Lower house commission to prepare draft Church property settlement

The lower house has established a commission with the aim of helping to prepare a draft property settlement between the Church and state. The results are to be presented by the end of the year. The lower house moved to establish the commission after the government proved unable to push through its own property settlement recently. That legislation was blocked by the opposition as well as three rebel coalition MPs including the Civic Democrats’ Vlastimil Tlustý. They have argued the government used incorrect data in calculating the compensation sum of 83 billion crowns. The prime minister disagreed but backed formation of the commission. The body is to have a total of 12 members across the political spectrum (four from the opposition Social Democrats, four from the ruling Civic Democrats, two from the Communist Party, while coalition members the Christian Democrats and Greens will have one each).