Babiš calls EU budget proposals unacceptable for Czechia

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has said that the new sources of EU budget revenue proposed by the European Commission are “absolutely unacceptable” for the country. According to him, Brussels wants to take from the Czech Republic part of the revenue that currently goes entirely into the state budget.

This concerns above all three percent of the tobacco excise duty. “They want to take three percent from us,” Babiš said. The list also includes revenue from emission allowances and a carbon tax.

The prime minister also doubts that an agreement on the EU budget for 2028–2034 can be reached at all: three European Council meetings are scheduled before Christmas, and the differences between member states are “huge”. As Babiš put it, he “has a feeling of how it will go.”

He reminded listeners that the Czech Republic is gradually approaching the position of a net payer, even though until now it has received tens and hundreds of billions of euros from Brussels. The country's priorities, he said, are healthcare, water and motorways. Babiš does not understand why states that built their motorway networks long ago should not help the Czech Republic finish its roads.

Source: novinky.cz