- We do not agree with the transfer of EU funds from Eastern Europe to Southern Europe. Poland and the Czech Republic should emphasise very strongly that they do not agree with such steps, because it will be at the expense of our countries and the Visegrad Group. We should speak with one voice on this issue. - Sejm Speaker Marek Kuchcinski said on Thursday during an official visit to the Czech Republic.

Radek Vondráček, Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies, stressed that the disbursement of EU funds should not be linked to the issue of the rule of law in Member States. - We believe that the conditioning of the disbursement of EU funds should not be linked to other issues. We do not welcome this and we do not welcome it with open arms; we have reservations about it," he stated. According to President Vondráček, the Visegrad Group, including members of the Polish and Czech parliamentary committees for the budget and the economy, should work out a common position on the EU budget. - It is always good to have a common view - said the Chairman of the Chamber of Deputies.

Both politicians agreed that in the first place Poland and the Czech Republic should deal with maintaining the EU budget with regard to cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy.

On Thursday, the Speaker of the Sejm also met with the President of the Czech Senate Milan Štěcha and with the Archbishop of Prague Cardinal Dominik Duka. Marek Kuchciński also laid flowers in front of the monument of Tomáš G. Masaryk and at the Archcathedral of Saints Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert - on the grave of Cardinal Josef Beran and on the grave of St. Adalbert.
During the first day of the visit, Marshal Kuchciński met with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. The politicians discussed, among others, the necessity to present a common position of the Visegrad Group at the EU forum, the migration crisis and cross-border cooperation.

text: http://marszalek.sejm.pl/marszalek8.nsf/wydarzenia.xsp?id=358BACACE14601B5C125829800519D41

Photo: Pawel Kula