Červený: Fired for a dispute with a Turk? I don't care about that opinion, it's about the ministry's money

In an interview with CNN Prima NEWS, Environment Minister Igor Červený (Motoristé) said that the government representative for the Green Deal and climate policy Filip Turek (non-member for Motoristé) does not need any cover from the ministry. He was reacting to the departure of analyst Martin Abel, who collaborated on the documents for the acceleration zones and ended up at the Landscape Research Institute (VÚK) after, among other things, a rift with him at a roundtable on wind energy in the Chamber of Deputies. The minister rejected the connection between the two events, saying that he "doesn't care" about this version, and pointed to the events surrounding the "climate lawsuit against the state" and the related expenses at the Ministry of the Environment (MŽP).

According to the Minister of the Environment, this is not a case of revenge for the argument with the government representative. "Filip Turek is able to defend himself in the media space, so I don't think he needs cover from the ministry. The most fundamental problem was that public money went to a person who then sued the state, and therefore the ministry. However, the court argued with evidence that the Czech Republic is not only meeting its carbon targets, but is ahead of schedule," Červený argued in an interview with CNN Prima NEWS.

He also said that half of the financial resources from the VÚK are paid by the ministry. The ministry could use the money spent on legal services for a project focused on nature protection. "One person is building his own PR here. If we don't meet the goals, I won't even say ashes. This is purely a media battle. The whole matter is not based on the person of Filip Turk, but on the fact that someone is pointlessly suing us for something that is being met," the government member also noted, adding that a politician must be able to tolerate media insults.

The analyst also argues that his involvement in the association has not been considered problematic or that it would create an ideological conflict of interest. He also called the termination of cooperation due to different positions on the rate of development of wind energy a "legitimate political decision." "What is not legitimate is the way Filip Turek enters the public debate on energy," he added.

A sharp exchange of words took place on April 1 during a roundtable discussion on wind energy organized in the Chamber of Deputies by Pirates leader Zdeněk Hřib. Before Abel, government representative Filip Turek spoke on the topic – although he did not oppose this renewable energy sector in principle, he pointed out, for example, the import of Chinese components for wind turbines, thereby trying to refute the words about independence from “authoritarian and dictatorial regimes”.

A heated argument

An analyst from the Association for International Affairs accused Turk of "flooding the public debate with nonsense." A verbal argument broke out between the debaters as to who was truly knowledgeable in the field of energy. The representative accused Abel of being "lobbied," and the lawyer replied that he would not turn to him with energy questions, but "if he wanted advice on SUVs, he would ask."

The rest of the discussion was not carried out in an atmosphere of resentment, however, and neither party reacted sharply to the other. Abel, who is part of the Climate Lawsuit initiative and graduated from Oxford, now claims that the verbal clash had an unexpected outcome. The lawyer worked on projects within the VÚK, and was bound by a contract of assignment with the office under the administration of the Ministry of the Environment, valid until August of this year.

Termination of the contract after the intervention of the Deputy for Motorists?

"The VÚK terminated my contract basically immediately after I called Turk's statements nonsense. On the orders of the Ministry of the Environment," Abel told Deník N. According to him, the dismissal came after the director of the institute, Libor Hort, met with the deputy minister at the Ministry of the Environment, Jaromír Wasserbauer, who was nominated for the position of Motorists. Wasserbauer was supposed to tell Hort that the contract was terminated for two reasons - firstly because of Abel's involvement in the Climate Appeal association, and secondly because of the described argument in the premises of the lower house of Parliament.

Hort subsequently told the website that the contract was terminated "without giving specific reasons," which is in accordance with the terms. However, he said he could not comment on Abel's comments because of this.

In 2021, the association's leaders filed a lawsuit against the state for its inadequate and lukewarm approach to climate change, while calling for more significant measures. The organization succeeded in the city court in 2022, but the constitutional judges dismissed the lawsuit in 2025. The case is now headed to the European Court of Human Rights.

Turk agrees with analyst's firing

But Červený denies that the termination of the contract was in any way related to a sharp clash of opinions. "If it is rumored somewhere that Mr. Abel was fired because he doesn't like someone, I don't care," he said. "I understand, although I don't like it, the first lawsuit - he probably wanted certainty that the data was valid, but his further steps are unacceptable to me. The previous management of the department did not deal with such matters, but I want to find every penny for environmental protection," Červený also said.

According to the minister, this case does not serve as a signal to the public that anyone who stands up to the Turk in the field falling under the Ministry of the Environment will be punished. He also disagrees with the idea that there are any "purges" planned among people who disagree with the Ministry's motoring leadership. "I do not deal with insults and swearing, but I will not tolerate sabotage of the Ministry of the Environment's work," he emphasized, adding that as a minister he made it clear that "no official may abuse the green stamp."

The government representative himself responded to Deník N that the management of the office made the right decision regarding the termination of the contract. "A person who evaluates the expert discussion on energy as the main tragedy, that it is discussed by men over forty and white, should not be responsible for such fundamental issues as the energy mix in our country," said Turek. According to him, the analyst's statement "reeks of positive racism and progressivist madness."

The Turk later commented on the whole matter on Facebook, using the already emblematic phrase for Motorists: "We are terrible."

An interview with Minister Igor Červený on the CNN Prima NEWS website will be published in the coming days. The head of the department spoke about how he views Turk's threats to environmental organizations regarding the request for money from the fund, how the rules within the zones for wind and solar power plants will be adjusted, and whether he will support MEP Nerudová's proposal to amend ETS II.

Source: CNN