EU withholds Agrofert subsidies pending conflict-of-interest review

The European Commission says Czech authorities were entitled to resume agricultural subsidies to companies owned by the Agrofert group. However, Brussels has stressed that the EU will not reimburse any of the funds until it completes its review of a potential conflict of interest involving Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

A Commission spokesperson said the payments can be made at the national level, but EU funding will remain frozen while the case is being assessed.

The statement follows the Commission's request last week for additional information from the Czech authorities regarding the subsidy payments and their compliance with EU conflict-of-interest rules.