Czech Foreign Ministry to buy Škoda electric cars — even though its minister opposes "green" policies

The Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs is continuing to renew its vehicle fleet — a process launched under former minister Jan Lipavský — and has signed a framework agreement with Škoda Auto for the supply of electric SUVs worth 8.8 million koruna. The irony is that the ministry's current head, Petr Macinka (Motorists party), has long been an outspoken critic of "green" policies, including the shift from combustion engines to electric vehicles.

How electric cars ended up at the Foreign Ministry despite Macinka

The tender for new limousines, standard SUVs and electric SUVs was announced back in September of last year, while Jan Lipavský was still in charge of the ministry. Bids were accepted until November, after which a lengthy evaluation process began — and by the time it concluded, Petr Macinka had taken over as head of the ministry. Under public procurement law, an already-launched tender cannot be cancelled without solid grounds, so the ministry was obliged to see the process through, even though the outcome clashes with the new minister's views.

In May of this year, the ministry announced it was signing the framework agreement with Škoda Auto, as the company had offered the most favorable terms. However, ministry spokesman Adam Čorgo explained that the agreement itself does not obligate the ministry to actually purchase the vehicles — it merely sets the framework for possible future deals between the parties.

What has already been ordered, and why

Nevertheless, in June the ministry, now under Macinka's leadership, ordered two Škoda Enyaq Sportline 85x electric vehicles worth more than 2.2 million koruna, and in early August added a third car under a separate contract for 1.1 million koruna. Under the terms of the deal, the vehicles are to be delivered in the first half of next year.

Asked by journalists about his stance on the purchase, Petr Macinka kept it brief: "I'd rather stay silent," he wrote in a text message. Former minister Jan Lipavský, for his part, described the purchase as a routine fleet renewal, adding that the SUVs are intended primarily for diplomatic missions in higher-risk locations — meaning they will be used abroad rather than in Czechia.

Besides the electric vehicles, the framework agreement also covers the purchase of limousines worth 6 million koruna and standard SUVs worth 4.8 million koruna, though no execution contract has been signed for these items yet, so the final amounts may still change.

A much bigger purchase — at the Interior Ministry

Far more ambitious are the plans of the Ministry of the Interior, which intends to acquire around 400 electric vehicles at a total cost of up to half a billion koruna — most of which are destined for police service.

Around Prague, based on reporting by seznamzpravy.cz