EC: Czech Republic making tangible progress in addressing conflict of interest

The conflict of interest control system in the Czech Republic has improved significantly, but it is too early to say if it will guarantee results in practice, the head of the European Commission's Director-General for Regional Policy, Marc Lemaitre said at a hearing in the European Parliament on Friday. The European Commission has given the Czech Republic a deadline by which it must introduce a mechanism that will detect and prevent conflict of interest.

According to an independent audit ordered by the Commission earlier this year, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has a conflict of interest since he continues to control the Agrofert conglomerate, which he placed into trust funds. Babiš has rejected the claim saying he had fully complied with the Czech conflict of interest law. Lemaitre stated that while the interpretations of the Commission and the Czech authorities on the case differ, the recent communication between Prague and Brussels shows "positive developments" and "tangible progress" on the Czech side.