More urgency needed on civil service law warns Bohuslav Sobotka

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has warned that preparations for finalising a proposed new law on the Czech civil service have to be hurried up if the target of getting it into place by the start of 2015 is to be met. Some of the details over how to create a de-politicized and professional civil service have yet to be agreed between government parties. Deputy prime minister Pavel Bělobrádek this week cast doubt on the targets to get the bill through the lower house in June and the upper house, the Senate, by July. The European Commission has threatened to block funding to the Czech Republic unless the key legislation is up and working in 2015.