Turek is not a minister, but he still makes decisions from the ministerial office

Although the Motorist MP Filip Turek is not the Minister of the Environment, according to information from the ministry, he is one of its most influential figures. While the office is externally led by Minister Igor Červený (Motorist), Turek chairs meetings and heads to Brussels for meetings of EU ministers. He does not need a higher security clearance for this.

Deník N, citing sources from the ministry, reported that it is Turek who sits in the ministerial office and actually decides on the running of the office, while Minister Igor Červený formally leads the department.

According to another source from the ministry's leadership, Turek even chairs the leadership meetings and sits at the head of the table, in the place that traditionally belonged to the minister. Next week, he will travel to the EU Council of Ministers meeting in Brussels instead of Červený.

Turek is thus acting in a role that the public commonly associates with a minister, despite the fact that he is only supposed to be a member of parliament and government representative for climate policy and the Green Deal.

His position has been unusual from the beginning. President Petr Pavel refused to appoint Turk as a minister, and the government therefore ultimately proposed Červený. But Turk did not disappear from the ministry. On the contrary. In January, the cabinet created the position of government plenipotentiary for him . According to it, he is to coordinate the state's approach in the creation and negotiation of European policies in the field of climate and the Green Deal, prepare legislative positions and represent the government in selected negotiations with EU institutions and in informal international consultations.

However, Turek is not a member of the government and only has the lowest level of clearance, the "Reserved" level, which was granted to him by the Ministry of the Environment itself.

If he wanted a higher level of clearance, he would have to apply for a “Confidential” level clearance. This or higher level is commonly held by, for example, deputies in the ministries of the interior, defense, or foreign affairs. In that case, he would have to be vetted by the National Security Office.

Does not require a higher clearance

Even in the current state, however, the Turk is not cut off from more sensitive materials. As a member of parliament, according to the Act on the Protection of Classified Information and Security Qualification, he has access to classified information even without a clearance. And that is to say, to those that are necessary for the performance of his duties during the term of his office. The same regime applies, for example, to members of the government or the president. Therefore, they do not have to apply for a security clearance.

This also explains why a higher clearance is not necessary for Turk in the normal operation of the Ministry of the Environment. However, his role has rules. The law explicitly stipulates that anyone who has access to classified information may not make it available to an unauthorized person. Therefore, if the minister were to hand over materials to Turk that he would not need either as a member of parliament or for his agenda defined by law or the statute of the authorized representative, it would be a problem.

"If you don't catch these people doing it like this, it's very difficult to prove it," a security expert told Novinka. He pointed to the case of Vratislav Mynář, who served as chancellor to former President Miloš Zeman without a security clearance. According to other security experts contacted by Novinka, sensitive information is not normally found in the Ministry of the Environment.

Source: Novinky.cz