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Some representatives of human rights and anti-drug organisations and government councils left a meeting on the transfer of government agendas early after talks with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, head of the Government Office Tünde Bartha and four ministers. They described the meeting as sad, undignified, a farce and absurd theatre.

The government approved the transfer of agendas last Monday. From July, departments and offices connected to eight government councils are expected to move from the Government Office to four ministries. Experts have sharply criticised the plan, pointing out that the transferred issues concern several ministries at once and require cross-ministerial coordination. According to the cabinet, however, the new arrangement will be more efficient.

“What happened there was absolutely undignified. We were prepared for a discussion. Instead, we got a frontal lecture meant to explain to us that the transfers are actually a great idea,” said Jana Michailidu, director of the expert centre at the Think Tank for Rational Addiction Policies. She was the first to leave after 45 minutes.

A bettor from the Czech Republic has won nearly €120 million ($129 million) in the Eurojackpot, equivalent to 2.91 billion crowns, Germany’s Focus reported after Tuesday’s draw in Helsinki.

In the lottery, played across several European countries including the Czech Republic, players must correctly pick five numbers from 50 and two additional numbers. The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately one in 140 million.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš says he has resolved his conflict of interest issues related to his assets well beyond the requirements of both Czech and European law.

In a statement to the Czech News Agency, Babiš said he no longer owns the Agrofert holding and will derive no benefit from it. He argued that the European Commission is obliged to respond to complaints filed by the Czech opposition and is therefore seeking further clarification from Czech authorities. He added that he expects the matter to be closed once the Czech side provides its response.

The issue resurfaced after Czech Radio reported that the Commission had found the Czech authorities’ previous response insufficient regarding questions over Babiš’s alleged conflict of interest.

According to the news outlet, the Commission stated in its letter that no subsidies linked to companies associated with Babiš would be reimbursed until the conflict of interest issue is fully resolved.

Small states are not seeking a world without great powers, but one in which major powers accept the limits of their influence, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.

Macinka said the world is suffering from a loss of communication and stressed the value of the Security Council as a forum where rival powers can still engage in dialogue.

“History teaches us that major conflicts do not begin only with aggression. They also begin with miscalculation, the breakdown of communication, and the belief that there is no longer any need to listen to others,” he said, adding that major powers need to hear how the rest of the world perceives their actions.

Macinka said the United Nations was not created to build a perfect world, but to prevent the worst outcomes. Although its structures reflect the realities of 1945 rather than today’s world, he said the UN remains essential because it gives smaller states a platform to make their voices heard.