Prague/Salzburg, July 27 (CTK) – The Czech Republic received Kc10.4bn more from the EU budget than it contributed to it in the Jan-June period, and its net position is the lowest since H1 2012 when it reached Kc6.6bn, the Finance Ministry said on its website.
Prime Minister Andrej Babis thinks that ministries should draw money from EU funds faster.
“I am very dissatisfied with some ministries, in particular the Industry and Trade Ministry where we have inherited some programmes which were insufficiently supervised and the EC stopped them,” Babis told journalists in Salzburg today.
The Czech Republic needs certification of projects for EUR1.5bn (Kc38.5bn) by the end of this year so that it does not lose the money from the EU funds, Babis said.
Ministers have been tasked with faster drawing of money from EU funds. They will also start presenting the results monthly to make it possible to better react to the situation, he added.
The Czech Republic’s net position was Kc16.7bn at the end of June last year. It was at its highest in H1 2015, reaching Kc126.8bn.
Slow implementation of projects co-financed by cohesion policy funds in the first half of the year is to blame for the drop in the net position, said the ministry.
“In spite of this cyclical fluctuation, the estimates show the Czech Republic will use the national cohesion policy allocation by the end of the year in order to prevent any possible losses,” the ministry said.
The country received Kc32.9bn from the EU budget, paying Kc22.5bn to it in the Jan-June period. Like in previous years, the Czech Republic was a net recipient of EU money.
The country was allocated Kc8.1bn for cohesion policy projects in the said period. Common Agricultural Policy revenues totalled Kc24.7bn, with direct payments at Kc20.7bn.
The Czech Republic paid Kc538.3bn to the EU budget between May 2004, its EU entry, and the end of June this year, receiving a total of Kc1,240bn from it over the period.
The Czech Republic’s net position (difference between revenues from the EU and payments to the EU):
|
Year |
Kc bn |
|
2004 |
7.3 |
|
2005 |
2.0 |
|
2006 |
6.9 |
|
2007 |
15.2 |
|
2008 |
23.8 |
|
2009 |
42.3 |
|
2010 |
47.9 |
|
2011 |
30.8 |
|
2012 |
73.8 |
|
2013 |
84.8 |
|
2014 |
75.3 |
|
2015 |
150.0 |
|
2016 |
80.6 |
|
H1 2017 |
16.7 |
|
2017 |
55.4 |
|
H1 2018 |
10.4 |
Source: Finance Ministry
Operating budgetary balances of selected EU countries in 2004 – 2016 (millions of euros)
|
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
|
|
CR |
+ 272 |
+178 |
+386 |
+657 |
+1,178 |
+1,703 |
+2,079 |
+1,455 |
+3,045 |
+3,401 |
+3,004 |
+5,699 |
+3,222 |
|
Slovakia |
+169 |
+271 |
+323 |
+618 |
+726 |
+542 |
+1,350 |
+1,161 |
+1,597 |
+1,287 |
+1,010 |
+3,095 |
+1,986 |
|
Poland |
+1,438 |
+1,853 |
+2,998 |
+5,136 |
+4,442 |
+6,337 |
+8,428 |
+10,975 |
+11,997 |
+12,237 |
+13,748 |
+9,483 |
+6,973 |
|
Germany |
-7,140 |
-6,064 |
-6,325 |
-7,415 |
-8,774 |
-6,368 |
-9,224 |
-9,003 |
-11,954 |
-13,825 |
-15,502 |
-14,307 |
-10,988 |
|
Italy |
-2,947 |
-2,199 |
-1,732 |
-2,014 |
-4,101 |
-5,059 |
-4,534 |
-5,933 |
-5,058 |
-3,790 |
-4,467 |
-2,639 |
-3,207 |
|
France |
-3,051 |
-,2884 |
-3,013 |
-2,997 |
-3,843 |
-5,873 |
-5,535 |
-6,406 |
-8,298 |
-8,446 |
-7,165 |
-5,523 |
-9,216 |
|
Hungary |
+193 |
+590 |
+1,115 |
+1,606 |
+1,112 |
+2,719 |
+2,748 |
+4,418 |
+3,280 |
+4,955 |
+5,682 |
+4,637 |
+3,581 |
Source: Financial Report EC
