Minister says Czech Republic failed to cash in on EU funds in 2016

The Czech Republic failed to effectively take advantage of opportunities to pump European funds last year, according to the Minister for Regional Development Karla Šlechtová. The minister described last year’s results as poor, adding that part of the problem was with fund management bodies and also the fact that firms and individuals preferred to turn to national funds rather than EU cash because the procedures were simpler. Last year agreements covering around 10 billion crowns were signed with 14.2 percent of the maximum total for the 2014-2020 of 648 billion crowns now claimed. This year, the minister said around five times more EU cash, or around 53 billion crowns, should be claimed.