Final Word from Wednesday, March 21, 2018
"How am I supposed to know what runs through Mr. Babiš's mind?" replied Prague Mayor Adriana Krnáčová when E15 asked if she has Andrej Babiš's support for running for reelection. The same response could be given when the subject turns to ČEZ. What exactly does Babiš mean when he tells the Czech Chamber of Commerce that he considers it unacceptable for ČEZ to lose its sales and distribution assets as part of a spin-off? When he says that a "serious debate" about this is forthcoming, does he mean "debate," or "fight"? Disposals of ČEZ assets over the years have already helped make very rich men of Martin Roman, Petr Kellner, Daniel Křetínský and Vladimír Johanes, to name a few of the main beneficiaries, and have also helped raise scores of "children of ČEZ" in the media, politics, business and academia. A spin-off of ČEZ's assets is potentially one of the most important remaining questions in the formation of a new coalition government. Is Babiš signaling that ČEZ is off limits, or that he's willing to put it on the table? How are we supposed to know what runs through his mind? [Czech Republic spinoff spinning PPF EPH]
Glossary of difficult words
spin-off - the creation of an independent company through the sale or distribution of new shares of an existing business or division of a parent company;
forthcoming - about to happen or appear;
disposal - the action or process of selling or getting rid of something;
beneficiary - a person who derives advantage from something;
academia - the environment or community concerned with the pursuit of research, education and scholarship;
off limits - not to be mentioned or discussed;
on the table - offered for discussion.