Final Word from Wednesday, June 26, 2024

While Industry and Trade Min. Jozef Síkela (STAN) was assuring the Czech public in mid-2022 that "fair allocation means fair allocation" and that Germany would give up the natural gas for part of its industry if necessary so that systemically more important companies in the CR could continue to operate, he was telling representatives of Czech industry in private meetings that the most important thing was to keep German industry going. When he boasts about the tender for new nuclear reactors, he neglects to say that he is essentially agreeing to give the Germans a veto over the Czech nuclear program. When Czech consumers complain to Síkela about the trade practices of German-owned retailers, he turns to his adviser Tomáš Prouza, whose daytime job is to act as spokesman for these same retailers. Then there's the question of the price Síkela paid for Net4Gas. Every EU member gets a commissioner, but it seems that Germany will be getting two this time: Ursula von der Leyen and Jozef Síkela. [ Czech Republic SOCR European Union ]