Town mayors to demonstrate for better use of EU funds

Town mayors are planning to demonstrate against the government’s proposed plan for the distribution of EU subsidies in the years between 2014 and 2020. They say the proposal involves excessive bureaucracy, leaves room for corruption and may leave potential funds untapped. Mayors say EU funds should primarily be used to improve the standard of living in rural areas and so to close the gap between the big cities and the rest of the country. In the 2014-2020 timeframe the Czech Republic could potentially draw over 20 billion euros from EU funds. Smaller towns and villages want more direct access to the money.