Dukovany is a priority; Czech PM Fiala to meet European Commission chief, Vlček says

Brussels, May 15 (ČTK) - Resolving the situation surrounding completion of the Dukovany nuclear power plant is a priority for the entire Czech government, according to Industry and Trade Minister Lukáš Vlček. Prime Minister Petr Fiala will also discuss the matter with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday at the European Political Community (EPC) summit in Albania, Vlček told reporters in Brussels today.

The Czech minister is scheduled to have a video call next Tuesday with European Commission Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné of France. Earlier this month, Séjourné sent Vlček a letter urging him to postpone signing the contract with South Korean company KHNP, which won the tender.

Minister Vlček said the whole situation was not entirely standard. “This is not the European Commission’s view; it is the view of a French European commissioner directed at the Czech Republic,” he said. He also mentioned that he had met French Ambassador to the Czech Republic Stéphane Crouzat on Wednesday and learned that “he had received these letters before they physically reached us through official channels.”

“So this raises a number of further questions for me personally, given that we stand by the tender and believe it was well designed, and that we have a very good offer. It gives me the impression that EDF does not want a competitor in the European market,” Vlček added.

The final agreement with the tender winner, South Korean company KHNP, was originally due to be signed on Wednesday, May 7. However, the Regional Court in Brno blocked the signing with an interim injunction the day before. It did so at the request of French company EDF, which lost the competition and challenged the decision of the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) in a lawsuit. The authority had ruled that the tender was conducted properly. The court has yet to rule on EDF’s lawsuit.

In a letter dated May 2, Commission Executive Vice-President Séjourné also requested that the contract signing be postponed. A preliminary assessment of the matter is now under way, a Commission spokesperson said, adding that it was not possible to predict what the next steps would be. Séjourné’s letter also refers to the possible subsequent launch of an in-depth investigation.

There had initially been speculation that Minister Vlček might meet the French commissioner in person in Brussels today, but Séjourné is visiting Italy. They have now arranged a video call for Tuesday. The minister said he wanted to involve Czech diplomats in the discussions, and had spoken about this with Czech Ambassador to the EU Vladimír Bärtl. He also said that ČEZ should take an active role and “continue to explain why the tender was set up the way it was.”

According to ČTK sources, the European Commission could launch an in-depth investigation into the situation in the coming days. This has not happened yet, a spokesperson for the EU executive said. “The Commission is following the entire case and developments at national level very closely,” the spokesperson told ČTK. “The Commission is now assessing the available information and will decide whether it provides grounds for launching an in-depth investigation under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR),” the spokesperson added, noting that any launch of an investigation would be announced in a press release.

Minister Vlček, however, sees no reason to launch an in-depth investigation. “I see no reason for us to be discussing any in-depth investigation at all, because in my view, neither the relevant arguments nor the legal framework under which the tender was conducted support it,” the Czech minister said.