot myself, it wouldn't help," the Prime Minister said.

He described the Commission's claims as "nonsense," adding that he is confident the Commission will eventually come to see it that way itself.

Agrofert's Position

Agrofert spokesperson Pavel Herzmański told the ČTK news agency that he had only learned of the suspension of payments through media reports so far. "We remain convinced that we have acted in accordance with the laws and rules governing the provision of subsidies. And we intend to continue doing so," he said.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz