Schillerová Once Blasted Budget Secrecy in Opposition — Now She's Doing the Same

Czech Finance Minister Alena Schillerová is drafting the state budget behind closed doors, repeating the very practice she fiercely criticized the previous government for while in opposition. The June version of the budget is still unavailable to the public, and wage negotiations with trade unions have been pushed back to late August.

A Change of Tone After a Change of Power

In the summer of 2024, at an ANO press conference, Schillerová sharply rebuked then-Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura for keeping the drafting of the country's key budget law under wraps. She warned at the time that such secrecy risked undermining public trust and allowed for arbitrary selection of information released to the public.

Now that Andrej Babiš's government is back in power, the situation appears to be repeating itself almost unchanged. The budget draft prepared in June remains hidden from the public, and trade unions still haven't been given a date for wage talks — discussions have been postponed until late August.

Criticism from Trade Unions and a Former Minister

Coalition and opposition lawmakers alike have largely avoided commenting on the situation. Sharp criticism has instead come from Josef Středula, head of the Czech-Moravian Confederation of Trade Unions, and former Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek. Both pointed out that the cabinet is keeping the budget figures under lock and key, denying experts and the public any chance to scrutinize the document before it is finalized in late August.

In their view, the government owes the public an explanation for continuing the very opaque practice it once condemned so harshly while in opposition. Critics warn this secrecy will inevitably affect the quality of the final budget draft.

Schillerová Denies Any Contradiction

Schillerová herself sees no reversal in her stance. She argues that Stanjura's actions at the time were unlawful, but the previous government subsequently changed the budget rules — meaning she is now, by her own account, acting strictly within the bounds of current law.

In effect, the argument about an "attack on transparency" that Schillerová once championed while in opposition appears to have lost its relevance for her the moment she took charge of drafting the state budget herself — and a closed-door process now suits her just fine.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz