Poles, Czechs ‘on same wavelength’ on EU funds, migration: PM
PR dla Zagranicy
Grzegorz Siwicki
06.07.2018 14:00
Poland and the Czech Republic are "on the same wavelength" on issues including European Union funds and migration, the Polish prime minister said on Friday.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (centre) and his Czech counterpart Andrej Babiš (right) meet in Karlovy Vary. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Mateusz Morawiecki was speaking after talks with his counterpart Andrej Babiš in the western Czech town of Karlovy Vary.
"I am very happy that the Czech Republic and Poland have more and more in common," Morawiecki said, as quoted by Poland’s PAP news agency.
He added that the Czech Republic was “a key business partner for Poland.”
Morawiecki told reporters that his talks with Babiš focused on bilateral relations and business ties including infrastructure and energy projects.
The Czech Republic was Poland’s second-largest export market last year, after Germany, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported, citing data from Poland’s Central Statistical Office.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Babiš, Morawiecki praised joint Polish-Czech efforts to crack down on tax fraud, including what are known as VAT carousels and “VAT mafias,” the PAP news agency reported.
Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said last month that Poland and its regional partners, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, were all in favour of strengthening the European Union's borders and helping migrants in their countries of origin, while opposing any forced relocation of migrants across the bloc.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said in May that Poland and the Czech Republic would pool efforts to ensure continued high spending on investment and development under the European Union's 2021-2027 budget.
(gs/pk)
Source: PAP/IAR