EU recovery plan, budget: Czechs may get CZK 75 bn more than expected, PM Babiš says

Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says the country could get almost CZK 75 billion (2.8 billion euros) more than anticipated from the EU Renewal Fund and in the next multi-annual budget.

Speaking early on Sunday morning as EU leaders met in Brussels for what turned out to be a third day of meetings, Babiš noted that the final amount could change.

But he said the that Czechs had negotiated the highest subsidies of all EU countries, much of which will go towards regional development.

Some EU member states believe the proposed 750 billion euro recovery package, to mitigate the economic impact of the coronavirus crisis, is too large. Other, such as the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Denmark, insist most funds be dispersed as loans rather than grants.