Babiš rejects ties to Fico and Orbán

On his visit to Brussels, newly appointed Czech prime minister Andrej Babiš rejected the claim that he belongs to a “problematic club” with Slovakia’s Robert Fico and Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. He called such foreign-media assertions untrue and said he would seek allies across all EU member states, the Czceh News Agency reported. Babiš noted, for instance, that he had spoken with Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen two days earlier.

During his visit, Babiš also said that he did not understand why Czechia had requested the lowest sum from the EU’s new defence fund, SAFE. After meeting Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, he asked whether Czechia could apply for a larger amount. SAFE offers €150 billion in loans for military equipment; Prague has submitted a plan to draw up to €2 billion.

Babiš has signalled he wishes to attend the EU summit beginning on December 18, where leaders will discuss further financial support for Ukraine.