Daily: Fischer considering Dlouhý for European commissioner

Saturday’s edition of the Czech daily Lidové noviny has reported that Prime Minister Jan Fischer is considering nominating the former minister for industry and trade Vladimír Dlouhý for the post of Czech EU commissioner. Mr Dlouhý, who currently works for Goldman Sachs Europe, and was a central figure in 1990s Czech politics, featured most recently in the government’s now defunct economic advisory committee NERV. Lidové noviny writes that as a nominee Mr Dlouhý would likely get backing from several of the country’s parliamentary parties, including the Civic Democrats, Top 09, and the Communists.

The paper adds that the Social Democrats were not necessarily against– although that party would like to see current commissioner Vladimír Špidla continue in a new term. The Christian Democrats and the Greens, meanwhile, are reportedly not in favour. Prime Minister Jan Fischer, heading a caretaker government, had pressed the two largest parties, the Civic and Social Democrats, to agree on a joint-candidate, which they have failed to do; he said on Friday that the nomination of a candidate could be no longer be put off.

Author: Jan Velinger