“I carefully followed what was written about our program conference and I learned that it will be about the euro. We actually had in the program that we would put together the Euro and that it should be sometime in 2036, but we already missed that. Unfortunately, Andrej Babiš did not submit the application in time,” Kupka said at the start of the conference.
“So, as I looked, the nearest possible date is 2040, when the Czech Republic could, for example, organize the Euro together with Slovakia and Austria, and I think that would be good,” he continued.
By metaphor, he alluded to the adoption of the euro instead of the Czech crown, to which the current Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) is opposed.
“Mr. Chairman, I have to say that you calmed me down a bit with that introductory post. If yesterday’s articles were about the football Euro, then I have a completely different opinion and I am of course in favor of that. But after a few minutes I looked at Karel Haas (ODS) as the future Minister of Sports and I realized how much money he would have to tell the Minister of Finance about and I quickly lost my enthusiasm,” Skopeček responded to the party chairman.
Despite the fact that the party leadership joked about the football tournament, the Spolu coalition (ODS, TOP 09 and KDU-ČSL) really had in their agenda before the elections to the Chamber of Deputies that they would like to organize a football Euro.
“The Czech Republic is successful in organizing sports events. Why shouldn’t it have the ambition to organize the soccer Euro. It has to be worked on, it’s nothing obvious, but there’s nothing populist about it. It’s only good that it’s popular,” declared the then Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS).
Attitude towards the adoption of the euro
Until now, the ODS has been ambiguous about the common European currency. “Adoption of the euro when it is economically and politically advantageous for the Czech Republic,” was the program of the Spolu coalition.
At today’s conference, however, the party should take a positive stance towards the euro. Pavel Drobil (ODS), who is a long-term supporter of the common EU currency, brought about a change of opinion in the ODS.
