Turek is supposed to be an authorized representative at the Ministry of the Environment based on an employment contract or agreement

Prague - MP and honorary president of the Motorists' Party Filip Turek will be an employee of the Ministry of the Environment as the government's representative for climate policy and the Green Deal, based on an employment contract or work agreement. This follows from the status of the representative, which was approved by the government on Monday. He will be accountable for the performance of his duties to the government, which appoints and dismisses him on the proposal of the Minister of the Environment. Turek should, among other things, represent the government in selected negotiations with European Union bodies and informal international consultations in the field of climate and the Green Deal to the extent authorized by the government.

The government appointed Turek as the plenipotentiary on Monday, while simultaneously abolishing the position of plenipotentiary for international climate negotiations. The Ministry of the Environment will continue to be temporarily led by the chairman of the Motorists' Party Petr Macinka. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said on Monday that this is a temporary solution. President Petr Pavel does not want to appoint Turek as Minister of the Environment.

ANO deputy chairman and MP Robert Králíček, who was appointed by the government as the Commissioner for Digitalization and Strategic Security on Monday, told ČTK today that he does not receive any salary as a government commissioner. The head of ANO deputies, Taťána Malá, has become the Commissioner for Human Rights, and she told ČTK that she has not yet concluded a contract with the government office. "But I suspect that there will be an agreement on work activities and she will be honored with 20,000 crowns," she said.

According to the statute, Turek will be an employee of the Ministry of the Environment on the basis of an employment contract or work agreement. "The main mission of the government representative is coordination in the creation, negotiation and implementation of European Union policies and measures in the field of climate and the Green Deal, with special emphasis on the economic and social impacts on the Czech Republic and its citizens," the document approved by the government states.

The statute gives Turek the task of coordinating the Czech Republic's interdepartmental approach to climate issues and the Green Deal, including preparing and harmonizing the government's positions on legislative and non-legislative proposals of the European Union. He is also supposed to evaluate the impacts of proposed and adopted measures on climate issues and the Green Deal on the competitiveness of the Czech economy, industry, energy, transport and agriculture, households, municipalities and regions.

Based on his evaluations, the Commissioner is to submit recommendations to the government and propose measures aimed at protecting Czech interests, including proposals for the use of exceptions, adjusting the pace and method of implementing European measures. The Commissioner is tasked with cooperating with representatives of industry, employers, unions, municipalities, regions and other representatives of the professional community.

The Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence, Lukáš Kačena, appointed on Monday, will be included in the organizational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, according to the amended statute of the Government Commissioner for Artificial Intelligence. The main scope and objectives of his work are to coordinate the development of artificial intelligence in the Czech Republic in cooperation with the government, ministries, public administration and other relevant actors with the aim of supporting its safe, ethical and effective use for the benefit of Czech society and its economy. Kačena is to organize the action plan of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the Czech Republic 2030 with specific measures for the development of AI across authorities, including setting priorities, implementation procedures, schedules and responsible actors. He will also cooperate in coordinating changes to the Czech legal order that will respond to the regulation of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on artificial intelligence.

The conditions for appointment are regulated by the Civil Service Act and the Conflict of Interest Act. An MP or senator cannot be appointed to a civil service position, and employment or service in middle-level administrative offices or ministries is incompatible with their position, constitutional lawyer Jan Kysela told ČTK. According to him, the position depends on the statute of the authorized person and a government resolution.

Source: České noviny