PM confirms Hodač is among three serious candidates for state secretary for EU affairs job

Speaking on the same television show, Prime Minister Nečas confirmed that Ivan Hodač was a candidate for the newly created post of state secretary for European Union affairs. Mr Hodač has been the head of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association for nearly a decade. The prime minister said there were two other serious aspirants for the post, with the chosen candidate due to be announced in a few weeks’ time. The filling of the post, which would succeed the deputy PM for EU affairs of previous governments, has ruffled some feathers in the governing coalition. The foreign minister, Karel Schwarzenberg, told the newspaper Lidové noviny that if Mr Nečas’s party the Civic Democrats wanted a car lobbyist, it was their issue.

Author: Ian Willoughby