Czech government unanimously approves church restitutions

Prague - The Czech coalition government of the Civic Democrats (ODS), TOP 09 and Public Affairs (VV) unanimously approved a bill on state-church property settlement today, sources from the cabinet's meeting have confirmed to CTK.

The VV ministers, who hesitated to support the agreed church restitutions, voted for the bill eventually.

The three coalition parties agreed with 17 churches in the Czech Republic in late 2011 on the payment of 59 billion crowns to churches over a period of 30 years starting in 2013. Inflation could raise the sum to 78.9 up to 96.24 billion crowns.

The churches are also to get back 56 percent of the property that was confiscated from them under the communist regime.

The property settlement aims at putting an end to the financing of churches by the state. The transitional period is to last 17 years.

The left-wing opposition, the Social Democrats (CSSD) ans Communists (KSCM), which is now to comment on the bill in parliament, has sharply criticised the proposed property settlement with churches.

Moreover, most Czech citizens or 70 percent are against the property return to churches, according to a poll.

The VV, the smallest government party, raised objections to the agreed church restitutions. Its representatives wanted Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09) to clearly explain first where the state will find money to pay financial compensation to churches in the next 30 years.

This is why the VV proposed that its payment be postponed.

At the weekend the party proposed that some state offices and ministries be merged or scrapped as a measure to save the billions of crowns for the churches.

However, the coalition partners, the ODS and TOP 09, refused to link the observance of the coalition-churches agreement to any other conditions.

The tension in the coalition escalated on Monday when Prime Minister and ODS chairman Petr Necas threatened to sack the VV ministers if they did not support the bill in the cabinet, which would mean the current government coalition´s collapse.

After a meeting on Tuesday, the VV was split on whether to back the church restitution plan or not.

However, deputy PM Karolina Peake (VV) confirmed to CTK before the government meeting today that VV minister had received mandate from their party´s deputy group to support the agreement on the state-church property settlement.

The VV leadership discussed the issue with the coalition partners and the churches in the night, Peake added.

At present the state contributes some 1.5 billion crowns annually to the churches' activities.

($1=20.131 crowns) Author: CTK
www.ctk.cz

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