PM slams President for anti-EU sentiments

Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek has slammed President Klaus for saying that the Czech Republic no longer had any advantages from EU membership. The prime minister said the Czech president's views on the EU were erroneous and many European politicians considered them dangerous. Speaking at a seminar at Prague's Charles University on Monday, President Klaus said the Czech Republic had "consumed" most of the advantages of EU membership before joining the EU and that in the last two years related expenditures had outweighed the benefits. He criticized Brussels for excessive centralization and bureaucracy. The prime minister said the president was ignoring statistical data which clearly showed the benefits of EU membership.