The Czech government does not yet have its own candidate for the post of European commissioner, but it will discuss the issue in the two weeks to come and parties can come up with their proposals.
The media information that the government was considering nominating Vladimir Dlouhy, industry and trade minister from the early 1990s, was just speculations, the officials said.
Referring to the information from the Government Office, the daily Lidove noviny wrote on Saturday that prime minister Fischer wanted to nominate Dlouhy. This would put an end to the continuing dispute between parties over the European commissioner. However, Dlouhy is rejected by the Greens, the Christian Democrats and Social Democrats.
The five parties in parliament have proposed their candidates. The Christian Democrats have nominated Pavel Svoboda, the Greens presidential candidate Jan Svejnar and the Communists MEP Vladimir Remek, the first and only Czechoslovak astronaut.
The two strongest parties, the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the Social Democrats, insist on their own candidates, Alexandr Vondra (ODS) and current European commissioner Vladimir Spidla (CSSD).
Wild card
Czech authorities also should not ignore the view of the EC and its head Jose Barroso who reportedly did not want European commissioners to be connected with the commercial sphere.
Trained economist Dlouhy now works for Goldman and Sachs.
Fischer, prime minister of an interim government that is to lead the nation to the elections in May 2010, told LN last week that if parties did not select their own candidate, the government would select one in its own right. Fischer said the government might come up “with a wild card, with a candidate of its own.”
