Hladík: Pavel takes a radically different approach to climate protection than Czech presidents Zeman and Klaus

Environment Minister Petr Hladík (KDU-ČSL) praised President Petr Pavel for taking a radically different approach to climate protection than the previous two heads of state, Miloš Zeman and Václav Klaus. He said so today after meeting Pavel at Prague Castle. During the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, they discussed climate protection, nature and the landscape, energy, grant programmes and the circular economy.

„I am above all glad that President Pavel has a fundamentally and radically different approach to climate protection than the previous two presidents. He is not only actively interested in the issue, but also emphasises the importance of presenting, explaining and popularising it,“ Hladík remarked.

Klaus has long been known, for example, for denying global warming and the contribution of human activity to it. Zeman, meanwhile, has spoken of green fanaticism, including in connection with the European Green Deal.

Pavel’s spokesperson Markéta Řeháková told Czech Television that the president had the most questions about the Renovate Grandma’s House grant programme. The ministry unveiled it in mid-July, and it has been criticised by the opposition and some coalition partners. The programme offers people up to one million crowns in advance to insulate and renovate older houses.

According to Řeháková, Pavel called for the conditions for accessing grants to be explained better, saying the ministry should focus more on this agenda. „He stressed that, if people decide to renovate their homes, he would like to see them spared the added complication of having problems obtaining a building permit,“ the spokesperson said.

The Ministry for Regional Development said it had not been consulted about the grant programme and that it recognised the contentious points now being criticised publicly. TOP 09 has also objected to the programme’s targeting, saying that only those in need should be eligible for the grant. Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura (ODS) is also dissatisfied with the programme, which is expected to receive 40 billion crowns from the Modernisation Fund. Hladík is expected to present the programme in its full context at a coalition meeting. The programme, which is part of the New Green Savings scheme, is due to launch in September.

According to the minister, Pavel also asked about the progress of plans to establish Křivoklátsko National Park and the Soutok and Krušné hory Protected Landscape Areas. Hladík said the president would meet representatives of the state nature and landscape conservation authorities at the Lány Game Reserve in the autumn.

In the case of Křivoklátsko National Park, the final comments and objections are now being addressed, according to the minister, and the legislative process is expected to begin in the autumn. The Krušné hory Protected Landscape Area is at the stage of informing and consulting, particularly with local governments, he said.

They also reviewed grant programmes designed to help households save energy. „The president said that they are very well designed and interconnected, and that energy savings are exactly the right approach. Now it is just a matter of explaining these things, because they apparently have not been fully understood. I am working very intensively to explain them now, and will of course continue to explain and provide information on these matters,“ Hladík said.

According to the minister, energy expenditure needs to be reduced for two reasons. The first is to help people save money, and the second is to meet Czechia’s climate targets. Households consume more than one third of all energy.

Pavel and Hladík also discussed the use of the Just Transition Fund to support coal regions, accelerating the construction of renewable energy sources and the circular economy. The president also asked about deposit-return systems for items such as plastic bottles and cans, Hladík added.