Today in Plenary, S&D MEPs called on the European Commission to take action in the case of misuse of European funds by Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
The European Commission has found him to be in a conflict of interest, since he is funneling EU agricultural funds to finance his own private businesses.
Socialists and Democrats call on the European Commission and on the EU Council to take appropriate measures to deal with the unacceptable situation in which the Czech Prime Minister is a beneficiary of EU funds at national level, and a negotiator of the next MFF at EU level.
“In November, 200.000 people attended a mass rally in Prague against Prime Minister Babiš. He has insisted that this demonstration was part of an ´undemocratic plot against him´. But a leaked Commission audit of December establishes that Mr Babiš is in a clear conflict of interest, as he is using EU tax payers’ money to serve his own business interests,” said Lara Wolters, S&D MEP on the committee on budgetary control.
“There is no anti-democratic plot against Czechia. On the contrary, the Commission chooses the side of democracy and of the hundreds of thousands of Czech citizens who demand justice. The Commission has to make sure the misused funds are paid back. This is step one. In addition, the new rule of law mechanism – proposed by the Commission and strongly supported by our family – should be adopted within the new MFF, to ensure the independence of national institutions,” she added.
