EU wants Czech mistakes redressing, may halt subsidies-press

Prague - An audit by the European Commission (EC) is critical of the Czech Education Ministry on several points and may halt subsidies, it ensues from documents that the Czech Television (CT) public broadcaster and daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) have at their disposal, MfD writes today.

The audit criticises high salaries, some of which reach 100,000 crowns and more, inappropriately expensive computers, advantages that some suppliers enjoy and payments not related to the subsidised projects, MfD writes, adding that Brussels will halt the subsidies unless the ministry redresses the mistakes within a month.

The auditors write that controls are not carried out on a regular monthly base that implies a big risk of mistakes, discrepancies and frauds.

The ministry said on Thursday the EC audit that according to MfD checked spending from January 2007 to May 2011 found out mistakes in placing public orders within the Education for Copmetitiveness Programme.

The Czech Republic may receive up to 53 billion crowns via the programme, but a mere 6 percent has been drawn from it by now, two years before the end of the programme, MfD writes.

CT said the audit checked projects worth some 400 million crowns.

The auditors point to mistakes in 12 projects and say such mistakes are precisely the reason why Brussels is reluctant to pay out the money.

The ministry applied, for instance, for a subsidy of 200 million crowns to prepare conditions for reformed secondary school leaving exams.

The auditors say, however, a number of the expenditures that should be covered from the EU programme do not relate to the original purpose at all and that the Education Minister Josef Dobes (Public Affairs, VV) should have uncovered such mistakes.

The auditors recommend that one quarter of the costs be corrected, MfD writes.

Brussels also says the high salaries of ministerial clerks are not in harmony with the methodical directive and that they markedly exceed the recommended level.

MfD writes that the EU also refuses to cover the money for Heretic PR firm that was to get 71,000 crowns up to the supposed level of 1.285 million crowns.

The auditors say the firm´s services did not add any value to the project.

MfD writes, however, that the ministry has terminated the contract with the firm.

The criticism also targets the purchase of four notebooks for 156,000 crowns for four clerks. The auditors have found out that the four persons worked on a reform of the tertiary education less than a half of their employment contract.

That is why the EU will only pay out half of the requested subsidy, MfD writes.

The Czech government coalition TOP 09 party as well as the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) sharply criticise Dobes over the EU subsidies.

TOP 09 and STAN deputy group Petr Gazdik says Dobes should draw personal responsibility for the situation.

Senator and CSSD shadow education minister Marcel Chladek has been calling for Dobes´s resignation for a long time.

Dobes said on Friday he will explain the problems in drawing EU funds next week. He will issue a press release on Monday and give a press conference on Wednesday.

($1=19.940 crowns)

ms/dr Author: CTK
www.ctk.cz

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