President Pavel vetoes bill on state employees

President Petr Pavel has vetoed a government-proposed bill on state employees, which would make it easier to replace civil servants and bring their employment rules closer to the Labour Code.

Pavel said the legislation goes against a European Commission recommendation to strengthen protections for senior civil servants against political pressure.

He also raised doubts about an amendment attached to the bill that would strip the president of the power to appoint heads of permanent missions to international organisations. According to Pavel, the provision may not be in line with the Czech Constitution. The bill will now return to the Chamber of Deputies for reconsideration.